Beethoven at 250
Sean MurphyBeethoven at 250. Aside from the two other points in the eternal triangle, Bach and Mozart, has any artist contained such multitudes, expressed so much in ways that are ceaselessly…
King Crimson’s ‘Lizard’ at 50
Considering that the only constant during the early years (and later, for that matter) of King Crimson was change, the quality and variety of their third and fourth albums are…
Original Poem: We Were Too Young to be That Old
The author as a young idiot I'm grateful to Nine Cloud Journal for publishing my work (you can read it by purchasing the issue at Amazon -- a great way…
The Day the Music Died, Redux: John Lennon, Dec 8, 1980
It was forty years ago today… Where were you? I was in my mother’s bedroom, kissing her goodbye before I caught the school bus, and I heard the horrible news on…
Original Poem: John Coltrane’s Cancer
I've written a ton about John Coltrane, easily one of my all-time sources of light, love, and inspiration. But to tackle such a giant, creatively? It's part of a project…
Original Poem: What a Wonderful World?
Couple of things: if you only know Louis Armstrong because of his ebullient and impossible to not love rendition of "What a Wonderful World," you may be pleasantly surprised to…
Eddie Van Halen: Rock Music’s Book of Revelation
photo courtesy of Salvatore Ferro When it comes to Eddie Van Halen, we are talking about an artist everyone would agree was, through the typical combination of hard work, good…
Original Short Fiction: Anodyne, Ever After
Thanks, once again, to the great team at Exterminating Angel for allowing me in another issue with another group of great writers; it remains a pleasure and honor (only more…
Arkana’s Contributor Spotlight: Sean Murphy
(Personal note: Big thanks to the folks at Arkana for publishing my short story, provocatively entitled “Red State Sewer Side.” It’s definitely a commentary of sorts on some of the…
Goodfellas at 30: The Most Definitive American Movie of the Last Three Decades
First, a confession. I did not love Goodfellas the first time I saw it (in the theater, shortly after it opened, in October, 1990). Then again, this seems to happen with certain…