Sungha Jung or, Have You Ever Wondered What You’re Doing With Your Life?
Sean MurphyMajor hat tip to my man JC for making me aware of this wunderkind named Sungha Jung (check out his official site here). It's both remarkable and refreshing that in…
Yihla Moja (Revisited)
On Sept. 12, 1977, South African black student leader Steven Biko died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.
Some Sketches of America From a Moving Train (Revisited)
When I first read John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley: In Search of America I was a freshman in high school and not yet old enough to drive. Still, I…
One Nation Under A Groove or, Burn, Baby! BURN!
Another great moment in American douchebaggery! Despite the fact that we're on somewhat of a losing streak in recent years (thanks, Wall Street!), one of the reasons America remains a place…
The Shock Heard ‘Round the World: ‘Bitches Brew’ Turns 40
Shortly before his death in 1991, Miles Davis remarked “You don’t change music, music changes you.” While that statement is unassailable regarding the vast majority of artists, no matter how…
Coppola’s ‘The Conversation’: A Love Letter to the Process of Making Art
In Dostoeyevsky’s Notes From Underground the self-loathing narrator proposes that every man has secrets he will only reveal to friends and secrets he must keep to himself. And then there…
The Real Life Fable of Charles Mingus and Orval Faubus
On Sept. 4, 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. Charles Mingus had many things…
The Shape of Jazz That Came…
1959 was a watershed year for jazz music (arguably the greatest single year for jazz in all history–which is saying a lot). Here’s a taste: Miles Davis Kind of Blue,…
8K? What Can I Say…
People who are a lot smarter and more business-savvy than I am (which admittedly is not saying much) have asked me if I have Google Analytics for this site. I…
Hey Glenn Beck: What Color Is Your Soul?
First, a confession. I have to admit, when I took the clownish charlatan Glenn Beck in my sights more than a year ago, I frankly underestimated his influence and staying…