The Doors: America’s Star-Spangled Band (Revisited)
Sean MurphyThe 4th of July presents an at least two irresistible reasons to talk about The Doors. One: Jim Morrison took his last bath on July 3, 1971 in Paris. R.I.P.…
From Russia With Love?
No comment necessary? Mad Professor, "Internet Spy": The Skatalites, "James Bond Theme":
Go Ghana!
Okay, so it wasn't meant to be for the Team U.S.A. Again. But it was a good run and there is no doubting the positive overall impact this World Cup…
Summertime is Reggae Time (Revisited)– Part One: HalleluJAH: Heart of the Congos
Great art knows no seasons. Nevertheless, some music is made for—or at least can be fully appreciated during—specific times of the year. Reggae music, which many people still believe means…
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown… (One Year Later)
How do you know you've made an indelible impact on culture? Here's how. Listen: this story has been told so many times it is inextricable from the history of…
Dog Is My Co-Pilot
Anyone who has read this blog for a while knows I am a big fan of all dogs (even the occasional poodle). Major hat tip to Andrew Sullivan for putting this…
Being the Ball: What We Talk About When We Talk About ‘Caddyshack’
Well…we’re waiting! Actually, you already read this review. You already wrote this review. You can easily recall, now, when it occurred to you, sometime between the fifth or fifteenth (or…
Two Poems for Father’s Day
Those Winter Sundays Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday…
Shipping Up To Boston
1984 was the last time it happened: Game 7 for all the marbles. Back then I was deeply invested; now, not so much. To put it mildly, my passion for…
The Howling or, 100 Years of the Big Bad Wolf
Who's afraid of the big, bad Wolf? Plenty of people, and for good reason. Fortunately for us, we are not sketchy record company executives or anyone else who may have…