2010: Time To Die (Part One: January-June)
Sean Murphy2010: In pace requiescat! We almost made it through January without a major loss, but then, during the darkest and coldest evenings we got word that the reclusive and curmudgeonly…
The Top 10 Albums of 2010, According To Me
2010, looking at my personal picks, (and these are the exact same ones I submitted to the annual "Pazz & Jop Poll", an annual endeavor of critical consensus conducted by…
Three For J.C.
It's a big day for J.C. In the spirit of Christmas, I'd like to celebrate J.C. with some...J.C. I'm speaking, of course, about John Coltrane. And I'll try to resist…
My Kind of Christmas Music, Revisited
Tchaikovsky Corelli Bach John Fahey The Who Chuck Berry a three-fer from Jethro Tull! Sonny Boy The Godfather Donny Satchmo Ella! (An embarrassment of riches here, here,…
Beefheart & The Black Keys: Grown So Ugly
Another song from Safe As Milk, the great "Grown So Ugly": The Black Keys attacking it, in one of the best covers you'll ever hear (from their amazing album Rubber Factory):…
O Captain! My Captain!: The Unique Magic of Don Van Vliet
As Ian Anderson said, “We’re getting a bit short on heroes lately.” And Ian, while he wasn’t speaking of Don Van Vliet, nevertheless would --and has— endorsed the man better known…
“Only Let Be No War”: The Films of Nikita Mikhalkov, Volume 1
The release of this box set is a welcome development. This is not necessarily to suggest anyone is likely to shell out $80 for five films, but the fact that they…
The Problem With The Homeless Problem
Who was he? I think the same question each time I see him (every day: the same man in the same spot, holding the same sign that tells everyone who…
Honing In On Hendrix
If you had told me one year ago that I'd have not only one, but two opportunities to write feature-length pieces on Jimi Hendrix I would have been excited, inspired…
Rubber Soulive: Put This One On Your Wish-List
I can't go on, I'll go on... When it comes to The Beatles, I feel obliged to invoke Samuel Beckett. Everything has been said; enough can never be said. So…