Earth Day (Revisited): An Appreciation of Black Sabbath
Sean MurphyEvery day is Earth Day. Question: Is it possible that a band could sell over one hundred million albums, be referenced constantly by groups spanning multiple genres, and whose very…
Mark Twain: The Big Daddy of American Letters
On April 21, 1910, author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, died in Redding, Conn. Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he…
Keeping Hope Alive
Not a ton of people remember Opal (actually, to remember a band, you need to have heard of them in the first place, right?). It's a shame, although admittedly, this…
A Splendid Time Is Not Guaranteed For All
The Easy Star All-Stars, to their credit, do not believe in half-measures. In 2003, they introduced themselves to the world with their reggae reimagining of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of…
“You are making that toast sound like salvation or something…”
+ = Some people see the face of Christ in their pancakes; other folks are more interested in creating their own miracles. An inexorable sign of the…
Herbie Hancock is Cooler Than Us And He Always Has Been
Everyone knows that Herbie Hancock is one of the coolest men on the planet, and has been for almost half a century. Anyone who doesn't know this doesn't know much; all…
Enjoy The Silence
What he said. (But he didn't say anything...) Exactly.
Two Disasters of the 20th Century
On April 15, 1912, the British luxury liner Titanic sank in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, less than three hours after striking an iceberg. About 1,500 people died. Unfortunately, one…
And you’re working for no one but me…
If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street; If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat; If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat; If you…
Ignorance Is A Warm Gun
Bob Herbert is often angry, and he's almost always correct. While most columnists (even at the liberal NYT) pussyfooted around the issue of the Bush Administration's ineptitude and brazen lawlessness, he…