Memorial Day*
Sean MurphyI. I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive Cyrus has never actually discussed his brief stint in the army that took him to Vietnam. On a couple of…
Can-Utility and the Krauthammers
Well, when you anoint yourself King Canute, you mustn't be surprised when your subjects expect you to command the tides. So saith the cretinous Charles Krauthammer in a piece that, unfortunately,…
“Better call on evolution” or, Our Cultural Koyaanisqatsi
ON THIS DAY: On May 25, 1925, John T. Scopes was indicted in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. I always enjoy the chance to invoke the incomparable Bill…
The Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde or, Art Improving Upon Life
ON THIS DAY On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death in a police ambush as they were driving a stolen Ford Deluxe…
The World Cup Is Coming
Mundial de Futbol* Tomaso sat down to watch the day’s action. He had missed several crucial games from the 1990 tournament because, like most men, the extraordinary physics and logistics…
Freedom Riders
ON THIS DAY On May 20, 1961, a white mob attacked a busload of "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the federal government to send in United States marshals to…
The Immortal Wayne Cochran or, The Copycat Sex Machine
You know what the best part of that picture is? Everything. And now you are probably thinking: wow, is that guy for real? Oh, he's real. And we have footage. (Huge…
Feelin’ Froggy?
Just about every species practices—and in some cases perfects—certain forms of cannibalism. I didn’t say that. The guy on TV, that anonymous narrator with the fake American accent did. Listen:…
Ten Ways of Looking at Four Decades
I. Listen: When some of your best friends are people who exist elsewhere—characters in books you’ve read, musicians you’ll never meet, people from the past who died decades (even centuries)…
Four Poems For Four Decades
You’ve Seen Me Before (1989) I am the nimble sparrow who is surprised By eager claws that approach without a sound. Security lies in lofty branches, overhead But I feel…