I’m going to be “unavoidably detained” for the next week and change, storming castles, photographing coastlines and drinking as much Guinness as I’m humany capable of doing. So, while I’m away amuse yourself, if you must, with some personal favorite posts (links below) or check out the archives. This joint has been open for business since October ’08 and there is plenty of fat to chew on.
Until then, cheers.
***********************
Mission statement: I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is because I’m changing all the time – Charles Mingus
Sean Murphy loves music, books, and movies and can’t imagine a world without sub-titles. He was born in northern Virginia and has never found a compelling reason to leave. He studied English at George Mason University and has an MA in Literature. One of his thesis papers dealt with the utopian impulse in ’70s rock (which, depending upon one’s perspective, at least partially explains why he opted not to purse that PhD in Cultural Studies). During his time at PopMatters he has written music and movie reviews, along with the occasional essay. Despite living just outside DC, he remains recalcitrant in his conviction that paychecks mean less than personal fulfillment and that the pursuit of peace is not ironic. Endorses, in no particular order: anyone who is similarly allergic to right-wing radio and reality TV, the Red Sox, miniature schnauzers, Pho and Blanton’s single barrel bourbon. Ambition: to write the pretty-good American novel.
This blog is an attempt to engage with the world, while playing the truth of what I am.
The posts are categorized roughly by topic , such as music, sports, politics, literature and film as well as the very blog-like ruminations in real time. The entries can be searched by topic or month. A sample of somewhat representative offerings is listed below. Thanks for checking it out and feel free to drop me a line if you see something you like (or dislike).
A poem, a tone poem, fondly remembering my mother, my dog, high school and the redemptory powers of the slush puppie.
Some meditations on the Catholic church, torture, war, the Holocaust, history ceaselessly repeating itself, George W. Bush’s legacy, an early read on Glenn Beck, (Touchdown) Jesus and the causes and effects of loneliness.
Sports and recreation, including Bird, Ovie, the Easter Bunny, and the history of violence (in film, and speaking of film, an appraisal of the best American film of the last decade and, arguably, the only perfect American film ever made). And, of course, The Kids in the Hall.
And especially music: Mingus, Miles, Morrison, Hendrix, Jethro Tull, Sabbath, The Beatles (White and Blue albums), The Who, Michael Jackson, 1989, my take on the Top 50 albums of the last decade, the all-star team of American bands, the search for the most sublimely awful rock lyric, and the six perfect rock songs.
It you are the twittering type, check me out @bullmurph
Become a fan and get updates via Facebook here
