“My First Time”, via The Quivering Pen
Sean MurphyIt was my great pleasure to guest-post at The Quivering Pen, a fantastic site for writers (and readers) curated by David Abrams (himself an excellent reader and writer: check him…
Talking Jive, Mingus and John Goodman
Today is the day. For John Goodman, that is. And for you, if you are inclined to check out his new book, Jive-Colored Glasses: A Jazz Memoir. And you should…
‘Pedro’ Is a Glorious Romp Full of Stories That Only Pedro Martinez Can Tell
Any public figure, particularly an artist or athlete, is assured notoriety and immortality if they are known simply by their last name (think Bird or Beethoven), their nickname (think Bono…
The Birth of a Novel
Today is the day. It's live. Check it out HERE. Grab a copy or two. Help spread the word. THANK YOU! See below for advance praise of Not To Mention…
The 50 Greatest Hockey Enforcer Names of All Time
I. Hockey rules, eh? ARE YOU WATCHING THE hockey playoffs? Don’t worry, no one else is either. Except for the relative handful of us who understand it’s the greatest, if least…
All This Useless Beauty: The National Spelling Bee*
Look: More death and destruction. On TV, obviously. Only this is the worst one yet, the most gruesome, uncomfortable competition I’ve ever made myself suffer through. Worse than football. Worse…
Schizophonia: Cantorial Recordings Reimagined
There is a common theme that connects Yoshie Fruchter with his occasional partners in crime Jon Madof and Aram Bajakian: They all play guitars. More, they have all recorded on…
Mark Twain: The Big Daddy of American Letters (Revisited)
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 is…
The Song Remains The Same or, The Agony of Influence (Revisited)
Two thoughts from T.S. Eliot: April is the cruelest month... Whatever. Good poets borrow; great poets steal. Now we're talking. And here is where it gets interesting: debate rages (well,…
April 15, 1985: THE FIGHT
IT PROBABLY SAYS SOMETHING about evolution that younger generations see the future as expansive, malleable and positive while the older generations eventually—and inexorably—see the past as safer, simpler and more…