Musical interlude
When I was a kid and the internet didn’t exist, I used to spend a lot of time listening to records. That’s why, to this day, my brain still has access to the entire scores of many Broadway musicals and … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Music
Open thread 11/23/2024
Chopin wrote this piece when he was eleven years old. It’s his earliest surviving work, but not the earliest he wrote. He was a child prodigy not just in playing but in composing: I think the pianist is thirteen here.
Continue reading →Do you feel the winds of change?
Ever since the election there’s been a sea-change, an atmospheric something that’s a bit hard to describe but has the whiff of possibility. I think everyone feels it to a certain extent. The left dreads and fears it, and perhaps … Continue reading →
Beyoncé at the rally, versus Kundera: to dream the impossible dream of circle dancing
Whose decision was it that Beyoncé appear at Harris’ Houston rally to endorse her but not to sing? Not even one little itty bitty song? After all, isn’t Beyoncé like, you know, a singer? And when singers appear at political … Continue reading →
Love-gone-bad songs
If you look at the topic broadly, probably more than half of popular songs are about heartbreak or love gone bad. But I was thinking about a particular sort of heartbreak – the lover who was never sincere, the one … Continue reading →
RIP Kris Kristofferson
Excellent songwriter, handsome guy, he lived to be 88. Here he is with Johnny Cash performing a song Kristofferson wrote: I especially like this short clip of an interview with Kristofferson in which he pays tribute to his friend Steve … Continue reading →
Celebrity endorsements: Taylor Swift
By now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for president (if you say “who’s Taylor Swift?”, then you probably have been living under a rock). This news underwhelms me, … Continue reading →
Playing right field
Here’s a comment by “Rufus T. Firefly”: “[Kamala Harris] seems like the kid playing right-field in baseball, who just stands out there daydreaming, hoping the ball doesn’t come her way.” Also a great line.* (*from a kid who played right … Continue reading →
Meet violinist Adrian Anantawan, who was born without a right hand
There are some stories that are simply inspiring, and testaments to the human will. The life of Canadian violinist Adrian Anantawan is one such story. He was born with no right hand; you can find a lot of information and … Continue reading →
Trump and Musk as a dancing duo
Commenter “Brian E” suggested I would like this, and of course I do: Haters will say this is AI ?? pic.twitter.com/vqWVxiYXeD — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 14, 2024 It’s especially apropos because of Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt. Note, … Continue reading →
Memorial Day and open thread 5/27/24
Frankie Valli is 90 today: Happy Birthday!
[Hat tip: commenter “artfldgr.”] Time does fly. You may find his voice grating. To me, he’s no Barry Gibb, but I’ve always very much liked The Four Seasons and they provided a major part of the soundtrack to my youth. … Continue reading →