Another person connected with the arts has died. This time it’s WSJ drama critic and playwright Terry Teachout, who died unexpectedly at the age of sixty-five. Teachout wasn’t just a drama critic and playwright, either; he was “an acclaimed author, … Continue reading →
On Monday I mentioned that it seems as though there have been a lot of celebrity deaths lately. And now I see that pop singer Ronnie Spector has died: Like burning magnesium, the Ronettes flared hot, brightly and quickly: Their … Continue reading →
Kevin McCarthy shows some of it: House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy told Breitbart News that as speaker of the House he would strip Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) of their assignments on the House Permanent Select Committee … Continue reading →
Oh how I detest autotune. Rick Beato doesn’t detest it quite as much as I do, but he’s not the least bit fond of the way it’s commonly used today:
Continue reading →As part of my newish – or rather, renewed – interest in popular music, I’ve been listening to a lot of music old and new. No doubt it’s at least partly as an escape from the political dolors du jour. … Continue reading →
There’s a huge number of reviews and discussions about the new Beatles documentary “Get Back.” I won’t even bother to link to any; they’re easy enough to find. Lots of people are raving about it, but they tend to be … Continue reading →
Commenter “Zaphod” offers this quote: “Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to pour a drink for myself and my wife, and we are going to watch The Magnificent Ambersons. One wonders what Tarkington would have thought of … Continue reading →
Bee Gees time again! The Bee Gees wrote over 1000 songs, and many of them were never released. Particularly during the early 70s, when their sound was in transition from their earlier baroque rock British Invasion sound to a more … Continue reading →
Stephen Sondheim, one of the giants of the American musical theater, died three days ago at the age of 91. Sondheim’s Wiki entry describes him this way: Sondheim was praised for having “reinvented the American musical” with shows that tackled … Continue reading →
There are countless songs about broken hearts. It’s a natural subject, because the phenomenon of hearbreak is so common, and people undergoing the pain of the experience often turn to music to release their emotions, universalize them, and even for … Continue reading →
One of the things I’ve discovered through my recent delving into popular (and unpopular) music has been how many musicians have quirky, interesting life stories. In particular, so many came from a musical parent or parents, and so many were … Continue reading →
[nOTE: Part I can be found here.] Singing while doing much dancing is rare for several reasons. The first is that unless the dance is very simple and slow, the dancer gets out of breath (that also can be a … Continue reading →