I loved the Everly Brothers. Their sound was so perfectly blended, with wistful heartache that was nevertheless upbeat rather than gloomy. How did they do it? Being brothers helped; siblings have a special harmony. They fought at one point and … Continue reading →
Leonard Cohen is a songwriter, and a very successful one at that. But he was a poet first. He’s old, too—if 79 can be called “old” these days. Accordingly, the style and content of his songs have changed over the … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a slightly edited version of a previous post.] Chanukah began the night before Thanksgiving. But since it has eight days I still get a chance to wish you a happy one—tonight and for two more days, anyway. … Continue reading →
…become an instrument of torture? But these are supposedly the Big Five for that purpose: (1) “I Love You” by Barney the Dinosaur (2) “Panama” by Van Halen (3) “The Real Slim Shady” by Eminem (4) “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow … Continue reading →
This is what the well-dressed starlet/model/whatever is wearing lately: Dresses that leave so little to the imagination seem to me to have almost nothing going for them except their power to shock (then again, perhaps the men in the crowd … Continue reading →
The inspiration is Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” (you can find Dylan’s original lyrics here). The singer for this version is Obama, of course. And I didn’t even have to change the lyrics all … Continue reading →
The cause? Parkinson’s, which can be a cruel and vicious (and protean) disease. In my mind, Ronstadt is still a slim young thing with a phenomenal voice. Of course, she’s been neither slim nor young for quite some time. And … Continue reading →
The idea that hookup culture hurts both boys and girls, and both young men and young women, doesn’t seem strange or revolutionary to me; it seems obvious. But apparently it still needs highlighting, so I’ll highlight it by recommending this … Continue reading →
Of course, I haven’t seen all the baby elephant videos in the world, so we can’t be certain. But I think I’m on safe ground when I assert that it’s probably the cutest baby-elephant-in-an-inflatable-swimming-pool video ever: And it almost immediately … Continue reading →
…is Beverly Bivens. I’d never heard her name, either. And although I remember the music of her group We Five very well, I hadn’t thought of it or them for years. A college friend of mine had had their LP, … Continue reading →
The MSM seems to be treating this as a very big story. I can’t imagine why, although for them I suppose it’s a sort of inside baseball. But I’ll provide this thread for those of you who want to talk … Continue reading →
…just act like an extrovert and you’ll be happier. Well, of course. I’ve been attempting to do that, with a modicum of success, for decades. I call myself an extroverted introvert. And Rogers and Hammerstein were well aware of the … Continue reading →