I can’t say I knew much about Amy Winehouse until her death, although I’d vaguely heard of her. But from what I’ve read since, it appears she exemplified a type of addict who is extraordinarily difficult to help—defiant and resistant … Continue reading →
The Wall Street Journal explains Mitch McConnell’s strategy in saying Republicans should let Obama raise the debt limit himself: Mr. McConnell would then let the President propose three debt-limit increases adding up to $2.5 trillion over the coming months. Senate … Continue reading →
They’re both musical; Patinkin is a singer and Broadway actor and Zukerman a famous classical violinist. They’re both Jewish, although Patinkin was born in this country and Zukerman is the Israeli son of Holocaust survivors. But their marital history diverges, … Continue reading →
I’ve been doing some research about George Gershwin (this is an especially wonderful biography), and I’ve been surprised to learn that, in addition to his formidable musical talent, Gershwin was a major collector of modern art and a credible painter … Continue reading →
Last night I was looking to order some music from iTunes to replace an old favorite in my archaic record library. Unfortunately, that particular recording was obscure enough that it hasn’t been reissued in an iTunes selection, or even on … Continue reading →
I’ve finally located a certain video, discovered while I was at YouTube engaged in one of my favorite activities: procrastination by chain-viewing. You know what chain-viewing is. You watch a video, and then plan to click on just one more … Continue reading →
This Time article by Alex Altland about the Daniels candidacy and marital history contains the following curious passage [emphasis mine]: In his rare comments about the couple’s reconciliation, Daniels has said, “If you like happy endings, you’ll love our story.” … Continue reading →
Phoebe Snow has died. For those of you who might not be familiar with her, she was a young phenom in the 70s, a singer/songwriter with a uniquely bluesy style. Her life was not an easy one; a hydrocephalic daughter … Continue reading →
Boy, have they gotten old. And it’s Garfunkel’s voice that’s been most affected by the passage of time, although he still appears to have much of his always-formidable hair. But that high clear angelic sound is a bit grittier than … Continue reading →
Here’s something to relieve the gloom. Many years ago I watched a documentary entitled “The Treble.” It was about Welsh boy soprano Aled Jones and the crisis he faced on the brink of puberty with an imminent change of voice … Continue reading →
I believe I have done a great service to the world in unearthing the provenance of Mel Brooks’ immortal “Guten Tag Hop Clop” from the musical version of “The Producers.” You may have thought it was merely a ridiculous German … Continue reading →
Yesterday I went to a performance of a highly condensed (one hour long) English-langauge version of the opera “Hansel and Gretel” at Boston’s Wheelock Family Theater. I was one of the only people in the crowd without a child or … Continue reading →