Wright, Rezko, Ayers—I hardly knew ye, says Obama
It’s time to rewrite the lyrics of the Irish pacifist folk tune “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” to fit Barack Obama’s gift for sizing up character.
Continue reading →Category Archives: Music
Hillary: whining about sexism “Just Like a Woman”
Has Hillary been the victim of sexism in her quest to become President? How’s this for an equivocal answer: Yes and no.
Continue reading →A Memorial Day tribute in song
I can think of no better song for Memorial Day than Tim McGraw’s “If You’re Reading This“:
Continue reading →American Idol: the Davids
Okay, so I watch “American Idol.” So sue me. I see it as a brief weekly escape from our drab, wretched lives, a la Michelle Obama. I see it as a continuing soap opera with music, although the sort of … Continue reading →
Obama serenades the folks of Pennsylvania: “Doin’ What Comes Naturally”
Obama’s mockery of Hillary as Annie Oakley reminds me that I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Annie for a long time. One of my favorite childhood songs was “Doin What Comes Naturally” from “Annie Get Your Gun,” … Continue reading →
Facts, truth, and changing one’s mind
Fred Barnes seems to be channeling neo-neocon in his latest Weekly Standard article. Towards the end of his piece describing Iraq’s recent progress towards reaching those benchmarks we used to hear so much about, Barnes asks some of the same … Continue reading →
The iPod vs. the Top Twenty
I (heart) my iPod. Regular readers of this blog know I’m not the most technologically advanced of people. But although I may be slow on the uptake, I did finally join the trend a few months ago when I became … Continue reading →
Bill: been missin’ ya, miss kissin’ ya
Yesterday I saw my first one of these: Can’t say as I do. But that’s just me. I was never a big fan, even though I voted for him—twice, with vigor. But in the NH primary of 92, I was … Continue reading →
Twanging, from Homer to Cohen and back: music and poetry
I’m still on a bit of a Leonard Cohen kick, as well as a YouTube fling. Stay with me here, though; this isn’t just about Cohen. As Gerard Vanderleun has noted, Cohen has an even darker side than the one … Continue reading →
Dance me to Leonard Cohen
I reacquainted myself with the music of singer/songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen recently, as a result of this post by The Anchoress. It links, not to the lugubrious Cohen himself, but to a YouTube video of John Cales singing Cohen’s much-covered “Hallelujah.” … Continue reading →
Making music: on playing the cello
I used to play the cello. Well, perhaps “play” is too strong a word. I was chosen for the instrument (no, that’s not a typo; I was chosen for it, rather than the reverse) in fifth grade, at the public … Continue reading →
“Dreaming” of the Supremes
Last night I went to the movies to see “Dreamgirls.” I wanted some light entertainment, and I got it. I was in Brooklyn, and the audience at the large and crowded theater I happened to go to was approximately 99% … Continue reading →