It’s a genre, and a rather large one. Here are just a few examples – heavy on the Bee Gees, of course. I always liked Ringo’s quirky voice: Early-ish Bee Gees: Got to include this one. And she’s got my … Continue reading →
[NOTE: I decided not to be as politics-intensive as usual today.] I consider the poems of Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins to be among the greatest, and I’m going to highlight a single line from his poem entitled—well, the poem … Continue reading →
Disney has just released a live action version of “The Little Mermaid.” Some people have panned it, in particular compared to the 1989 animated film of the same story that was very popular and highly praised. But I’ve never seen … Continue reading →
I’ve posted this song before, but I think it bears repeating, especially on Memorial Day. It’s Tim McGraw’s extraordinarily moving song “If You’re Reading This“: If you’re readin’ this My momma’s sittin’ there Looks like I only got a one … Continue reading →
The Moody Blues were big in the late 60s. But for reasons I never could quite articulate, their music creeped me out at the time. It didn’t make sense that I disliked their songs, because they had many elements I … Continue reading →
In an odd coincidence, two days ago I sent a friend a video of one of my favorite comic scenes from “Life of Brian,” made in 1979: And last night I saw this article about a new stage production based … Continue reading →
Love is the biggest topic in pop songs. Love gained, love lost, love betrayed, love regained, love yearned for, love rejected. But did you ever notice that there’s a dearth of popular songs about the death of a loved person? … Continue reading →
I’ve been feeling pretty weary lately about the news. So much of it is bad. I don’t know about you, but I need a refresher. “Tragedy” is an odd title for a refresher. But like so many Bee Gees’ songs, … Continue reading →
Plisetskaya tears up the turf: I don’t care how high today’s dancers can get their legs or how many turns they do. They play the character; Plisetskaya IS the character. She’s the second dancer in the series in this video … Continue reading →
Michel Fokine’s ballet “Petrouchka,” created in 1911, is one I’ve seen many times. But perhaps I’ll never see it again, because I have a feeling it’s pretty much banned now. I’m virtually certain that one of its puppet characters, the … Continue reading →
Singer-songwriter – this article says “troubadour” – Gordon Lightfoot has died at 84. RIP. Lightfoot was not an extreme favorite of mine; for example, I never bought an album of his. Nevertheless, he wrote many classic folk-type songs that I … Continue reading →
I was about twelve years old when I first read Orwell’s masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four. It scared me more than anything I’d ever read. Did I understand every single bit of it? No, but I understood a surprising amount. And it … Continue reading →