RIP Sinead O’Connor
The singer has died at the age of 56: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56, her family has announced. In a statement, the singer’s family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
Desperation, love, cars, and song
[NOTE: I wrote about the “Fast Car” brouhaha involving the Luke Combs cover version two days ago. That sparked further thoughts – thus, this post.] The strength of the song “Fast Car” is due in no small part to its … Continue reading →
RIP Tony Bennett
He had a long run: 96 years. He kept singing to the end, although he gave up performing in 2021 due to slowly advancing Alzheimer’s. From his Wiki page, I learned that Bennett was also a lifelong artist. You can … Continue reading →
The revisionist history of the song “Fast Car”
It’s come to this: One recollection that I can confirm with the aid of historical evidence is that [in 1988] ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman was everywhere. I heard it in seedy gay bars, at civil-service leaving dos, at family … Continue reading →
The Marxist librarian
I missed this story back when it first happened, in April of 2022. This explains what I’m referring to: A large organization that drives the training of U.S. librarians and their use of public funds has chosen a self-described “Marxist … Continue reading →
Author Milan Kundera dies at 94
[Hat tip: Commenter “Barry Meislin.”] RIP Milan Kundera. Long-time readers here probably recall that Kundera has been one of my favorite authors and almost certainly was my favorite living author, someone I’ve quoted time after time on this blog. You … Continue reading →
The lost art of épaulement
Alla Shelest was virtually unknown in the West, but she was an eminent dancer in the USSR during the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Here she is trying to teach a younger dancer what’s known as épaulement, which is “the nuanced … Continue reading →
Progress report on Gerard’s book
I’ve finally done some actual work on Gerard’s book – using the Amazon self-publishing platform, which my research points to as the most user-friendly. However, there’s still a steep and rather tedious learning curve there, and so I’m nowhere near … Continue reading →
Plisetskaya’s jump
By popular demand, I’m going to try to explain Plisetskaya’s jumping ability as shown in a recent open thread. Here’s the video again: You won’t see other women in ballet jumping like that. You’ll see a few men getting that … Continue reading →
Open thread 6/30/23
When I was watching this video, I thought about a Bee Gees comparison before Fil made the same point. Were the Bee Gees the male Andrews sisters? Sort of. But I have one disagreement with Fil here – which is … Continue reading →
This book by Heather Mac Donald looks worth reading
The latest from Heather Mac Donald is called When Race Trumps Merit: When Race Trumps Merit provides an alternative explanation for those racial disparities. It is large academic skills gaps that cause the lack of proportional representation in our most … Continue reading →
Food for thought from William Blake
William Blake was a unique poet and artist. I don’t think he fits into any category except “mystical visionary” and probably “some sort of genius.” Many people are aware of his poem
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