RIP Burt Bachrach
At 94. That’s a pretty good run. My favorite Bachrach songs were the rhythmically-interesting ones he made for Dionne Warwick, who tossed them off with her characteristic light touch:
Continue reading →Category Archives: Arts
Ivan Illych and history
[NOTE: Here’s a repeat of one of my earliest posts, written in my very first year of blogging: May, 2005. Back then I didn’t have all that many readers, so I thought I’d bring it out for another go-round.] I … Continue reading →
It gets harder and harder to shock people
Sam Smith went Satanic at the Grammys. But that’s probably not going to shock most people’s actual Grammy and Grampy: I regret to inform you that singing in a devil costume may not have the intended shock value on your … Continue reading →
Our Planet
I’m still out west, staying in an airbnb. Last night I was trying to relax – fat chance! – and watched some TV I thought might be soothing. It was the first episode in the Netflix series “Our Planet.” What … Continue reading →
Calmly we walk
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a post originally published five years ago. Gerard had made the first comment on the original post, as you can see if you follow that link. “Many great dears are taken away…”] —John Updike: … Continue reading →
The theme and variations versus the symphony: on love
[NOTE: First published here in June of 2006.] I try to do about three miles of brisk walking every day for exercise. On rainy or snowy days, I’m off to the gym and its treadmill, which feels like–well, like being … Continue reading →
Biden has no regrets about his handling of the classified documents
This is what he had to say: I think you’re gonna find there’s nothing there. I have no regrets. I’m following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do. That’s exactly what we’re doing. There’s no there … Continue reading →
The women of The View sense something is missing in Joe’s response to the current revelations
From Joy Behar: “But it would have been helpful for Joe Biden, when it first came out, to say — and we have tape of Joe Biden saying Trump did something stupid and shouldn’t have done it and it was … Continue reading →
Dueling Odiles
[NOTE: I’ve been working on a big long post today but finally abandoned it for now because I just need to take my mind off ugly, depressing things. So I’ve pivoted to this one.] “Swan Lake” is one of those … Continue reading →
And then there’s the new Martin Luther King statue in Boston
The perfect statue for our times. Is it “a big old dong“? Is it a turd, or the portion of the anatomy from which a turd might emanate? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But it’s hard to … Continue reading →
Onward
Although today I had hoped to publish Part II of my series on the Kari Lake election fraud trial, I’m planning it for tomorrow instead. I got a later-than-usual start today because I was dealing with some health issues involving … Continue reading →
Twas the blogger’s night before Christmas
[NOTE: This small poetic effort of mine has become somewhat of a holiday tradition at the blog. So here it comes again—just like the holiday itself.] ‘TWAS THE BLOGGER’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through … Continue reading →