We keep hearing stories about sexual harassers who “everybody” in certain groups “knew about all along,” for years and years, and yet no one did anything about the situation. A lot of people then condemn members of those institutions for … Continue reading →
Yes, it was a surprise when Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature. My reaction? I think it’s an absurdity. But I think quite a few of the Nobel Prize in Literature awards choices have been absurd, so this … Continue reading →
The US reports that ISIS has lost 25% of the territory it once held. Although I hope this is true, I’m not at all sure I believe them, and they sound a bit shaky about it themselves: …a U.S. assessment…determined … Continue reading →
I am drawn to melody in songs. That’s one of the many reasons I don’t like rap music. Rhythm is important too, of course, but for me melody (and lyrics) is key. But there’s a class of rock songs that … Continue reading →
…says Leonard Cohen. A likely story. If Cohen’s mind is like the DMV, it’s not like any DMV I’ve ever been to. Cohen’s interview is a fascinating reflection on creativity and work: Before I can discard the verse, I have … Continue reading →
Leonard Cohen is a songwriter, and a very successful one at that. But he was a poet first. He’s old, too—if 79 can be called “old” these days. Accordingly, the style and content of his songs have changed over the … Continue reading →
Every now and then I become mesmerized by a certain musician. Luckily, the force of each palls after a while, or I would be sliding inexorably into obsession territory, like the woman in Richard Thompson’s “From Galway to Graceland,” whose … Continue reading →
When I hear a song or read a poem, other songs and poems often spring unbidden into my mind. They have some relation to the first, as a sort of harmonic vibration or echo. Sonnets are a particular form of … Continue reading →
I still buy CDs. But then, I’m a Leonard Cohen fan, and apparently that’s the sort of archaic thing we folks do. If I’m just buying a single song, though, I usually pay my 99 cents (or $1.29, because inflation … Continue reading →
My favorite YouTube activity these days seems to involve watching singer/songwriters morph from young to old almost instantaneously. There’s something both creepy and magical about getting into the YouTube time machine and seeing ten different live versions of a song … Continue reading →
I’d planned a long post on what’s happening today, as the Pelosi Congress wheels and deals and tries to pass its gargantuan health care reform bill that, if implemented, would radically change this country in ways that promise to be … Continue reading →
At least as far as his disconnect from current culture goes. I can relate to nearly everything he says. I follow news assiduously. But I rarely go to the movies, and when I do I’m almost invariably disappointed. Music? I … Continue reading →