This was the hardest one yet, and I’m surprised by that. I mean, I have done plenty in life to feel guilty about. But I think I’ve just discovered that my mind doesn’t associate songs with that emotion as well as it does others. Interesting the things we learn about ourselves. Anyway, I think this is the best I can
Read morePart two in a series. Forgive me for abstracting and oversimplifying a bit, but one might argue that American politics breaks along the following 10 lines: Social Conservatives Neocons Business Conservatives Traditional Conservatives (there’s probably a better term, but I’m thinking of old-line Western land and water rights types) Blue Dog Democrats New Democrats Progressives
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Part one in a series. A little thought experiment for a Monday morning… Over the past few years I have tried to make as much sense as I could out of the American political landscape. By nature, I’m a theoretically minded thinker, and the point of these exercises has been to try and articulate the structures, shapes, motivators and dynamics
Read moreMainly I wish I could play guitar, period. You know, because axe-slingers get more groupies than poets. And there are a lot of songs I wish I could play. I guess one stands out, though – my favorite Rush song from my favorite Rush CD. Ladies and gentlemen, “Spirit of Radio”!
Read moreI don’t play an instrument anymore, but when I was a kid I took several years of piano and I was in the band in junior high and high school. For some reason, our band director, Mr. Mauney, loved Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4,” so trust me when I tell you, we could rock that sucker. This video is
Read moreThis is more like it. Sorta. The technical answer to the question is “everything that Electric Six has ever released.” Some of their songs are more hysterical than others, though. Like this, which I barely know how to describe, other than to say this is why you need to keep nutbags like Dick Valentine away from history books.
Read moreI’m going to be honest – today’s challenge got to me. When I was young death was an abstraction, and it wasn’t one I feared. I fear aging, but not dying, I said, and it was true. Still is, to some extent. I’d far rather kick over dead right now than to lose my ability to fend for myself, physically
Read moreIt seems so very unlikely that I’ll ever get married again, but if I do I hope she’ll understand why wedding songs are requiems, why the confession of love cannot help connoting loss, betrayal, rejection. Love is the denial of these tragedies and only the existence of pain can give happiness meaning. I hope she’ll forgive me this image of
Read moreThe NBA assigned referee Danny Crawford to work tonight’s Dallas Mavericks/Portland Trailblazers game, touching off a series of galloping hissy fits across Greater East Texas/Shreveport metropolitan area. The reason for the unhappiness can be found in this paragraph. See if you can spot it. The Mavs have a 2-16 record in playoff games officiated by Crawford, including 16 losses in
Read moreThere are so many sad songs and so many things to be sad about, so I suppose there are a lot of correct answers to this one. For my part, few things are sadder than the moment when the music dies. And I have to tell you, I really miss Warren Zevon.
Read moreSome conservatives see all these fact-laden critiques of our various GOP manufactroversies (see Ryan, Paul) and wonder where are the Democratic plans to solve the financial crisis? (I have been asked this, quite vehemently, myself.) The informed reply goes something like this: The crisis isn’t real. It’s been fabricated by the neo-liberal politicians whose goal is to eliminate all taxes
Read moreThis is almost unfair. When I’m happy I listen to all kinds of music. When I’m not happy, there are thousands of songs that can pick me up. Seriously – the relationship between music and happy is impossible to articulate where I’m concerned. I’ll drive myself crazy if I try to come up with the definitive answer. So in the
Read moreA song I listen to when I’m angry? Oh, hell – this one is easy. Not only do I listen to Rammstein when I’m mad, “Du Hast” makes me feel good about being mad.
Read moreHmmm. What is my favorite album, anyway? A Night at the Opera? Reckoning? Zenyatta Mondatta? Million Star Hotel? Romeo at Julliard? Damn. This is tough. But I guess I’ll go with my knee-jerk response when I first saw the question and say The Unforgettable Fire. So, hope you’re enjoying your Saturday night (of course, if you are, then you’re probably
Read moreWhom do we trust when we’re looking for information? Increasingly, research shows that Americans are more likely trust friends, peers and word-of-mouth over “experts.” For instance: A 2007 eMarketer survey of the most trusted sources of information for US consumers was topped by “friends, family and acquaintances” and “strangers with experience.” These sources outranked “teachers” and “newspapers and magazines.” A
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