The other night I’m settling back to watch the game and out comes Kelly Rowland to sing the national anthem. And to nobody’s surprise, we’re treated to … the obligatory butchering of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Such is the mode of pop music these days – it isn’t acceptable, where a G appears in the sheet music, to sing a G.
Read moreLately I’ve caught myself saying things like “if a culture gets poetry right, its politics will take care of itself.” Kudos to Bruce Jacobs and our friends at The Agonist for their Poem for Tuesday feature, which reminds us each week of the true, transcendent power of words. Today Bruce offers up something from Mark Doty. A snippet: What these
Read moreGit yer ya-yas out, folks. We’re on a mission from God.
Read moreOLD FLORIDA, GIVEN BACK -for Caryn 1. This song is a canopy road, as much between times as place to place, and spanish moss, ghost waters, kudzu, slinking like alligator eyes through the trees.
Read moreIn recent years YouTube has become the videographer of record for the sum total of human craziness. And brilliance. And stupidity. And WTFedness. And creativity. And … well, you get the idea. Several times a day, it seems, somebody e-mails or links or embeds a vid from YouTube that has us laughing, cringing, crying, throwing things, and most of all,
Read moreHere’s a draft of something I’m working on. To Be Continued (Ars Poetica)
Read moreWhat the hell is up with 2010? And will it ever end? This has been the worst year of my life. I guess those who were there to see the trainwreck that was 1988 might argue that it was marginally worse, but the point is that this year has sucked from the outset. It began with the collapse of my
Read moreHere’s another in our occasional unsolicited shout-outs to people and groups we like. You’re probably hooked into a variety of social networks, but Rock & Roll Tribe is a little different. It is, as the tag line suggests, a “community for kickass grown-ups.” Music is at the center of most conversations, but it’s more than that. It’s a social net
Read moreIn 2005 my friend and colleague, Lars Bjuvberg, committed suicide in Stockholm. Lars and I weren’t all that close, but his death hit me in a way that I still don’t fully understand. Perhaps it was as simple as the fact that someone so very talented had escorted himself off this mortal stage. Or perhaps it was more complicated –
Read moreThe more observant among you might have noticed that I’m a fan of The Birthday Massacre. The new CD, Pins and Needles, dropped today. Just…damn.
Read moreToday The Agonist features the wonderful art of found poetry. That’s the great thing about art – sometimes it doesn’t wait to be made. It just goes ahead and makes itself. Like poetry? Tune into The Agonist every Tuesday, and you might also like this little poetry community, where today’s featured poem examines what the heck is a poem, anyway.
Read moreWatching the game? Thinking you’d like something tasty and perhaps a little different to drink as the second half unfolds? I’ve got just the thing. Meanwhile, something to remember, in the true spirit of sport and fair play: Hate is too precious a commodity to waste on a sports team. Unless it’s the Raiders.
Read moreYes, I love Single Malt. But I’ve also always had a weakness for a good tropical rum drink. So I’ll be periodically adding my favorites here and updating the post so you can try these recipes for yourself. Since I can’t be there to bartend for you, it’s the least I can do. First, the newest addition to the recipe
Read moreIn September 11, 2001, al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger jets. They flew three of them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The fourth was retaken by the passengers and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. These things we know. Since then, much has transpired. For example: The US invaded Afghanistan, the nation that had harbored the terrorists
Read moreSeveral people have written to ask about the out of control fire in Four Mile Canyon outside Boulder. Seven current and former S&R staffers live or once lived in the Denver/Boulder area, and Wendy used to live very close to the fire. As far as I know, everyone is fine (that’s all of us and all of our neighbors), but
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