Suffering the slings and arrows of cramped housework, camping in the attic WITH TWO KIDS, and trails of LEAD DUST, it's been a blog-free week. MEA CRAPPA CULPA. But here's what we've been listening to: Toscannini GREATEST CONDUCTOR series, Brahms Fourth; Beastie Boys CHECK YOUR HEAD (organ! melody!); Burrito Supreme (Garth!); Christian Tetzlaff BRAHMS VIOLIN SONATAS; and on 88.1 WMBR, "Nothing But a Heartache," by the Flirtations. I LOVE THE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS: Brett Milano fries up Phish about right, making Rush sound reasonable by … [Read more...]
WHEN FOOT ON BRAKES: LIFE IN FOOT’S HANDS
August 7, 2004 By
This from Bagnews Notes (referred by First Draft and the mighty Atrios): In his Arts (and Politics) column in the NYTimes about a half year ago, Frank Rich speculated that the biggest reelection blind spot for Bush had to do with his ignorance of popular culture. This article was written just as the wheels were coming off the Dean wagon, but at the same time, people were realizing how much his sudden rise was fueled by the (populist) internet. Despite the skill and savvy of Rove & Co., the model they operate out of is a generation behind, … [Read more...]
RUECKERT READS! Rare Host, Good Call-Ins
August 7, 2004 By
Wisconsin Public Radio Tuesday, August 10, 2004 at 10:00 AM Veronica Rueckert's guest, after ten, says that, contrary to what conservative critics say, rock'n roll has helped baby boomers and later generations become better friends, better parents, and better citizens. Guest: Tim Riley, pop critic, "Here and Now", NPR. Author, “Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary”, “Hard Rain: A Dylan Commentary” and “Fever: How Rock’n Roll Transformed Gender in America” (St. Martin’s Press). Archive audio page, here's my segment in Real Audio … [Read more...]
SWEATIN’ TO THE OLDIES
August 1, 2004 By
Still trying to make sense of what I saw at the DNC on Wednesday night and how it got covered. The Fleet center was abuzz with scads of bright, young, energetic, active, idea-driven, hard-working people, and the journalists I saw on TV the day after were tired, cynical, self-obsessed, patronizing slugs. You couldn't get a seat in the hall after a certain point, but walking around the place was a pure thrill if only for the sport of people-watching and celeb sightings. A lot of us gravitated to the Comcast booth where a large-screen TV was … [Read more...]
