[contextly_auto_sidebar] His mother was a model. He was a 26-year-old officer driving around the jungle, giving bonus pay to his fellow Marines. Fifty years ago this week, the vehicle he was in rolled over a North Vietnamese land mine. His life would changed radically. And today, everything my father fought and nearly died for was assaulted by a scheming narcissist. … [Read more...]
Reasons to Be Thankful: Rock n roll
[contextly_auto_sidebar] HERE are my 25 favorite rock records. Trying to focus on proper studio albums, so live concerts and anthologies strongly discouraged. No jazz, classical music, pure country, electronica, downtempo, acoustic blues, Jamaican, or hip hop. (I'll make an exception for R&B that relates closely to the rock tradition.) These are albums that have some personal meaning and … [Read more...]
Lit Crawl L.A./ North Hollywood
[contextly_auto_sidebar] THE other night I ventured out to Los Angeles's North Hollywood neighborhood for the latest installment of Lit Crawl L.A. This annual night out has been going since 2013, but for various reasons I've missed it every time, even though NoHo is one of my favorite L.A. 'hoods. The idea of Lit Crawl is to arrange readings, conversations, rants, and various kinds of … [Read more...]
Billy Bragg and Joe Henry Ride the Rails
[contextly_auto_sidebar] WHAT happens when you take two of the best exemplars of stage patter in modern music, set them up in historic halls with old acoustic guitars, and let them unleash a set built on classic American train songs? An oddly satisfying, even at times thrilling, grownup show that made the railroad tradition seem like a central part of the American journey. Bragg is, of … [Read more...]
The bizarre wonder of The Iceland Concert
[contextly_auto_sidebar] About a week ago I went to see a cryptically named sort-of opera called "The Iceland Concert" at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater. I went mostly because of a vague interest in Scandinavian culture, because I was curious about the renovation of one of my favorite LA theaters, and because I trust the taste of the publicist. It didn't hurt that the success of groups like … [Read more...]
August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey” at the Taper
[contextly_auto_sidebar] LAST night I caught "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" -- one of the historically earliest of August Wilson's cycle of plays about black life in the 20th century -- at the Mark Taper Forum. This production, directed by Phylicia Rashad (best known for her role on "The Cosby Show"), has been justly celebrated already, so I will just introduce it and add a few details. Despite … [Read more...]
Happy 80th to Steve Reich
A FEW years back I spent an hour or so with Steve Reich before a concert of his work. Here is the story I wrote about the pioneering minimalist, who marks his 80th birthday today. I was struck by how down to earth Reich was, also how deep his love of Bartok seemed to be. Reich's "Different Trains" and "Music for 18 Musicians" are two of my all-time favorite pieces. Seeing the latter at Walt … [Read more...]
Culture Crash Hits Powell’s Books/Portland
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="W2t6OKKnq183BTYTGPKF3DYBC7zan0Rs"] ONE of my very favorite spots in the Lower 48 is Powell's City of Books on Portland's Burnside. So I'm especially pleased to be reading and ranting from my book Culture Crash on the night of Sunday, March 1. Here is the link to their calendar. Be there or be square. … [Read more...]
The Ballad of Alejandro Escovedo
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="CCAh4bKVUCAChyU9848GkcdsXhxXqV12"] ABOUT a week ago, I caught the Austin, TX, troubadour at City Winery in New York. Great show -- one of my musical heroes -- thoughts will follow. Sheesh busy few days hope to post on this tonight if I can. Everyone needs to pick up his records Thirteen Years and live chronicle More Miles Than Money if they are curious. He's … [Read more...]
Education, Postmodernism, Etc: Culture Crash on Arts Fuse
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="WPKTRu7DK4BAvb2DdgCv8vmNO0N4zlpH"] TODAY my book, which digs into the issues I touch on in this blog, hits the streets. So I'm very pleased to post an interview with some of the most penetrating questions I expect to see. It's with the arts journalist William Marx. He starts this way: Arts Fuse: Why do you believe that the media, universities, and cultural … [Read more...]