[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...]
The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters
[contextly_auto_sidebar] ONE of my favorite writers in any genre is the USC humanities professor Leo Braudy, justly celebrated for his Frenzy of Renown, a history of fame going back to Alexander the Great. Braudy writes widely on literature, film, ancient civilizations. the question of America, the overlap of culture and politics, and all kinds of subjects that interest me. He's insightful, … [Read more...]
“Best Books of the Last 20 Years,” and the Canon
[contextly_auto_sidebar] It sounds like a great idea, or at least a revealing one: Assemble a list of the most important books of the last two decades, in any genre, from poetry to the novel. Find accomplished writers in a variety or genres — Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan Lethem, Roxane Gay, Ann Padgett, Patti Smith, and so on — and ask them for their favorites since 1997. “The end of December is a … [Read more...]
Jazz and “La La Land”
[contextly_auto_sidebar] FOR weeks now I've been meaning to write about the poorly named film La La Land, which has drawn acclaim but also divided audiences, and produced a decidedly split response within the jazz world. Hoping to get to that today. I really loved the movie, for what it's worth. A lot of people I trust disliked or hated it. But starting today it becomes very cool/ … [Read more...]
Music To Say Goodbye To 2016 To
[contextly_auto_sidebar] WELL, one of the worst years in recorded history is over. Every morning, as my consciousness returns, I am reminded that Leonard Cohen, Bowie, George Martin, and my dad are dead and that a nasty, incurious bully is on the verge of becoming president. My employer, Salon, has posted a piece with a mix of happy and sad songs with which to end this year and enter the … [Read more...]
On Stage with the Marx Bros
[contextly_auto_sidebar]ONE of the glories of American culture is the cinematic ensemble known as the Marx Brothers. But before Chico, Zeppo, Harpo, and Groucho became anarchic movie stars in film like "A Day at the Races" and "Duck Soup," they were an anarchic vaudeville troupe that traveled the nation. And they performed and socialized with my grandfather, a Tin Pan Alley songwriter, and his … [Read more...]
Octavia Butler’s Los Angeles
[contextly_auto_sidebar] THE posthumous rise of the science-fiction writer Octavia Butler, who died in 2006 and spent most of her life in and around Pasadena, CA, has been fascinating to watch. I've been interested in Butler since I moved out here and began to hear of her work, in the late '90s, and love one of her story collections. But I don't know her life of output in great detail. So … [Read more...]
Remembering an Old Friend
[contextly_auto_sidebar] WHEN I was in high school, I had a slightly older friend who was eccentric, brilliant, and obscure. He had a minor speech impediment, so I couldn't always tell what he was saying, but whenever I could make it out, it was fascinating and perceptive. I met some very cool and smart people through him A few years after I left for college, I heard he got heavily into … [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...]
“Akhnaten” at Los Angeles Opera
[contextly_auto_sidebar] THE Philip Glass opera Akhnaten, the very abstracted story of the Egyptian pharaoh who lived 35 centuries ago, is now at Los Angeles Opera. Glass considers it a trilogy, alongside his epochal Einstein on the Beach and his Gandhi opera, Satyagraha. Akhnaten the man was a curious guy. Imagine being a fairly important figure -- he is credited with basically inventing … [Read more...]