I started reading the Beastie Boys Book the other day (highly recommended if you’re a fan, or even if you want some insight into the music scene in NYC from the late 1970’s into the 1980’s and beyond,) and I got to the part where they talk about their first single, from 1983, called Cookie… Continue reading May 24, 2019
May 11, 2019
It’s embarrassing now to admit that the first time I heard the song “Hazy Shade of Winter,” it wasn’t the original but the cover by the Bangles for the movie “Less Than Zero.” It made sense back then; it was 1987 and Simon and Garfunkel were the farthest thing from my mind musically. I was… Continue reading May 11, 2019
April 22, 2019
I don’t much follow the WNBA. I probably pay more attention to it than most non-fans, but one byproduct of being from where I am is that you can’t talk about women’s basketball for more than, oh, maybe ten seconds, before my home state gets invoked. Arguably the biggest reason I don’t follow it is… Continue reading April 22, 2019
April 8, 2019
I recently got rid of my premium Spotify account. I wish I could say I did it in solidarity with my musician friends and the absurdly low royalty rate that they get paid. (It’s something like less than half a cent a song, mindblowingly low. My guess – and it’s just that, a guess, I’m… Continue reading April 8, 2019
February 14, 2019
I want to talk to you for a few minutes about Pedro Morales. When I was a kid, my Saturday mornings were much like every other kid. An exception for me was that at 11am, the cartoons would switch from animated to live action in the form of professional wrestling. My father would watch with… Continue reading February 14, 2019
January 1, 2019
I want to talk to you for a few minutes about New Year’s. For most of my adult life, it’s struck me as a pretty arbitrary day. That didn’t stop me from celebrating it in years past, a few of which turned out to be amazing experiences that could never be replicated, but most of… Continue reading January 1, 2019
December 27, 2018
I want to talk to you for a few minutes about Aquaman. I was pretty excited about seeing this movie. I remember, as a kid, watching the Super Friends cartoon every Saturday morning and Aquaman being one of my favorites. I think it says a lot about my self esteem even back then that the… Continue reading December 27, 2018
December 19, 2018
I want to talk to you for a few minutes about The Little Drummer Boy. My days off at my new job are Monday and Wednesday. Monday is a hard off; the restaurant is closed, and so, once I finish my morning writing, that day is a wide open, unstructured, free-for-all. Wednesdays are the day… Continue reading December 19, 2018
December 17, 2018
I want to talk to you for a few minutes about brass rings. Most people are familiar with the phrase “Grabbing the brass ring” as a metaphor (or simile, or whatever) for striving for something out of reach, trying to accomplish something challenging, taking a risk, etc. What most people don’t know is where that… Continue reading December 17, 2018
December 7, 2018
I want to talk to you for a few minutes about Paul Gregory. Paul Gregory was a theater and film producer in the 1950’s and 60’s. His hallmark style, as displayed in such plays as the original “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” and films like “The Night of the Hunter,” was one of stark realism, especially… Continue reading December 7, 2018
PopcornJackTerry 