Monday, May 14 2012
The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster: A Portrait in Freedom
Blues, gospel, and jazz singer Ruther Foster spent so much time on the road that her songwriting suffered -- yet the folk, Stax soul, and gospel that accompanied the sound of tires spinning on asphalt gave her a different kind of musical inspiration.
Wednesday, May 2 2012
Shemekia Copeland and Ronnie Baker Brooks Take a Class
Copeland and Brooks infected my classroom with the ‘existential freedom’ that allows each person to stare into the darkness, yet somehow and someway, find the words, the voice, and the courage to sing a sweet song. That is, they gave us all the blues.
Wednesday, March 14 2012
Get a Leg Up: The Power of Angelina Jolie’s Pose
The impassioned reaction, both negative and positive, to Angelina Jolie and her leg proves the power of the strong and independent woman, and demonstrates the discomfort such female power provokes.
Tuesday, February 14 2012
Some People Have a City Instead of a Life: The Work of Tim Hall
Tim Hall possesses the uncanny gift to compress startling insight into short phrases with such care and concision that he could likely turn a Twitter feed into a system of philosophy.
Wednesday, January 25 2012
‘How to Make It in America’? Well for Starters, Don’t Make Hopeful Television
The HBO dramedy How to Make It in America, despite being one of television's best programs, could not make it because it was too hopeful and joyful to survive a culture of cyncism.
Friday, December 9 2011
As the Spirit Moves Mary: The Life and Art of Mary J. Blige
If My Life gave people insight and empowerment who shared the singer’s despair, My Life II is the amplification of three of the most important words in the English language: It is possible.
Wednesday, November 16 2011
All That We Learned About Livin’: John Mellencamp’s Legacy
At nearly every level of his career, John Mellencamp used his great music to send the message that quarry workers, farmers, single mothers, and everyday people are just as important as rock stars with supermodel wives.
Monday, October 24 2011
Michael Moore vs. Jon Stewart: The Self-Destruction of the American Left
Michael Moore is a populist and Jon Stewart is an elitist. The blind liberal embrace of the superficial smugness of Stewart and detachment from the heroism of Moore is the most powerful and convincing illustration of the suicidal tendencies, moral bankruptcy, and spiritual decay of the American left.
Monday, September 12 2011
We Piss Anywhere: ‘Sympathy for Mick Jagger’
Mick Jagger is the devil; the avatar for the swaggering, fatally self-assured hedonist who will piss anywhere with a cocky smirk written all over his face that only confirms there is nothing you can do to stop him.
Wednesday, August 10 2011
The Human Collision: A Conversation with Matt Nathanson About Modern Love
Songwriter Matt Nathanson has just made his finest statement with his new album, Modern Love, a diverse collection of songs about relationships, sexuality, and intimacy in a rapidly changing world.
Thursday, July 7 2011
Hall and Oates: Still Relevant. Still Rocking.
Hall and Oates use the internet and collaboration with young bands and artists to infuse their classic songs with modern sensibilities. This is why their concerts are filled with fans that were barely born when those songs were written.
Tuesday, May 10 2011
Selling Sex: The Media, Fantasy, and How I Fell in Love with Britney Spears
It all started when I was in Walgreens buying deodorant and I saw her looking me right in the eye with a glossy glow from the cover of an October 2010 issue of US Weekly.
