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Ben RubensteinAbout Ben Rubenstein Ben Rubenstein owes a lot to two baseball players, former teammates on the Oakland Athletics teams of the early 1990s (of which he was regrettably a fan before wising up and focusing solely on the Red Sox). From Mark McGwire, the disgraced home-run hero, he learned that you should always be willing to talk about the past. Ben does this liberally in his column, "Mixtape Confessions". This sometimes gets him into trouble with his parents, who don't really need to know everything he's done over the years. When he's not explaining himself to them, he's defending his decision to remain in the Midwest after graduating from Northwestern University in 2004 (with a slightly used BS in Social Policy). He can't return home just yet; it'd be hard to help run CenterstageChicago.com, Chicago's oldest online city guide, from Boston. He does occasionally rethink this stance, especially during baseball season. (The other influential player? Rickey Henderson, who taught Ben to talk about himself in the third person.) Columns Mixtape ConfessionsGetting Schooled[1.Jul.08] :. More than the usual ABCs, this school clearly believes in arts education, regularly spotlighting student performers at its assemblies -- and these kids are acquiring real musical skills.  Mixtape ConfessionsI'm With the Band[27.May.08] :. When I started writing about music, I didn't realize that it would mean I'd become "the enemy". So though writing brought me closer to music and the people who make it, it also took me further away.  Mixtape ConfessionsWhen They're 65...[5.May.08] :. What will some of today's most well-known hip-hop artists be doing in 2035? Maybe they won't be running the music world, but they'll probably be doing something beyond applying Fixodent to their grills.  Mixtape ConfessionsTV Commercials: the New, Nonstop Playlist[25.Mar.08] :. TV commercials have become a legitimate source for discovering new music -- from Wilco on the Volkswagen ads, to Cat Power hawking DeBeers diamonds, to any number of artists pimping Apple.  Mixtape ConfessionsThe Best of the Basket Cases[26.Feb.08] :. Deep down, in spite of all the bad music I have to plow through, I'm still that 17-year-old kid that can't believe he's getting sent free CDs. I know, I know; it's a rough gig. Mixtape Confessions Love from the '90s, Mix-Tape StyleMixtape Confessions DJing the Weather ReportMixtape Confessions Mic'd UpMixtape Confessions Don't Know Much About HistoryMixtape Confessions Scene, Should Be HeardMixtape Confessions Nine to FiveMixtape Confessions Out in the ColdMixtape Confessions Family MattersMixtape Confessions Mixed MessagesMixtape Confessions Celebrity DeathmatchMixtape Confessions Behind the MusicMixtape Confessions Moping AroundMixtape Confessions Tapping the 'Wire'Mixtape Confessions Jock JamsMixtape Confessions It Shall Be ReleasedReviews MusicJill Cohn: Seven Year Surrender[8.Jul.05] :. The kind of album that can make even the most hardened cynic think twice before issuing judgment. |
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