Recent Columns

Page 1 of 76      Go to:  1 2 3 >  Last »

Thursday, July 9 2009

Barbara Thorson, Giant Killer, is Within Us All

We needn’t substitute our daily fears with the supernatural to understand what it means to adopt different identities for different purposes and to feel both tied to and apart from others, but in Barbara’s case, it helps.

Wednesday, July 8 2009

Bird of a Feather: The Curious Case of Chris Andersen

How has Chris Andersen managed his public relations coup? The short answer is: he's white. But a longer explanation reveals that he's black, too.

The Curse of Monkey-Eared People

Nothing like a new iPhone to make one feel self-conscious about one’s ears.

Tuesday, July 7 2009

Truth Against Truth: The Work of Adrian Tomine

Tomine has a gift for capturing body language and facial expressions -- his characters often say more in a silent panel than most say with an entire word balloon.

Expire, Please. Go Kaput. Die, Already.

It’s not a film, it’s a movie. It’s not a vinyl, it’s a record – and other trendy things that need to go forever bye-bye.

Monday, July 6 2009

You Can Call Her ‘Dr.’ Dolly Parton

With her honorary doctorate in hand, here's hoping she'll next broker peace in the Middle East, repair the economy, and explain the twisted plotlines of 'Lost' -- Lord knows, the woman is capable.

Friday, June 26 2009

Five Days in March: Uncle Tupelo’s Quiet Revolution

Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy may have left country behind, but in 1992, he helped redefine the sound of alt-country.

Thursday, June 25 2009

Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation and Advancing an Independent Black Cinema

In recent history, the myriad commercial and social reactions to so-called Blaxploitation films made feasible the rise of a robust, intelligent, and independent black cinema in the US.

Wednesday, June 24 2009

Snagged by Bishop—Hook, Line & Sinker

Like the lakes we fish in, there are great treasures lurking in those depths, and great depth lurking in those treasures.

Tuesday, June 23 2009

Augusten Burroughs: The View Through a Saltine Cracker

As a memoirist, Burroughs is highly skilled at the art of aestheticized self-pity.

Monday, June 22 2009

For Summer Dancing in the Streets

Six spectacular world beat albums that will have you dancing through those sweet summer nights.

Friday, June 19 2009

Ingmar Bergman: No Man is an Island

Bergman’s need to honor, discover and examine his intrinsic connection to women is quite simple: all men are influenced by women.

Thursday, June 18 2009

‘Have Gun - Will Travel’: Return to Fort Benjamin

With attempted justifications of military torture on our minds, Retro Remote heads back to the '50s TV Western to find a surprisingly tough moral stance on the U.S. military's destruction of human dignity and dehumanisation of 'enemy combatants'.

Wednesday, June 17 2009

Out of Tune and ‘Amplified’

As George Orwell said, “Nearly every book is capable of arousing passionate feeling, even if it is only a passionate dislike.”

Tuesday, June 16 2009

Goatwhore: Crazed Endurance

One listen to Sammy Duet's masterful riffing is enough to send the most fussy metal aficionado into paroxysms of headbanging ecstasy.

Monday, June 15 2009

Surfing Alone: Is Digital Technology Destroying Relationships?

On the Internet, we must continually ask ourselves what we are doing, to borrow Twitter's slogan, which sounds at turns like a taunt, a greeting, and an admonishment from God.

Friday, June 12 2009

On the Sixth Day God Created Man…chester

Boasting a plethora of bands whose creative imaginations have invariably left legacies of influence, pound-for-pound Manchester is the world’s greatest rock city.

Thursday, June 11 2009

Great Vibrations: An Interview with Gary Burton

Our jazz critic talks to Gary Burton about his reunion with Pat Metheny, about starting a "gentle" jazz-rock group, and that no one seems to know what a "vibraphone" really is.

Wednesday, June 10 2009

The Best of the Basket Cases: Round 2

Ben bursts open the bubble mailers and announces this round of … winners (honoring the best and brightest of the many unsolicited CDs sent to him).

Tuesday, June 9 2009

Prince’s Paisley Pals

Minneapolis, Minnesota was the center of Prince's musical kingdom, but there were a lot of musicians associated with his purple music. Here's a short list, with a few ground rules.

Page 1 of 76      Go to:  1 2 3 >  Last »