An Open Letter to the Center for Inquiry and Christopher Hitchens
By Brian | June 13, 2010
When I heard that the distinguished writer Christopher Hitchens was speaking and reading from his newly published memoir at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, I jumped at the chance to see him. I was also thrilled to learn that the event was in support of the Center for Inquiry, a non-profit that seeks to [...]
Topics: Inspired By Madness, No Taxation Without Representation | 7 Comments »
RIP Alex Chilton
By Brian | March 17, 2010
The Replacements Alex Chilton //
Topics: These Go to 11 | No Comments »
My 2010 “Best So Far” List
By Brian | March 11, 2010
I’m not sure I necessarily believe in yearly “Best of” lists, although I do confess that I like to assess what I’ve been listening to against the NPR listener-generated Year’s Best and staff-selected Year in Music lists. Perhaps it’s a function of my disorganization with respect to the year’s releases, or perhaps it’s that I [...]
Topics: These Go to 11 | 1 Comment »
A New Orleans Primer
By Brian | March 1, 2010
I’m often asked where I would go or what I would do if I were taking a week (or weekend) trip to New Orleans. This, essentially, is the highlights from a series of emails I’ve written about how I would get my tourist on in the Crescent City. These opinions are my own, and are [...]
Topics: That Other Fertile Crescent | 2 Comments »
A failure at defining “pseudo-feminist”?
By Brian | February 18, 2010
Perhaps I’m missing the point, but I fail to understand exactly how The Magnetic Fields’ songs are “pseudo-feminist” because they fall short of the mark of really empowering women? Or perhaps it’s part of a greater meta-point that I can never truly grasp how their songs are pseudo-feminist since I lack the proper plumbing. Either [...]
Topics: Art & Copy, No Taxation Without Representation, These Go to 11 | 2 Comments »