I'm stretched out in bed, 9:30 p.m., a weeknight. A little early for me but it's the stretching out that I crave. To lie back, my neck propped against a trio of pillows. Recline. A word that hums, not so much directive as invitation: sink back. Let the shoulders relax, show the heart how … [Read more...] about Ain’t too proud to beg
The holy or the broken
It’s taken me a long time but I think I’ve figured it out: my mom’s affinity for musicians who are good songwriters and poets but TERRIBLE singers has something to do with her being a writer. Let’s be real for a second … when you think of a “good” singer you think of someone like Etta James or … [Read more...] about The holy or the broken
#EndOfAnEra
In the Season One finale of Mad Men, back when the agency was just Sterling Cooper, Don Draper made an advertising pitch to Kodak for the new slide projector carousel (ironically something that my dad still owns and rarely uses). His pitch (which you can see in this video) drew on the premise of … [Read more...] about #EndOfAnEra
I live in music
The other day I had a yearning, very specific in its musical nature. I wanted/needed to hear “Dance me to the End of Love,” à la Leonard Cohen when he first recorded it. Maybe not an anthem song in the way “Hallelujah” is, but there must be a reason his last two tours opened with that number. It’s a … [Read more...] about I live in music
S.A.D. but True
In the obnoxiously lyrical and catchy “Shake It Off," Taylor Swift sings, “…the players gonna play, play, play, and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate." She’s probably not referring to the abundance of overly celebrated and commercialized American holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, … [Read more...] about S.A.D. but True
Lost on the River
Tucked on a shelf in the back of a closet we use mostly for ‘overflow’ is a white cardboard box filled with old 45s. This is not my complete collection, mind you, just what has survived the decades since I last played them. In my adolescent years I had a classic storage box, with a lift-up lid and … [Read more...] about Lost on the River
