As Solomon Northrop is drawn away in a carriage headed north towards his freedom, he casts a glance back at the Patsy and the slaves he's leaving behind. Two things crossed my mind at that moment, neither expected: 1)  Words from Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the 2012 Democratic convention - We don't turn back. … Continue reading Twelve Years a Slave →

Anyone putting Loaded on for the first time, having heard the other three Velvet Underground albums (but especially if they've only heard the first two) is in for a shock.  It's more of an un-shock - you go from feeling like you're at one of Andy Warhol's Happenings to thinking maybe you accidentally just cued up the … Continue reading Loaded [Part 4 of 4] →

I've got this silly analogy I kick around sometimes - Einstein wrote four papers in 1905 that redefined four different sciences.  The Velvet Underground have four albums that created or redefined four musical genres.  To those historians of music out there that know more about this period than I do, I apologize in advance - … Continue reading The Velvet Underground [Part 3 of 4] →

Freshman year in college, in a fit of the sort of idealism you only really get to experience in that phase of life, I was sitting with a friend I had newly made, and he was playing me music and telling me how much he liked each song and why. [Again, youtube links accompany song … Continue reading White Light/White Heat →

I decided to write four posts about the four Velvet Underground albums.  I didn't really know how to react to Lou Reed's death - he's one of those celebrities I didn't know anything about as a person.  What I do know is that I've deeply loved and enjoyed some of his music, hence these posts. … Continue reading Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground and Nico [Part 1 of 4] →

It's complicated but I'll try to explain why. The senate has just voted to open the government and raise the debt limit.  There's some discussion around the internet about whether this is really a win for the GOP, even though it appears to be a win for the president.  The argument (for example here on … Continue reading Why This Compromise is a Win for Democrats (I think) →

So this is really more of a question/subject for debate than a thought-out position: Is it ethical to involve your young child in an endeavor which will bring them great stardom?  I'm talking about acting, reality-show casting, etc. This arises after having just watched about 15 minutes of "Guy vs. Rachel's Kid's Cookoff" or something like … Continue reading The Ethics of Child TV Stardom →