It’s been way too long since my last Five Books list. But it’s been a crazy-busy last few months, and for a while there my reading seemed to have just fallen off a cliff. But hopefully I’m back on track now. So herewith, are the last five books I’ve read, and a semi-wild guess...
To Focus On (Exactly) Two Things
A few weeks ago I had to drive to Little Rock, Ark., to cover a towboat christening for my work. I drove down there on a Friday, attended the christening on Saturday morning, and returned home that afternoon; the driving, round trip, was about 800 miles. St. Louis to Little Rock might be one...
A Campaign About Nothing?
Talk about “vapid.” On “Morning Joe” today (click for link), the panelists sat around and complained about how little substance there is in this year’s presidential campaign. “Am I the only one depressed here?” asks Joe. Then the other panelists groan and say yes, they, too, are depressed by this state of affairs. They...
Tourists
I’m a big fan of Andrew Sullivan’s The Dish blog. In fact, I’d say I read it more than all other blogs that I follow, combined. Maybe twice as much, really. One of the many features of the blog is a daily “View From Your Window,” in which he posts photos that readers have...
Pausing To Remember
I pause this week to remember two somber anniversaries. Twenty-five years ago today, my brother Jim passed away from complications of AIDS. And one year ago this coming Sunday, my mom died after a long fight with Alzheimer’s. As Dave Matthews sang, “I don’t mean to dwell on this dying thing…” Really, I much...
Advice From My Father
The best advice I can ever remember receiving came from my father. I think I was probably about 14 or 15 years old, on the cusp of high school and all the changes that come with that transition. I have a mental image that he’s telling me this while he’s driving me someplace—we’re on...
List: Top Five Story Songs — No. 1
This week, it’s been all about Story Songs, those songs that adopt their own meanings, sometimes far from what the original artists meant. Previous editions are here and here and here and here. And finally, we come to: 1. Stay Free, by The Clash. Way back then, in the early early 1980s, we wrote...
List: Top Five Story Songs — No. 2
2. Christmas In Cape Town—by Randy Newman. This is possibly the darkest, ugliest song that Randy Newman has ever written, and he’s written some ugly ones. Consider yourself warned: Listen. The thing you have to understand about Randy Newman, though, is that he often writes songs from the viewpoint of despicable characters—polar opposites from...
List: Top Five Story Songs — No. 3
3. Sunday, Bloody Sunday, by U2. October 27, 1985: Denkinger screwed up, and the Cardinals were ticked. After the nightmare finish to Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, it was easy to see that Game 7 was going to be a powder keg. The only question was, who was going to set it...
List: Top Five Story Songs — No. 4
4. King Horse, by Elvis Costello. King Horse on Spotify. This is, without a doubt, the best juggling song ever. It’s from Elvis’ best album, Get Happy!, which I was listening to quite a bit in the winter of 1981-82, when I learned how to juggle. Besides being a great song, it has lots...