It’s been almost two years since I wrote one of these last five/next five book lists. A lot more than five books have gone down in that time; there’s no “catching up” here. But let’s jump in for a snapshot of where we are today. The last five books I’ve read, oldest to most...
Fifty years ago this week, on July 3, 1969, Rolling Stones guitarist and founder Brian Jones was found dead in his swimming pool. The death was ruled to be accidental, but to this day, conspiracy theories circulate that he was murdered. Jones had actually been forced out of the band earlier that year, and...
As the Democrats begin their debate season, they need to focus on putting forward their positive message and leaving the negativity to Trump and the Russians....
A few years ago—OK, the date was October 17, 2014*—we saw David Gray in concert at the Touhill Center in St. Louis. He was touring in support of his album Mutineers, which had been released earlier that year. Personally, I hadn’t taken to Mutineers right away. It was a somewhat unusual David Gray album,...
… And maybe you prefer your ocean waves unsullied by surfers and surfboards. If so, here’s a video for you:...
Every day, as the morning light began to break over the shore, they were out there. Groups of wetsuit-clad surfers, waiting a few hundred yards or so offshore for just the right waves. For most of the seven days we recently spent in San Diego (Pacific Beach), it seemed like there really weren’t any...
There’s a micro-genre of books that I’ve come to love: rock-star autobiographies. Many of the musicians I followed when I was younger have probably finished up the most interesting and/or lucrative portions of their music careers, and have turned to the written word as a different outlet. Having told stories through their songs over...
I’m rereading Bird By Bird, a book by Anne Lamott. The subtitle is “Some Instructions About Writing and Life.” Lamott is a writer and writing teacher who lives in California, somewhat neurotic, very funny and a good follow on Facebook. This book is about what it means to be a writer—the work and mindset...
So, yes, I’m a minister. After my nephew and his then-fiancé asked me to officiate their wedding, I went online and got myself ordained. She’s no longer his fiancé; as of last weekend, they are married, and I got to be the one who said, “By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband...
For a few minutes yesterday, I had the most important job in the world. I had the great honor of officiating at the wedding of my nephew David and his love, Amanda. My role in the wedding was to write, and say, a few words, which will soon be forgotten. My real responsibility was...
