Music is a Miracle

It is only now that I’m beginning to realize how much I love music. I mean, it should be obvious, but it doesn’t fit in with my self-image. I’m a movie guy. I’m a reader. I’m not a musician. I only listen to music all the damn time. I’ve spent a chunk money on Sonos … Continue reading Music is a Miracle →

Newsletter: October 1, 2020

Hello, innocent bystander. This is either my attempt at contributing something positive in These Trying Times, or it’s me finally cracking up. Either way, thanks for being here to witness whatever this is. I want to add a little light, a little levity, in what are at best uncertain times. Yes, I am a hero. So, … Continue reading Newsletter: October 1, 2020 →

Gandhi: Be The Change

I did not realize that Gandhi had so much influence on Prince's spelling eccentricities. If true.

On the Prince Essential 100

So, Prince’s death was a surprise and a shock. He seemed like he would live forever. But this is about one of the inevitable consequences of his death: the loosening up of control of his work and his image. During his lifetime, control was a central theme of Prince’s work. Once he was gone, it … Continue reading On the Prince Essential 100 →

On Funko

I am a grown man with admittedly nerdy leanings, but I know I’m too old to be buying toys. And yet, how many toys (“collectables” if you prefer) do people – probably mostly men – in my age range buy? I think it’s quite a lucrative market for the right products. Nerdy stuff, retro stuff…nostalgia. … Continue reading On Funko →

On Things I Would Make Illegal

When I am God-King of the Universe, these are things that will be illegal. With punishments swift and severe: Serving a patron Pepsi when they specifically asked for Coke. Isn’t this supposed to be the home of freedom? Isn’t this the country that invented customer service? So what is this bullshit? Coke is not Pepsi. … Continue reading On Things I Would Make Illegal →

On Nostalgia

Nostalgia is both a feeling and a retail pattern. I’ve noticed that it seems to increase as a person (this person) gets older. In my early life, remembering the past took a very specific form. When I was growing up, there was no choice for me or my brothers: we had to be collectors. I … Continue reading On Nostalgia →

On the Best Concert I Ever Saw

Austin is the self-styled "Live Music Capital of the World", which is mostly wasted on me. I wasn't brought up to appreciate live music – the only communal experience I was used to was going to the movies. I didn't know anyone who went to see live music when I was growing up. That lasted … Continue reading On the Best Concert I Ever Saw →

On Why We Like What We Like

Everything you've done, everything you've experienced, everything someone said to you has a chance of adding another facet to your character. It's enough to make you never want to leave the house, isn't it? But what about the media we absorb every day - not the news, views, and eye-bleeding hate that passes for political … Continue reading On Why We Like What We Like →

On Losing an Imaginary Friend

Prince came to live with me in Xmas 1984 (or maybe '85), via the kind of cassette tape you could pick up for a couple of quid at any market stall in the country during those prehistoric, lawless times. As I listened, wearing out the tape, he told me strange, unknowable things, things I sometimes … Continue reading On Losing an Imaginary Friend →