Finding an entryway into the challenging and rewarding writing of William Faulkner

William Faulkner was always a tricky writer for me growing up as a lit major in college. I loved the more direct, journalistic storytelling styles of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote, and Tom Wolfe the most. Authors like Faulkner, James Joyce, and Joseph Heller were always much more difficult to decipher. And can you blame me for gravitating to entertaining reads over ones that sometimes take a lot of mental power to comprehend? 

But knowing that, despite digging pretty deeply into Faulkner's classic Absolom, Absolom! during college and loving The Sound and the Fury (my 49th favorite novel of all time), I feel I never gave the iconic Southern writer enough of my time. So I thought it would be good to give a few short stories my attention.

“A Rose for Emily” (1930): His first published short story is a Southern Gothic powerhouse with similarities to Hitchcock’s Psycho. Miss Emily Grierson lived with her father in their Confederate home in a fictional town called Jefferson, Mississippi, and when he dies, the mayor forgives her property taxes so she can afford to stay in the house. But the next generation on the city council comes along and wants her to pay taxes. She refuses and continues living there without ever going out. She eventually invites a Northern sidewalk contractor into her home to marry her. After her death, those going in to clean up the house discover his skeleton in her bed alongside strands of her own hair. 

What propels the story into the acclaimed spot of Faulkner’s best short story (that I’ve read) is the character of Miss Emily herself. She is complex and fascinating, both proud and fairly pathetic, and both admired and mocked by the townspeople. She is unable to come to terms with a society rapidly changing from the way things were before and during the Civil War.

5 out of 5 stars

“That Evening Sun” (1931): Also taking place in Jefferson, this is about a white family that has a nearby Black woman named Nancy wash their clothes and prepare breakfasts. She has suffered all kinds of indignities in her life, including the town’s banker kicking out her teeth and her madman husband running out on her. She is scared of her husband, Jesus, and wants to sleep at the white family’s house and play with their three children, one of whom is the story’s narrator (a rare instance of a young boy being the narrator in a Faulkner story). The text is a bit jarring because of extensive use of racist language, but it’s also a powerful vignette of how white and Black people coexisted, somewhat, 100 years ago in the U.S. South.

It’s also very sad and a tragic glimpse into the offhanded violent racism and lack of basic human caring during that era. Faulkner’s typically cryptic language makes it a little difficult to understand that Jesus has apparently returned and killed Nancy at the end. About the only clue is little Quintin the narrator’s question to his dad asking who will do their laundry now after they all hear the sounds of Nancy supposedly being murdered. It’s heartbreaking to witness the white adults acting with such little empathy while Quintin and the kids can’t quite figure out why the adults act they ways they do.

Perhaps most notable of all about this story is that it’s a prequel to The Sound and the Fury, as the three kids are same Compson family children who go on to narrate much of that classic novel’s further falling, 20 some years later, of this once prominent family.

4.5 out of 5 stars

"Dry September" (1931): 

This story begins in a town barbershop, where a debate ensues about whether a young Black man named Will Mayes "attacked, insulted, frightened" a 40-year-old white bachelorette named Minnie Cooper. Without anyone having any idea what may have happened, a barber is convinced Will couldn't have done anything while several others get more and more heated in their beliefs that he did do "it." This comes to a head when McLendon, a World War I veteran with a gun, bursts through the doors and gathers people to help him find Will. The barber tries to stop them before eventually getting thrown out of their moving vehicle. Meanwhile, Minnie is out with friends at the movies where she appears to break down and, seemingly too late for Will, appears to suggest that nothing happened.

The again typical suggestiveness (Faulkner doesn't tend to spell things out easily for readers) leaves the whole tale as a bit of a mystery, which is probably why people either love the author or don't understand his writing. What is clear is that Faulkner is dropping a serious and very accurate account of the power of rumor and the dangers of mob mentality in the lynch mob-happy culture of the American South in the early 1900s. He does a good job of starting the story showing that (at least most of these) people are not evil but can get swayed into violently taking the law into their own hands via groupthink.

If you're unsure where to start with William Faulkner, before getting to his novels, "A Rose for Emily" and "Dry September" are accessible and beautifully written, and are my recommendations as the top entry points.

4.5 out of 5 stars

"Spotted Horses" (1931): This is the one story here I would not recommend as a starting spot. Although not set in Jefferson - it takes place in Frenchman's Bend, Mississippi - many of the usual themes of Faulkner's recur, namely a place struggling to escape the shadow of the Civil War. The story follows the events that take place after a group of men are tricked into buying a herd of wild horses from traveling salesman Flem Snopes. The horses run wild, and they cause all sorts of havoc in the town. 

This may be the funniest, most slaptick tale of this batch, which contrasts a bit with the downtrodden characters. While it is my least favorite of these five stories, it is still well worth reading if you enjoy the other four beforehand.

4 out of 5 stars

“That Will Be Fine” (1935): This is the story of a boy named Georgie who is involved in helping his Uncle Rodney carry out criminal schemes that his uncle will likely never compensate him for, while he is hoping to make a little money to buy his grandpa a Christmas present. He spends so much time working with his uncle that he runs out of time to get the present so, by the end, he tries to chase a possum to give to his grandpa.

This story comes along a few years after his first published stories, and it shows the development of his distinctive style. The story is told in a stream-of-consciousness style, which allows Faulkner to explore the inner thoughts and feelings of his characters in much detail. Set again in Jefferson, the story provides a glimpse into the lives of the people who live there and how they are being affected by the social and economic changes occuring rapidly in the early 1900s.

4 out of 5 stars

Overall, Faulkner is clearly one of the masters and his work remains powerful, relevant, and entertaining, not to mention challenging.

Daisy Jones & the Six can rock out in a book, and the band is maybe even better on the screen

You've seen me rave here before about the entertaining novels of Taylor Jenkins Reid. Well, my wife and I finally just got through the TV adaption on Amazon Prime of Daisy Jones & the Six, which I consider my third-favorite TJR novel behind The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising.

We loved this adaptation. In fact, it may be the relatively rare case of the show being better than the book. Even if the story is possibly less suspenseful than the real-life story of Fleetwood Mac (there are seemingly winking and frequent parallels between DJ6 and FM), TJR's hallmark twists, the built-in cliffhangers that make it work so well for TV, and exceptional acting top the highlights for this production.

It's a very cool element that TJR actually wrote the show's music and the cast actually sings and plays it. I need to listen more to the songs, but while they definitely work well in propelling the story and capturing a 1970s arena-rock vibe, the songs also don't jump out at me as truly great upon hearing them throughout the 10-episode show.

Riley Keough, Elvis Presley's granddaughter, is particularly good as Daisy Jones, and she brings a lot of charisma and energy to the role. Sam Claflin is also great as Billy Dunne, and he has sizzling chemistry with Keough. The supporting cast is also very good, and they all bring their own unique personalities.

Fittingly, the show is full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and the power that music holds, but it also shows the darker side of the lifestyle, such as the accompanying problems of addiction and the euphoric feelings of love and loss sometimes heightened by drug use. 

Some reviews (while offering near-universal praise) have groused about the documentary format because it hints that the whole band has lived to reflect 20 years later on those wild 1970s. But simply put, Daisy Jones & the Six, in my book, beats out Vinyl as the best fictional rock and roll TV show of all time.

5 out of 5 stars

TV Snide: June 2023

TV Show of the Month: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 1 (Hulu): I started watching this hilarious show in Season 2 all those years ago and just now got back to the opening season. The Gang really hits their stride by the time the classic Episode 6 (The Gang Finds a Body) comes along and we learn that Dee can’t stomach old people and thet Dee and Dennis’s grandfather was a Nazi. 5 out of 5 stars

Barry - Season 1 (HBO Max): SNL’s Bill Hader finds his Walter White-like role of a lifetime, and he’s won two Emmys to prove it, as a former Marine hitman who stumbles upon Henry Winkler’s acting studio and falls a bit in love with acting as well as the actress played by Sarah Goldberg. Funny and moving. 5 out of 5 stars

Movies of the Month: Spider-Man: Inside the Spider-Verse (Amazon): This 2018 is a masterpiece of cartooning. Although I had already seen it, I watched it again so I would be prepped for the new sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse, which I also saw this month and it's just as good. Miles Morales is a young Brooklynite who enters a world of many Spider-Mans, including himself, with the typical battles against villains ensuing, but with the aforementioned perfect and mind-boggling production values. 5 out of 5 stars

Piranha (Sling TV): There remained nowhere safe left to swim after 1977’s Jaws and then this one in 1978. The titular fish are accidentally released from a science center high above a series of rivers and lakes that lead to the ocean. The cinematography and character studies are downright excellent and this is definitely a hidden gem of the 70s. The depictions of children at camp getting devoured by the fish is, as Quentin Tarantino recently noted in his excellent podcast Video Archives, undertaken almost with unrequited glee. 5 out of 5 stars

Short Stories of the Month: Chinua Achebe, “Civil Peace” and “Dead Men’s Path:” This classic Nigerian writer taught at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and once gave a speech about the racism inherent in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Today we might lean towards calling it inherent bias, but his points were made and they were made strongly, much more so because it was a speech made in 1974. “Civil Peace” from 1971 tells the story of Jonathan Iwegbu, who has made it through the constant Nigerian war with most of his house and family intact. Even still, in peace, there are thieves looking to gather any cent he earns. Better yet is 1953’s “Dead Men’s Path.” Michael Obi takes over as schoolmaster of a run-down and “progressive” school. When he and his wife beautify the grounds and block a path that villagers believe their “dead relatives depart by it and ancestors visit by it.” When Michael does not relent to the priest, saying that old way of thinking is exactly what the school’s new way of thinking is trying to replace, nearly the entire school grounds are destroyed in the night, with the supervisor arriving the next day to give damning remarks about Michael’s efforts. 4.5 out of 5 stars and 5 out of 5 stars respectively

Novel of the Month: The Swell, by Allie Reynolds: This novel kept me interested all the way through in the story of three men and three women who claim an isolated beach in a national forest of Australia all to themselves. But the place is far from a paradise. Blending Keanu Reeves’ Point Break with Lost, the premise is the biggest star of this story about how facing your fears can have deadly consequences. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor: This is a captivating read especially since there was a strong chance I was once headed to the University of Iowa for grad school. I picked Georgetown in the end, but I love coming-of-age stories like this one of grad students from the dance, poetry, and fiction departments and their interactions between themselves and the townies of Iowa City. It loses steam a little at the end but is still a solid read about the choices young people make in shaping their lives. 4 out of 5 stars

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson - Season 1 (Netflix): This wackball comedy is definitely not to everyone's taste, but I like it quite a bit. From the old weirdo who has held a lifetime grudge towards a baby that cried on an airplane to the recurring bit about the shirt that has a knob to help dudes pull it away from their bellies, this very short season has lots to enjoy. 4 out of 5 stars

“The Real Thing,” by Henry James (1891): This short story is representative of the author’s work. He would take an idea, a small slice of life and expand upon it (mainly for however many words were required by the magazine editors who might accept it). This is a simple, yet engaging, piece about an artist who likes “sitters,” or subjects, that his friends don’t think to be compelling. 4 out of 5 stars

You People (Netflix): Excellent performances from Jonah Hill and Lauren London as well as Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus save a little bit of a sappy rom-com that tackles race relations between a Jewish man and a Black woman who want to get married but have a lot of family and cultural issues standing in the way. Light fun on a tough topic. 3.5 out of 5 stars 

Katherine Ann Porter, “Thief,” “The Cracked Looking-Glass,” and “Maria Concepcion”: “Thief” is a small snapshot that seems it could be of its publication date of 1935 or from anytime. It tells a one-night journey of a women and her purse. She drinks with three different men in New York City to find her purse stolen by the “janitoress” after she returns home. The two share heated words about who needs or deserves the purse more. “The Cracked Looking-Glass" from 1933 is better. It’s about an Irish immigrant couple that have made their way after a while outside Boston, even though their style still fights against their more reserved neighbors. “Maria Concepcion” is Porter’s first published short story, from 1922. The tale of a Mexican peasant woman who murders her husband’s lover and is then protected from the police by her husband is my least favorite of this sampling from Porter and seems fairly half baked. 3.5 out of 5 stars, 4 out of 5 stars, and 2.5 out of 5 stars respectively

My favorite albums 90 albums of 2022 (plus some other opinions)

I'm publishing this a little late again this year, but hey, the competition for year-end lists is nonexistent right now. So enjoy, and I hope you find some gems to delve into.

Def Leppard

Biggest Disappointments: Arcade Fire's WE was supposed to be a big rock happening and it certainly does have ambitions, but even the best tracks never propel and often come off like second-rate Tom Petty or Bjork. A new Hoodoo Gurus album is always welcome, but Chariot of the Gods is mostly awful except two or three pretty-good tunes. Red Hot Chili Peppers really push the limits of taste and editing with Unlimited Love, which has two songs ("Not the One" and "It's Only Natural") I like and a whole slew I don't. The same can be said of the over-stuffed (I guess at least they were prolific this year) Return of the Dream Canteen. Jack White's Fear of the Dawn has lots of creative exploratory sounds but it's mostly guitar wankery bordering on rap-rock that isn't very enjoyable. Sondra Lerche's Avatars of Love has him reaching for tuneless melodies. Old Crow Medicine Show's Paint This Town is by far the least inspired effort I've ever heard from the best bluegrass rock band around. Sunflower Bean made my 2018 and 2019 lists but there's nothing memorable from Headful of Sugar. It's a little unfair to put Def Leppard's Diamond Star Halos release in this category because it's actually pretty good, but it's also pretty unneccessary. As a long-time fan, it pains me to say that of Montreal's I Feel Safe With You, Trash is too weird for me, even if it is a warped version of other greats like The Bee Gees, Prince, and Pink Floyd. Same goes for the band's Freewave Lucifer f>ck f>ck f>ck ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead's XI: BLEED HERE NOW is overblown in the band's usual way but with far fewer hooks than usual. King Princess's Hold On Baby was one I was really looking forward to but the entire thing flails wildly and unenjoyably. Broken Bells' INTO THE BLUE ends the string of strong side-project releases from the leaders of The Shins and Danger Mouse. The Smashing Pumpkins' ATUM - Act 1 has a few ok tunes, but most of it isn't good and some is just embarrasing.

Best EPs: Weezer keeps prolifically pumping out music with SZNZ: Spring and it's all excellent emo-power-pop. Same goes for SZNZ: Summer and SZNZ: Winter. If you love rock music, there’s simply no excuse for not finding something to love in the music of these consummate pros. Waxahatchee's El Deafo is a minor release for work she did for an Apple TV kids show, but any Waxahatchee is great Waxahatchee. Michael Beatty's 42nd Street Hymn displays my friend's Elton John-level piano playing with a beautiful lyrical trip around the Big Apple. PJ Western's Here I Go is three tunes of groovy rock from L.A. that I know nothing else about.

Lemonheads

Best Reissues/Box Sets: Lemonheads' It's a Shame About Ray (30th Annversary) is one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite artists, and I own almost everything on offer here already, but it's a great place to start for those unaware of the magic of leader Evan Dando. While not technically a reissue, Tegan and Sara's Still Jealous is an acoustic retelling of many of their best songs and it offers more insight into how great their songwriting has been over the years. Pavement's Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal continues the massive remastering and compiling project of the band's albums, and repeat listens to this one reveal what seemed like a lesser release at the time to be a direction-changing masterpiece. Lou Reed's I'm So Free: The 1971 MCA Demos is a perfect quiet setting for this great setlist to display its beauty and, it can be said, early perfection. Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Deluxe Edition) is a massive collection of the songs in various formats from that album; for serious die-hards but also great to just shuffle all day. The Beatles' Revolver (Deluxe) is a fun and important listen once or twice, but the final versions of all these songs are so perfectly selected out of all the outtakes, that the band should be given a reward for so strikingly recognizing their best material so consistently. Blondie's Against the Odds: 1974-1982 reminded me how much I actually love this band and how much deeper its catalog of key cuts goes beyond the greatest hits.

Best Live Albums: The Beatles' Get Back (Rooftop Performance) is so similar to the Let It Be recordings that it's hardly necessary; that said, it also shows how amazing The Beatles live would have been in the second half of the band's career. Elvis Presley's Elvis on Tour is a pretty stunning box set (I honestly have only listened to the Hampton Roads show) of late-period Elvis. He was a swinging, loose, really cool dude at this point.

Lainey Wilson

90. Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country (I quite like a handful of the more Gaga-like ballads on this release, but the rest is way too mainstream country cheese)

89. The Volunteered: We Fall Apart (this London band bills itself as "a less miseable Sparklehorse." I'm there)

88. Chime School: Chime School (this San Francisco outlet is perfect for anyone who prefers their rock in the jangle form of The Byrds, R.E.M., and Tom Petty)

87. Cheap Star: Wish I Could See You (this Euro band harkens to the sounds of 1990s indie more than Cheap Trick and Big Star, but it's not far from those 70s bands either)

86. Liam Gallagher: C'MON YOU KNOW (this review is the same as Lainey Wilson's above, but replace "mainstream country" with "Britpop")

85. Julia Jacklin: PRE PLEASURE (this Australian's cool dirges paint warm pictures, with the album's first four songs as the highlights)

84. Personal Trainer: Big Love Blanket (this Amsterdam outfit markets in party songs along the lines of LCD Soundsystem and the New Pornographers)

83. Neil Young with Crazy Horse: Toast (there are plenty of stinkers here but when Neil is at his best, as with about three songs on this release, he still reaches heights of beautiful glory)

82. Silversun Pickups: Physical Thrills (this band still throws back to Smashing Pumpkins territory, and it knows how to write a song, as evidenced by the five tunes I love here, but it also knows how to not sound very good, as evidenced by the rest)

81. Mason Jennings: Real Heart (the Minneapolis pop-folkster who released several really good albums in the early 2000s has laid pretty low lately, but this is an enjoyable minor return)

80. Jack Johnson: Meet the Moonlight (a pretty minor, but still quietly beautiful as always, release from the surfman)

Superorganism

79. Superorganism: World Wide Pop (this isn't as good as the band's debut four long years ago, with too much vocoder and wack-job stuff thrown into the kitchen sink, and even the Stephen Malkmus contributions don't match his standards, but it's still an intriguing listen)

78. Destroyer: LABYRINTHITIS (By Destroyer standards, this is a real misfire. But he sets the bar high for himself, and while this release never really takes off, like the not-quite-great 7-minute opening track, it's still somewhat addictive)

77. Sea Power: Everything Was Forever (I'll always love this British space-rock band, even if this release is not quite as great as past records like Do You Like Rock Music and The Decline of British Sea Power)

76. Dehd: Blue Skies (this is my first exposure to this Chicago indie-rock three-piece, but their stuttering and lo-key approach is right up my alley)

75. Drive By Truckers: Welcome to Club XIII (this seems to have been inspired by a trip to a gentleman's club and is a pretty middle-of-the-road DBT release, which means pretty darn good)

74. Willie Nelson: A Beautiful Time (I love Willie so much and this album has a bunch of stand-out tracks, especially on the second half)

73. Ryan Adams: Chris (this is epically long and there are very few standout tracks, but it's still a good alt-country listen throughout) 

72. Craig Finn: A Legacy of Rentals (this one from The Hold Steady's leader borders on going into the Biggest Disappointment category because it tails off severely in the second half, but there happen to be about five poetically tight jams at the top)

71. Will Sheff: Nothing Special (Okkervil River and Shearwater's frontman goes out on his own for this one and offers a tender slice into the beautiful mind and world of one of indie rocks's most compelling artists)

Steve Lacy

70. Steve Lacy: Gemini Rights (the former Internet guitarist has a quirky, Peter Brady-voice way about him that lends originality to the world of R&B)

69. Pink Mountaintops: Peacock Pools (the Canadian freak stoner pop this band puts out is always a treat; there are a handful of greatest-hits worthy tunes and the rest is all interestingly groovy weird)

68. Josh Rouse: Going Places (I always like his pop-leaning folk and this one is no exception, lots of great little tunes to hum, kind of in the Jack Johnson mold)

67. Willie Nelson: American Rebel (prolific as always, Willie covers 18 early 60s tunes, with his usual Willie awesomeness. Highlight: Why Are You Pickin' On Me?)

66. Robyn Hitchcock: Shufflemania (after a break from songwriting during the pandemic, the modern answer to Syd Barrett is back in rocking, weird, pop style)

65. Helen Love: This is My World (this punky pop is a fiesty slice of life in Wales, from a group that's been around for a long time but this being my first exposure to them. Depressing yet still fun)

64. Harry Styles: Harry's House (like Craig Finn's album, this one has a great batch of party-pop tunes at the beginning then tails off quite a bit in the second half)

63. My Idea: CRY MFER (this starts out with two tunes that sound like long-lost Blake Babies classics, and there are moments later but it's way too long. Makes the list for Cry Mfer and Crutch alone)

LATE ENTRY: Diners: Four Wheels and the Truth (a little twee release that has a very solid five songs and a handful of other good ones; this is a Phoenix band with several previous albums I haven't listened to yet)

62. Ryan Adams: Romeo & Juliet (this suffers from being way too long. With an editor, this release and Chris would have been two of the year's best)

61. Ryan Adams: FM (this is the best of the troubled artist's whopping three releases in 2022, partly because it's all enjoyable but mostly because he edits it down to a manageable 10 tracks, unlike his other epically long releases)

Militarie Gun

60. Militarie Gun: All Roads Lead to the Gun (Deluxe) (melodic hardcore out of Seattle that sounds like Fugazi with ultra-catchy guitars and accompanying vocals that often swoop in beautifully)

59. Christian Lee Hutson: Quitters (this L.A. songwriter is new to me, and the album is beautiful throughout, in an Elliot Smith rowdy-folk sort of way)

58. EELS: Extreme Witchcraft (this doesn't quite reach the pinnacle of early 2000s EELS, but it's still consistently catchy pop by a band that is difficult to peg into any specific genre)

57. Young Guv: GUV III (this is a nice upgrade from 2019's already-excellent gem from this L.A. power-pretty-pop band)

56. The Linda Lindas: Growing Up (this buzz band's pre-album singles conquered the world with feel goodism during covid, taking a tip from the school of Best Coast punk pop)

55. Girlpool: Forgiveness (some of these songs are throwaways, but enough of them are beautiful and weird and harken back to Girls, one of my favorite dreamy bands from a decade ago)

54. Kurt Vile: (watch my moves) (this album is way too long but it's still always listenable freak pop)

53. Leah Weller: Freedom (this is more up the Norah Jones easy-listening aisle than what I normally listen to. But she's legendary Paul Weller's daughter, and on multiple listens, it's more mellower Lady Gaga than it is Style Council)

52. Ty Segall: "Hi, Hello" (a surpringly great entry from this freak, whose releases have been hit-or-miss over the years; it's like a gorgeous update of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass)

51. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Cool It Down (this is a compact little release, but it packs a high ratio of great tunes, I would say more than the average YYY release)

50. Rhett Miller: The Misfit (the Old 97s leader starts this solo release out with a bang of several classics in a row; it tails off a bit but still ends up as a pop gem)

49. Jake Xerxes Fussell: Good and Green Again (maybe with the exception of Bill Callahan, this North Carolina sonwriter is putting out some of the very best folk music around)

Jesse Malin

48. Jesse Malin: Glitter in the Gutter (while not as great as his 2021 release, this New Yorker is experiencing a serious career resurgence, and people like Bruce Springsteen, guesting here, are noticing)

LATE ENTRY: Ben Lee: I'M FUN (I didn't hear this until Summer 2023, but the first half is classic Ben Lee singer songwriting feel-good jams)

47. Dumb: Pray for Tomorrow (this long-player from a band of Vancouver punks should satisfy those who lament the lack of any Pavement or Parquet Courts new releases in 2022)

46. The Weeknd: Dawn FM (he continues to carry the Thriller-era Michael Jackson torch, and while there is some filler, there are also a lot of dreamy big hits)

45. BaLonely: Thank You, I'm Sorry (an exciting debut from these Washington state indie-rock kids with a good sense of playfulness in their lyrics and angular guitars)

44. Jack White: Entering Heaven Alive (a catchy set of numbers ranging from jaunty bluegrass to Going to California-style Zep, this is a top-notch addition to the White Striper's catalogue)

43. Guided by Voices: Crystal Nuns Cathedral (there is a lot less bang for the buck thoughout this release from my second-favorite band, but even a more minor GBV release is better that 99.9% of the rest)

42. The Regrettes: Further Joy (these L.A. punkers have gone full-on Top 40 pop, and it's the right decision, with a whole slew of outta-be megahits)

41. Bill Callahan: REALITY - spelled backwards (another darkly satisfying release from the ex-Smog master; it often takes repeat listens to understand and appreciate his indie sob pop, but it's almost always a satifying experience)

40. Belle and Sebastian: A Bit of Previous (it's always great to have more lite-pop from Glasgow's second best band, behind Teenage Fanclub)

Bill Callahan

39. Soccer Mommy: Sometimes, Forever (one of the biggest stars these days on the indie scene broadens her horizons by touching on several big-guitar genres)

38. Plains (with Waxahatchee): I Walked With You A Ways (a beautiful little, alt-country, bluegrass-y side project release that is one of the undeniable uplifters of the year)

37. Alvvays: Blue Rev (these Canadians make kind of a splash when they release a new album, with only three over the past decade and this is the first in 5 years; driving dream shoegaze)

36. Sloane: Steady (the Canadian rockers release a new batch of super catchy pop gems)

35. Mapache: Roscoe's Dream (I discovered this band this year, which regales us with tales of its tour dog amidst California sunshine pop mixed with touches of Grateful Dead)

34. Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band: Dear Scott (this gorgeous soft Britpop release starts off perfect for the first six songs then tails off a bit at the end)

33. Say Sue Me: The Last Thing Left/10 (I'm grouping these two release as one by these South Koreans obsessed with indie-rock. One album focuses on original material and the other covers classic bands like Pavement, Guided by Voices, and Yo La Tengo)

Lola Kirke

32. Lola Kirke: Lady for Sale (this is definitely a strange one for the list, with the Mozart in the Jungle actor coming along in full goofball pop Dolly Parton mode; it's infectious. "New country" should take pointers)

32. Urge Overkill: Oui (one of my favorite bands of the 1990s is back doing the same glam-pomp-rock it became known for from Pulp Fiction; while there aren't particular standouts, it should prove to be a solid listen for many years)

31. Guided By Voices: Tremblers and Goggles by Rank (this release goes a little proggier than usual, with two songs even longer than 5 minutes, but it is a hard rock-pop jam)

30. beabadoobee: Beatopia (the next-generation Julianna Hatfield always keeps listeners on their toes with inspired and creative indie pop)

29. Eddie Vedder: Earthling (I know, you love him or you hate him ... but the Pearl Jam frontman shows that he is definitely a mega part of why that band has become so legendary, writing several songs here that are as good as anything PJ has ever done)

28. Robert Pollard: Our Gaze (GBV's Pollard pulls a Taylor Swift to re-record 15 of the songs from two harder-to-find 2007 releases; there are at least five classic cuts, with plenty of others to absorb)

27. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers: Nightroamer (this isn't quite as great as the North Carolina band's first two LPs, but it is definitely my favorite current Uncle Tupelo-styled country punk)

26. Built to Spill: When the Wind Forgets Your Name (BTS is back with a Perfect From Now On-type set that harkens back to the band's best pop since the 1990s)

25. Conan Gray: Superache (this is the male version of Olivia Rodrigo, pleading and temperamental, but ultimately touching and confessional and innovative Top 40 pop) 

Lucius

24. Lucius: Second Nature (the dance tracks feel like ABBA and Donna Summer and the ballads take me back to the Lada Gaga-led A Star Is Born soundtrack, which was also mushy claptrap that I couldn't get enough of)

23. Tegan and Sara: Crybaby (a nice understated pop return by indie's answer to Taylor Swift)

22. Pixies: Doggerel (Frank Black and his Pixies have been treading water for a while after a tremendous hot streak from the 1980s to the 2000s, but this one brings the non-stop post-punk jams)

21. Fantastic Negrito: White Jesus Black Problems (this is groovy and poppy in places and dives into Funkadelic-style freakiness in others, cross jumping a bunch of genres. Awesome)

20. Wet Leg: Wet Leg (this British band's debut came with about as much buzz as it gets in the indie-rock world. There are a handful of hard-driving and funny pop classics, several other very good songs, and a few that will not age well)

19: I Was a King: Follow Me Home (these Norwegians almost out-Elf Power Elf Power with their gentle psychedelic pop-rock; I wish more bands played this type of music this well)

18. Elf Power: Artificial Countrysides (these Athens, Georgia psych-poppers might be incapable of making a bad song, meeting somewhere between Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Sebadoh)

17. Carley Rae Jepsen: The Loneliest Time (for my money, Jepsen is the closest artist to a threat in the Taylor Swift genre of dance/good-mood Top 40 pop; like Swift, she rarely has a less-than-stellar song these days)

16. Spoon: Lucifer on the Sofa (this Austin band just keeps getting better. In a more just world there would be a large handful of Top 10 hits from this release, with several interludes of beautiful ambient pop-rock to round it out)

Spiral Stairs

15: Spiral Stairs: Medley Attack (often unfairly forgotten in the brilliance of Stephen Malkmus and Pavement is Spiral Stairs, and he comes back with an understated and, frankly, very fun and humorous blast of throwing a lot of pop at the walls. It all sticks)

14: Wilco: Cruel Country (a massive injection of mellow country into the band's catalog, this one keeps growing and growing on me, like Uncle Tupelo's March 16-20, 1992 did all those years ago)

13: Band of Horses: Things Are Great (this is no great step forward for the band, but the record as a whole is just kind of perfect, refining all the best elements of past releases into a solid and constant beautiful flow)

12: Orville Peck: Bronco (this is my favorite country - with some twists - artist in a long time. His second full-length proves Peck is no flash in the pan, and there is a good laugh or chuckle on average at least once a song)

11. Freedy Johnston: Back on the Road to You (this is another blast from the past, with this album maybe being even better than his classic ‘90s This Perfect World. If you want straight-forward singer-songwriter pop, this is as good as it gets)

10. Archers of Loaf: Reason in Decline (the Chapel Hill legends' first album in 24 years may be 2022's biggest treat; the band is angry at the times we're living in, turning it into essential melodic post-punk)

Archers of Loaf

09: Bruce Foxton and Russell Hastings: The Butterfly Effect (it's amazing how much Foxton's voice sounds Paul Weller's voice from late-era Jam, as the band swayed a bit from the punk more into the pop that would become The Style Council; this might be the best Jam-related release since that prime era, which is saying a lot)

08. Big Joanie: Back Home (this British band of punk girls fuzzes a complicated and buzzy collection of songs that are a little like Pixies if that group were still great)

07. Superchunk: Wild Loneliness (this is simply a perfect collection of songs, and there is ample reason to think it may go down as Superchunk's most epic, greatest album, which is saying a lot)

06. Alex Cameron: Oxy Music (this play on Roxy Music may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's an innovative soft pop masterpiece in a growing line of the like from this artsy Aussie)

05. Kiwi Jr.: Chopper (this Toronto band has been simmering at the border of greatness throughout their first two albums and they hit on all cylinders for release #3; plus, if we can't have a new Pavement album, at least we have this)

04. Phoenix: Alpha Zulu (this is a joyous collection of new music from France's finest; I wasn't expecting a comeback this great, essential, timeless, and dancefloor-ready)

03. The Beths: Expert in a Dying Field (New Zealand's answer to Courtney Barnett takes a top-3 spot on my list for a second time, after 2020's Jump Rope Gazers did so. The band makes pop that cheers me up every time I hear it)

Taylor Swift

02. The Afghan Whigs: How Do You Burn? (I didn't foresee this happening, and maybe I love it so much because I binged it over and over while finally down with my first-ever count of covid, but this is a gorgeous slow-grower from one of my favorite bands of the 1990s. Greg Dulli and company issue their finest release since 1993's Gentlemen. It starts off sounding like 1990's Up in It and progresses to more of a Gentlemen vibe, even including Dulli's female double Susan Marshall back in the mix on some vocals) 

01. Taylor Swift: Midnights (she is an unstoppable force; the only thing negative I can say is maybe the last two songs on the 3 am edition aren't necessary. The rest is perfect, conversational lyrics to the max and all)

TV Snide: May 2023

TV Show of the Month: The Bear - Season 1 (Hulu): A Chicagoland beef joint goes through growing pains as one brother dies, leading the way for brother Carmen to return from his tour working at top restaurants around the world. He has serious brother issues to work out, but finds a family in the restaurant’s co-workers. An incredibly special cast is led by Jeremy Allen White of Shameless fame and Ayo Edibiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and L-Boy. There are parts that take me way back to my college years working at IMO’s Pizza. And it’s a beautiful thing. 5 out of 5 stars 

The Sex Lives of College Girls - Season 1 (HBO Max): This was a surprise. I thought this might be something to see on a whim and give up after an episode or two. But several friends’ recommendations were not wrong. This is the modern version of Beverly Hills 90210, but, dare I say, funnier. The four roommates are all needles in the haystack. The casting directors should win awards. The story is that these girls are just trying to make it through the start of college, and it truly takes me back to my freshman year, in a way that no other show has ever done for me. 5 out of 5 stars

Concert of the Month: The New Pornographers at 9:30 Club in DC: The band, although without weirdo Dan Bejar, was firing on all cylinders with a greatest hits set that included some top-notch additions from their new release. The only song I wish they would have played was “Letter to an Occupant” from Mass Romantic. But adding to the excellence of the evening was the fact that friend Alexis beelined me, Kevin, his friend Mark, and Ruben up to near the stage, something I don’t do that often anymore, and the early start time was pretty nice for we old folks as well. 5 out of 5 stars.

Short Story of the Month: “Babylon Revisited,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1931): Charlie has returned to Paris two years after ending up in a sanitarium because of his wife’s death during the heyday of post-Depression cafe society. He is making the case to his sister-in-law and her husband that he is well enough now to take back custody of his young daughter Honoria. The plan appears to be that he will take her back to his home in Prague, but then two bad actors from his wild days resurface and put custody of his daughter back into question. A wonderful snippet of that time and place. Fitzgerald is obviously a true master of fiction. 5 out of 5 stars

Movie of the Month: The Blair Witch Project (Paramount Plus): The best thing about watching this for a first time, like my son just did, is going in cold and not knowing whether this is real or fiction. I remember back to when I first saw it and being pretty terrified about the creepy found footage from the Maryland woods. The pure unprofessionalism of it all is what makes it so oddly compelling. One of the top horror flicks of the 1990s. 5 out of 5 stars

The Natural (Showtime): I always thought I had already seen this 1984 classic, but I hadn’t, so it was extra special to watch with my 15-year-old son. Robert Redford plays the amiable and talented Roy Hobbs, who gets shot right as his pro baseball career is taking off. He makes a comeback for the New York Knights 16 years later and battles his way through crooked owners and lousy ladies to find a sweet path that includes childhood sweetheart Glenn Close. 5 out of 5 stars

“Pet Milk,” by Stuart Dybek is a romantic little read that seems perfectly of its 1984 time, and I also somehow feel I read it at some point long long ago. It oddly starts with an image of the narrator’s grandmother serving Pet milk as coffee creamer and then takes us through the 22-year-old on a date that ends with him making love to his girlfriend in the L back from downtown Chicago to her place in Evanston as other passengers look on from platforms they pass. 5 out of 5 stars

Only Murders in the Building - Season 2 (Hulu): Anyone who is a fan of Selena Gomez or Steve Martin or Martin Short will definitely like this mix of wacky humor and solid murder mystery. The gang tries to solve the killing of an elderly woman in the building, leading them through a raft of possible suspects, including Tina Fey. 4.5 out of 5 stars

30 for 30: Elway to Marino (ESPN): This is a great story of what was to be the first major NFL Draft event with fans attending in person and TV cameras capturing every move. When Pete Rozell calls John Elway’s name first overall to the Baltimore Colts, it sparks bidding wars throughout the league, as Elway refuses to play for Owner Robert Irsay and a management style under which he doesn’t think he’ll find success. Meanwhile, Dan Marino of the University of Pittsburgh doesn’t go until #23, which is particularly painful to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coach Chuck Noll refused to grab him and, as fate would have it, Terry Bradshaw would suffer a career-ending elbow injury in the first game of the year and their pick Gabriel Rivera was paralyzed six weeks later in a car crash. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Wheaton AMC): This series is wildly entertaining to me, someone who doesn’t get too excited about most superhero movies. Star Lord and the gang are back to save Rocket Raccoon, who is the focus of this chapter. His backstory is revealed, which includes escaping from an animal experiment prison and going on to become a world-class pilot and member of the Guardians. Does the battling and destruction the gang faces in this one, including a major battle on an alternate Earth, mean the end of their nucleus? It sure seems like it. 4.5 out of 5 stars

“The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien (1986): This short story starts by exhaustively giving lists of what a troop of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam carry with them on their marches. It’s an interesting perspective of what war is like. Then it segues to following the sergeant, Jimmy Scott, in his metamorphosis from pining in love with a girl back home to burning her photos and letters so he can focus himself on leading his soldiers. 4 out of 5 stars.

Moonfall (HBO Max): Patrick Wilson and Halle Berry lead the cast in this creative 2022 sci-fi flick in which the moon tilts out of its axis and heads on a collision course with Earth. The lead actors are astronauts who need to save both the day and their family members. It’s a very big ask. But the effects and dialogue all work really well in an entertaining rollick. 4 out of 5 stars.

TV Snide: April 2023

Novel of the Month: The Island by Adrian McKinty: This is one of two books I read this month by McKinty. If you like psychological suspense thrillers, you need to stop everything and read these two. I like The Island slightly more than The Chain, but it’s close. The author is a master of premise. In real life, he almost hit an old woman on a bicycle on an isolated island where only one extended family resided. His agent suggested he write a novel about what would have happened had he actually hit and killed a woman with his car in such a setting. In the fiction, Heather is the young bride of rich and successful surgeon Tom. They take Tom’s kids Owen and Olivia to an island that takes real Deliverance-like twists. 5 out of 5 stars

The Chain by Adrian McKinty: This Irish author weaves a tight, super gripping page turner about Rachel, whose daughter Kylie has been kidnapped. The kidnappers demand a ransom and that she kidnap another child in order to get Kylie back, hence “the chain” of the title. This may or may not be a criminal enterprise that has dated back to ancient times, but Rachel and her new boyfriend Pete are determined to find out and to crazily put an end to it once and for all. As she battles cancer and Pete battles a heroin addiction, can they really stop the core of evil genius? 5 out of 5 stars

Classic Novel of the Month: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: Newland Archer is engaged to be married to May, who is a product of late 1800s European morals and standards. But when a relative and countess named Ellen moves to New York City, he is smitten and rethinking his approaching wedding. Ellen is vital and different, with adventurousness, while May is beautiful and sweet but incapable of thinking or discussing anything of importance in the world. Many years later, one of Archer’s three children with May, who has died in her last childbirth, takes him to Paris to visit Ellen and the tale ends with Archer unable to go up to her home. He walks back to his hotel, to be solitude forever after. 5 out of 5 stars

Documentary of the Month (tie): Can’t Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police (Amazon Prime): This is a powerful 80 minutes and it displays how similar The Police was to The Beatles in the late 1970s and early 1980s in terms of global phenoms. The film is based on guitarist Andy Summers’ book (on my shelf and unread so far) and is excellent at showing the underlying tension and stress in his relationship with Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland. A must watch for rock fans. 5 out of 5 stars

Documentary of the Month (tie): Boom Boom: The World vs. Boris Becker (Apple TV): Some of my greatest sports-watching memories as a kid were the days of McEnroe, Borg, Connors, Lendl, and Becker. The German kid dominated the 1990s, and while he has always been a positive fun-loving guy in his personal life, the wives and money have come and gone over and over again. He finally landed in prison near Wimbledon, and although he was released after eight months, part of the agreement is that he won’t be allowed into the UK again until late 2024. 5 out of 5 stars

Old Movie of the Month The Birds (Netflix): It had been many years since I’d last seen Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic, and it is better than I ever remembered. While it’s a little preposterous to think of why someone thought it was a good idea to postulate what would happen if birds turned evil, at the same time the suspense, sound effects, and overall strange factor Hitch brings makes the whole shebang immensely compelling. It’s still probably no more than my seventh or eighth favorite film by the master, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best ever. 5 out of 5 stars

New Movie of the Month: The Whale (Southwest Airlines): Brendan Fraser returned from the wilds to win best lead actor for this role as Charlie, an unhealthy online English professor who doesn't turn his camera on because he feels he's too disgusting for his students to take seriously. An ex-wife and daughter mix things up by visiting his small-town Idaho apartment in what appear to be his final days. 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bros (Amazon Prime): Billy Eichner’s Billy on the Street is one of my favorite comedy shows ever, so I’ve already bought into his snarky and a little stuck-up style. While this is not as flat-out hilarious as his old show, it definitely has its moments and tells a touching story of gay romance that is so badly underrepresented in Hollywood. 4.5 out of 5 stars

“Haircut,” by Ring Lardner: This author was a major influence for both Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. This 1925 short story is a bit messy because there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but it’s also a fun read because it details life in a small town with the kinds of colorful characters who occupy those spaces. Not to mention, there is drama since a main character is shot at the end, a married man tries to get another woman, and other hijinks ensue throughout. 4 out of 5 stars

Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu): I have liked Katherine Hahn quite a bit in the past but this new show is pretty unbearably depressing through the first two episodes. I couldn’t keep going and therefore give it an “incomplete” rating.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton is a novel that seems to be getting hyped on every critic’s best new novels list. But I got 20 pages in and couldn’t stand it anymore. Perhaps about some kind of cult or collective in New Zealand, the words are all over the place, with very little recognizable story being told and no signs of getting better soon. Star rating: Incomplete and abandoned.

Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy turns 50

Issue 312 of Classic Rock Magazine digs deep on the metal god’s fifth album, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and was the result of what singer Robert Plant called the band’s “buccaneer musician” spirit, “ready to try anything.”

While IV and II are typically cheered as Zop’s best, I consistently come back to Houses and Physical Graffiti as absolute perfection in rock ‘n roll. Of course, most critics at the time judged the band by how heavy it was and that this was a relatively lightweight affair. I’d say they were right about that last point, but they were wrong in claiming that because it was lighter, it was of little importance.

Here are some things about that time in 1973 you may not know:

Plant was 23 and in full golden-god mode. It probably goes without saying that he was “dripping in pussy.”

Drummer John Bonham was also 23, in full beast mode, and was said to be a family man off the road. “But Zeppelin were never off the road.”

Several of the songs recorded for Holy ended up on Physical Graffiti, and they had a brighter quality to them than their previous music - good reasons the two albums have a similar feel lodged in the middle of their catalog. Many of the songs were recorded at The Rolling Stones mobile studio in the English countryside.

The album was delayed from 1972 partly over the artwork. The naked children climbing a cratered hillside and a child sacrifice on the inside replaced the original art, which had been an electric green tennis court with a tennis racquet. Page hated that the art insinuated that the band’s music was some kind of racket, in business terms.

Over the Hills and Far Away and D’yer Maker (top 20) were released as singles in the U.S. and there were no singles released in the UK. But their chart popularity was clearly never the point, as Zep were breaking The Beatles’ records left and right for attendance at their shows across the U.S. 

A strong argument can be made nowadays that Led Zeppelin were the rock ‘n roll Beatles of the ‘70s. The band’s music is timeless and, like that of The Beatles, there are almost never times when I don’t want to hear it.

How am I going to write just one song?

In my late 20s and 30s, I got pretty prolific as a songwriter. Lately I’ve had an unbelievably empty tank.

So it seemed like a good idea to finally pick up my copy of Jeff Tweedy’s How to Write One Song. I especially like chapter three, titled “Obstacles.” He starts off alluding to dreams, which, if written down soon after waking up, or even in the middle of the night, could provide source material. That made me think of a guy I recently played tennis (who also unfortunately made it into my subsequent dreams) who was way in over his head and in the totally wrong session based on his skill level. His tennis etiquette was the most horrible thing about him, so I started thinking about what kind of music would fit a song about tennis etiquette. For me, that always seems to be the tricky part for me; the words usually come easy.

Tweedy (the leader of one of my favorite bands Wilco) focuses on finding something in the day that isn’t totally necessary. For me, did I have to watch 90 minutes of the Beatles documentary Get Back? Tweedy recommends that replacing even three minutes of that time (the amount of time of a typical pop song) with banging on a guitar and screaming my head off (there, I’ve written a song) is acceptable and will make me feel better than watching three minutes of that movie.

Some of his good advice is that, once you start writing, if you are a little uncomfortable with and embarrassed by the words as you sing them, you are on the right track. Maybe that’s why so many people find that writing a song is difficult, because it is a little bit of a soul searching process, I’ve always found.

It's crucial to get into some kind of habit of writing songs, so make sure to write for 15 or 30 minutes every day, perhaps recording ideas or writing lyrics on a phone. Tweedy even records sounds, like birds chirping, that he would want to hear again and could be turned into something musical.

Try practicing harder guitar parts or progressions late at night while you’re still learning them, then wake up in the morning and play them again. You’ll often find them to be much easier to play in the morning.

Staying in good health is important. At the very least, “If you want to write a song, go for a walk.” I do try to capture snippets of song ideas I get while walking the dog, but I could still stand to do it more often.

It’s definitely ok to fail in writing songs, but the one thing that’s important to try to achieve - in order to achieve success - is finding the truth, or some truth, within the songwriting. Good comedy finds it. These truths can be often invisible in day-to-day activities but found when searching deeper, while sitting and thinking and turning that thinking into words on the page.

Pretend writing a song is just like when you were a kid and you sat on the floor drawing with crayons. You would be proud of your work when done because it was yours and so would your mom and she would hang it on the refrigerator even if it actually wasn't very good. It should work that same way for writing songs as an adult.

When Tweety begins writing about the ultimate question of "the lyrics or the music first," I came up with the idea to figure out what I want to write a song about and then jot down a list of words that would fit in well with a song about that subject. From there I can start working on the words and the music and the lyrics will stay on point towards telling the story I want to tell.

Tweedy will often “steal words from books.” If he has a melody in his head, he’ll grab any old book, open to a random page, and just start scanning for interesting words like catastrophe and hummingbird. He’ll then highlight those and other words before stringing an interesting story of his own out of those words.

He’s also not a big fan of overusing adjectives, prefers what I would call a more Hemingwayian directness in descriptions, such as “I was scared of the big guy behind the counter” or “I was drunk during the day.”

I love Tweedy’s idea of using our conversations (we do them all the time!) as inspiration for songs. I just gave a presentation to my work colleagues. Why not turn that into a song? Even better is his idea to have someone you can speak with at ease ask you about how your life is going. Record it or transcribe what you’ve said afterwards.

Don’t be yourself! I love this bit of advice. When Tweedy was having a bit of a crisis in trying to sing from his own perspective - or, as Woody Guthrie said, “write what you know” - back in the days of his band Uncle Tupelo, he realized most of the kids books he was reading were told from an animal or some other perspective. That allowed him to actually open up and be more emotional in his lyrics. What might the clock on the wall be thinking? Or a vacuum cleaner? Or Chaka Khan?

Experiment with things that are going to start with you not knowing what will happen. For instance, if you’re tired of putting your fingers in the same places, try messing with the tuning of your guitar so that you can get to some weird, distorted places you wouldn’t have thought about. It’s often easy from there to transpose the weird thing you’ve written back into something that is regularly tuned.

Steal! It would be ridiculous not to. Obviously give credit if credit is due, otherwise reappropriate chord progressions, use samples because they can be so cool, and insert your words into other people's created melodies.

For recording song ideas, Tweedy offers some very good tips, especially in light of how digital recording (unlike jamboxes and other methods of old) can be very unforgiving and often make people ultra conscious of how they may or may not like the sounds coming out of themselves. Record in the bathroom, where reverb works nicely and naturally on voices and guitars. Place your phone or microphone at the right spot between guitar and vocals and have it far enough from vocals that the room atmosphere will cushion some of the digital vocals. This one won’t be hard for me: try to focus on the song rather than all the effects and digital tech tricks you can play with.

Calling it writer’s “block” is giving the term too much weight and should be thought of more like a roadblock, hurdle, or challenge. You can try different tricks to get past or around block, such as playing the chords of a verse backwards to see if it works better, putting a great chorus first instead of in the middle, and making sure your best lyric is always the first line in the song. 

But at some point you have to just finish the song without giving up because giving up becomes a habit you don’t want to have.

Revisiting what it was like when Nirvana broke big

I’ve been revisiting Milk It by Jim DeRogatis, an opinionated, controversial journalist and the co-host of the very best rock podcast, Sound Opinions. It’s a compilation of his writing from the 1990s and is one of the definitive documents of the height of “alternative.” I’ll have more summaries over the book in due time, but here are the most interesting nuggets about Nirvana, which takes up a sizable portion of the start of Milk It.

• DeRogatis opines that Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl's releases with Foo Fighters - except for the band's debut - are trash. But 1997's The Colour and the Shape and 1999's There Is Nothing Left to Lose are hand's-down power-pop classics. (At first I wasn’t crazy about the FFs’ first release but it has aged very well into one of my favorites.)
• 1991's Nevermind was the first punk record to hit Number 1 and now stands as the 29th best selling album of all time.
• Cobain liked how Steve Albini used lots of mics around the studio to try to capture the sound of the band being right next to the listener on In Utero. But the one thing he regrets about the recording was not double tracking more of his vocals like Butch Vig had done with him on Nevermind. I agree that would have made In Utero even better.
• In Utero opener “Serve the Servants” has a guitar solo that sounds like Robert Quine but Cobain claimed to not know who that was. In actuality, his knowledge of punk was scattered because of his hard-earned music knowledge growing up in the sticks of Aberdeen, Washington.
• If you’re looking for the ultimate book about Cobain, DeRogatis recommends Charles Cross’s Heavier Than Heaven.
• Of all the riches Nevermind brought the band, Bassist Krist Novoselic was perhaps proudest of his two vinyl jukeboxes.
• Of course DeRogatis always has to be controversial in his tastes, with disses against Paul Westerberg and Pavement (two of my very favorites) included in the Nirvana section of his book.
• On Foo Fighters’ debut, Grohl played everything except for one guitar part on “X-Static” by Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs.

Things I learned from McCartney’s book The Lyrics Volume 1

Paul McCartney’s massive self-penned 2021 book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present is an excellent read. My local library has the hard copies (it’s a thick, photo and image-heavy two-volume set) and so I’ll be reading the second book on paper rather than on my Kindle. That said, here are the most interesting things I learned about Sir Paul in the first volume:

• Paul got the idea to have his band Wings after The Beatles because he still wanted to do music and also saw Johnny Cash playing with a band.
• His daughter Stella was a rough birth and Paul saw a vision of angels with wings during that time, leading to his band’s name.
• The night John Lennon and McCartney heard “God Only Knows,” their minds were so blown that it inspired them to write “Here There and Everywhere.”
• Around the time of Sgt. Pepper’s, the band realized they had access to a sound-effects library and started using them a lot, in songs such as “Blackbird” and “A Day in the Life.”
• He did a lot of painting in the ‘90s and always remembered his dad talking about “do it now.” He also thought about all the great painters who obsessed for long periods on individual works and Paul always wanted to keep it fun and get all his paintings powered through and done in one sitting.
• Paul says the trick to songwriting is to write something that is easy to remember, because you also have to do that as a musician. His chauffeur said he’d been working eight days a week, and Paul knew that would be a memorable line when he and Lennon wrote it as soon as he hopped out of the car.
• George Harrison was inspired by the short stabbing sounds in the music of the movie Psycho for Eleanor Rigby.
• Paul says he was pretty “straight laced” and was the last Beatle to take LSD. One night he saw a blue hole in his eye and it formed the basis of “Fixing a Hole.”
• Paul actually met Yoko before John and introduced her, in a way, to John.
• Paul never could read music and he didn’t like piano lessons when he was young because they were restrictive and boring. And later on, he thinks he might have lost interest in making songs in a band if everyone was just counting out things based on a mathematical formula. I couldn’t agree more. Creating songs rather than writing music has always been what intrigued me and keeps me coming back for more.
• “Got to Get You Into My Life” is about marijuana and was inspired by the Beatles’ first experience with the drug. It was in a back room with Bob Dylan and Paul remembers George trying to leave and he chased him around as the two of them giggled endlessly.
• “Here There and Everywhere” was inspired by “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys, which was inspired by Rubber Soul. Paul also says it’s his favorite song he’s ever written.
• The Rolling Stones of course hung out with The Beatles in the early ‘60s. George told their record label they should sign the Stones and they did, but Mick and Keith told their friends the problem was they didn’t have a single. So The Beatles gave the Stones an album track from one of their records that couldn’t be a single for them because it was sung by Ringo. “I Wanna Be Your Man” went on to become the Stones’s “first big hit.”
• When discussing “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” Paul notes that most of what drove him was eroticism.
• The diversity and quantity of John and Paul’s writing together is legendary. And Paul notes that once he and John started a song in the studio, they always finished it before leaving the studio.
• In the early days of the Quarry Men (named after where John attended, Quarry Bank High School), John, Paul, and George always pretty much knew they would be the core of the group. They always had trouble finding drummers, or even people with drum sets. A guy named Colin Hanton was their first drummer. At their first real recording session, they laid down Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” and an original called “In Spite of All the Danger.” The latter is the only McCartney-Harrison writing credit in history.