Black Lightning recently ended its four season run on The CW. I watched faithfully from the very first episode (which makes it pleasantly shocking that it lasted four seasons). This has gotten me a bit reflective, about the show itself, but also about storytelling and things like that. Please excuse a little self-indulgence, but I…
I discovered Esperanza Spalding in 2005. I was at a show celebrating George Wein (founder of the Newport Jazz Festival among many other things). Herbie Hancock played, and Spalding was the bassist in his band. They sounded great. I was an instant fan. I still remember when Herbie introduced the band, when he got to…
I saw Lisa Fischer perform a couple of nights ago at the Ridgefield Playhouse. She was accompanied by Taylor Eigsti on piano. It’s the first live music I’ve seen in over a year. That’s gotta be my longest drought ever. The venue was only at partial capacity, we wore masks, maintained social distance, and I’m…
The song Levon, by Elton John (@eltonofficial) and Bernie Taupin (#bernietaupin), opens with the line: Levon wears his war wound like a crown He calls his child Jesus ‘Cause he likes the name And he sends him to the finest school in town Then, there’s a line in Elton John’s and Bernie Taupin’s song Tiny…
WandaVision’s first season just ended. At least I think it was the first season. The final episode was titled “The Series Finale” but I think that was a meta joke. The teaser at the end certainly implies a second season. There’s a lot of talk about the show online. Almost all of it that I’ve…
I act as a censor for what my daughter is exposed to. There’s a lot of TV, movies, and YouTube that she’s not allowed to watch. There are games I won’t let her play. I keep some news stories from her. I’ve never specifically told her she can’t read a book, but I have warned…
Daft Punk announced they are splitting up. Normally, I wouldn’t even notice the announcement. I’ve never been a fan. They’re just not my thing. If they’re yours, I’m glad they were able to bring you happiness over the years. I am a little bit familiar with them. I was managing a record store when Discovery…
I was talking to my mom the other day. She was wondering about the song What Can You Get a Wookie For Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb). She was wondering who wrote it, if he ever wrote anything else, and what it must be like if that’s your biggest hit. I’ve had similar…
We Wish You a Merry Christmas has long been one of my favorite holiday songs. It’s just so much fun to sing. I remember as a kid in church singing it, and all the kids were really leaning into the “sh” in wish and “s” in Christmas, “We wisssshhhh you a merry Chrisssstmas!” We were…
There’s something very wrong with the above picture. A lot of people won’t notice, or care, but I’ve spent a lot more time in the Star Wars universe than most people. There are wheels on these vehicles. Vehicles don’t have wheels in the galaxy far, far away. They walk, hover, or fly. In fact, there…
