I just finished compiling my 2021 playlist for The Infinite Playlist Project. This collection of songs was the soundtrack for: blogging for 100 days in a row sending my best friend and his wife flowers to celebrate the birth of their kids getting drunk and praying during an assault on the US Capitol finishing aContinue reading “the 2021 playlist project”
Category Archives: music
forgetting the words
I’ve been on a Patti Smith kick lately, which led me to her performance at the 2016 Nobel Prize Ceremony to honor Bob Dylan. Part of the way through “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” Patti blanks on the words. But instead of trying to cover, she stops the song and apologizes. “I’m sorry. I’m soContinue reading “forgetting the words”
riffin’
I finally got around to finishing The Rolling Thunder Revue on Netflix this week. It was a long overdue watch, but I’m convinced it’s the kind of film you have to be tuned into a very particular frequency to really engage with. One of my favorite moments is a brief interlude with Patti Smith, whoContinue reading “riffin’”
why Dave Grohl doesn’t like to rehearse
I loved this interview with Dave Grohl, where he provides insight into the Foo Fighters’ rehearsal process: We do have a saying in the Foo Fighters, that if it gets any better, it’s gonna get worse. So I don’t like to rehearse, because I like to get out on stage and have it be rawContinue reading “why Dave Grohl doesn’t like to rehearse”
every song ever
It occurred to me yesterday how much we’ve lost in regards to the experience of the media we consume. As a teenager, there was something special about sitting in my car and peeling back the plastic on that new CD, leafing through the liner notes, slotting the disc into the player, and hearing the openingContinue reading “every song ever”
time we didn’t know we needed
I’ve said many times this last year that quarantine was time we didn’t know we needed–almost as if God put humanity as a whole in time out. (“Go to your room and think about what you’ve done…”) As a society, we’ve been forced to pause and reckon with many of our institutional shortcomings (for example,Continue reading “time we didn’t know we needed”
stuck
Austin Kleon recently posted a great interview with Paul Simon, where he tells Dick Cavett how he wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” There are many things at play here (art as theft, input influencing output, accessing the unconscious), but the thing that speaks to me most is the idea of being “stuck.” “Everywhere I wentContinue reading “stuck”
changing your tune
I’ve been a Bayside fan long enough to follow them through quite a few changes. While so many of their contemporaries have fallen by the wayside and disappeared from my music collection, I’ve stuck with Bayside because they’ve managed to grow alongside me, both musically and as individuals. With recent discussions about cancel culture andContinue reading “changing your tune”
Obama on cultural appropriation
I just finished listening to Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, with topics ranging from race and gender to the myth of the road to fatherhood. As far as podcasts go, it counts among my favorites. There are a million and one things that struck me,Continue reading “Obama on cultural appropriation”
the joy of not doing
A few years back, I decided to put myself on the hook and record music to send out with my Christmas cards. The first record came right after moving to California. I was alone in a strange city and only had my guitar to keep me company. The result was a few covers of songsContinue reading “the joy of not doing”
joshua chamberlain 