[The only "personal" connection I've had with John Denver was a friend of mine from Colorado who told me he was at a gas station in Colorado when John Denver rolled in, driving his Mercedes sports car. "It was weird," my friend told me, "The top was down and he was blasting his own music... Continue Reading →
[There are two fundamental stories in humankind ... a man goes on a journey and a stranger comes to town. It's a theme that is central in Grendel: The Four-Chord Opera as well. Is the one who stays, Greg, a coward or simply smart enough to hold on to a good thing. Is Del a... Continue Reading →
[Paul Newman has been on our minds recently. We watched Ethan Hawke's documentary, then The Color of Money, Slapshot, and The Verdict. James Dean died and someone had to move into the role as runner-up to Marlon Brando. Enter Newman. He was a flawed human being, but a pretty damn good movie star. For us,... Continue Reading →
[I am increasingly listening to podcasts, although I am finding the world of podcasts increasingly difficult to navigate. There has been an explosion in podcast content. The best exlanation for this comes from my favorite podcast, the BlindBoy, who says that corporate media are investing heavily investing heavily in podcast content in anticipation of the... Continue Reading →
[Big News ... Part 3 of Grendel: The Four-Chord Opera has now been published. Now, back to the silliness. SB SM] Here are two very different takes on what it means to be a resident of the contemporary Jungle. Could there be more contrast. A minute or so of the Carrie Underwood Jungle will give... Continue Reading →
[White Crosses (lyrics by Greg Morrison, music by Roy Nelson) also find its way into Grendel: The Four-Chord Opera. It's also a fitting song for Veterans Day as we salute the men and women who serve in the armed forces, although in The Jungle the armed force are those attached to the great apes. SB... Continue Reading →
Poutine Pizza? Really? [From time to time I will re-purpose a post from The Silverback Film Society, Gilead Brook Road Troop. And before anyone castigates me for being homophobic, I will point out that the characterization of Bye-Bye Birdie as "the gayest musical ever" was made by SB Bennett, whose husband, SB Chef Tom, created... Continue Reading →
[We visited Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA on a crisp, fall morning. It's now a State Park, but during WW II it protected Puget Sound from attack by the Japanese. No combat action ever took place there. Now it still stands sentry over the entrance to the sound, but the guns are gone, replaced... Continue Reading →
An excerpt from Part 2 of Grendel: The Four-Chord Opera: The summer was magic. Days at the beach with Cassandra, then nights playing in clubs. Grendel became a semi-big deal, for Rhode Island, that is. Then, another twist of fate, but not a cruel one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU0Bh8PL7Jw
Long live the Killer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw7SBF-35Es&t=5s
