July 16, 2019

Musicological Note

Here's a recent conversation (accessible for the next few weeks) on Tom Mazzollini's long-running Blues By The Bay radio program about Paul Oliver and Mack McCormick and their great, unfinished project meant to document the rise and spread of African American vernacular musics in Texas. It is now available, for a price, in the recently published Blues Comes To Texas.

Hearing Chris Strachwitz (who has never been too far wrong about American vernacular music) enthuse about this book is all the convincing I need.

July 11, 2019

Did Epstein Ever Put The Make On Ivanka?

It would be irresponsible not to speculate. She was just the right age.

July 08, 2019

Critics Corner

World War II did not lead to a wave of great literature, especially given its overwhelming importance in the twentieth century. But it sure led to a wave of great film.

Eric Loomis, Lawyers, Guns & Money

Loomis is right. In spite of attempts by commenters to compile a list of great WWII literature, there was no wave of great literature conveying those events equivalent to the wave of great film produced over the course of the past sixty years.

A list, even a big list, is not a wave.

Nevertheless I searched in vain for a comment mentioning Gravity's Rainbow, which is great and literature and seems to be about WWII, more or less, as I recall. Strange that it doesn't immediately come to mind.