PicoBlog

The Oxford Dictionary defines “epigraph” as: a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme. In published books, epigraphs usually fall in the middle of the administrative beginning: Title page Dedication Epigraph Author’s note (usually appears with nonfiction and memoir only) Prologue or Chapter 1 For readers, epigraphs set tonal expectations for the book to come. They’re sensual cues; a spritz of fragrance in a large room.

When I was younger, I pictured myself in a stereotypical nuclear family set up in my 30s. I had it all planned out: marriage at 27, a bit of travelling as a couple, looking at starting a family around 30. Of course in this 2000-2009 dream of mine, I was also probably working as a famous journalist and writing books on the side with all that spare time we get as adults, and earning a huge amount of money to support a family by 30.

Of all the musicians in The Band, the most interesting and intriguing is Garth Hudson.   The Band was a special group of extraordinary musicians to begin with, but Hudson’s keyboard work took them even higher. Hudson’s unique gospel-oriented sound partially came from his use of the Lowery organ.  But it was his amazing technique as well.  Indeed, the first time I heard Hudson, it was on blues singer John Hammond Jr.

Technological innovation requires capital. A lot of capital. A giant pile of cash. There are, to a first approximation, only three places you can find of a giant pile of cash. There’s government money. There’s venture capital. And there’s big corporate R&D. Of the three, I would argue that government is clearly the best. The reason is simple: government funding doesn’t come attached to some rich asshole who inevitably screws things up later.

Given that Steve actively listens to Phish, has written an entire book about musical rivalries and actually appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show, I’m as surprised as you are that “college football vs. the NFL” inspired the greatest conflict between my Indiecast co-host and I in 2023. I’ve tried to explain the former’s appeal through the lens of indie rock, that it’s scrappier, more regional, more open to innovation, more variance, more susceptible to backroom dealing; I love slowcore and Iowa football as subversive genre experiments, mesmerizing in their determined minimalism.

Community conversation clubs for April. These will be 4/10 at 7pm ET and 4/21 at 1pm ET. Links will be sent to paid subscribers day in advance! This is a space to process the topics of the articles I write. Book club TONIGHT! The pick for March was The Arsonist’s City by Hala Alyan, and for April it is Crying in The Bathroom by Erika Sanchez. Paid subscribers get free entry into book club Zoom with me.

Cowboy Bebop is my regular series on Asian pop, rock, and jazz albums that appeal to western sensibilities. Funky guitarist Char (née Hisato Takenaka) was born in Tokyo in 1955 and first picked up his mighty axe at the age of eight, beginning a voyage that has seen him regarded as one of Japan’s greatest ever musicians to scorch the instrument. After serving as a session player when he was still in junior high school, Char formed the band Smoky Medicine in 1973 with Mari Kaneko.

That’s what I always say about myself. I’m a follower, a team player. I like to sit in the back and slouch down in my seat. I was an actor for almost twenty years, literally a puppet for someone else’s words and clothes and hairstyles. I’m not a leader. This self imposed identity gets a little complicated when someone mentions the fact that I LITERALLY AM A LEADER. I lead retreats, workshops, speaking events, a nonprofit, and Blue Mala.

In Todd Haynes’ recent film May December, a well-known actress arrives at a family home to research for an upcoming role. The actress, Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) will be playing a woman convicted and jailed for the sexual relationship she conducted with a seventh-grader; she was 36 and he was 13. That was more than two decades ago, though, and the couple — Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) — are married and live together in a large, light-filled house in Georgia.