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The Golden Age of Rock n’ Roll

February 13, 2010

I’ve remarked to my children several thousand times how great the rock n’ roll era from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s was compared with the drek of popular music today. As I do this I throw out the names of artists and bands that all put their unique imprint on the sounds of the day. Recently I was listening to the ridiculously heavy Highway Star by Deep Purple from “Made in Japan,” and thought I should put a list to paper, virtually speaking of course, to prove my point. This is just a partial list of music I enjoy to one degree or another from that era: The Beatles Led Zeppelin Genesis The Doors The Who The Rolling Stones Jimmy Hendrix The Beach Boys Cream ZZ Top Queen David Bowie Elton John The Allman Brothers Deep Purple Yes Black Sabbath King Crimson Steely Dan Bob Dylan Emerson, Lake & Palmer Frank Zappa Jethro Tull Pink Floyd Neil Young Stevie Wonder Kansas Rush Robin Trower Ten Years After Santana Aerosmith I’m sure there are many more. Of course those who grew up in previous and later eras will tell me I’m just deluded by

TCM Thrillers (February 15 – 21)

February 13, 2010

By Mike Gray

This week: * Monday—A film noir musical? * Tuesday—Bogie battles HUAC in absentia. * Thursday—Edward G. hunts headlines. * Friday—There’s a serial killer on Altair 4. * Saturday—William Bendix flips out. * Sunday—Cary Grant plays King of the Hill—and the loser dies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Monday—February 15th 7:30 AM—I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932) A World War I veteran faces inhuman conditions when he’s sentenced to hard labor. Cast: Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson. Dir: Mervyn LeRoy. BW-93 mins, TV-PG, CC 9:15 AM—Smart Money (1931) A barber’s good luck turns him into a big-time gambling boss. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Evalyn Knapp. Dir: Alfred E. Green. BW-81 mins, TV-G, CC 11:45 AM—The Sea Wolf (1941) Shipwrecked fugitives try to escape a brutal sea captain who’s losing his mind. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield, Ida Lupino. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-87 mins, TV-PG, CC 1:15 PM—Blues in the Night (1941) The members of a traveling jazz band try to keep their leader from drinking himself to death. Cast: Priscilla Lane, Richard Whorf, Lloyd Nolan. Dir: Anatole Litvak. BW-88 mins, TV-PG 8:00 PM—The Snake Pit (1948) A young woman tries to recover her sanity in a corrupt mental

Why Are Conservatives Rare on College Faculties? Blame It on the Conservative Movement

February 12, 2010

By Mike D'Virgilio

Why Are Conservatives Rare on College Faculties? Blame It on the Conservative Movement

There has been a bit of internet discussion on this question the last week or so, and a good question it is. It was prompted by a paper by Ethan Fosse of Harvard and Neil Goss of the University of British Columbia entitled “Why Are Professors Liberal?” Their answers are typically self serving in their ignorance and blindness, but what does one expect from leftist academics. Since the beginning of the progressive era in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, such statist liberals have always been convinced of their moral and intellectual superiority, even though there is very little evidence it is deserved. The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, an excellent organization fighting to improve higher education in North Carolina put together brief responses to this question from a handful of conservative and libertarian academics. Everything they say would be familiar to anyone who has attended a college or university in the United States or knows about them. Before I state my frustration at the right for this situation, let me quote from one respondent who tells of a situation I can relate to. Here is Mark Bauerlein of Emory University commenting on the left wing

Q & A with Douglas Greene of C & L

February 11, 2010

By Mike Gray

Douglas Greene, übereditor and biographer, runs that fine publishing house known as Crippen & Landru. C & L specializes in reprinting crime fiction short stories, plays, and scripts in high-quality first editions, thereby preserving some of the most ephemeral and unjustly forgotten mystery productions for posterity. Think of Arthur Conan Doyle and his creation Sherlock Holmes: If Doyle hadn’t had his Strand short fiction collected under hardcover, it’s possible the world might never have heard of Sherlock, much less clasped him to its collective bosom as a cherished — if entirely fictional — popular culture figure. (Indeed, I’ve read that some people actually think of Holmes as a real person and even now attempt to engage him professionally.) If you’re a mystery aficionado and recognize, as most knowledgeable readers do, that some of the best examples of that genre have appeared in the shorter form, then you can’t help but appreciate the fine work Crippen & Landru does. In this economy especially, C & L deserves your attention and support. —– Q: First, let’s briefly discuss origins. How did Crippen & Landru begin and evolve? A: C & L happened because I live the mystery short story,

The Politics of (Singing and) Dancing

February 11, 2010

By S. T. Karnick

The acclaimed suspense novelist, screenwriter, and essayist Andrew Klavan notes that a group of Germans recently produced a musical about Barack Obama, called Hope: The Obama Musical Story. The first question I have is whether there has ever been a great musical with a colon in the title. The second concerns the overall wisdom of such a thing, aptly stated by Klavan: “If I were a German and found myself starting to idolize a charismatic political figure . . . I would stop. Quickly. Right now.” But as Klavan points out, a musical about Obama is a great idea; it just has to be done right. “I think I’ll call it,” Klavan says, “President Me!” And here, by kind permission of the author, is a summary of this great moment in theatrical history:

Sympathy for the Killer Drives New Christie Adaptation

February 10, 2010

By Editor

Sympathy for the Killer Drives New Christie Adaptation

By Curt Evans Agatha Christie‘s 1934 detective novel Three Act Tragedy, which recently appeared as a new television adaptation in Great Britain and will likely be broadcast in the United States some time this year, is a fascinating example of creative revision. And that’s a mixed blessing. Recent TV adaptations of Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries have evoked from some viewers complaints about liberties taken with the plots, pointing out that in some cases adapters evidently eager to make Christie “relevant” to modern audiences have substantively changed characters, even going so far as to alter murderer motivations. Yet with Three Act Tragedy it is a bit more challenging to determine what being “true to the source” means, as the novel was originally published in significantly different version in the United States and Great Britain. The British film is on the whole loyal to the British version of the novel, though the murderer is made more sympathetic, reflecting the more ambiguous moral tone of modern crime novels and films. In the American edition of the book, which remains in print today in the United States, the murderer, a wealthy, retired actor named Sir Charles Cartwright, is motivated

That Fascist Green Police Ad is Stuck in My Head

February 10, 2010

By Jim Lakely

That Fascist Green Police Ad is Stuck in My Head

And that’s the point, I guess. Watch this ad for a “clean diesel” car by Audi, and good luck getting this slightly modified version of the Cheap Trick classic “Dream Police” out of your head. I couldn’t get it out with a lobotomy. It’s been playing off and on in my brain since it first aired during the Super Bowl. But beyond the ditty, I also can’t get the vision of a fascist “green” future out of my head — even if it’s portrayed with a heavy dollop of of “Reno: 911“-style cop-show parody. Good comedy has to have a grain of truth in it to work, and this spot has plenty. It’s not just a peek at a ridiculous future, but a look at our “be green or else” present. An overreaction? Tell that to the chief of America’s Green Police, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, who Tweeted: “Ok .. That ‘green police’ Audi commercial hits home..” And hits home hard. San Francisco, which proudly considers itself the greenest city in America, has mandated composting for all residents and businesses. Failure to comply results in an escalating scale of fines. No word on whether Newsom was proud or embarrassed

Interview with the Creative Minds Behind “Grand Theft Audio”

February 8, 2010

By Daniel Crandall

Comedian and Big Hollywood contributor Carl Kozlowski, “cyclone of information” and aspiring voice over artist Brant Thoman, and comedian, stage actor and “general rabble-rouser” Jake Belcher are taking internet radio by storm with Grand Theft Audio, a wild mix of entertainment, pop culture, politics, and just about anything else that strikes their fancy. In this interview these media entrepreneurs discuss, among other topics, how they came together, what makes their show different, and the uneasy relationship some conservatives have with pop culture. For those who have never heard Grand Theft Audio, how would you describe it? CARL KOZLOWSKI: Uncensored in the best sense of the word. We’re definitely a freewheeling and funny show that refuses to be censored on matters of politics and our vast and deep opposition to Obama, his cronies and their policies. We’re proud and excited about the fact that we’ve had at least one major comedy, music-world or media-mogul guest, including Andrew Breitbart, Big Hollywood editor John Nolte, and conservative comedy icon Evan Sayet – on our shows. It’s a big party with great discussions that bring issues to fun life. BRANT THOMAN: In short, three friends giving their honest opinions and personal take on all

Climate Scientist to Colleagues: Don’t Dismiss Climategate

February 6, 2010

By Jim Lakely

Climate Scientist to Colleagues: Don’t Dismiss Climategate

The 13th Annual Energy & Environment Conference, held in Phoenix Feb. 1-3, isn’t the sort of place where global warming “deniers” are exactly welcome. In fact, by my observations, the skeptical caucus at the event consisted entirely of: James M. Taylor, a senior fellow for environment policy at The Heartland Institute; Keith Lockitch, a fellow of the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights; and me. All the other attendees spent their time discussing how the U.S. government — or, even better, a “global government” — needs to compel us all to live “greener” lives through schemes like cap-and-trade. Environmentalists are a bossy and power-hungry lot. Lockitch gave a presentation arguing free-market economies are better positioned than socialist societies to deal with any severe weather events caused by climate change — and was called a “denier” and compared to a shill for “Big Tobacco” for his trouble. Taylor got off a little easier, receiving only scoffs and curious-to-annoyed glances for asking inconvenient questions. But that’s not to say we were the only people to question the assumptions of the attendees who believe the “science is settled” on global warming. Perhaps the greatest challenge came from one of their own — renowned climate scientist William Sprigg — who urged

TCM Thrillers (February 8 – 14)

February 6, 2010

By Mike Gray

This week: * Monday—Gregory Peck gets beached, Burt Lancaster gets benched. * Tuesday—William Holden wants out. * Wednesday—Peter Finch is as mad as … well, you know. * Thursday—Victor Mature must decide which is worse, tribal insularity or hungry dinosaurs. * Friday—Clark Gable converts Hedy Lamarr to baseball. * Saturday—Jack Nicholson gets too nosey and nearly loses it—his nose, that is. * Sunday—Richard Widmark gets the point—a dozen times. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Monday—February 8th 3:15 AM—On the Beach (1959) After a nuclear war, U.S. sailors stationed in Australia deal with the end of civilization. Cast: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire. Dir: Stanley Kramer. BW-134 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format 6:00 PM—Seven Days in May (1964) An American military officer discovers his superiors are planning a military coup. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Fredric March. Dir: John Frankenheimer. BW-118 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format ———- Tuesday—February 9th 5:00 AM—Poltergeist (1982) Evil spirits abduct a suburban family’s daughter causing chaos and havoc. Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne. Dir: Tobe Hooper. C-115 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format 10:00 PM—Stalag 17 (1953) A cynical serviceman in a World War II POW camp has to prove he’s not an informer. Cast: William Holden,

The Narrative that Drives American Politics Is Sustained by Culture

February 6, 2010

By Mike D'Virgilio

The Narrative that Drives American Politics Is Sustained by Culture

In an almost excellent article at the Weekly Standard, Jeff Bergner tells us that the only way Republicans can govern is if they challenge and change the overarching narrative that drives politics. I say almost, because he unfortunately does what most political commentators on the right do: They acknowledge the powerful influence shaping characteristics of cultural influence professions , but they imply by neglect that these professions will always favor The Narrative of the left. In this paragraph early in the piece he obviously gets how powerful the influences of these professions are on the basic beliefs of Americans on the nature of the American experiment: That The Narrative should move many Republicans as well as Democrats is hardly surprising. It is, after all, pervasive. This is the story presented to children at school by teachers and textbooks all across the nation. And, while the left-leaning American professoriate may think of itself as contrarian or skeptical, it operates in lockstep to offer The Narrative as the official view on virtually every college campus. It is reinforced at every turn by the print and electronic media, in the arts, and in every mainstream avenue of American culture. Granted the title of

Satirical Mysteries from James Powell

February 6, 2010

By Mike Gray

A Pocketful of Noses: Stories of One Ganelon or Another by James Powell Crippen & Landru Publishers Paper: 221 pages ISBN (cloth): 978-1-932009-36-1 … (paper): 978-1-932009-37-8 $42.00 (cloth) … $17.00 (paper) James Powell has hit upon a wonderful conceit: following the changing fortunes of a family of detectives from one generation to the next. In so doing, he can exploit the various modalities into which crime fiction has developed over the past century. Thus we have Ambrose Ganelon the First, the founder of the Ganelon Detective Agency in the tiny Mediterranean principality of San Sebastiano, thwarting criminals using armchair detection methods in the mid-19th century á la Poe’s Dupin; Ambrose the Second employing the scientific methods of Sherlock Holmes at the turn of the century; Ambrose the Third using the two-fisted approach of Chandler and Hammett in the early-20th century — but as for Ambrose the Fourth, he has been forced by straitening circumstance into operating in a manner that is uniquely his own. Powell’s Ambrose Ganelon stories now number nearly three dozen, 12 of which have been collected here. And a fine assortment they are as they take us from one well-imagined historical environment to another — with emphasis

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The Golden Age of Rock n’ Roll

TCM Thrillers (February 15 – 21)

Why Are Conservatives Rare on College Faculties? Blame It on the Conservative Movement

Q & A with Douglas Greene of C & L

The Politics of (Singing and) Dancing

Sympathy for the Killer Drives New Christie Adaptation

That Fascist Green Police Ad is Stuck in My Head

Interview with the Creative Minds Behind “Grand Theft Audio”

Climate Scientist to Colleagues: Don’t Dismiss Climategate

TCM Thrillers (February 8 – 14)

The Narrative that Drives American Politics Is Sustained by Culture

Satirical Mysteries from James Powell

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