The Practice and Theory of Bolshevismby Bertrand Russell This is such a special book to me because it combines two things I really love: Soviet history (particularly the early era) and Bertrand Russell (who is the world’s main man). I tried prepping for this book by reading Bruce Lincoln’s book about the Civil War to have the events fresher in my mind, and this helped immensely. Not that it’s a requirement for anyone reading The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism,...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Nowhere Generation LP by Rise Against. It feels difficult to believe that, with Nowhere Generation, Rise Against has been making records for twenty years. Now, that isn’t to say any band making music together uninterrupted for twenty years is unheard of, just that it’s uncommon for a PUNK BAND to stay together for that long without there at least being some kind of break along the way is a statement unto...
WHO: U-Roy WHAT: Solid Gold WHY: You don’t have to know that U-Roy is a reggae legend to enjoy this – his final album released posthumously. Solid Gold contains, basically, solid gold reggae hits revisited (updated?) and reimagined by U-Roy with an all-star cast of contributors like Mick Jones and Scientist. It doesn’t matter that these aren’t new songs, Solid Gold sounds more like a celebration of U-Roy’s life and reggae music in general and there isn’t a single low-point...
The Theory of EverythingThe Origin and Fate of the Universeby Stephen Hawking It’s probably a good idea if we collectively started consuming a little less fiction and read more non-fiction, particularly stuff that challenged and helps us understand the world around us, right? Someone on my block didn’t think so and put this book in a “Free” box on their stoop and I couldn’t help but give it a good home. What I like to think is that the contents...
A Clockwork Orange At first, I thought this was going to be a tough review to write. When I first started getting into Kubrick’s movies, I remember really liking A Clockwork Orange but some scenes at the beginning sort of tainted my opinion of the movie. Yep, I’m talking about that scene you’re thinking about, and I really couldn’t think about A Clockwork Orange for years without thinking specifically of that scene. Going through the AFI Top 100 list, I...
The Shawshank Redemption Hello there, dear reader and welcome to another edition of TV Party Tonight! We have several Warner Brothers movies in the chamber and I want to start with the movie I’m most excited to talk about which is the Shawshank Redemption. Why? Because. I’m about to go to bat for this movie and bat HARD. The reason why I think I need to do this is because this movie gets a bad rap, and it kind...
WHO: Mac McCaughan WHAT: The Sound of Yourself WHY: Being late to the game is the name of MY game. I only discovered Superchunk a few years ago and have been loving diving into their back catalog. The Sound of Yourself is frontman Mac McCaughan’s solo work and it serves as an exploration of styles, not sticking exclusively to the rocking sounds of Superchunk. While the songs here expertly vary from ambient, to ballads, to straight up rock songs, what...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the You’re Class, I’m Trash LP by The Monsters. Arguably the greatest compliment one can pay to a punk record is not to call it “good” or “great” or anything like that (because such terms can be – and have been – dismissed as a matter of opinion or as a matter of perception), but to simply exclaim, “You’ve gotta hear this” to as many potentially receptive ears as possible. Word tends...
Crossroadsby Jonathan Franzen I watch so much fiction (movies, TV shows), that I make up for it with the books I read. I didn’t read much last year, but when I did, I tried to stick to non-fiction, autobiographies, etc. But when Jonathan Franzen releases a book, that all comes to a stop. I’m what you would call a literary dum-dum. I judge books by their covers. I can’t recognize an elegant sentence if it was repeated for an entire...
WHO: Billy Bragg WHAT: The Million Things That Never Happened WHY: Billy Bragg has easily slid into the “easy listening” category over the past few albums, but what sets him apart is that his music still packs a powerful message. It’s quite an efficient and interesting way to get your point across. The Million Things That Never Happened is a pandemic album in that it deals with issues of divisiveness and conflict that became more prominent during that time. It’s...