Train of thought. Listening to playlists built around travel themes - Texas, California, a Southern road trip – I realize I’ve never done an Australian music playlist. So many good bands I recall, popular, infamous and obscure. INXS, Paul Kelly, Divinyls, Eurogliders, Hoodoo Gurus, Models, The Church… Now what was the name of the band... Continue Reading →
The Absolutely Unofficial Angry Hillary Rodham Clinton Playlist
"Sophistafunk, aristocats Distinguished dogs, clean up your acts Pull up your pants, ladies and gents Please, act like you got some sense"* Don’t stop here if you’re looking for feel-good inspiration. Only one uplifting anthem to be heard today**. I’m not posting about being stronger and braver. Being confident, happy, outstanding fighters with full hearts... Continue Reading →
Monday Morning Music – Sneaker Pimps
https://youtu.be/2eBZqmL8ehg It's morning somewhere. On the '90s nostalgia train this week: trip hop & Ally McBeal, sundresses & biker boots. Sneaker Pimps' 6 Underground launched me in to a Bond-esque orbit. It was really just the 405. Driving, driving, driving. Sunroof, Slurpee, Sunset. Imperial Highway, I-10, PCH, Santa Monica Bou-le-vard. K.C.R.W. The bubble of film... Continue Reading →
Monday Morning Music – HBHBHB
"And meanwhile the man was falling from space And everyday I wore your face Like an atmosphere around me A satellite inside me" How is this song NOT about David Bowie? I wonder every time I listen to it - "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" - the title track from Florence + The Machine's... Continue Reading →
Madonna, All Hail
This week, in a beautiful generational symmetry, EO and I went to Madonna’s Rebel Heart concert here in Hong Kong. My one and only Madonna show prior to this was a floor seat at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center on the Like a Virgin tour, May 1985, a few weeks before I graduated from high school.... Continue Reading →
2015: The Year in Random Thoughts and Obsessions
For my yearly wrap up of 2013, I wrote, “All hail the return of the king – David Bowie – and the art of the music video.” And I included a link to his surreal collaboration with Tilda Swinton for ‘The Stars (Are Out Tonight)’. Two years later and RIP, we’re talking and posting about... Continue Reading →
Less Noise, More Clarity
The lights dimmed in the chapel before the musicians stepped on to the altar. No central heat in chilly La Sainte-Chapelle, but we were warm enough in our coats and scarves, sitting close together on red-cushioned chairs. The ornate ceiling soared high above us, and stained-glass windows glowed like dreams, even in the darkness. How... Continue Reading →
The Coolest Weekend in Hong Kong
It’s been a few days but I’m still buzzed from my Clockenflap experience. Kil Sun Moon, Rachael Yamagata, The Skatalites, Clean Bandit, Earth, Wind & Fire Experience, Swervedriver, cold beer, good food, best friends, EO and YO having a blast. And I haven’t even mentioned Sunday night! Oh Lord. But before I get to that... Continue Reading →
Monday Morning Music – Laura Marling
I have this idea - and feel free to steal it and run with it - for a column called Story and Song. Maybe it's already been done, probably so, I don't know. But it's where writers combine a book with a record and discuss / explain / celebrate the connection between the two. Just... Continue Reading →