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In the Water
[For information about this photo, called "Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida," see the Note at the bottom of this post.] From whiskey river: Adrift Let my dreams while I’m wide-awake loose. Let me be drowned, baptized, in the light given me. Day comes around, night, fall, winter, spring, summer. Leaves overhead, underfoot. Waves arrive, buffets from [...]
The Face of the Writer
Just found this at Jesse Kornbluth’s Head Butler site. The subject of the post was James Frey, author of the Million Little Pieces bogus memoir of a few years ago; I liked what it said about writers and writing, and liked the Orwell quote very much: Contrary to what Frey, his publisher, Larry King and [...]
Stretching to Make a Point
One of my favorite RAMH regulars kindly forwarded this video to me. It’s a clip from a 1944 film called Broadway Rhythm, and the performers here were called the Ross Sisters. More information on the girls can be found (naturally) on Wikipedia. The video’s been around long enough that I should be embarrassed not to [...]
What’s in a Song: Fever (1)
[This is another in an occasional series on popular songs with appeal across the generations. This post will be broken into two parts; Part 2 will appear in a few days is here.] As a kid, I once read a “funny” comic-book episode in which aliens landed in mid-20th-century America and reported back to their [...]
Margaret Atwood, in a Nutshell
Last night, The Missus and I attended a combined reading-talk-Q&A session with Margaret Atwood. (For the curious, if you’re ever in this neck of the woods in (mostly) February, do check out this arts festival.) The bandwagon of people who believe that those of diminutive physical stature tend to compensate with outsized personalities and ambitions [...]
Awards Season, at a Distance (and Highly Concentrated)
Heartiest congratulations to RAMH regular visitor and blog-friend Froog, who has performed the hat trick and then some in garnering — all at once — five best-of-the-year awards for his online presences: Most Prolific Blogger, Most Alcoholic Blog, Most Uncomfortably Personal Blog, China-Basher of the Year, and (the one I really envy him for) Most [...]
What’s in a Song: Cry Me a River (2)
[This is Part 2 of a two-part series about the song "Cry Me a River," made popular, originally, in a recording released in 1955. Part 1, about the song's history, appeared a few days ago. As I indicated there, if you hope to learn anything from this about the Justin Timberlake song of the same [...]
What’s in a Song: Cry Me a River (1)
[Another in a series of occasional posts about popular American songs with long histories. And if you are seeking information on the Justin Timberlake song by the same name, believe me, you are 100% in the wrong place.] On paper, it doesn’t appear to be a “big” song. Nearly always, the arrangement features a single [...]
The Sound of Individual and Collective Genius
Bobby McFerrin is brilliant. (And so are his audiences. It’s just that he’s the one onstage.) [Hat tip to Janet Reid.]
Hauntings
From whiskey river (first stanza): Childhood Is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age The child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies. Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course Die, whom one never [...]
