You gotta have fear in your heart

Welcome back to May, dear friend and reader! Is this better? Are you again comfortable? Are you even there? Welcome, also, to another round of Remember When? as I parse my own archives. Last year’s Volume 10 was that in spades, compiling a Best of Me on the way to six thousand more words. I […]

Don’t gimme no affliction: 25 years of “Moonlight on Vermont” and other bush recordings

“It’s very gratifying to say that Captain Beefheart’s [Trout Mask Replica] is a total success, a brilliant, stunning enlargement and clarification of his art. Which is not to say that it’s in any sense slick, ‘artistic’ or easy.” – Lester Bangs, Rolling Stone “If one is to enjoy Trout Mask Replica’s twenty-eight songs on a […]

Hey, how do I know, Connie?

This might be a June thing from now on. “June thirtieth” has a nice ring to it. June thirtieth, June thirtieth, noon girly plinth, poon whirling myth… let’s keep this short. (Too late.) If someone had told me in August 2005 when I drafted my first post—which had no resemblance whatsoever to what is purported […]

Beer and football VIII — week thirteen

The game: Patriots at Bills The beer: Long Trail Ale The result: Win, 23–3; Chargers win, 19–10 The commentary: Nothing more about the knockout pool until people start getting knocked out again. Three straight weeks at eleven with the playoffs likely coming into play? Gimme a break. In the spirit of “nothing,” I’m a bad […]

Beer and football VIII — week two

The game: Patriots at Saints The beer: Riverwalk Storm Door Porter The result: Win, 36–20; Raiders win, 45–20 The commentary: “What album cover banned or censored because of nudity deserved it the most?” I took out the unnecessary comma after “nudity” but resisted rewriting Johnny Keno’s question for him (almost: “Which banned or censored album […]

Beer and football VII — week fourteen

The game: Ravens at Patriots The beer: Northampton Conundrum Black Lager The result: Win, 30–23 The commentary: It’s always satisfying to beat up on the Ravens. This was a blowout all the way—those fluky fumbles had me emailing my dad the next day with an understated “It would have been a tough one to get […]