blog riley

Here's my review of Dylan's Chronicles on WBUR's Arts pages. Here's the passage nobody else seems to have noticed yet: "...In the midst of all this blarney, there are scenes that conjure up dodged bullets. Once, while sitting around Johnny Cash's house after dinner with Graham Nash, Kris … [Read more...]

Nancy Franklin's lead is (as SKL would say) "crashingly banal": "Though there has not yet been a poll to prove the validity of this claim, it’s probably fair to say that most Americans will not be glad to hear that the 2008 campaign started on Wednesday, November 3rd." Versions of that sentiment … [Read more...]

Here's the funniest graph from this weary obituary, but far from the least likely: Mr. Bush's Republican Party had, during his time in office, so effectively marginalized the opposition Democratic Party that it all but ceased to function in many states. After the suspension of the filibuster rule … [Read more...]

Dear Tim, I am glad you tracked down "That's Where I Went Wrong," and am not surprised that you were evidently a bit disappointed. Thems the perils of nostalgia. The funny thing about this is that I had the same odd desire to track down the song, although I could only remember fragments of the … [Read more...]

Dear AB,Well I suppose steal it once (and Hunter Thompson is convinced Jeb wantsta be Prez) they could try again. Only it would be ten times harder this time, and for some reason I'm distrustful of how close the polls claim it is. First off I think people are intimidated by pollsters and give … [Read more...]

Russ Baker makes the wires with this interview. Why do these folks wait until that last minute? It's enough to give you hope. I still think Kerry never used a gnarly moral stick: admonishing Bush publicly for not attending a single soldier's funeral and disallowing coffin photos (and the press for … [Read more...]

Now just hold on a doggone minute: I look forward to musicians and musically minded critics like Tim Riley explicating this further... Next month, on WBUR.org. … [Read more...]

Ron Rosenbaum writes: "Whatever it was, it gets him on the road again: On the verge of dropping out, he now books two hundred concerts for the next year—and only illness (an infection around the heart, wouldn’t you know) has suspended this "endless tour" ever since. I suspect we ought to be grateful … [Read more...]

Jon Stewart gets jiggy on CROSSFIRE last week (video here): STEWART: But let me ask you guys, again, a question, because we talked a little bit about, you're actually doing honest debate and all that. But, after the debates, where do you guys head to right afterwards? CARLSON: The men's … [Read more...]

We watched some of Springsteen's segment on the Vote for Change concert before the debate last night. Earlier, while flipping through some of the gawdawful interview "color" segments, I had heard some electric guitar noodling through the "Star Spangled Banner," and thought to myself: This should be … [Read more...]

From Time magazine, we give you, THE WIFE: "We teach little girls that we don't like them to be greedy, pushy or overly aggressive," says Sara Laschever, co-author of Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide. "Once adulthood is reached, studies are conclusive that neither men nor other … [Read more...]

In this corner, the New Yorker music pages now boast Sasha Frere-Jones, Gary Giddins, and Alex Ross. In the other corner, David Denby never got Charlie Kaufman's ADAPTATION. But he's an obvious target. Here's Nancy Franklin in last week's New Yorker (courtesy of Greg.org's ongoing archive), arguing … [Read more...]

I'm as big a fan of Keith Richards as anybody, and TALK IS CHEAP (1992) was widely hailed as a garage-rock triumph, circa 1965. But Reigning Sound's TOO MUCH GUITAR has captured that ring. In honor of Little Steven's Garage Festival Blowout (featuring Somerville's own The Charms) I've been listening … [Read more...]

"They came to me and said, 'We don't want to lose Conan O'Brien.' I said, 'Oh, OK, what does that mean?' " The big shocker here: Leno's been host for 11 YEARS already. All CBS has to do is hire Jon Stewart, it's a SLAM DUNK. … [Read more...]

Punk's Revenge on WBUR's arts page. … [Read more...]