All in all, Shakepeare Retold is an excellent set of DVDs providing rich entertainment complex enough for multiple viewings and entertaining enough to engage viewers away from all other distractions. Drama like this is rare enough without the added enjoyment of Shakepearean…
A review of The Early Works of Dr. Seuss Volume 1
At £14.99, this book is cheap at the price, and an excellent introduction to Geisel’s work. It is a commendable mix of the silly, the sinister and the political, drawn from a wide variety of sources across advertising, newspapers and magazines. The relatively low production values, however, will mean that it will have limited appeal to the very people most likely to buy it or be given it: comic collectors.
A review of A Wedding In December by Anita Shreve
The happy couple wed, the guests leave the inn, and the reader is left wondering how the marriage between Bridget and Bill, conducted under the shadow of death and the disbelief of their old friends, will fare. But unfortunately we never find out. A Wedding in December is an immensely readable book, but it is not a memorable one.
We Are Not the Same: U2’s Achtung Baby
The drama and momentum of “The Fly” still reach me, especially when Bono sings, “It’s no secret that a liar won’t believe anyone else.” I have known many people like that. The hushed intensity of Bono’s singing is persuasive, nearly…
Cry for Us All Beauty: Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark
Joni Mitchell’s voice and phrasing are original, are full, high, quick, rich, sensual. She sounds tones of speculation and skepticism, of expectation and experience; and she is amazing. By Daniel Garrett Joni Mitchell Court and Spark Elektra/Asylum Records, 1974 “It…
A review of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
In the world of this extraordinary book a subterranean London coexists with the London that occupies the surface. This underworld consists of abandoned subway lines, unused sewers, and unexpected extension of space into a vast chasm that holds, among other things, the beast of London, an enormous and invulnerable boar with a bad temper.
Maintaining Jazz’s Relevance: World Saxophone Quartet’s Political Blues and The Roy Hargrove Factor’s Distractions
Which way jazz? Wynton Marsalis, a man who argues ideas, rather than pandering or slandering, has advocated music education for youth and greater media attention for public awareness in support of jazz, very intelligent promptings. Does anyone have to be told that the world in which we live, with the works of Marsalis, the World Saxophone Quartet, and Roy Hargrove, will be the foundation upon which the musicians, music lovers, and citizens of tomorrow will build their own world?
Black Mambazo, Afro Celt Sound System, Femi Kuti, and Angelique Kidjo
African Rhythms, World Sensibilities: Ladysmith Politics as a subject is sometimes less about the real world than about the artist’s supposed feelings and good intentions. Artists who say Yes are usually more welcomed than those who say No. South Africans…
This is What Being Human Sounds Like: The Dears’ Gang of Losers
Are the exile and marginality that are contemplated in the band’s songs the results of consciousness and choice, or imposition by others? Are the characters in the songs pariahs because they are artists and intellectuals, because they are poor, ethnic, female, queer, or other?
A review of micromacro by rob walker
micromacro is an easy to read collection which presents a light, gently spaced series of poems that appear simple as they cover the Australian terrain and glide over current affairs. Look closely however and the poetry is sharper, more intense and…