Monthly Archives: March 2018

Hip Hop History: Part II

Hip Hop History Part 2: 1983 to 1988 Part 1 can be found here. Sucker M.C.’s (Krush-Groove 1) by Run-DMC (1983). It is hard to overestimate the impact of this trio from Queens on the genre. We’ll talk about how they … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

George Saunders‘ much anticipated novel Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) does not disappoint, although it may bewilder. The Lincoln of the title is not Abe, but rather Willie, his son who died at the nadir of his presidency (the Civil … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Hip Hop History: Part I

{I’m speaking on the history of hip hop at HSPVA in a few weeks; in preparation for that, m and I are working on some playlists. This is the first in a series of posts meant to be listening guides … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss

The most compelling writing in Molly Prentiss‘ debut novel, Tuesday Nights in 1980 (2016), surrounds a synesthetic writer, whose descriptions of the New York art scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s are fantastically vivid and surprising. He is … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Reading Well: Two Quick Things

Every once in a while, I encounter an artist whose aesthetic fits my own in what feels like a profound way, someone that becomes an instant and enduring favorite. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tord Gustaven‘s piano trio … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment