One chord can change your life. “There was no reason for Michael to be sad that morning, (the little wretch); everyone liked him, (the scab). He’d had a hard day’s night that […]
Ghost in the Shell: a 2-minute review
The 2017 remake of the manga classic is marvelous to behold, but not especially filling emotionally. Went to see Ghost in the Shell the other day. In IMAX. IMAX 3-D, to be precise. […]
The Mature Society, pt 3: what would a better America look like?
Part 3 in a series. by Dr. Michael Tracey The problems of education, religion, critical thinking, a commitment to the truth, and holding ourselves to a higher standard: creating the mature society won’t […]
Positively 4th Street: positively Shakespearean…
Bob Dylan will pick up his Nobel Prize shortly while on tour in Sweden. Joan Baez was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Whether they ever got […]
The Mature Society, pt 1: 1984 vs Brave New World
Part 1 in a series. by Dr. Michael Tracey We live in a moment of hyper-consumerism, uber-war and insidious surveillance by a vast security apparatus. But what might it look like if Orwell […]
Good Day Sunshine…ah, spring, when one’s fancy turns to…
Songs like “Good Day Sunshine” indicate that the wit and whimsy that originally endeared the Beatles to millions would not disappear. “It was really very much a nod to The Lovin’ Spoonful’s […]
A few words about Pete Shotton…
It wasn’t easy being John Lennon’s friend, and Yoko didn’t make things any easier. “If anyone was doing the hanging on, it was John. He hung on to me, always had done. […]
Chuck Berry and the Beatles: standing on the shoulders of a giant and all that…
According to one source, the Beatles covered at least 15 Chuck Berry songs. “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.” – John Lennon […]
Dancing about architecture: trying to read Paul Morley’s Words and Music…
I could offer several excuses for why I quit Words and Music, a book I had high hopes for (Morley is one of the great experts on contemporary pop), but the simple […]
No Reply: the Beatles write a breakup song…
The scream at the end – “no reply!” – is one of the bleakest moments in the breakup song genre. “It was my version of “Silhouettes”: I had that image of walking […]
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 