Christmas feels heavy this year. It’s been hard to see the joy and light of the season the last few years, but this year feels especially dark. It’s not really a surprise, given the state of things both here in the US and around the world, but the lack of shock value doesn’t take the... Continue Reading →
I was desultorily flipping through Instagram reels earlier this evening. It had been a long day filled with a fair amount of frustration and worry. I was tired and burned out and lacking any motivation to accomplish even the smallest useful thing. After probably 30 minutes of swiping up on my phone and watching 10... Continue Reading →
The first time I listened to Trapper Schoepp's latest album, "Osborne," I was driving from Macedonia, Ohio, to Traverse City, Michigan, with a long stop in Moline for some emergency auto repairs. It was a long day traveling through unfamiliar country, going from sunshine in the morning to swirling snow in the evening. The combination... Continue Reading →
Driving home today I randomly got some lines from “Isis” by Bob Dylan stuck in my head. I wasn’t listening to Dylan at the time, and hadn’t heard the song in a while, but nonetheless there it was. Specifically it was the 5th verse. I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold I... Continue Reading →
My best friend passed away suddenly two days after Christmas. This piece isn't really about that, but it should probably start there because otherwise, it's going to come in the middle, and that doesn't feel right. It would sound like a twist in the plot. His sudden death was the impetus for the whole story,... Continue Reading →
When I first heard Paul Simon’s Graceland, it was in my father's car. I don't remember the date of course, just that I was young. If I had to guess, I was probably 11 or 12. Just on the cusp of being a teenager, but still going to my father's house on the weekends. The... Continue Reading →
SHOUTING STREET 