I remember reading the horribly dull Forever Amber just because it had "Banned in Boston!" on its cover. If I'd had this list, I could have read Canterbury Tales or The Graphic Work of M.C. Escher (banned for "pornographic," "perverted," and "morbid" themes) instead.
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A list of books that have been banned in various municipal libraries and school systems, along with the reasons. My favorite part? All have links for purchase on Amazon.
Being a sixty year old rock star ain't easy, but there’s gotta be a better way for rock bands to grow old than the one Aerosmith has chosen. A symphony gig? What's next Disneyland on a co-bill with Up With People?
It's been decades since they were a real band that meant something, anything besides grinding out the hits for cash. And is there anything they won’t do for money? A Home Depot opening perhaps?
There's nothing left of the band that made Toys In The Attic and Rocks. Today those cheeseballs would play anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances for specie. At this point…
Today, the gentlest sunshine is replaced by relentless rain. The sound of great waves rising along rocky shores is replaced by jack hammers and angry street noise and other wasteful stupid, stupid shit.
We were immediately hit by the difference as we exited JFK. We made our way onto the taxi line, behind a million others, and stood — waiting, inching slowly forward — surrounded by honking horns and city dirt. It's a different air we breathe here. Of a completely different quality. Thicker, heavier, hotter. It beats on you until you're used to it. It beats on you until you forget…
Robert Benchley said that a freelance is someone who gets paid by the word—per piece or perhaps. My problem isn't so much getting paid, but buckling down and getting the job done. BadLanguage.net has a list of 10 stratagems to do just that.
I love number three: "Greed and guilt. I remind myself how much money I’m getting paid for a particular assignment and how ashamed I will be if I miss the deadline. This actually works sometimes."
My buddy Jeff Wong studied with Wally Wood. He said he learned more in one WW class than he did in entire courses by other comics experts. This one-page master class makes me a believer.
And yes, you do know Wally Wood's work, even if you're not a comics fan. He did everything from Mad to the 1959 library editions of the Bobbs Merrill "Childhood of Famous Americans" series (fictionalized "biographies" of notable figures doing kids stuff that presaged their adult accomplishments—I was addicted to that tripe when I was about 10). And WW was the genius who took DareDevil out of yellow and…
It's time to seal the brown boxes and send them back to the manufacturer. Tonight, I will be packing up the Ayre gear.
I was absolutely flattered when Steve Silberman e-mailed me back in February:
How would you like to live with an Ayre system for awhile? I was thinking the AX-7e and the CX-7e.Shit, how would you like to live with an Ayre system for awhile? Damn straight. I know how lucky I am; that's some pretty sweet gear. Expensive, too. And rated Class A in our own "Recommended Components."
It seemed like a big deal to have some Class A gear in…
Yeah, we've all heard violinists cut loose in the rondo of Mozart's third violin concerto, but not many of us have heard anything quite like this.
Thanks to Larry Bassman.