In the opening essay of the November 2007 issue of Stereophile, now on newsstands, our editor, John Atkinson, asks J. Gordon Holt a few questions. It's a good read. But I was hoping to discover a charming, wise, happy fellow. Instead, J. Gordon comes off like an angry and bitter man. It sucks to admit it, but, judging just by the words on the page, that sure seems to be…
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The very first issue of The Stereophile appeared 45 years ago, in October 1962. It had been founded by a guy named J. Gordon Holt. The "J." is for Justin. I've never met him, never even exchanged e-mails with him.
Music patron, writer, wife and biographer of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Michael Church writes an incendiary review of Anne Sofie von Otter's newest CD, which won't be released here until spring.
I was interested for several reasons. First, Church makes a strong argument for von Otter's passion for the songs. I was also intrigued by the inclusion of the Schulhoff violin sonata, which John Atkinson and I recorded in 1997.
Church is right: This is an amazing disc. And, it seems, ASvO has a personal connection to the Holocaust.
Sam Anderson knows exactly how to talk about a book called How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.
"My biggest gripe is that Bayard’s conception of reading is entirely social—a way to rack up points at cocktail parties. At the risk of sounding like the fusty old crank everyone does impressions of in the faculty lounge, I still believe in the private ecstasy of reading. It’s one thing to jockey for social position by saying that Dostoyevsky introduced psychology into the novel, or that Chaucer had a fuller grasp of humanity than Shakespeare. It’s another thing to experience, with your…
Greg Stepanich ponders the 25th anniversary of Glenn Gould's death, commenting that "1982 was an unpropitious year to die for a man who found such a great creative outlet in technology."
Audiophiles well know the glories of a 12-inch slab of 180-gram virgin vinyl cut for 45-rpm playback. Compared with a normal LP’s 33-1/3 revolutions per minute, the grooves on a 45 are stretched out over a wider space, allowing the stylus to track them more accurately and to give voice to the music’s minutest details. The non-‘philes among you may be shaking your heads (Oh, no, Is this guy a nutball?) but, believe me, it’s true. A few years back, Classic Records, Mike Hobson’s L.A.-based audiophile label, put out a series of limited-edition single-sided 45 rpm LPs, one album stretched out on…
And Huck will stare at you for hours attempting to convince you it's kibble time.
I've written before about my immense regard for Garry Trudeau's The Sandbox milblog. Today, Owen Powell (aka SGT Roy Batty) posts about his experiences in DC promoting the book Dunesbury.com's The Sandbox, visiting the Pentagon, the Vietnam memorial, and Walter Reed Hospital.
It's humbling to this "professional writer" just how powerfully Powell writes. As John Atkinson likes to deadpan, it all comes down to having something to say and saying it. Most of us barely clear out throats, Powell, by God, says it. Bravo.