Once More With Feeling—Or Else!
Rupert Christiansen sings the praises of hymns.
Wes Phillips
Ostentatious Camouflage
Huckleberry, on the other hand, practices his cat fu mind-tricks out in the open—where they aren't at all effective.
Neil Gaiman is an Otter
The Guardian interviews Gaiman for no reason other than that he's Neil freaking Gaiman. Works for me.
Is Time a Political Concept?
Sometimes it is. "In theory, the planet has 24 time zones. Actually, there are about 39, and they are still hotly debated. Within the past month, President Hugo Chavez has talked of moving Venezuela’s clocks forward half an hour, and Indian scientists have urged their government to do the same."
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine
The Guardian has published some of the greatest interviews of the 20th century on its site. Do not miss Frost/Nixon—and see the play, as well, if you get a chance. I saw it on Broadway with Frank Langella and Michael Sheen and it was one of those moments of theatrical greatness you'll remember in your dotage.
Nashville Katz
Making Blonde on Blonde.
Blood at the Root
Caryl Phillips named his first play Strange Fruit. It had nothing to do with lynching, US race relations, or anything concerning Billie Holiday's famous song.
Albert Fuller, R.I.P.
Albert Fuller has died. I enjoyed his playing a lot and, the one time I met him—we shared the elevator to Weill Recital Hall—he was gracious enough to tell me about the night he met Igor Stravinsky.
Oh, Oliver!
I always thought I had a problem with Oliver Sacks. I found his The New Yorker articles interesting, but frustrating—I always had unanswered questions at their end. Then I read Uncle Tungsten and realized that his métier was not the long essay but the book-length exploration of a subject.
The Bard's Tube Map
Mark">http://blog.hometheatermag.com/markfleischmann/">Mark Fleischmann, knowing my fascination with Harry Beck's London Tube Map, sends along this tasty variation.