20 Essential Track 1s What makes a great album opener? It’s a question that becomes increasingly irrelevant with each passing year, as the music world sinks deeper into algorithm-dominated streaming playlists, and listeners settle into more passive habits. Yet for a dedicated minority of music fans, the album remains the primary medium to experience and…

9/11 Humor in a Broken World I’ll never forget the first time I cracked a 9/11 joke. It was September 14, 2001. I was 11 years old. My children’s theater company was holding a candlelight vigil for the victims. Trying to impress my older friends in the cast, I suggested that instead of the solemn,…

Some overdue thoughts on Jonathan Glazer’s acceptance speech & the incredible film he made Two weeks ago, the stark contrast between genuine activism and Hollywood’s superficial, low risk performative activism was on full display as protests outside the Dolby Theatre delayed the start of the 96th Academy Awards. Meanwhile, on the red carpet, high profile…

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