The painting to the left is Akt Elke 2 (Nude Elke 2) by the German artist Georg Baselitz, who is famous for painting figures upside-down. When Baselitz was asked by a reporter recently whether or not he felt any guilt about the “astronomical prices” his works were fetching at auctions, Baselitz took a long drag…
Read MoreWhile just about everyone else is full of yuletide joy, this is a dreaded time of year for philosophers. It’s Job M**ket time. (The very word conveys so much Sturm und Drang that it feels like a profanity.) I imagine that this year is even more ulcer-inducing than years past because of the depressed economy…
Read MoreMany of you probably read Daniel Drezner’s recent Chronicle of Higher Education article about the decline of public intellectuals (“Public Intellectual 2.0”), in which Drezner wants to contest the presumed Götterdämmerung that many–like Francis Fukuyama, Russell Jacoby and Daniel Bell— believe began in the 1950’s and has yet to abate. Specifically, Drezner takes to task…
Read MoreA friend of a friend who is a student at MCA (Memphis College of Art) made this “promotional” video for our fair city. I love it.
Read MoreThere is quite a bit of buzz about the upcoming release of the new film Man on Wire, which is a documentary account of Philippe Petit’s 1974 illegal and clandestine 110-story high tightrope-walk between the World Trade Towers (pictured left). I remember first learning of Petit’s stunt a few years back when I read about…
Read MoreMemphian and funk-and-soul legend Isaac Hayes died early this morning here in town. Hayes was one of the driving forces behind Memphis’ own Stax Records and he remained a faithful and active citizen of our fair city for his entire life. Most people know Hayes as the voice behind South Park’s character of “Chef,” but…
Read MoreIt’s time for my annual tribute to Elvis Aaron Presley, who (may have) died 31 years ago today on August 16, 1977. So, I say again, on behalf of all of us who have inherited that amazing hybrid of rock-n’-roll: Thankya, Elvis. Thankyaveramuch. The King is dead. Long live the King.
Read MoreAbout a week ago, I noticed that the “hits” on my blog almost doubled overnight, and they have only continued to increase after that. Since I haven’t been speed-dating or indiscriminately publicizing my blog site, this really didn’t make any sense to me. So, after a little further investigation, I discovered that somehow, I really…
Read MoreI finally got around to watching Sidney Lumet’s critically-acclaimed 2007 film Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Of course, Lumet really is one of the best of American directors, especially adept at manufacturing and sustaining cinematic tension, as is obvious from many of his previous films like 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, The…
Read MoreA few months ago, on the New York Times book-blog Paper Cuts, over 400 people reported what they believed to be their own personal “literary dealbreakers.” In a followup article (“Love Me, Love My Books”), Molly Flatt described the “dealbreaker book” as follows: “This book so deeply resonates with your soul that if a potential…
Read More
Recent Comments