It’s really no mystery to anyone who knows me how much I dislike Taylor Swift, today’s pick for the most overrated artist I can think of. Also, if you don’t want to read the rest of this, let me sum up: Barf. Just in case you’re still reading, though, here’s some elaboration. It genuinely pains…
Read MoreFinally, FINALLY, today I’ve been given a prompt that makes for an incredibly easy pick. I’m sure there are a million artists or bands that have never achieved the level of fame they deserved– many of whom I know personally and who grind it out every night as hardworking musicians here in Memphis– but when…
Read MoreMy self-imposed ban on repeating songs that I chose in the original (June 2011) version of this Challenge is making it more and more difficult every day to match the perfect song to this month’s prompts. My first choice for “a song that could have been written about my life” would have been The Rolling…
Read MoreFor a few years in my 20’s, I dated and lived with a Deadhead. And I’m not talking about some amateur, weekends-and-summers only, tie-dyed, wake-and-bake, jam-band fan. I’m talking about a Genuine True Believer. He had whole cases of cassette-tape bootlegs from Grateful Dead concerts going back more than twenty years. He was in touch…
Read MoreI’ve never been to Africa, which is particularly embarrassing in my case since I have a Doctoral Minor in African Studies and a large part of my dissertation involved the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Not having been to Africa is far and away the greatest regret I have in my life, one that…
Read MoreIt’s hard to think about “holiday” songs in the middle of June– in Memphis— so today’s entry will be brief. I’m picking a Christmas song, not because Christmas is my favorite holiday (my favorite holiday is a tie between New Years Eve and Halloween), but rather because, c’mon let’s admit it, Christmas has the best…
Read MoreToday is a two-fer in my picks for the 30 Day Song Challenge, in part because the prompt itself is a compound prompt. I’ll just say in advance that I’m only considering TV or movie “theme songs” and not any old song from a TV or movie soundtrack (which would include far too many songs…
Read MoreI really dislike the designation “best friend.” I can’t entirely explain why but I’ve always felt like it’s an impossible-to-determine category. What makes a good friend the “best”? The time you’ve known each other? The experiences you’ve shared? What you’ve given or sacrificed or provided for one another? Is it about quality or quantity? Is…
Read MoreI have a whole complex theory about breakups, the first and most important axiom of which is that breakups hardly ever “take” on the first time. As a rule, if you’ve been in a real relationship with someone– meaning, first, that you’ve invested a significant amount of time and emotion into the relationship and, second,…
Read MoreFirst things first, if you don’t know the story of that Vancouver Kissing Couple to the left, one of the greatest stories and images of the last decade, read about them here. Love and Revolution are two of my favorite things. Picking my favorite “make-out song” violates more than a few of the Don’t-Get-Too-Personal rules…
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