Faces-Fading

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 11:12 pm By Fred Clark

Nobody knows exactly what to say … "Faces in Cabs," Mark Heard"Faces to the Window," Daniel Amos"Facsimile," Vigilantes of Love"Factory," Bruce Springsteen"Factory," Melissa McClelland"The Factory," Warren Zevon"The Facts of Life," Talking Heads"Fade Into You," Mazzy Star"Fade Into You," Pedro the Lion"Faded from the Winter," Iron & Wine"The Fading Glory," Kangaroo I fell for the band Kangaroo at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington. We had standing-room-only tickets for the Folger's production of "Twelfth NIght" — a performance so buoyant and... Read more

How to respond to the Two Bobs

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 11:26 pm By Fred Clark

I'm seeking advice today about an ethical dilemma being posed this week to me and to thousands of others who work for America's largest newspaper chain. We're being asked to "track our time" minute-by-minute. You may be familiar with this task — the nadir of 20th-century corporate management techniques — due to its indelible portrayal in Mike Judge's classic comedy Office Space. In that movie the Two Bobs — corporate consultants portrayed by John C. McGinley and Paul Wilson —... Read more

Everywhere to Exit

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 11:03 pm By Fred Clark

There is the risk of looking like a fool … "Everywhere," Pink Martini"Everywhere I Go," The Call"Everywhere I Look," Phil Keaggy"Exaltation on a Cool Kitchen Floor," Bright Eyes"An Exception to the Rule," Dwight Yoakam"Excitable Boy," Warren Zevon"Exeter, Rhode Island," Jennifer O'Connor"Exhuming McCarthy," R.E.M."Exister," Prototypes"Exit," U2"Exit Music (For a Film)," Radiohead Every time I post a song like "Exister," which I really like despite not understanding the lyrics, I'm afraid that someone who speaks French will explain that's it's actually about... Read more

People power in Egypt

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 1:12 am By Fred Clark

I know almost as little about Egypt as I do about Tunisia, so I'm still not sure what we're watching unfold, or if it makes sense for me to feel somewhat like I'm watching 1989 all over again. Heather Hurlbert suggests "Five Things to Understand About the Egyptian Riots," and I suspect she's right about them, even though I'm not really sure about the use of that word "riots." Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak gave a televised statement yesterday in which... Read more

D Is for … Damage

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 1:13 am By Fred Clark

At least we're winning on the Fox Evening News … "D Is for Dangerous," Arctic Monkeys"D.A.I.S.Y. Age," De La Soul"Da Da Da," Trio"Da Tanks," WNOC"Dad's Gonna Kill Me," Richard Thompson"Daddy," Jewel"Daddy Can I Turn This?" Elvis Costello"Daddy I'm Fine," Sinead O'Connor"Daffodil," Christine Havrilla"Daisy Chain," The Go-Gos"Damage," Yo La Tengo I'm torn here between wanted to encourage you as strongly as possible to check out Christine Havrilla, who's a terrific songwriter and performer, and the realization that any such recommendation may... Read more

I never should have left New Jersey

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 1:13 am By Fred Clark

So, hey, speaking of William Lloyd Garrison (he said, quickly tossing up another post on something less contentious so as to ensure that there's a non-flamewar thread option available for those not eager to rehash perennial fights), here's the song that was stuck in my head this morning shoveling the driveway. So the first thing I had to do coming inside was look up the lyrics. Quite annoying when you: A) Can't get a song out of your head;... Read more

Fantasy role-playing games

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 1:14 am By Fred Clark

The abortion/slavery analogy beloved by anti-abortion activists, Ta-Nehisi Coates says, "is not just wrong, it is a lie." He backs that up, dismantling the delusions, distortions and fabrications employed by people like former Sen. Rick Santorum who love to posture as the heirs of Frederick Douglass. Coates describes this as "The Unbearable Whiteness of Pro-Lifers and Pundits." Confession: Growing up and going to work in evangelicaldom, I used to enjoy that posturing too, sharing in — and promoting — those... Read more

Anti-Missourian best-sellers

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 1:14 am By Fred Clark

I've got a bit of a quibble with a recent tendency I've noticed having to do with the way things like book sales or Facebook fans are used as a measure of popularity. Specifically I want to explore whether these measures can really be used to indicate the relative or comparative popular support for opposite views. When some polarizing figure publishes a book, the sales of that book do provide one useful way of gauging the popularity of that figure... Read more

Or what's a Heaven for?

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 1:16 am By Fred Clark

Tony Jones tackles the subject of Judas Iscariot and what he refers to as "Christian universalism." His discussion rubs up against a discussion we had here earlier about the desire for some notion of ultimate, eschatological justice, the unbiblical idea of Hell and what I called "the Hitler Question." In that earlier post, I noted that I do believe in some form of ultimate accountability — eschatological justice that can address the injustices of this world. I also noted that... Read more

TF: Suspending suspense

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 1:15 am By Fred Clark

Tribulation Force, pp. 325-326 Rayford returned from a quiet dinner with part of his new crew … Oh no, here we go again. Let me guess — a quiet dinner with the young, single, female part of his crew. Just an innocent candlelit dinner during which much is implied but nothing is overtly stated and Rayford is able to reassure himself that it's all perfectly appropriate because he never touched her. Eventually, after months of such quiet dinners, she'll confront... Read more