Last

April 3, 2009 By Fred Clark

Undress, discard, let fall "The Last Balloon," XTC"Last Boat Leaving," Elvis Costello"Last Dance," Sarah McLachlan"The Last Day of Our Acquaintance," Sinead O'Connor"Last Fair Deal Gone Down," Crooked Still"Last Goodbye," Jeff Buckley"Last Hard Bible," Kasey Chambers"Last Night," The Mar-Keys"Last Night," Over the Rhine"The Last Testament of Angus Shane," The Lost Dogs"The Last Time," Mightyhead"Last to Know," Pink"Last Train to Clarksville," Cassandra Wilson Almost any dull task or awkward social situation can be made more bearable by imagining that "Last Night" by... Read more

Don't Stop Believin'

April 2, 2009 By Fred Clark

Jason was a couple of years behind me at Timothy Christian, and like many kids who went to that private, fundamentalist school, he wasn't allowed to listen to what we called "secular music." Of course, like most of the kids faced with this prohibition, Jason went to great lengths to listen to the forbidden music on the sly. He had a secret hiding place under a floorboard in his closet where he stashed a walkman and his contraband cassettes. Yes,... Read more

Nuts

April 1, 2009 By Fred Clark

This time it's pistachios. Federal food officials are warning people not to eat any food containing pistachios because of possible contamination by salmonella, in another food scare sure to rattle consumers already upset by the contamination of peanuts with the same bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration said central California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., the nation's second-largest pistachio processor, was voluntarily recalling more than 2 million pounds of its roasted nuts shipped since last fall. Following so soon... Read more

T.F.: No shame

March 27, 2009 By Fred Clark

Tribulation Force, pp. 14-16 This vignette is a variation of a familiar evangelical pep talk/guilt trip. The text for this, implicit here, is usually 2 Timothy 1:8, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." The point of this sermon is that Christians are called — required — to be bold, courageous and relentless in preaching the gospel to and at their friends at work or in school. Friends is probably the wrong word there, actually, since... Read more

Kerosene Kids

March 27, 2009 By Fred Clark

Rats and children follow me out of town … "Kerosene Hat," Cracker"Kerosene Hat (Outtake)," Cracker"Key of C," Jim Noir"Kick," INXS"Kickin' My Heart Around," The Black Crowes"Kid," The Pretenders"Kid A," Radiohead"Kid About It," Elvis Costello & The Attractions"Kid Fears," Indigo Girls"The Kids Are Alright," Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs"The Kids Don't Stand a Chance," Vampire Weekend Read more

Dover and Just Wars

March 24, 2009 By Fred Clark

Mark Benjamin of Salon points out that former Vice President Dick Cheney and retired Gen. Tommy Franks just aren't that bright. Benjamin didn't put it that starkly himself, but that's the inescapable conclusion. He recently spoke with Bob Garfield of NPR's On the Media about what Franks called the "Dover effect" (see "The True Cost of War"). The occasion for this conversation was the Obama administration's reversal of the policy, in place since 1991, prohibiting the publishing of photographs of... Read more

None of your business (cont'd.)

March 23, 2009 By Fred Clark

Imagine a newspaper with no "Business" section. Where the Business section is now, there is, instead, a "Work" section. It would make sense for the paper from a, you know, business standpoint. Higher circulation means more revenue for the paper, so it makes sense to focus on the needs, concerns and interests the largest number of potential readers. The current model of a Business section is designed for only the tiniest slice of potential readers — those who think of... Read more

T.F.: Fantasy sequence

March 20, 2009 By Fred Clark

Tribulation Force, pp. 8-14 Despite his and Chloe's new faith, Rayford Steele found himself subject to deep mood swings. This isn't surprising. Mood swings are on the list, along with: jealous, controlling, unrealistic expectations, isolation, hypersensitivity, verbal abuse, rigid gender roles and all the rest. Those are all from Dear Abby's warning signs of an abuser, which reads like a Cliff Notes' introduction to Rayford and, increasingly, Buck. The brief vignette we get here of Rayford and Chloe is actually... Read more

Jericho to Jerusalem

March 20, 2009 By Fred Clark

I know a place where the dancin's free … "Jericho," Blitzen Trapper"Jericho," Johnny Clegg & Savuka"Jersey," Mayday Parade"Jersey Girl," Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band"Jersey Girl," Holly Cole"Jersey Girl," Tom Waits"Jerusalem Tomorrow," Emmylou Harris Usually, we go with a longer list, but I found this particular alphabetical slice irresistible. And although this list may be shorter than usual, the trip from Jericho to Jerusalem is all uphill, so it works out the same. The road between Jerusalem and Jericho... Read more

The Immortals

March 19, 2009 By Fred Clark

It seems 2007 was a record year for births here in the U.S. of A.: Forget the baby boom. More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than any year in the nation's history. … The 4,317,119 births, reported by federal researchers Wednesday, topped a record first set in 1957 at the height of the baby boom. I'm something of an expert on the demographic implications of the baby boom. I've developed this expertise from copy editing hundreds,... Read more