I can understand people's fascination with the lives of the famous. In unguarded moments, I sometimes feel the voyeuristic impulse to look at photos of the glitterati. I expect that these reactions are pretty wide-spread, and that there isn't anything particularly wrong with them--at least as long to they mostly kept in check. But they often aren't kept in check. That in and of itself, isn't particularly surprising. What I do find disappointing and even somewhat unexpected is the way that the mainstream media have decided that pandering to our rubber-necking instincts is acceptable journalistic behavior. For example, one might hope that CNN would be committed to bringing us serious news stories. But their website frequently has "top stories" about the reported pregnancy of a starlett or the couch-jumping confessions of a former ersatz top gun. Fox and MSNBC are no better on this score.
What I would dearly love to see is a network that would decide that the private lives of the famous are, well, private (and mostly uninteresting--at least to our higher natures) and which would steadfastly ignore the gossip and celebrity worship that infects the other news networks. I'd pay extra, I think, for the uncompromised integrity.
Any takers?
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
A Light [Beer] in the Darkness
I'm sometimes tempted to think that this world is controlled by dark, malevolent forces. But not right now. MSN.com reports that 17 beers a day is good for a guy (well, at least with respect to prostate cancer) and that for those who drink lots of coffee, the potential negative side effects of all that booze are largely negated (well, at least with respect to cirrhosis of the liver).
What a wonderful world.
What a wonderful world.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Paste Magazine's Best Living Songwriter Survey
The latest issue of Paste Magazine (a really fine music and film rag) includes a list of the Paste music critics top one hundred living songwriters. There are some surprises of both commission and omission. Before I get to those, though, let me give you the top twenty, in count-down order:
20. Van Morrison
19. Patty Griffin
18. U2
17. Holland-Dozier-Holland [writers of many 60s r&b hits]
16. David Bowie
15. Willie Nelson
14. Stevie Wonder
13. Paul Simon
12. Jagger/Richards
11. Randy Newman
10. Prince
9. Joni Mitchell
8. Elvis Costello
7. Brian Wilson
6. Leonard Cohen
5. Paul McCartney
4. Tom Waits
3. Bruce Springsteen
2. Neil Young
1. Bob Dylan
Keep in mind that this is not a "best songwriters of the past 50 years" list, but rather the best of those still alive. (This strikes me as a curious restriction, but then it's not my magazine.) In addition to the critics poll, there was also a readers' poll, the top twenty of which is:
20. Carole King
19. Ryan Adams
18. James Taylor
17. John Prine
16. Willie Nelson
15. David Bowie
14. Jagger/Richards
13. Brian Wilson
12. R.E.M.
11. Jeff Tweedy
10. Van Morrison
9. Tom Waits
8. U2
7. Joni Mitchell
6. Elvis Costello
5. Paul Simon
4. Bruce Springsteen
3. Paul McCartney
2. Neil Young
1. Bob Dylan
One problem I had when I tried to contribute to the readers' poll is that I couldn't decide whether I was supposed to list the living songwriters who have the best body of work or those who are currently writing the best songs. These would be very different lists. Dylan is a no-brainer top five (at least) pick for the first kind of list, but he'd be nowhere near the top twenty of the latter kind.
Okay, so I guess my biggest complaint is that Paul Simon ends up so low on the critics poll. Can we really take seriously the thought that Prince is a better songwriter than Mr. Bridge Over Troubled Water? No, I don't think we can. I also want to complain about the derth of folk songwriters on the list. Bill Morrissey is a wonderful songwriter who doesn't even make the top 100. Ditto Pierce Pettis and Ellis Paul. And one of the best pop songwriters working, Michael Penn, is also given the shaft.
Who else should have made the list?
20. Van Morrison
19. Patty Griffin
18. U2
17. Holland-Dozier-Holland [writers of many 60s r&b hits]
16. David Bowie
15. Willie Nelson
14. Stevie Wonder
13. Paul Simon
12. Jagger/Richards
11. Randy Newman
10. Prince
9. Joni Mitchell
8. Elvis Costello
7. Brian Wilson
6. Leonard Cohen
5. Paul McCartney
4. Tom Waits
3. Bruce Springsteen
2. Neil Young
1. Bob Dylan
Keep in mind that this is not a "best songwriters of the past 50 years" list, but rather the best of those still alive. (This strikes me as a curious restriction, but then it's not my magazine.) In addition to the critics poll, there was also a readers' poll, the top twenty of which is:
20. Carole King
19. Ryan Adams
18. James Taylor
17. John Prine
16. Willie Nelson
15. David Bowie
14. Jagger/Richards
13. Brian Wilson
12. R.E.M.
11. Jeff Tweedy
10. Van Morrison
9. Tom Waits
8. U2
7. Joni Mitchell
6. Elvis Costello
5. Paul Simon
4. Bruce Springsteen
3. Paul McCartney
2. Neil Young
1. Bob Dylan
One problem I had when I tried to contribute to the readers' poll is that I couldn't decide whether I was supposed to list the living songwriters who have the best body of work or those who are currently writing the best songs. These would be very different lists. Dylan is a no-brainer top five (at least) pick for the first kind of list, but he'd be nowhere near the top twenty of the latter kind.
Okay, so I guess my biggest complaint is that Paul Simon ends up so low on the critics poll. Can we really take seriously the thought that Prince is a better songwriter than Mr. Bridge Over Troubled Water? No, I don't think we can. I also want to complain about the derth of folk songwriters on the list. Bill Morrissey is a wonderful songwriter who doesn't even make the top 100. Ditto Pierce Pettis and Ellis Paul. And one of the best pop songwriters working, Michael Penn, is also given the shaft.
Who else should have made the list?
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