Paul Newman, R.I.P.

Well, Paul Newman has joined another one of the artists I most admire, David Foster Wallace, in the Great Beyond.

Newman was a terribly underrated actor, and I think that was because he was too good looking. He bridged the time from the end of the studio system into the beginning of new American cinema and I think he didn't get the respect he deserved because of it.

Obviously, there are as many opinions as people regarding his best work, but my favorites, in no particular order, are: The Hustler, Hudsucker Proxy, The Sting, Nobody's Fool (based on my friend Richard Russo's novel), Road to Perdition, and Cool Hand Luke. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof gets a mention as well, but only because of how it failed. The conventions of the time made what could've been a very interesting film, just OK. It would've been interesting to see Newman play a conflicted gay man, rather than just a pathetic drunk. Unfortunately, we'll never know...

Nanny State?

This is probably not what most people mean when they think of the term "Nanny State," but it's a great example of the unintended consequences that can result from poorly written legislation.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/triage/2008/09/father-leaves-n.html

The Old (guy) and the New...

A long time ago, I used to work at a record/CD store. It used to drive me nuts when these 30 year-old customers would come into the store and only buy stuff from bands that sucked and were already over the hill when the customer was in high school. Not wanting to be the subject of scorn from someone like me later in life, I promised myself that I'd not be one of those people that only listened to 20 year-old music.

I've tried to stay hip and keep up with new music, but once you're past a certain age, it becomes pretty tough. Especially since the truly hip kids start to think you're kinda creepy, because you're older than their parents. So while I'm afraid that my knowledge of new music is sorely lacking, my friend DJ80HD doesn't have the same problem and he has some great stuff on his site. Check it out here: http://dj80hd.blogspot.com/

A Brave New World

Ah, my first official blog post. Let's hope there are more, but I've got to find something interesting to say first.