In 1952 John Steinbeck published his novel East of Eden, which became a huge bestseller, although critics were rather lukewarm on it. Then again, who cares what critics think? It’s a massive novel describing two families over multi-generations beginning during the Civil War, going through the end of the first World War, and with echos of … Continue reading John and Elia and Florence and Zoe
Those Were the Good Old Days
In the spring Broadway will see a new production of Damn Yankees, the first one in over 30 years, and not only that but the book will be revised to move the 1950s musical into the beginning of the 21st century. I guess that’s to make it more relevant? Whatever. As long as they don’t … Continue reading Those Were the Good Old Days
John Oliver Talks Ken Paxton
On Sunday evening John Oliver devoted most of his opening to a discussion of Ken Paxton as only John Oliver can. I couldn’t help but pass it along.
Do Not Let the Duck In
I was going through some folders on my Mac and I came across this photo. I think I grabbed it a few months ago with the intention of putting it on the blog at some point. Well, no time like the present, as they say.
Capriccio Italien
When I was growing up, we had a record album from the Reader’s Digest called The Festival of Light Classical Music. It had pretty much what you might expect. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The 1812 Overture, Bolero, all the famous, easily digestible pieces. And it had Chaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien. Though, like nearly everyone else, it mis-transliterated Chaikovsky’s name. Chaikovsky had … Continue reading Capriccio Italien
The Day the Network Died
Have I ever told the story of what composer Max Reger wrote to a critic who gave him a negative review? He wrote: “Ich sitze in dem kleinsten Zimmer in meinem Hause. Ich habe Ihre Kritik vor mir. Im nächsten Augenblick wird sie hinter mir sein!” (“I am sitting in the smallest room of my … Continue reading The Day the Network Died
Trust No One
A while back I did a few posts about the biblical Herods, and I had intended to follow up with one about Herod Agrippa, the last of the biblical Herods, but I never got around to it. If you ever watched the TV series I, Claudius or read the books that it’s based on, then you're … Continue reading Trust No One
Dummy With the Wig on Top
Time for another Randy!
Writing by Hand Makes Us Think Better
I’ve been holding onto this web page for months with the intention of writing about it, so perhaps the time has come. I’ve seen reports from time to time over the past few years that many schools were no longer teaching cursive writing, and I thought that was foolish in the extreme. It seems to … Continue reading Writing by Hand Makes Us Think Better
The One With Aaron Sorkin
The guest on episode 753 of Scriptnotes is the legendary Aaron Sorkin, known for A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Social Network and the forthcoming The Social Reckoning. John and Aaron discuss several of his most famous works and even take apart individual scenes. Then the topic turns to the forthcoming film and … Continue reading The One With Aaron Sorkin