INTRODUCTION This is the 27th episode of “James Thurber, A Reader’s Guide,” a rambling consideration of Thurber’s works, examining his life and work in some detail. Generally, these appear every Friday. The links to the first part and the most recent part are given below. Part 27 contains discussion of Thurber Country*, Thurber’s collection of…
Ross Douthat, out on a limb
I have made rather a cottage industry out of ridiculing NYTimes columnist Ross Douthat, descending, to my shame, more than once to the level of referring to him as “Ross Dumb Fuck,” but, well, those times are past. In the past two weeks Ross has turned in columns that place him firmly, even shamelessly, in…
Ow! Ow! Ow!
Once, back in the day, well, I was unemployed a lot. I tried to make a living as a free-lance writer, and while I can’t say that I am the worst free-lance writer who ever lived, I can say that I am the worst free-lance writer who is still alive, because Brad and Harry both…
Jazz at the Philharmonic, circa 1967
Clark Terry, James Moody, Zoot Sims, and Dizzy Gillespie lead off a full-length BBC presentation of JATP, back in the day when jazz musicians still wore tuxes to a gig. The first 40 minutes are the best. Then R&B vocalist T-bone Walker shows up, which was not really a good idea. Pianist Teddy Wilson is…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. All cartoons here. and here “I don’t know. Lately, I’ve just been in a pre-Cambrian state of mind.” “Watch out for the damn minnows!” “My doctor says it’s evolution, but I have my doubts.” “My acceleration has improved, but I’m always hungry.” “Yeah, it looks terrible in the direct light, but after…
James Thurber, A Reader’s Guide, Part 26
INTRODUCTION This is the 26th episode of “James Thurber, A Reader’s Guide,” a rambling consideration of Thurber’s works, examining his life and work in some detail. Generally, these appear every Friday. The links to the first part and the most recent part are given below. Part 26 continues discussion of Thurber’s five-part series on radio…
The War Lovers
From 1929 to 1989, Americans lived in a state of almost perpetual crisis—the Great Depression, World War II, and then forty-four long years of contention with international communism. When the U.S.S.R. finally fell apart, the resulting silence was, it seems, more than America could bear. George H.W. Bush and his gang of “realists” conducted wars…
Thelonious Monk Live In Berlin 1969—Ellington Salute
https://youtu.be/MGbLRaaqrCc I’m not sure why Monk played four tunes associated with the Ellington band—“Satin Doll,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Caravan,” and “Solitude,” followed by Monk’s own “In a Crepuscule with Nellie,” (and then an awkward blues featuring Joe Turner, a pianist unknown to me), but I’m glad he did. Posted by Sergio Balint
Light up New York!
Now that Little Mike is gone, New Yorkers are smokin’ and jokin’ like it was, well, like it was 2007, reports New York magazine. Yes, it’s been seven long years since one million New Yorkers hit a cancer stick. Because no one moves to New York to retire!
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. All cartoons here. and here “Oh, honey, haven’t you heard? It’s how you play the game. And I play it all out!” “Yeah, it fucks with my feet. But it fucks with their concentration even more.” “No, my feet aren’t killing me. What’s killing me is figuring out how many wheelbarrows I’m…