The Washington Post has been trying its best lately to make readers cry, between an article about a young Ukrainian couple that died together following a whirlwind wartime romance to breathless coverage of a fabled affair between two blue-throated macaws in Brazil. My eyes have stayed dry so far, but this nearly got me: In …
No film has ever touched me more deeply than Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers, which portrays the reunion of three sisters, one of whom (Harriet Andersson) is dying of cancer. She is nursed through her agony by a servant (Kari Sylwan) who shows her more humanity than her unhappy siblings. Sylwan cradling Andersson to her …
For this week’s Crankcast, no talking, just some pictures from my life. I’ll probably only leave this up for a few days since I’m not big on sharing non-movie images, but it’s a holiday offering of sorts since Thanksgiving will preempt next week’s Crankcast. [Video removed] Most of it’s pretty self-explanatory. If you need any …
Our earliest friendships are often rooted in little more than physical proximity and mine were no exception. My first best friend was naturally my brother, the second the girl next door, but there was scant more to our bond than that. When we were four or five years old, her family moved to a nicer …
In the wee small hours of the morning, after I’ve been roused by strange noises, strange intestines, strange movements, or strange music, I often think about my dog. Muriel’s sleep is deep enough that on my own sleepless nights I can (quietly) move around a bit upstairs, as long as it’s not yet 4 am. …
I’ve written a bit here about Crankenstein and music in the past — see “By Way of Sorrow” and “Jesus to a Child” — and here we are in conversation about one of her favorite genres: depressing and distressing Celtic and Appalachian folk music. There are no explicit lyric warnings on these songs, but would …
Crankcast, Vol. 4: Crankenstein Talks Murder Ballads (and a Site Update) Read More »
Last night I logged only four hours of fitful sleep, which is to say I was already suffering enough without Boy Meets Girl’s “Waiting for a Star to Fall” unexpectedly joining the rotation of my overnight unconscious jukebox. A couple weeks ago I heard it at the pharmacy while awaiting my flu shot and COVID …
If you can find Steve Simon, the disgraced chief of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) — earlier this weekend, he dodged public accountability by declining to speak with broadcasters — ask him to take a bow. For the second year running he’s spectacularly bungled the WTA Finals, in which the “elite eight” atop the women’s …
Fans, Players Lose (Again) at the 2023 WTA Finals Read More »
In which I discuss this week’s Botox appointment while testing a new microphone. In previous Crankcasts, my voice sounded lower, and Crankenstein’s higher, than they actually are, and this is more accurate, though I’m still learning how to use it. I considered not posting any of this because it’s embarrassing to me lately when I …