Bob Dylan visiting Rubin âHurricaneâ Carter in prison before launching the âNight of the Hurricaneâ benefit concert, part of the Rolling Thunder Revue Tour (1975) [Note: Just as this post was being finalized, news broke of Rubin Carterâs death. You … Continue reading →
Ween (photo by Danny Clinch) This is the fourth and final post in our initial, two-week foray into Murder Ballad Comedy. Todayâs post refers back to the earlier three, which you can read here: âThe Irish Balladâ (Ken) âLizzie Bordenâ … Continue reading →
Introduction Ken started us last week on a new, short, and lighter path for a few posts â murder ballad comedy. Â We learned the obvious from John Cleese â that indeed, dark humor can be good humor, and really has … Continue reading →
Lizzie Borden (1860-1927) Ken here. Iâm back again. As it turned out, I had another one in the chute and ready to go. This is our second installment in a short âMurder Ballad Comedyâ series. You can read the first … Continue reading →
Tom Lehrer (r) âExplaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process.â Â â E. B. White Youâre killing them out there Over the next week or two, weâre going to … Continue reading →
Phil Ochs (1940-1976) Bystanders If youâve taken a Psych 101 class in the last 40 or 50 years, youâve probably heard of the Kitty Genovese murder, and the âbystander effect.â The bystander effect theory says that the greater the number … Continue reading →
Martina McBride Prologue â âHell is for Childrenâ Pat Benatar gave my sister and me a pass, so to speak, on the normal rules of appropriate language for childrenâat least the rules in our house, or more specifically, our car. … Continue reading →
Note: This is Part 2 of a two part series on âDeliaâs Goneâ â Â See also Part 1 Introduction Todayâs post isnât about Johnny Cashâs song âThe Beast in Meâ, but it is all about restraint, and lack thereof. Â After … Continue reading →
Richard Shindell The Lost Mountaineer Iâm too attached to the legacy of dead musicians. The musicians who left us early in their lives are particularly compelling to meâSam Cooke, Steve Goodman, Stan Rogers, Kate Wolf, Dave Carter. My personal list … Continue reading →
  Photograph: Cine Text/Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar What do Nick Cave, Cher, Eddie Murphy, and the The London Symphony Orchestra have in common? They have all covered âHey Joe.â âHey Joeâ â Jimi Hendrix Version [1st verse (Oo â backing vocals on … Continue reading →
