Although A Complete Unknown is not a great film, without limitations worth noting, it is more than solid. Its high points are outstanding, and it is excellent for sparking thought about major issues. You should definitely watch A Complete Unknown if you haven’t thought about Bob Dylan lately and/or you care about how music relates to cultural critique. However, I will suggest that the film should be more a starting point for reflection than an end point. 

Even if I can't stop tinkering with all the half-written posts I've started about our degraded country, at least I can give my respects...

I don't have strong opinions about Jacob Collier, but I do have extremely strong opinions about Björk, and I consider "Hyperballad" one...

While talking with my friend Ron as he drove through Nebraska, I quoted him a James McMurtry song: “Out here in the middle where the...

Little by little, I have come to a realization that (as someone I read on youtube articulated it) “Holy shit, I think I’m a Miley Cyrus...

When I said that my “12 Songs” series was unranked, it was with an asterisk because I have zero doubt about my album of the year—with...

“It’s Christmas time in Washington, and the Democrats rehearse. Getting into gear for one more year of things not getting worse....

Here, in honor of the solstice just passed, are some new lyrics for one of the most beautiful song I know: Björk’s “Vökuró” from her...

Like all too many aspects of polling about religions and secularisms, the discourse about "spiritual" is largely broken. It registers...

This is probably my favorite of all the John Prine songs. It is the best one I can think of to capture how sad I feel about losing...

…Or… if you want to watch, or already did—if you are into that sort of thing—let’s compare notes. The production was fascinating in...

You who philosophize disgrace, and criticize all fear Bury the rag deep in your face, now's the time for your tears. In the strange world...

I published this at Sacred Matters a few weeks ago, and I want to see how it looks here.  Click on the picture to access it. Meanwhile I...