Yes, the following epic poem is far more Dadaist than Surrealist. Since 2012, I have been solely responsible – by choice – for cleaning the kitchen, dining room and living room following the Thanksgiving meals prepared (mostly) by my wife Nell, accompanied by music on my classic flywheel iPod. In 2015, I prepared a mix … Continue reading Surrealist Epic Post-Thanksgiving Poem, 2023 Edition →

In a previous essay, I used weekly chart positions in the Billboard Hot 100 (singles) and Top 200 (albums) charts to trace the Second British Invasion (“SBI”) from the week of September 26, 1981 through the end of June 1983, just as it reached its first peak. Figure 1 tracks total singles and album points … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: Overview, Part 2 →

In three previous essays, I presented the top singles, albums and artists of the Second British Invasion (“SBI”), which I posit ran from September 26, 1981 to December 22, 1984. These singles and albums were released by 94 unique musical artists, counting “Adam and the Ants” and “Adam Ant” as a single artist. A total … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: Overview, Part 1 →

In previous essays, I discussed the 171 singles and 185 albums charting in Billboard magazine during the Second British Invasion (“SBI”), which I posit ran for 167 weeks: September 26, 1981 to December 22, 1984. These singles and albums were released by 94 unique musical artists, counting Adam and the Ants and Adam Ant as … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: The Artists →

Driven in large part by MTV’s debut on August 1, 1981, a set of British (and Australian, Irish, New Zealander and Scottish) new wave, post-punk and synthpop musical artists found success in the United States during what is now called “the Second British Invasion.” In a previous essay, I argue this “invasion” ran from September … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: The Albums →

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!! On March 16, 2021, Noir Alley—TCM’s weekend film noir screening hosted by Film Noir Foundation Founder and President Eddie Muller—launched its “March Badness” competition. Mimicking NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Basketball March Madness, pairs of villains from 16 classic-era films noir were pitted against each other in a series of 15 votes … Continue reading Finding The Worst Character In Neo-Noir: Establishing The Films →

On January 29, 2021, 3½ years after my wife Nell suggested in financial exasperation that I write a book, I put on “outside” clothes, sneakers and my protective mask, then walked down to our local FedEx office. There, I plugged my thumb drive into a printer…then watched in relief and wonder as it printed out … Continue reading That Time My Mother Was a Total Badass →

[Updated at 4:00 pm EST to account for late polls] On March 10, 2020, six more states will hold primaries to help select the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, bringing the total number of such contests to 24. Table 1 lists these states, sorted by poll closing times, and the number of pledged delegates each state … Continue reading 2020 Democratic primaries on March 10: My final polling update →