Monthly Archives: June 2009

Michael Jackson and Monoculture

Posted on 29 June 2009 by

[x-posted at Splice Today] Not even Lester Bangs could eulogize Michael Jackson as effectively as has the collective car stereo of my New Haven neighborhood. Each time I went out this weekend—for pizza, for a library book, for a mind-clearing … Continue reading →

Posted in All History is Local History, Music | Leave a comment

Obama’s Dijon Problem: Or, Thank God It’s Friday

Posted on 12 June 2009 by

[Salon] Last month, Republicans latched on to Barack Obama’s request for some Dijon mustard. (Sean Hannity: “I hope you enjoyed that fancy burger, Mr. President.”) Obama should have known better. In 1997—before he was a U. S. Senator, before he … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment

Presenting “Fifty Words of Fair Use”

Posted on 1 June 2009 by

Most of my summer will be spent reading for my department’s qualifying exams. So it seems like the perfect time to kick off a new feature I’m calling “Fifty Words of Fair Use”—basically, an excuse to post a short passage … Continue reading →

Posted in Fifty Words of Fair Use | Leave a comment