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- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
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- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
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Tag Archives: Elvis Presley
“Sometimes I can sing it when I can’t say it.” — Carl Perkins
“The music was new, the kids were just eatin’ it up. They were claiming it as their own music. But I really think when the kids were comin’ to the sock hops and to the rock and roll shows, I … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Rufus Thomas, Sam Phillips, Sun Records
2 Comments
March 2026 Snapshots
I’ve been go-go-go-go for months. Hitting a speed bump, but I’m still going. In case this isn’t clear, this means a little bit of mania. So I’m riding it out, and still saying yes to everything. Family time. Time with … Continue reading
“I heard Ruth Brown, and I just found my kind of music,” — Janis Martin
Cultural history is peppered with What Ifs. What if someone like Janis Martin had gone the distance? What if she hadn’t lapsed into obscurity? Would she have carved out a small space for women in rock ‘n roll (alongside the … Continue reading
“Memphis amateurs are the world’s professionals.” — Rufus Thomas
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie was filled with deep cuts, so appreciated if you care about this story, and not just Elvis’ story, but the environment from which he came. Memphis. Beale Street. Thomas was a singer, yes, and he recorded … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged B.B. King, Baz Luhrmann, Elvis Presley, Jim Jarmusch, Rufus Thomas, Sam Phillips, Sun Records
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“If it hadn’t been for the videocassette, I may not have had a career at all.” — Kurt Russell
It’s his birthday today. How I love him. I grew up with him. The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes. I remember that being screened for us in grade school in what they called “the multi-purpose room” (lol: gym, cafeteria, theatre). … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Elvis Presley, hockey, Kurt Russell, miracle on ice
19 Comments
February 2026 Snapshots
February is the shortest month but this February felt like it lasted two months. At least. I spent a week in New York, then a week in Chicago, and then I was basically housebound for a week because of the … Continue reading
Review: EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026)
My review of Baz Luhrmann‘s EPiC (Elvis Presley in Concert) is now up at Ebert . As someone intimately familiar with the two original concert films – the restoration-resurrection knocked me out. Last summer I introduced Elvis: That’s the Way … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Baz Luhrmann, concert films, documentary, Elvis Presley, James Burton, reviews
24 Comments
“Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight.” — Johnny Cash
It’s his birthday today. Johnny Cash, singing “Man in Black” in Denmark: Here he is on Tex Ritter’s Ranch Party, 1956 or so. Great guitar solo, too. He’s not just strumming that guitar. The guitar CHUGS along, with an irresistible … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Sam Phillips, Sun Records
29 Comments
“He is a good listener. When you have a good listener you have a good actor.” — Norman Taurog on Elvis
American director Norman Taurog was born in 1899, literally during the first gasps of cinema. What an improbable journey. He was born into a world before cinema had even cohered into an artform … and he ended his career helming … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Elvis Presley, Live a Little Love a Little
9 Comments
It’s Ron Eldard’s Birthday: the first famous person I interviewed
Here’s the story of the first famous person I interviewed – an actor I had admired for a long time: Mr. Ron Eldard. I saw the excellent Roadie at the Tribeca Film Festival. Eldard plays a roadie fired from his … Continue reading