Things I'd Rather Be Doing

The Lifespan of a Fact:Even the title is wrong

John Kenyon — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:22:33 +0000

Before I read interviews with John D’Agata and Jim Fingal about their book, The Lifespan of a Fact, the following passage seemed to sum up the book: Jim: You’re presenting this as fact. And I, the hypothetical reader, am putting my trust in you to give me the straight dope, or ...

Marcus’ Doors book makes deluge accessible

John Kenyon — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:16:52 +0000

No one reads a Greil Marcus book because they want to learn about an artist. Yes, they might do so to learn more about an artist, but that is an important distinction. Perhaps it is better to say that Marcus’ work never will be on the syllabus for any class ...

Favorite music of 2011

John Kenyon — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:27:41 +0000

I can’t even pretend to offer a comprehensive list anymore. When I was a newspaper music critic, I tried to keep up with most everything. But life gets in the way, and these days I find myself much less willing to give things a chance. Hook me immediately or be ...

Bob Dylan’s strange recipe leads to gooey middle

John Kenyon — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:40:26 +0000

As I have read through Howard Sounes’ excellent Bob Dylan biography, Down the Highway, I have found myself compelled to listen to and explore all facets of Dylan’s catalog. Easy enough (and pleasant enough) to do with the canon, and certainly so with his more recent work, but what about ...

Tim Finn’s The View is worth the cost

John Kenyon — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:01:09 +0000

I’ve always admired Tim Finn‘s music, usually more than I’ve actually wanted to listen to it. Loved his work with Split Enz, thought his contributions to Crowded House gave the band a needed shot of variety at the right time, and his work with Neil in the Finn Brothers is ...

Sebadoh a blast of nostalgia and little more

John Kenyon — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:10:05 +0000

It was two weeks ago today that I saw a show by the reunited Sebadoh. I really enjoyed the show and fully expected to post something the next day. Alas, two weeks later, I realize the show was kind of a singular moment. I expected it to fuel a renewed ...

Jayhawks sound like themselves — sort of — on Mockingbird Time

John Kenyon — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:34:02 +0000

Talking with a friend about the new Jayhawks album, Mockingbird Time, we lamented that while it sounded good — and certainly like a Jayhawks record should — the songs weren’t memorable. It has surface appeal, but it lacked the depth that would make either of us pull it off the ...

Two Times Intro captures intimate side of Patti Smith

John Kenyon — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:40:01 +0000

I’m not sure why I didn’t pay attention to Two Times Intro the first time around. At the time I was a huge R.E.M. fan, had been for 15 years by the time this came out in 1998. And I had finally discovered Patti Smith by that point, her comeback ...