Jerry Goldsmith: Patron Saint of Great Music for Bad Movies

Goldsmith had a legendary career, and he composed terrific music as a rule.

If You Could Choose One Song

A few years ago while at a business function, they passed out these drawings of mustaches on popsicle sticks, each with a printed question to serve as icebreakers.

“Happiness is a Polka”

I’m pretty sure I was hard-wired to like polka music thanks to my dad. But this is about a little more than that.

The Best Tie-In Song from Batman Movies

The Batman movies before Nolan had the same marketing strategies as anything else, including tie-in music.

My 7 Favorite Songs by The Doors

This brings us to a list I’ve never had the nerve to compile. Here goes nothing.

What Happened to the Long Songs?

Ironically, this post is relatively brief.

Theme Songs & Patience

We live in an era of on-demand streaming, with a surfeit of entertainment options. We are collectively a culture defined by impatience.

Will Cassette Tapes Make a Comeback?

Recently I chatted with a friend who bought a car that had a cassette tape player in it.

In response to “Is the Phantom of the Opera Abusive or Romantic”?

Recently, “The Warden’s Walk,” an excellent blog I’ve been reading for some time, posted a question of whether the Phantom of the Opera is abusive or romantic. Certainly, given the high drama of the famous musical, it’s a worthy debate. He approaches it, though, afrom the vantage point of Joel Schumacher’s big screen adaptation. (Quick […]

Why I Love the Original Return of the Jedi soundtrack LP so much

This past Christmas, I purchased a vinyl edition of the Return of the Jedi soundtrack for my good friend @TheInsaneRobin. It was partially a gag because he’s super-hipster about his vinyl collection (or as I’ve named them, “less-convenient MP3s”), but the album was carefully selected as a nod to a very important album in my personal history both as a Star Wars fan and a developing human being.

Would It Be Better to Know Less, or More?

I had to ask myself the question, if it would it have been better – if it would be better – to have less knowledge of the things I love. Let the magician hold some tricks back and let me wonder.

Farewell, Ray Manzarek

An important thing needs to be noted about my feelings on Ray Manzarek. I went from teenage idolator of The Doors to adult scarily-obsessed fan (like Oliver Stone), and finally, to sober adult capable of contextualizing my fandom where it belonged.

Doors Week: The Most Awkward Memory

This is wonderfully awkward and terrible to remember what I’m about to relate, so that’s got to be a win for the haters out there.