Confessions of a Conservative Atheist
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The entire Nebraska album was recorded by Bruce Springsteen alone in his house on a 4-track cassette. At points, you can hear the creak of the rocking chair he sat in, but these meager beginnings do not limit the songs’ collective scope, power, and impact. “Atlantic City” combines it all in one haunting track. Bruce… Continue reading Bruce Springsteen’s Atlantic City: The personal and the universal connect in a timeless and versatile classic
The enigmatic, often inscrutable Inland Empire intentionally defies, if not outright demolishes, traditional narratives at every turn. Instead of a single, linear story, we have four, almost circular primary threads. The making of the film in the first place also prompts a lot of questions, something of a mystery in and of itself. Ultimately, this… Continue reading Inland Empire and the mad genius of David Lynch
An excellent new film adaptation combines a stark abstraction with rich performances and stunning moments to illuminate the complexities underlying a simple plot, but no single version can ever capture the impenetrable duality of man that serves as Shakespeare’s true subject matter. Free will or foreordained? We are a product of both, and this play… Continue reading The Tragedy of Macbeth and the Immortal Genius of William Shakespeare
The Canadian power trio’s fourth album was a turning point in their career and their most commercially successful effort at the time. It is also perhaps their most prophetic. Long before our digital age, 2112 is a story of a world controlled by computers, where creativity and individuality is crushed by an all powerful government,… Continue reading 2112: Revisiting Rush’s prophetic masterpiece in the age of computers and the technocracy
It’s easy to conclude “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “We Take Care of Our Own” are fundamentally liberal songs, pushing liberal policy ideas, given Mr. Springsteen’s own far-left leanings, but is that truly the case? As the Boss himself used to say, trust the art, not the artist to unlock an underlying message of… Continue reading Bruce Springsteen: A conservative critique of his latter day anthems
It’s tempting to impart all sorts of symbolism to the sight of Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman on stage as they normally would be, except with no one watching or cheering, no wafts of marijuana smoke drifting in the air from the crowd of assembled, self-proclaimed Phish-heads. Phish isn’t exactly easy… Continue reading Phish: The legendary jam band played to an empty theater on New Year’s Eve. Is it still an epic jam if no one is there to watch?
The country is still convulsed with racial tension, frequently culminating in riots. The riots and unrest have claimed countless businesses on countless streets, and the manufacturing industry that once was the heartbeat of America remains largely in decline. Springsteen could release the song next week and it would remain as powerful as it was 40… Continue reading My Hometown: Springsteen’s 1984 classic is the timeless tale of our own era and proof he’s worth every penny
It’s an irony of our times that a former South African, a creature of deep-blue, progressive Silicon Valley, and now the richest man in the world should become a divisive, cultural touchstone for the enduring importance of freedom. Fighting lockdowns and vaccine mandates, Mr. Musk has earned the respect of conservatives and the ire of… Continue reading Elon Musk: Time’s Person of the Year has become a relentless advocate for freedom, placing himself in the middle of our raging culture wars
Racism in America is apparently so rampant that everything we do and touch must be seen through that lens. In the past week, the mainstream media has covered everything from electric cars to inflation with abortion in between as a potentially racist issue. They’ve also found a new solution: Conservatives should just surrender and embrace… Continue reading Electric cars, inflation, and abortion rights: The everything is racist saga continues, as some say a Civil War is coming
The legendary “Fab Five” released their 15th studio album, “Future Past,” earlier this year, celebrating their 40th anniversary by continuing to push the limits of popular music and even music videos, proving once again they are without a doubt the best pop band on the planet. It helps that they actually write and play their… Continue reading Duran Duran: Still the greatest pop band on the planet bar none
Confessions of a Conservative Atheist 