Confessions of a Conservative Atheist
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Beyond relying on entirely recycled rhetoric, all that’s missing from Governor Gavin Newsom and the musical chairs contenders to the throne is an actual means to stop President Trump from doing anything. For all the bold talk, every single one of these individuals is entirely powerless. After immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles rapidly descended… Continue reading A new week means a new leader of The Resistance, but resistance remains futile
While Western Stars was released to significant critical acclaim in 2019, it marked a stylistic departure for the Boss and certainly isn’t a rock album by any means. If you are looking for screaming guitars, the usual glockenspiel, and pounding drums, you will not find them here. You will, however, find a compilation of sorts… Continue reading Springsteen’s Western Stars and the most underrated album ever made
When people ask what’s different about India, the sheer number of people is astounding. Boasting a population of over 1.4 billion and still undergoing massive economic development, hotels, restaurants, and service businesses tend to feature at least twice if not three times the number of employees as in the United States and automation is barely… Continue reading Living like a local: Reminisces and observations about my recent trip to India, part two
What’s the point of prefacing what’s supposed to a celebration of rock and roll, perhaps Mr. Springsteen’s final run considering he will turn 76 later this year, with a political diatribe of largely recycled talking points? Last week, legendary singer, songwriter, and all-around-rocker, Bruce Springsteen chose to open his European “Land of Hope and Dreams”… Continue reading Bruce Springsteen and the now purely performative Resistance
For nineteen of thirty songs, Mr. Anastasio was alone on stage, a man with several guitars, a songbook that would be the envy of many other artists, a spotlight, a screen behind him that projected supporting imagery at times, and a voice that has only gotten better with age, becoming richer and more soulful. I… Continue reading Trey Anastasio is a one man jam band
Those who are convinced we cannot make things in America anymore have conveniently forgotten the recent history of the pandemic, where we invented a new vaccine, produced hundreds of millions of doses along with hundreds of thousands of ventilators and millions of other medical devices in a few months. There are plenty of reasons… Continue reading Tariffs, our selective amnesia, and the total failure of American imagination
How much should we care about the plight of a man too afraid to change his life, one who knows it, and yet can’t stop bitching about it, whether they are dancing alone or jerking off? Read literally, “Dancing in the Dark,” one of Bruce Springsteen’s biggest hits and the source for perhaps his most… Continue reading “Dancing in the Dark” and the art of self-help, Springsteen style
Can a song can be a stirring patriotic anthem and a condemnation of certain aspects of the American experience at the same time, a paradox of a piece of music if you will? On the surface, “Born in the USA” isn’t a patriotic song, far from it. Originally conceived and recorded as a mournful yet… Continue reading Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” and the paradox of a song
Cars are, in a sense, milestones in our lives. When I “finally” got my first roadster in 2002 it seemed a lifetime of driving had passed already, though it hadn’t even been ten years since I got my license and I couldn’t have predicted I’d have five more, spanning more than twenty. Technically, the headline… Continue reading My sixth six-speed roadster and a few reflections on aging after a half lifetime of cars
It is the supreme irony of our age that we live in a period of more peace, prosperity, and health than the world has ever known, one where new wonders arise practically weekly, but cannot bring ourselves to acknowledge how truly lucky we are. There are years that are objectively bad. No one, or at… Continue reading When did every New Year become the winter of our discontent?
Confessions of a Conservative Atheist 