Category Archives: arts

Belated valentines for the broken-hearted

Posted on February 15, 2023 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit was at my shack waiting to welcome me home from a long road trip that ended on the treacherous backstreets of York, PA. I drove through an intersection with a sudden slope and the car came down hard … Continue reading →

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Fifteen spirituals to help you get through 2022

Posted on January 12, 2022 by oddmanout215

“They ain’t spirituals,” Swamp Rabbit said. “Elvis was a rocker. Blind Faith don’t belong on no list with James Cleveland. Matthew Sweet got ain’t got nothin’ to do with Mahalia Jackson. You got gospel mixed up with rock ‘n’ roll.” … Continue reading →

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Watching ‘Wonderful Life’ but not getting it

Posted on January 4, 2022 by oddmanout215

“How come you like that corny movie?” Swamp Rabbit said after watching the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) for the first time. “I thought you were one of them too-cool-for-school guys.” I told him Wonderful Life transcends its … Continue reading →

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12 days of Christmas, 12 cool songs

Posted on December 24, 2021 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit was mad because Alvin and the Chipmunks didn’t make the cut. “You don’t like my Christmas playlist, then put together your own,” I told him.

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Farewell to rock ‘n’ roll’s coolest timekeeper

Posted on August 29, 2021 by oddmanout215

“All the great ones are checking out,” I said to my neighbor Swamp Rabbit after hearing that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts had died Tuesday at age 80. “It’s the end of an era.” Swamp Rabbit sipped whiskey and shook … Continue reading →

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The Year of the Yahoo

Posted on August 11, 2021 by oddmanout215

“What exactly you mean by yahoo?” Swamp Rabbit said, sounding defensive. I’d just finished telling him that yahoo-ism is a syndrome that’s been trending for years in this country. That the yahoos among us became louder and more conspicuous when … Continue reading →

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Not forgetting is hard work (a history lesson)

Posted on June 4, 2021 by oddmanout215

“When was the last time you thought about history?” I said to Swamp Rabbit, who was playing a video game on his phone. “Here, check this out.” I made him read the laughably creepy anecdote that starts Milan Kundera’s The … Continue reading →

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Anti-boomer demands recount of 2,020 greatest songs

Posted on December 19, 2020 by oddmanout215

“I bet they ain’t got none of my favorites,” my neighbor Swamp Rabbit said when WXPN in Philadelphia started playing the 2,020 all-time greatest songs, an end-of-year list based on votes cast by the station’s listeners. “You might be surprised,” … Continue reading →

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The drama queen on the balcony, on steroids

Posted on October 8, 2020 by oddmanout215

So what happens when the would-be dictator not only denies the Covid-19 but turns the White House into a virus hot spot? “Beats the hell out of me,” Swamp Rabbit said. “I’m still wondering why them so-called doctors would let … Continue reading →

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A new meaning for ‘cancel culture’

Posted on July 19, 2020 by oddmanout215

‘Last week I went to Philadelphia, but it was closed.’ I found Swamp Rabbit near my shack, at the frog pond, drinking a beer. “There’s no easy way to say this,” I said. “Philadelphia is closing. I think we’ve become … Continue reading →

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