Category Archives: arts

Stranger than Strangelove

Posted on September 22, 2013 by oddmanout215

I was back at the shack, beside myself with angst, reading to Swamp Rabbit about a catastrophe that almost happened a half-century ago: A secret document, published in declassified form for the first time by the Guardian today, reveals that … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, economic collapse, fiction, history, humor, mainstream media, movies, Philadelphia, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

J.D. Salinger groupie tells all — again!

Posted on September 16, 2013 by oddmanout215

My friend Swamp Rabbit, an autodidact who tries to hide his deep knowledge of American literature, was surprised and appalled by a recent piece in The New York Times by the writer Joyce Maynard. It began: In the 50 years … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, mainstream media, movies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘The Next Day’ a surprise gift to Bowie fans

Posted on March 31, 2013 by oddmanout215

David Bowie’s low visibility in recent years led to rumors he might be dying, or simply too bored to record again. At some point, he got over his ennui, if that’s what it was, and began working on The Next … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, mainstream media, pop music, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bits and pieces, Oscar night

Posted on February 25, 2013 by oddmanout215

We all know the Academy Awards are more about commerce than art, that the best picture award rarely goes to the film that deserves it. But how is it that a film can win for best picture but not best … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

On the links (Obama and Big Oil)

Posted on February 22, 2013 by oddmanout215

It will be interesting to see how Rachel Maddow and her liberal-lite colleagues at MSNBC spin the story if Barach Obama ends up backing the Keystone XL Pipeline. They speak no evil of the chief, ever. From Common Dreams: So … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, climate change, environmentalism, mainstream media, Obama, pop music | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

William Faulkner does Super Bowl XLVII

Posted on February 4, 2013 by oddmanout215

[The Sound and the Fury and the outage:] Through the drapes, between the Jell-O football trays, I could see them hitting. They were up on the picture wall, coming to where the ball was and I was looking in the … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, humor, mainstream media, weasel | 2 Comments

Boyz II Men to make sexy time in Russia

Posted on February 3, 2013 by oddmanout215

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing his fellow citizens: “I have beeg announcement. American sexy band Boys II Men come to Moscow this week. Show love, comrades.” OK, Putin didn’t exactly say that, but the Grammy-winning R&B band really is flying … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, climate change, humor, Obama, pop music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto’

Posted on December 24, 2012 by oddmanout215

Listen, people: The word “ghetto” dates to 16th- or 17th-century Venice, where Jews were restricted to living on an island near a foundry that produced a lot of ghet, or waste products. Or is it simply derived from borghetto — … Continue reading →

Posted in arts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Happy First Day After the Solstice!

Posted on December 22, 2012 by oddmanout215

Some people work very hard, But still they never get it right. Well I’m beginning to see the light. Dec. 21 was the winter solstice, the shortest and dreariest day. The world seemed a dark, pitiless place where you couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, pop music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Who’s scarier, Freddie Krueger or Philip Roth?

Posted on October 24, 2012 by oddmanout215

Reassessing an odd work of fiction, because I need a break from the mainstream media’s “facts”: Novels and movies about ghosts and ghoulies are supposed to be scary but rarely are. If you want to enjoy a Halloween story that … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment