Blogcritics Editors' Picks - Nov. 12 to Nov. 18
Published November 23, 2005
(For the week of Nov. 12 to Nov. 18, posted the following Wednesday)***
|- MUSIC -|- BOOKS -|- TV/FILM -|- CULTURE -|- POLITICS -|- SPORTS -|
You made the list and you deserve a T-shirt that says "Ed picked me today!!!!!!!" No? Well then we have these lovely would-look-good-as-a-jeans-patch graphics. Please feel free to use below on your own site for picks this week. Right click this image to get the URL. gif listed first, jpg second. If you link the image to your winning post that would be even better.
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This week we start the picks from those who have previously been listed here. It starts as a trickle and ends as a flood.
1st Editor's Pick Pick (EPP)
GoHah (going back a little beyond the current 11/12-11/18 week) chose:
The experiences are different, but the power of song remains the same. Steven Hart's "Wallace, Gromit and Mr. Paterno" evoke memories from the immediate, to the distant yet still vivid. For starters, the stiff-upper-lip "Britishness" of Wallace and Gromit brought out the inner-Anglophile in me as I was reminded of bands such as the Kinks, the Jam and the Clash, that were so idiosyncratically and stubbornly U.K., whether you hear London calling, or the Village Green.
It was Hart's wayback-machine reminiscences of his surround-sound youth that summoned up more deeply ingrained recollections. I don't remember my music teacher's name, but at home, before I embraced the Three Bs — Beatles, Beach Boys and Bob Dylan, I got a big dose of American popular song. I learned Gerschwin, Berlin, Rogers and Hart, Cole Porter, and Hoagy Carmichael by way of my mother, who, as professional musician, practiced long hours at the piano, guitar and electric bass; I knew "Stardust" before I ever encountered Ziggy Stardust. Dad played the phonograph, but he was pretty accomplished — Sinatra was my favorite, especially "Songs For Swingin' Lovers." I knew what it was like to be prematurely Young at Heart, and how the dame that made me feel that way always turns out to be the same one who, when my now-lonely heart has learned its lesson, will crush my spirit and leave me pining "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning."
God, no wonder I'm a mess. So I want to acknowledge Steven Hart for reminding me of the roots of the emotional bloodbath that became my life. And also say something about how the kind of careful, considered craftsmanship that went into composing such musical standards were resonant in his writing. Thank you.
- Blogcritics Editors' Picks - Nov. 12 to Nov. 18
- Published: November 23, 2005
- Type: News
- Section: Culture
- Part of a feature: Editors' Picks
- Writer: Temple Stark
- Temple Stark's BC Writer page
- Temple Stark's personal site
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For the record: I understand that my Editor's Pick Picks comments needed to be edited--I'm longwinded and cuss like longshoreman--but without the needed context, the "emotional bloodbath" makes little sense, connoting much childhood wailing and gnashing of teeth where there was none. Which would be no big deal, except that Mom just called, cussing like a longshoreman . . .
GoHah, not worried about the cussing and I'll see what I can do to add back in the context no one else would have noticed was missing :-)
Give me a few.
And yeah, it was its own post :-)
Temple--thank you for reacting to my overreacting, and for the fine-tuning.
Thank you! I'm honored. I knew my obsession with the Food Network would get me far, I just didn't know it would get me this far.
Apologies are owed to the writers who should have been selected for Editor's Picks in Books this week! I'll be making my amends with a double-dose of picks for next week.
I promise.
Only do that Pat, if there are enough that meet high quality from Nov 19 to the 25.
I wouldn't promise unless I thought I could make good on it.
I'm very grateful for the vivid notice.
It's always interesting "to see oursels as ithers see us." I wish the Far Future could see us as a kinder species. We could make a quantum leap to committed construction from benighted destruction. It would make my transcribings of info from Y3000 a lot less embarrassing. "Yes, well, yes we did torture people. Yes, we did spend money on weapons instead of education. Yes, we didn't have health care for all our people." It's the look of faint disgust (They are very polite) and incredulity on their faces that so crawls the skin.
Again, so many thanks.
Thanks for picking my review Connie!!!
I'm honored that you enjoyed it.
-Megan of the Modern Pea Pod
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I may have missed something in transfering between many mailboxes and getting used to my new non-Bc editor's office.
Let me know 'K?
Thank you.