Give me your music, your art, your huddled masses of words and rhythms yearning to breathe free.
Okay, rock fans of the ’60s and ’70s, it’s time to get brutally honest and swallow your hipster pride. Can you please admit you’ve heard of country singer Tammy Wynette? And, if you know the name, are you self-assured enough to admit you’ve heard, or even enjoyed, her 1968 chart-topping single, “D.I.V.O.R.C.E.”? C’mon, fess up! … Read more
Guido Barilla, president of the world’s largest manufacturer of boxed pasta, has vowed his company would never feature homosexuals in its ads: “I would never make a spot with a homosexual family,” he said yesterday on Italy’s radio program La Zanzara (The Mosquito). “Not out of a lack of respect but because I do not … Read more
While dance clubs around the globe were blasting “Kung Fu Fighting,” I was fighting Kung Fu blasting. This early disco hit, which topped the U.S. charts in September 1974, was recorded in ten minutes and took singer Carl Douglas a mere two takes to complete. It was originally intended to be the B side of … Read more
I’m noting two things today: first, the 20-year anniversary of Ellen DeGeneres announcing, “Yep, I’m gay,” on her popular prime time TV series, thus ending weeks of speculation regarding a “coming out” announcement from the star. Second, it’s National Hairstylists Appreciation Day. Here’s how I relate the two events. On April 30, 1997, I was … Read more
Iʼm one of the worldʼs original Beatlemaniacs. Iʼm so proud of my big Beatle love that I unashamedly admit Iʼm old enough to have seen the Fab Four on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 (well, I was only four – but I’ve never forgotten the thrill). While my childhood friends dreamed of one day … Read more