The Beatles vs The Rolling Stones: Some Sound Opinions, 50 Years On

“My brother’s back at home with his Beatles and his Stones; we never got it off on that revolution stuff.” So lamented Mott the Hoople in their 1972 “All The Young Dudes,” a David Bowie-penned anthem about aimless glam-rockers and their disdain for the values of the past. Oh, those boogaloo boys in their eyeliner, glitter and platform shoes! I’ve enjoyed glam-rock as much as many other genres, from punk to bluegrass. But no matter how many musical roads I’ve traveled, I always end up “back at home, with my Beatles and my Stones.” This summer, my two favorite bands celebrated 50th anniversaries.

The Gift of Anne Frank: Writing Till the Stoney End

Anne Frank, the Jewish teen diarist who documented her experiences hiding from the Nazis during World War II, would have turned 86 today. Her work inspired me to purchase my first diary. We were soul mates; both of us dark-haired and dark-eyed, yearning to be free, wrapped up in our writing as a form of escape and self-therapy. Like Anne, I will continue to write till my stoney end.