Yeah, Crouch's views on hip-hop are questionable but not outlandishly so. He used to live with David Murray - my favourite baby-boomer jazz musician - who also took a dim view of rap just on musical grounds, at least at one time. Apparently Gary Giddens also hates rap and has some generally right-wing views despite…

Honestly though, he's probably a nice guy, but there's got to be a ton of people who would give their right arm for that job and he has it why? It's one thing if something's not to your taste but if you can't step back and respect quality work at a distance, you probably shouldn't be a critic. Not that anyone reads…

Glad someone agreed! The theme can be dilated upon, no doubt (they're smart songwriters), but at the same time it's certainly not a metaphor but a clear repudiation of the idea, ever more ubiquitous even (especially?) amongst many feminists, that porn has no inherently negative effects. Whether or not anyone agrees,…

Ask not for whom the Taco Bell tolls; it tolls for thee

I didn't even realize they had a kid. Good for them.

That might be my #1 hate song. It's so aggressively obnoxious that it genuinely upsets me and leaves me feeling depressed.

I hope that wouldn't be the case, but you never know when an interesting alternate take is going to allow you to descry something in a song (as multilayered as theirs) that had remained veiled to you. Who knows? A collection of outtakes from them might end up being substandard or it might end up being the The…

This is heavy news but these guys made four classic records (with the fifth surely not to disappoint). They've done more than enough to cement their place in rock history. The Velvet Underground only had four releases and then look at what Lou Reed went on to accomplish. I think Kevin, in particular, really has the…

It's a very smart, affecting anti-porn feminist song. And rather brave in an age of pro-porn feminism.

I agree with you; I think it's lovely.

YES! SO EXCITED!

No no, it's fine. Does anyone have his home address and phone number as well as the the home addresses, phone numbers and workplaces of his family and closest friends to post? Any screenshots from his Facebook?

I find it's easier to split hairs about grades for good records whereas everything less than C is just a muddle. Like that Katy Perry album was a loathsome piece of shit but was it a C piece of shit or an D- piece of shit? I have no idea. I have a habit of discounting the latter half of the scale, imagining C to be…

This site needs for philosophy humour.

I have a real soft spot for "Heavenly Arms".

Listen, America may not always do the right thing in the world but on those very rare occasions, it errs only in that it loves too much.

FUCK OFF BEN AFFLECK, IT'S ENOUGH.

Agree. I won't say anymore lest the thread be hijacked, but apart from his contribution to linguistics, cognitive science and philosophy, you listen to his 5 minute explanation of the Cold War or his 10 minute dissection of the tag-team US-Soviet traducing of Marxism ("on Leninism" on YT) and you're like "holy shit,…

Every time I listen to Chomsky now I think how there is going to be true hole left in our public discourse when he dies.

Only just finished listening to "New Sensations" and saw this. Guy was a legend.