DEATH AND NEW LIVES
I have had some really wonderful pop culture experiences over the past 2 months: New Japan Pro Wrestling https://www.instagram.com/p… , a night with drugged out hipsters seeing Sophie https://www.instagram.com/p… , some killer stand-up shows live and recorded, finally getting to Quimby’s comics in…

If that's the context you would place him in today, you have a poverty of imagination and spirit that's truly sad.

Oh, God, people, we can just have a conversation about the life of a great athlete, flaws and all, without seeking out foes or persecution. Learn from Ali and avoid a victim complex.

It really is wonderful, and I'm not even a huge Minchin or Kelly fan. I'm not sure who the Chicago cast is, but make the time!

Awesome post! In any case, here is my list from last year of every special I saw or heard.

I invited a bunch of coworker friends to it who had never attended a stand-up set, and I couldn't imagine a better introduction to the form. It was a "show" like few comedy specials are, but it remained seamless and hilarious throughout. If there is new stuff, it'll probably stay at number 1 for comedy specials this…

The A.V. Club, Cass Sunstein, and Star Wars: 3 of my favo-…3 things I recognize put together!

No! You are 1 of my very fav-ou-rites.

Or perhaps they think that life isn't about avoiding pain and maximizing pleasure, that patience and struggle oft create positive attributes, and that children are, in many objective senses, a joy not found in anything else.

Please tell me you haven't ignored his cool and dancefloor-oriented singles and EPs. https://www.discogs.com/art…

That single of Paul Simon's is cowritten by the amazing Italian Clap; Clap. I know you're religious, so check out the mythology he created with his releases, map and all! https://www.discogs.com/art…

And yet the religious references are smarter and more explicit than, "Oooh, Lord, you watch over me. Water. Soaring. Anything in You."

Israel (Sparring) shouldn't have been left off just for tonal purposes. https://soundcloud.com/chan…

And Cate LeBon just released her new album. Truly, it is the year of Welsh music.

It's quite nice. I have Zola Jesus', too, and I adore it, but it makes me smell like a sorcerer. Hecker's has those fir forest sharp notes, but with a fresher, sea breeze balance. I wear Zola Jesus to special occasions, but you could wear Hecker's every day.

Gamestop was the only non-career job I've had, and it was largely a dream: amazing coworkers whom I'm still friends with, video game nerding around, slow morning hours where I could beat Virtua Fighter 5 over the course of 3 months, alphabetizing and cleaning.

I laughed.

That's true! But it's still not about embracing our differences. You could argue that Matilda is about that, I guess (I would argue not, but the pieces are there), but your Charlie And The Chocolate Factories and The BFGs are specifically about how a lot of people suck and need to change to be good people, so good…

It just seems wrong. Dahl is adventure, of course, but American whimsy (Walt Disney World) and Welsh whimsy (old folk tales) are very different things. Uck: http://www.usatoday.com/sto…

Eh, this is something that hasn't been done to death. It didn't have to be The Grand Inquisitor, but I'm sad something unique with awesome people in it isn't anything substantial.