Replacing my blog at http://pablosmoglives.wordpress.com
"Music became my refuge then my salvation." Lena Horne There's an early scene in American Hustle in which Amy Adams and Christian Bale are gushing about Duke Ellington. Their characters share a great deal of enthusiasm about his music, and one of...
“I've always taken The Wizard of Oz very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it. ” Judy Garland I made a video a few months ago titled "Showpeoples' Prayer," but I never poste...
In this era of fake demonic idiot-pop, monosyllabic children's strip-club music, retro-progressive cultural devolutionism, and Kanye West, I have decided to secede from the Union and declare myself the warlord of a cultural banana republic. I hereby...
The Fire Will Burn Your Laughter Away whatever you do,whatever you say,the fire will burn your laughter away myriad lunatics,legion of swine,screaming at mountaintopsfrom gutters and crying,writing your epitaphin powderand clay,the fire will bur...
As you may be aware, Antifa is starting fights outside of Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon, over a book with the subtitle "Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy." It isn't clear whether or not the fights are intended to convince the ge...
I thought I'd already addressed this issue, and indeed I have. In June I wrote an article inspired by the story of some Christian bandleader who "lost his faith" titled Fake Christians, Fake Music. You can read it here if you like: https://www.publ...
Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days came out in 1995, and is an interesting snapshot of the ethos of the era. Widely considered a dystopian film, or worse, "prescient" of a dystopian future, what it actually shows (probably unwittingly) is how united peo...
Pride is not strong, and strength is not proud. Pride and strength are opposites. Strength does not declare itself. Strength tests itself. Strength does not feel the need for the approval of others. Pride depends on the approval of others. It dec...
During the Myspace years, I was once informed that I had "sick content." Obviously a compliment, I was nevertheless as amused by this Millennial colloquialism as I was flattered by it. Age is not an issue for me. However, there is a fine line betw...
I was in Wichita, Kansas last year on a job hunt. Some guy in the area was looking for bass players, a retired professional in some other field who bought himself a small-time country music career. He liked my audition video and wanted to hire me. ...
