Tom Swift Writer’s Notebook

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Speaking of Mr. Ebert … I caught a Fresh Air podcast over the weekend featuring a great old interview of Ebert with his late partner, Gene Siskel. The show also includes a discussion between Ebert and Martin Scorsese. My favorite slice:
EBERT: What I feel so strongly in talking to people about movies, frequently people will [...]

Journey through Canyons from Metron on Vimeo.

My brother’s band was flown to Chicago over the weekend, where they played in the House of Blues. In order to reach the next round in this cross-country battle of the bands, they need you to vote early and often.
My name is Tom Swift and I approve this message.

Starting tonight, TBS will pay tribute to late George Steinbrenner by airing all ten “Seinfeld” episodes that “included” the New York Yankees owner (an actor, Lee Bear, portrayed Steinbrenner — though his face wasn’t shown — and Larry David provided Steinbrenner’s voice). If only I got TBS …

If you can’t suck ‘em in any other way, write a header that might rile up some folks — that’s what I always like to say.
A recent study indicates that empathy for others is in decline. The study, conducted by the Michigan University Institute for Social Research, looked at 72 other studies that measured empathy [...]

Speak of the devil … the inestimable Diane Rehm spent an hour earlier this week doing just that.

I have some big news.
What? You finally learned how to use your cell phone or something?
Bigger.
You don’t mean to tell me you broke down and ate a piece of chocolate cake?
I’m serious here.
OK, what did you do — mess up Justin Bieber’s hair? Go see “Sex and the City”? Join a book-burning club?
I quit Facebook.
Look, [...]

… better 500 years late than never.

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by a showing of four Twin Cities artists. One of them, Jim Kuether, is a talented water colorist, paleo-artist, and photographer. His paintings of area waterscapes drew me in but I looked longest at one of his photographs. It depicts three African-American boys in Mississippi and part of the image’s appeal [...]

My brother’s band released its first album with a virtuoso performance at the Fine Line last night and, without question, the guitarist stole the show (at least according to everyone at our table). Buying a copy — now available in CD and/or digital download — is as easy this.

Finished The Wire last weekend — the final season was recently released on DVD — and already I miss McNulty. And Bunk. And Lester. And Carver. And Omar. So many terrific characters. Though I loved that much of the drama unfolded in a newsroom, the fifth season fell short of, say, the second or fourth [...]

I like learning about how great writers work. I also like learning about people who live on the margins. This means I would, eventually, square my eyes on Charles Bukowski.
Even so, I had expected a different DVD to arrive in the mail than the one that turned up this week. But then anything generated by [...]

I was waiting on the Beast to do his thing this morning when I turned to the Onion for an exclusive report on a related topic.

Some authors — I know one intimately — don’t think especially well on their feet. Salman Rushie is not among them. I really enjoyed the Q&A at the end of this reading (during the final 17 minutes or so), as readers asked excellent questions and Rushdie provided witty and uncommonly insightful responses.

“I know the store is open 24 hours a day,” I said while dropping off a prescription, “but how long is the pharmacy open?” Why, 24 hours a day. Of course! The more I think about it the more that makes sense. We’re all on drugs, it’s just that some drugs are legal and some [...]

This morning’s edition of the best five minutes in radio features a poem that makes me smile.

I mentioned the American Indian boarding school experience the other day and I delve into the topic at some length in the book. Hard not to, given the role such schools played in Charles Bender’s formative years. This week NPR produced a two-part series about life at Indian boarding schools. I was especially interested in [...]

The Wire rules. I’m about a half-decade behind the curve with that observation but, man, it’s quality talking-picture entertainment. The story is nuanced, concise, compelling. The characters are rich and real. And likable. Even the drug dealers. Maybe especially the drug dealers.
As I watch — we’re waiting for the final disc of Season 2 to [...]