The Floating World

Can the Japanese today really look to Mother Nature to find out who they are? A visit to Hawaii spurs writer TOKUTA WONGSE-ONT to reflect on the lost 'floating world' that once was the Land of the Rising Sun.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Caruso on The Art of Singing

ENRICO CARUSO holds forth on the ART OF SINGING in an excerpt from a 1909 collection of h is public utterances on his art. The wealth of embedded videos include the 1918 silent film MY COUSIN, featuring the great singer in a du...
by David McGee
 

 

 

Marianne Dubuc and the Art of Silence

In her new book The Lion and The Bird, author-illustrator MARIANNE DUBUC invites young readers into her tale by means of 'interrupted silence, not rushing the story, letting it breathe.' JULES explains further.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Graffiti, Hip-Hop & Misfit-ness

In praise of graffiti-inspired illustrator THEODORE TAYLOR III, in his own book, OFF THE WALL, and in WHEN THE BEAT WAS BORN, the story of DJ Kool Herc.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Inspired by Tolstoy and Pigs

Toronto-based animal rights activist ANITA KRAJNC is co-founder of Toronto Pig Save. They save pigs from slaughter, on pain of arrest. Their efforts are paying off. DUNCAN STRAUSS has the inside story.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Rocketship X-M

DEEP ROOTS THEATER: Now playiing--Rocketship X-M, a 1950 sci-fi opus starring Lloyd Bridges in a script by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo that subtly proselytizes against the hazards of nuclear at a time when The Bomb w...
by David McGee
 

 

 

Salt of the Earth (1954)

In 1954 a group of blacklisted filmmakers made the first blacklisted film in American history, SALT OF THE EARTH. Centered on a strike by Mexican-American workers in New Mexico, it is ever more timely now.
by David McGee
 

 
 

My Summer Romance: Laughter, Tears & Tenderness

MY SUMMER ROMANCE: LAUGHTER, TEARS & TENDERNESS in three stories and a poem about summer loves. Music by MEL CARTER, SPANKY & OUR GANG, et al.
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘It’s Almost Like We’re Standing Against an Evil Giant’

NAVAJO WOMEN are rising up against unfettered oil and gas development on Native lands; a statue of CHIEF JOSEPH of the Nez Perce is going into Statuary Hall.
by David McGee
 

 
 

This American Yule

With conductor/artistic director HARRY CHRISTOPHERS at the helm, the HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY offers a journey through traditional carols using American tunes.
by David McGee
 

 

 

The Mythic Weight Of Phil Spector’s Christmas Gift

In 1963, PHIL SPECTOR thought his CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU album would be a career-defining event. Then a not-so-funny-thing happened to him on his way to musical world dominance. BILLY ALTMAN fills us in.
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Coolest Yule

The Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet's first seasonal outpouring, FOOLS FOR YULE, offers some bracing surprises in its mix of original songs and classic holiday fare.
by David McGee