Hi, what’s up?
Yeah, I’ve been away for a while. You know, the pandemic and all. And plans got changed. But the good news is that I wrote a novel and now I’m querying. So here’s an explanation and an apology.
Arts
Includes film & television, photography, fine arts, theatre, performance, and literature.
Thinking about Ned Beaumont
The Glass Key is a dark character study masquerading as a lurid crime novel. And for much of my life I felt the main character was the most like me of anyone in literature.
Thinking about Ned Beaumont Read More »
Me, San Francisco, 1984
A photo from the last period of my life when I was seriously writing fiction. It was also a time when I knew how to find fantastic vintage clothes and put them together to make a very cool look.
Me, San Francisco, 1984 Read More »
Recommended books of 2019
Some of the books I read in 2019 – regardless when they were first published! – that I would recommend. From crime fiction and cerebral sci-fi to design to marketing.
Recommended books of 2019 Read More »
Recommended movies of 2019
Not a ‘best of’ list. Instead, it answers the question, “What movies from 2019 would you recommend I catch on streaming video because they’re interesting and enjoyable?”
Recommended movies of 2019 Read More »
Remembering Zappa and Mahavishnu at The Spectrum
The original Mahavishnu Orchestra declined to take prisoners; no fusion band ever rocked so hard, and they were more than ready to not only share a stage with Zappa, but to intimidate him with musicianship that was as skilled and complex as his own, forcing him to respond. Man, those were exciting years for popular music.
Remembering Zappa and Mahavishnu at The Spectrum Read More »
Lessons for network TV
Maybe the TV industry old guard should stop fighting streaming to protect an outdated business model, and embrace the possibilities the medium offers.
Lessons for network TV Read More »
I’m not sure a pseudonym is really me, and other debates
During my most recent trip to India I was invited to speak as part of a series called The Other Side, in which business leaders share stories about how they rebounded after failures and setbacks. At my advanced age I have plenty of those, but I decided to tell them The Big Story about how I
I’m not sure a pseudonym is really me, and other debates Read More »
Mature poets steal
“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.” – T.S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood (1920) Professional marketers and communicators often take their inspiration from earlier works in fine art or popular culture, and build new commercial messages that evoke or take off
Mature poets steal Read More »
Role models in unexpected places
I saw that Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is now on Amazon Prime, and that got me to thinking about how the only reason to watch that film is to see Rebecca Ferguson, a Swedish-British actress you may not know, steal the entire thing from the likes of Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and
Role models in unexpected places Read More »