Twilight of the Hero

I’ve been listening heavily and with concentration to Wagner’s entire Ring Cycle, for personal and professional reasons. Personally, well, I enjoy it more and more. It’s one of the great works of drama in cultural history and Wagner is absolutely one of the most accomplished seducers in music. He makes you feel, [...]

Torture Porn

There is a good, brief article in the March 2008 issue of Vanity Fair (no link) that discusses the cultural origins of the small, important group of horror film directors who debuted in the late 60s – early 70s; George Romero, Wes Crave, Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter. It’s an adjunct to a superb IFC [...]