Americans are obsessed with cults. With all the election-year talk of “American Exceptionalism” in this floundering economy, one of the most profound, indeed exceptional, American products is the commercialization of cults. The 24-hour news cycle cut its teeth on Waco and David Koresh, and more recently, on the polygamist sect run by Warren Jeffs, who…
Saul Bass, legendary graphic designer who revolutionized animation in motion picture title sequences, continues to be a source of inspiration for many student and professional artists. (In case you are unfamiliar, here’s a compilation of his collaboration with film noir heavy-weights like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Otto Preminger.) For those interested in learning…
I have a favorite crime writer. I bet you’ve heard of him. But you may not be able to come up with his name. Here, have a sample and see if you can guess who it is: Well it’s 9th and Hennepin and all the donuts have names that sound like prostitutes and the moon’s…
As fans of Ken Bruen’s books know, his writing is chock-full of external references. I’m guessing it’s one of the reasons the blurbs on the book jackets occasionally compare him to James Joyce, Irishness aside. Being a former grad student, I figured, why not chase down these references. So, I reread his debut in the…
There is no music. My main character, journalist Leo Desroches, doesn’t listen to the radio, doesn’t talk about his favorite songs, nor does he try to impress anyone by referencing a musical artist. For someone like me, having no music in my novel can be seen as an unusual decision. You see, before I got…
I recently read Peter Robinson’s fine novel Friend of the Devil. When I was finished, I spent a pleasant half hour checking out all the music he references throughout the book. (Or rather, music that plays on Inspector Banks’ iPod, which he keeps in shuffle mode, evidently enjoying surprising himself.) I even bought a couple…
5. Lilly (My One and Only) – Smashing Pumpkins “Cause I’m hanging in this tree, in the hopes that she will catch a glimpse of me. And through her window shade, I watch her shadow move…” Uh, cut the tree down and deadbolt the windows. 4. Don’t You Want Me – The Human League “Don’t,…
When I was a child in the Southern California of the late 1950s, watching Peter Gunn on television was one of the week’s highlights. Henry Mancini, who did the music for the series, lived in a neighboring town and went to our San Fernando Valley church, so we had a proprietary interest in the show. …
