My new column for PopMatters went up today. Titled "A Nightly Ritual: Bob Dylan's Never-Changing Set Lists," it reviews his May 16, 2015 show here in Columbus and examines the mini-controversy over his set list, which is very heavy on recent songs. I didn't end up cutting much unless you count everything I left out of the review--which, as LeBron James has been saying lately, is "everything." The challenge of writing about Dylan isn't just saying something new, it's choosing how to narrow down your focus when there's so much his music touches.
Ties That Bind: Rihanna’s “American Oxygen”
My new column went up today at PopMatters, which has been going through a significant site redesign. The end result is sharp-looking."Spectacle of Empty Gestures: Rihanna's 'American Oxygen'" concerns the song and the video, both of which strike me as either confused or simplistic, or both. Unless there's obvious reason or proof, I never doubt… Continue reading Ties That Bind: Rihanna’s “American Oxygen”
Ties That Bind: Bill O’Reilly’s Rock and Roll Machine
My new column is up at PopMatters: "Bill O'Reilly's Rock and Roll Machine". It's either read this or go see Paul Blart Mall Cop 2. You decide.This was another fun piece to read, soaked in anger though it is. It's also my first bit of political satire-meets-rock criticism, since it focuses on the intersections of… Continue reading Ties That Bind: Bill O’Reilly’s Rock and Roll Machine
Ties That Bind: The Voices is an American Nightmare
The return of my PopMatters column "Ties That Bind"--which usually focuses on the intersection of American culture, politics, and art of some kind--takes a look at the film The Voices. Up today! Here's an excerpt:The guy in the seat behind/above me seemed like he was about to vomit on my head—“Oh,” he muttered helplessly, “Oh… Continue reading Ties That Bind: The Voices is an American Nightmare
Couch Surfing: The Blind Engineer on CXCW 2015
Couch by Couchwest is a response to a similarly-named and slightly more famous music festival. As CXCW puts it on their website: "Let’s face it, we’re all too broke to go to South by Southwest in Austin, and even if we had the money, we couldn’t get out of work anyway." So they post homegrown… Continue reading Couch Surfing: The Blind Engineer on CXCW 2015
Extra SPACE Indie Comix Expo
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The Blind Engineer Strikes Again
I'll be playing as The Blind Engineer once again on Wednesday, March 18 at The Tree Bar here in Columbus, opening for Evening River Band out of Philly. Despite their awesome logo (a version of which is below) they're not a death-metal band, but rather a kick-ass rock band. 9pm, 21+, $5.Tell us you're coming… Continue reading The Blind Engineer Strikes Again
Poem Comics and Profluent Lingering up at TCJ
My article on poem comics and profluent lingering is up at The Comics Journal. Thanks to Dan Nadel and the TCJ staff, and to Bianca Stone for letting us reprint her two poem comics, "How It Is" and "Kneeling in a Pile of Leaves."Here's an excerpt from the essay:The clear problem in my [previous] definition… Continue reading Poem Comics and Profluent Lingering up at TCJ
Forthcoming: PopMatters Column and TCJ Article
Two bits of news, kids. My "Ties That Bind" column at PopMatters will return in March. I took a hiatus last summer in order to focus on some book-length projects: finishing my novel The Day and getting it out to agents, getting further ahead on my book about The 'Nam and my book of music… Continue reading Forthcoming: PopMatters Column and TCJ Article
Forthcoming: “Ring Around the Moon”
It occurred to me that I haven't announced the forthcoming publication of my short story, "Ring Around the Moon," in the lit journal 2 Bridges Review. They've got a beaut of an online reader and, um, excellent taste."Ring Around the Moon" is scheduled to be published later this year, at which point I'll share a… Continue reading Forthcoming: “Ring Around the Moon”
Robert Loss 