There are times when being a musical artist creates a no-win situation. Fickle fans want you to grow, but keep making the same sort of music. They don’t want you to repeat yourself, but quickly become unhappy if the new stuff is too different from what they expected.
Growing up in the Philly area, there is a constant underlying feeling of inferiority, like a little brother, in regards to New York City, particularly within the realm of hip-hop.
“He saw the whole of a subject at a single glance, and by a happy union of the powers of reasoning and persuasion often succeeded in carrying measures which were at first sight of an unpopular nature.”
–Benjamin Rush
I imagine writing a book about John Adams in the 2010’s would be a daunting task.
At first glance, it appears that there is significant difficulty in writing about a member of a revered, almost mythical, group that died nearly two centuries ago.
Generally speaking, economics books are not meant to make for pleasant reading.
The best thing about the digital revolution is that there are almost no rules. Like independent films in the early ’90s, creators are using available technology to push boundaries and reinvent the way things are done. Thus, the rise of the e-book and the availability of self-publishing now allows a superfan to create their own digital scrapbook of their favorite writer/director/podcaster/author.
After four decades, it’s hard to create a hip-hop project that doesn’t sound like everything else that has come before it while also maintaining the elements of what has made the music endure and grow for so long.
Sometimes, though, an album finds a new space that hasn’t been plundered yet. A World Only Gods Know, the new project from Scorcese and Alpha Davis, aims to be one those albums.
To call It a box office success would be an enormous understatement. The film shattered records upon its release and has grossed over $650 million worldwide — $320 million of which came domestically — against a very modest $35 million budget.
If a (supposedly) new Wu-Tang Clan album doesn’t move the needle the way it once did, it’s largely because it’s easy to be skeptical about new material coming out of Shaolin.
Trailblazing can be a gift and a curse.
On page one of John Grisham’s new novel, The Whistler, we’re introduced to a character that is napping. It’s fitting, because this book will put you to sleep.
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 