Learned today that Phillip Glass visited my university at one point, and I know nothing more than this, but my mind is blown with the possibilities.

Someday I will go to a Pacers game with @ericdharvey.com and it will be a proper Naptown freakout of a time. (May this come to pass.)

Currently overwriting. I know I’m overwriting. But it’s how I get this right. Or close to right. I have to do the cutting in revision.

Here’s Damon Krukowski’s recent conversation with Liz Pelly, on her book The Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist.

Pacers win! And…Billy Joel has a banner at MSG?

So, I became a full professor earlier this year. Now I’m going through a year or two of notes reminding me to track down this book, that movie, this podcast, that band. Tons of restaurant names too. A cry for help, clearly, from weirdo Kyle. But now that I’ve pleased the normies, I’m back!

In May, it does feel like a bit magic when the Indy 500 is about to happen, the Indiana Pacers are playing the Knicks in the eastern conference finals, and the Indiana Fever are back on the court.

Dreaming of a peripatetic summer, always. Sometimes my need to travel is met. Hong Kong would be great, but Tell City would do in a pinch.

Tufts student detained by US immigration authorities must be released, judge rules. Rümeysa Öztürk has been held for over six weeks after she co-wrote an opinion piece criticizing her school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza. www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

newsrooms of the world did u know that when Rümeysa Öztürk gets out you can pay her to write an editorial, and then publish it? did u know that if all of you did this it would be a whole thing and a good one

Here's Reddy Kilowatt, introduced to me way back when by the good people at Indianapolis Power & Light. Apparently Reddy was an international figure, meant to educate us on electricity’s wonders and dangers.

At the end of every semester, the same feeling: Now, where was I?

'Bluesky has overtaken its flailing rival X in hosting posts related to new academic research, indicating the platform is fast becoming the go-to place for scholars to share their work.'

There’s literally a post for every occasion.

me to the united states: this could be us but you playin’

"Hardy shot to fame singing airy, carefree pop before she took control of her career, hung out with 60s rock aristocracy and became a sophisticated singer-songwriter of rare sensuality and melancholy." Françoise Hardy: France’s girlish yé-yé star was a groundbreaking musical artist:

Amid (because of?) all this American dystopia, my Helsinki obsession continues.

"The Jaynetts' ’60s pop single 'Sally Go ‘Round the Roses' is equal parts all surface and inscrutable depth, which is why a range of artists cover it to this day." The Enduring Mystery of the Jaynetts’ “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses”:

Your old pal Kyle got his full professor badge today.

Delicious Monday in at least this way.

I can’t wait for this book from @loriemerson.net to hit the streets. From the good folks at @mexicansummer.bsky.social.

I love you Finland

The architect of some of the greatest tracks of the 1970s. RIP.

Being in the room with a man who is actually strong and brave — which MAGA only pretends to be — reveals Trump and Vance for the babies they are.

💾 ⬇️ www.democracynow.org/2025/2/28/in...

The sound of free-jazz geese flying over campus.

Full of everyday remembrances of Ealing. Then occasional shocks of hearsay. French composer Georges Auric, who scored Ealing films, bragged that his war-time composing efforts led to a steady opium supply via “special dispensation from King George VI.” I’m highly skeptical, but stranger things...

Roberta Flack (1937-2025). I was late to her work, finding those early albums in thrift shops. Was blown away by what I’d missed. Peace.

Faye Webster at Paristown Hall, Louisville. The wonderful mei ehara opened the show.

Abhorrent, predictable.

My heart ached when I was reminded that Aaron Swartz was prosecuted for trying to make academic knowledge more accessible to the public. Meta, meanwhile, is doing it for their own bottom line. I'm going to guess that no one at Meta will be looking at spending 35 years in jail for this.

Soundtrack on walks for the last year, more often than not.

uncut willie dunn vibes rn. "i pity the country" (1971) youtu.be/0qsZsfn6PC4?...

Cognitive dissonance in the way everyday life goes on vs. how “constitutional crisis” registers as we move through it.

Kendrick certainly just made all the worst people in this country mad, so that’s some nice icing on the cake

This Good Music compilation is *only available today*: a 90-song compilation (!) of unreleased material by an impressive array of artists. Proceeds benefit LA Food Bank and California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Fund. #nowplaying goodmusiccomp.bandcamp.com/album/good-m...

The latest episode of Severance is a doozy. I didn’t count the “wows” while I watched, but there were many.

Celestial has a new Shaw Brothers YouTube sharing full movies with subs in glorious DVD quality! Lots of rare titles so far, like the 1st film Chang Cheh directed for Shaw (co-directed w/ Yuan Qiu-Feng), the musical The Butterfly Chalice. Haven't seen it yet (or any of the others), so this is neato!

journey through the outer darkness on last night's frow show, 3 hours of new sounds & other comforts, including entwined goodbyes to susan alcorn & marianne faithfull, only on @wfmu.bsky.social. wfmu.org/playlists/JJ...

ECHO: The Magazine You Play on Your Phonograph Vol. 1, No. 3 (1960).

Why in the world would this come to mind in the here and now (excluding our North American neighbors)?

And it begins. FBI class action lawsuit against the retaliatory purge. First Amendment Violation of Due Process Rights to Privacy www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/u...

Ladies and gentlemen, Hedy Lamarr for General Electric.

Impressed with my alma mater @utexasrtf.bsky.social this morning. The university just acquired Lorne Michaels’ SNL collection. The department has a new Foley stage and Dolby Atmos mix studio. Also great to see friends working on film preservation, student docs, industry connections, etc.