Blog
Influential Films
Storytelling of all kinds can influence authors and essayists. These are the films that influenced me most and why, listed by release date. The first four I saw originally on TV in my parents’ walk-up in Hoboken.
No Autographs, Please!
Recently, I faced a conundrum in a bookstore: It had the book I wanted, but its only copy was a signed edition. I stood frozen by the cashier, unable to decide whether to buy it or to return it to the shelf.Â
Is “Psycho” Hitchcock’s take on Christmas?
Each year, even before the holiday is in full swing, the cavalcade of classic Christmas-themed movies begins and continues unabated through December 25. It’s such an American tradition that most people may not notice that some of these classic films are only loosely linked to the holiday.
New Short Story: The Minnesota Twins
When an irate husband prevents Eddie Flood, a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, from attending that night’s game, Eddie asks his identical twin Arnold to fill in. Problem: Arnold is no baseball player…
Short Story: Zerbie vs. The Pandemic
Consider Zerbie, a seemingly hapless but good-natured maintenance worker in Manhattan, a borough that's all but abandoned as the coronavirus threatens.
My Favorite Albums 2010-2019
For much of the past decade, I served as rock-and-pop critic of the Wall Street Journal and listened to a lot of recorded music – at least 3,000 albums and EPs, by my rough count.