Archive | Music Matters
I woke with the lyrics of “Sometimes It Snows in April” running in my head, and marvelled over how Prince Rogers Nelson, 1958-2016
This death isn’t news I can absorb, let alone accept. It is 2016. How on earth has flu dared fell our Prince? He bridges everything, personal and artistic, that I love. He was turning racial and gender and sexual and business and metaphysical paradigms on their head while most everyone was still drooling in their Wheaties. He is spirit of the body and body of the spirit and wit and wisdom and the most powerful extroverted introvert of all time. Continue Reading →
The Horse’s Mouth: 5 Celeb-Read Memoirs
I like podcasts as much as the next girl, but sometimes audiobooks are best; they are long enough to last a whole journey, and unencumbered by the “you knows” and “likes” that are impossible to utterly omit in extemporaneous speech. I have a special soft spot in my heart for celeb memoirs read by their authors. Sparkling performances, juicy dish: The best ones may not be Jane Austen but are sure to keep you awake at the wheel. Here are some of my favorites.
Celebrate the Dreamer in You by Dolly Parton
I don’t trust people who don’t like Dolly Parton. A sweet, smart survivor, she’s one of the brightest lights in contemporary entertainment. She’s also one of the most quotable (“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb, and I also know that I’m not blonde”), though her spirit is too pure to be dismissed as camp. Here she reads her inspirational tome in such bubbly, confiding cadences that you start to believe that you, too, can grow up dirt-poor and go on to own an amusement park, record best-selling albums, launch a Broadway show, and singlehandedly improve literacy rates in your home state. Bonus: Mz. Parton sings on this audio-tome as well. Continue Reading →