THIS is a CLOSE-UP?

First off, if you haven't already, I want you to read this post by Glenn Greenwald, one of the best living journalists on the planet, who offers a typically intelligent take on Brexit: https://theintercept.com/2016/06/25/brexit-is-only-the-latest-proof-of-the-insularity-and-failure-of-western-establishment-institutions/ There have been lots of hot takes -- so, so many hot takes -- on the pros and cons of Britain leaving the European Union, with the cons resonating the loudest in most media channels. Also, there have been attempts by numerous Americans to parallel the Brexit voter with the Trump voter w/r/t lower than average intelligence, higher than average xenophobia, and a general Luddite backwater mien. Being a self-centered cuss, my immediate reaction was to look at my retirement accounts, survey the damage, and try not to sigh too loudly. Of course, in the context of Greenwald's trenchant analysis as to the nature of elite status, that last comment of mine has paint...

The handsome fellow above is Gordon ("Gord") Downie, and for the past three decades, he's been the lead singer and lyricist of the Canadian band The Tragically Hip. I've had the pleasure of listening to The Hip on the regular for about two decades, when I fell in love with Day For Night from 1994; I've also seen the band live a handful of times, including one show at The Orbit Room where I got to tell Gord to his face just how much he and the band meant to me. As a proper Canadian, Gord let me ramble on, smiling all the while, and then thanked me profusely for being there. I mean, come on. Almost a month ago, it was publicly announced that Gord Downie was suffering from terminal brain cancer, and a horrible year for music fans became just that much more ugly and shattering. (I could spend the rest of this post talking about the depth of meaning that the music of The Hip has brought to my life -- sharing sentiments like the ones offered here -- but that'...

It's been fifty years since Bob Seger first put down tracks to wax as a young maximum R&B proselytizer straight outta Detroit, with a soulful and seductive voice that echoed up and down Woodward after hours. However, most people aren't aware of that period of his career, if they're aware of him at all. And it would be a shame if "Shakedown" -- his only #1 hit, driving and synthetic and coked-out and 97% 1987, from the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack -- is the first thing on people's lips when Bob Seger eventually boogies off this mortal coil. Shit, the way this year is going, it could be sooner than you think. If you're from Michigan, saying "Vernors" and "Bob Seger" in hushed tones acts as talisman and password alike, a secret and sacred code of authenticity. (If you say those to a stranger and get back "soda?" and "Old Time Rock & Roll" respectively, feel free to give them the mitten in return. When I...