Pages tagged “issue 38”

Mark Helprin

I’ve spent 35 years as a reader and literary critic, and still, to this day, I have never...  read more

Found in: Books, Reviews

History Channeled

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In the late 1990s, when Steven Spielberg began working on World War II shooter Medal Of Honor, he and the game’s developer, Dreamworks Interactive, contracted veteran Marine captain Dale Dye—who’d also consulted on Saving Private Ryan—to make sure the game was historically accurate. But while finding someone so knowledgeable about World War II is relatively easy (Tom Brokaw probably has a couple of Greatest Generation vets chilling in his living room this very second), locating someone well versed in the Third Crusade—which occurred from 1189 to 1192 A.D.—is somewhat trickier.   read more

Found in: Games, Features

Big Suprises in the Jungle of Costa Rica

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The last time I saw a crab crossing the road was in the Caribbean, and I accidentally killed it with my car.  read more

Found in: Culture, Features

Working Vacation

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In-ground heated pools and outdoor tennis courts. Entertainment rooms with pinball machines and vintage coin-operated video games. On-staff chefs and breakfasts served at suitably late “rock ’n’ roll hours.” Jacuzzi baths, wi-fi access and horseback-riding lessons. With all of these distractions, who could be bothered with making a record? For all the live-off-the-land attitude of the indie era, a surprising number of recording studios are doing a booming business by emphasizing the residential side of the equation. Whether an ocean view or pastoral country vibe is the primary attraction [see sidebar], studios the world over have pumped up the amenities...  read more

Found in: Culture, Features

Bobb Trimble

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A generation ago, long before blogs and MP3s made discovering music an instantaneous act, a young Massachusetts musician named Bobb Trimble issued two obscure psychedelic pop opuses—1980’s deeply troubled Iron Curtain Innocence and 1982’s fantastical Harvest of Dreams—then promptly disappeared into years of odd jobs and isolation.  read more

Found in: Culture, Features

Youssou N'Dour

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Youssou N’Dour wears his mantle as Afropop superstar and international music icon lightly, but throughout his career the 48-year-old Senegalese singer with the soaring voice has proven a bellwether of global pop tendencies.  read more

Found in: Music, Features

Joe Chiccarelli: A Veteran's Commitment to Quality Pays Off

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He’s never had a blockbuster. Then again, he’s never needed one. Over his quarter-century career as a producer, engineer and mixer, Los Angeles-based Boston native Joe Chiccarelli has followed his tastes rather than the dollar sign, contributing to memorable recordings from the likes of Frank Zappa, Oingo Boingo, The Bangles, Lone Justice, Tori Amos, American Music Club, Beck, U2, Rufus Wainwright, Elton John, Pink Martini and Morrissey.  read more

Found in: Features

Joe Strummer: A Riot of His Own

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Joe Strummer crammed a lifetime of greatness into a brief 42 months. The debut album from The Clash wasn’t released in the U.S. until 1979, more than two years after the English kids went bonkers for it. And for those of us in the Midwest who’d been reading about The Clash and anxiously awaiting the recorded results, this meant we had to absorb a dizzying five releases and eight albums’ worth of material in a short three-and-a-half years.  read more

Found in: Music, Features

Mark Ronson: A Brief History of the Intro Song

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Whether called “Intro,” “Overture” or “Prelude,” you know the song. It doesn’t behave like the others on the album. It’s usually instrumental. And iTunes’ singles chart laughs in its general direction.  read more

Found in: Music, Reviews

Now We Rise and We Are Everywhere

More than three decades ago, British folksinger Nick Drake gulped down a fatal handful of prescription antidepressants, overwhelming his tender, 26-year-old heart and prematurely concluding his career...  read more

Found in: Music, Features