The Half Light: Five Great Oral Histories

By Shane Ryan at 5:50 PM on October 21, 2012

It occurred to me yesterday, as I was reading Live From New York, a book about the history of Saturday Night Live, that I had become addicted to oral histories.  read more

Found in: Books, Columns

The Half Light: Obama and the End of Nonviolence

By Shane Ryan at 2:35 PM on September 25, 2012

Before we begin, I’d like to apologize in advance for getting political. I tried to avoid it, and failed miserably. But I am trying to be fair. Okay? Okay. Now then… There’s an excellent essay by Thomas Frank in the September issue of Harper’s exploring President Obama’s tactics in his first term as President. Frank is an avowed liberal and the author of books like What’s the Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America and Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right. You can tell by those titles where his allegiances...  read more

Found in: Culture, Columns

The Half Light: The Trip and the Loneliness of Friendship

By Shane Ryan at 10:17 AM on September 14, 2012

I kept meaning to see “The Trip,” Michael Winterbottom’s road movie starring British comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, back when it was in theaters in 2010.  read more

Found in: Movies, Columns

The 20 Best Belle & Sebastian Songs About Troubled Young People

By Shane Ryan at 1:19 PM on August 18, 2012

When you’ve been as obsessed with a band like Belle & Sebastian as long as I have, and when that obsession proves unshakable, it’s inevitable that you begin to notice some thematic similarities between songs.  read more

Found in: Music, Columns

The Half Light: The Terrible Pressure of Choosing Wedding Music

By Shane Ryan at 12:15 PM on August 11, 2012

The task set before me, three weeks out from the biggest day of my life, was to bite the bullet and choose the songs that would score our wedding.  read more

Found in: Music, Columns

The Half Light: The Rarity of True Stage Charisma

By Shane Ryan at 5:15 PM on May 30, 2012

A truly dynamic performer is a rare thing, even among great musicians. It doesn’t necessarily depend on comfort—you get the feeling that Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell would be disastrous at public speaking, for example—but it does entail a unique ability to transform.  read more

Found in: Music, Columns

The Half Light: Knowing Yourself Through iTunes History

By Shane Ryan at 2:51 PM on May 10, 2012

On the left side of the iTunes interface, beneath the Playlists category, is an icon for Top 25 Most Played. Click here, and you can see a list of your most frequently played songs since you first downloaded the program. Due to some combination of luck and poverty, my MacBook dates back to 2006, and the Top 25 most played provides a weirdly comprehensive window on the last six years of my life.  read more

Found in: Music, Columns

The Half Light: The Art of Cursing

By Shane Ryan at 1:40 PM on May 4, 2012

Played with a lupine energy by Peter Capaldi, Tucker’s trademark was his swearing—vicious, comical, eloquent and delivered in a harsh Scottish brogue. With a sallow complexion and cruel, bloodshot eyes, he certainly looked the part, but his influence and power truly flowed from the tongue.  read more

Found in: TV, Columns

The Half Light: Jesus' Son

By Shane Ryan at 1:21 PM on April 5, 2012

When I was 11 years old, I wandered the sidewalks of an outlet mall looking for a bookstore while my mother and stepfather shopped.  read more

Found in: Books, Columns

What Happened to the American Protest Song?

By Shane Ryan at 12:16 PM on January 24, 2012

Quick—name a song whose lyrics protest the war in Afghanistan. Got anything? Now try Iraq. Did you get one? Two? Still nothing? You wouldn’t be alone. In the Vietnam era, the protest song was an institution. Today, it’s a rarity; even an oddity. What changed?  read more

Found in: Music, Columns