There is no true escape, I’m watching all the time

Chicago has its annual Pride parade tomorrow, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to go. When I lived in the part of Chicago where the parade takes place, it was always a highlight of the summer. I’m sure that it still is, too, but since I don’t live in Boystown anymore, it’s not the same

Re-imagining the 80s

Last night I accompanied my daughters and a friend of theirs to a concert by a band called Big Time Rush. The show seemed to be fun for them, but as I went to the top of the lawn, looking for as much solitude as I could find in a sea of screaming young girls,

I know this much is true

At the end of a long day at work today, I faced the prospect of a long commute to get home. It always seems like getting to work takes 15 minutes in the morning, and getting home takes an hour in the evening. Some of that is psychological–does anybody look forward to work more than

Are you happy, Rock Hall?

Word of Axl Rose dissing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, just days before the induction ceremony, struck me as vindication for what I wrote last year about the band not being suitable for induction. I stated, at that time, that Appetite for Destruction was worthy of Hall of Fame induction, and the “November Rain”

RIP, Don Cornelius

For my two young daughters, rap is one of those things that has probably always existed, like water and color television and the internet. But I wanted to take a few moments here to describe my personal experiences with rap, and to tie them in with today’s shocking news about Don Cornelius. The first time

Bridging the gaps

Think back to high school for a moment. Either it was a pleasant time of your life, or it wasn’t. But you’ll only have to do it for a couple of minutes. Just trust me on this. First I want you to picture the valedictorian of your graduating class. Anthony Michael Hall’s character in The