Green's Party

Here are some of the films from Black filmmakers with landmark anniversaries I am saluting this month:

July 2, 1971: Shaft opens

One of the breakout films of the blaxploitation genre was released in July 1971. Shaft was more than just a fun 70s action movie with a terrific score. It was the start of something new. Based on a book about a white private eye, Black filmmaker Gordon Parks adapted it to be a Black PI played by Richard Roundtree. Made on a budget of $500,000, it grossed $13 mil. at the box office. It is also one of the great movie soundtracks of all time! Isaac Hayes’ funky score truly made this movie. Who can forget the opening sequence of Shaft walking down the street to the “Theme from Shaft”. Whenever you see a list of the best music moments in a movie or the best soundtracks of all time, Shaft is always on the list. Hayes’ theme song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Whatever your take was on the Blaxploitation films of the 70s, actors like Richard Roundtree and Pam Grier have said that they felt the parts they were playing were more about empowerment and playing strong characters in control as opposed to exploitation. Today, the movie Shaft is preserved by the National Film Registry. There have been sequels, a TV series, a 2000 re-boot where Samuel L. Jackson played John Shaft’s nephew and a 2019 sequel. But the first movie stands as the best. Happy 55th Shaft!

July 12, 1991: Boyz N the Hood opens

Happy 4th and Happy 250 America! Since this is a pop culture blog, I thought I'd do my list of some of the best pop culture with America or USA in the title:

Top American Movies:

5. American Pie (1999)

This original teen comedy is still LOL funny!

4. American Fiction (2023)

Jeffrey Wright’s character balances family, career, relationships and his own place in America in one of the smartest comedies in recent memory!

3. American Psycho (2000)

The Kubrick-esque terrifying vision of 80s greed still holds up!

2. American Gangster (2007)

One of the great crime movies of the century!

1. American Beauty (1999)

I know this hasn't aged well due to the lead actor's personal life, but if you separate the artist from the artist's work,  I say it's still a great movie with something to say about characters who are searching for meaning, something that is not easy to do in cinema.

Top American Albums:

5. The Donnas American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine (1998)

The teenage punk band really announced themselves with their 2nd album!

4. David Bowie Young Americans (1975)

How good was Bowie's 9th album? John Lennon did backing vocals on the cover of The Beatles' "Across the Universe"!

3. Blondie Autoamerican (1980)

Blondie was in rare form by 1980 and this has more than a few bangers!

2. Green Day American Idiot (2004)

Green Day's epic concept album about disillusioned youth in Bush-wacked America has (sadly) stood the test of time!

1. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A.

Born in the USA is The Boss at the top of his game. This is easily his best album. Ever! Every single song is solid. 

Top American TV Shows:

5. anything on USA Network

Nothing more American than the USA Network!

4. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (Syndicated 1983-1986)

This animated series was a spin-off of the toys and I was a big fan for a while there as a kid!

3. The Greatest American Hero (ABC 1981-1983)

This makes the list for the premise and the catchy theme song!

2. American Experience (PBS 1988-present)

Some killer documentaries about American history on this long-running doc series!

1. American Bandstand (ABC / syndication / USA Network 1952-2002)

One of the things that's cool about going to press screenings and doing movie review is that every so often I get to bring my son with me. Such is the case with Minions & Monsters that opened this week. Beginning with the Despicable Me series, the Minions became so popular they got their own prequels within the series. This is the seventh Despicable Me movie overall and the third Minion movie. My son got into this series and we've enjoyed seeing a few of them together in the movie theater. Overall, they are funny and cute, but the main draw is the voice actors like Steve Carrell as Gru, where the action is for the kids for the humor is for the grown-ups.

movie poster

Logline: Follows the Minions in 1920s Hollywood as they search for frightening creatures for their monster movie, partner with a green creature, and must save the planet after unleashing monsters.

one of the many cinematic movie references in Minions & Monsters

The main reason I enjoy watching the Despicable Me movies is that my son enjoys them and I have fun going to and watching movies with him, because his enthusiasm is contagious. Do I feel like I need to own it and watch it over and over? No. But there is a sense of fun when you're seeing it. So in terms of going into this Minion movie, expectations were low, like "it might be fun, but nothing special". However, as a film geek, I have to say I have nothing but love and respect for the fact that they made an animated children's movie with so many references to Old Hollywood and film history. There were some big laughs at the parodies of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times and Citizen Kane. After the screening, I heard more than a few colleagues say how it was better and more accurate than the Old Hollywood dumpster fire Babylon (you can say that again!!!), which is ironic that this animated comedy felt more real than that live action movie. This might be the best Minion movie we've gotten yet based on the film history angle! FYI - my son said this is the second best Minion movie and that it was really funny!

For info on Minions & Monster

This month we raise a glass to celebrate two of James Cameron's greatest works:

July 3, 1991: Terminator 2 Judgment Day opens

James Cameron’s greatest film was released in July 1991. It wasn’t Titanic or Avatar. It was Terminator 2! Anyone who wants to argue about this has not seen Terminator 2 or doesn’t like action movies. Picking up years after 1984′s Terminator, the stakes were a lot higher. Linda Hamilton also went deeper and more ass-kicking as Sara Connor. The visual effects were groundbreaking for the time. The story was very cool and ahead of its time, pre-dating the dot-com / AI boom. This was the best Terminator movie ever and the best work Cameron’s ever done. Happy 35th T2!

July 18, 1986: Aliens opens

June 27, 2026 @ Mass MoCA (North Adams, MA)

In 2010, Wilco announced a music festival they'd be headlining and curating at the Mass MoCA museum in North Adams, MA. I always thought it was so cool that the indie rock darlings from Chicago, who could probably do a music fest anywhere in the world they wanted chose a museum in Western MA. Officially called the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the museum opened in 1999 on a factory building and campus. I had visited there a few years ago. North Adams is just below Vermont and much of the area reminds me of VT. Through this website, I've had the honor of covering Wilco (Ode to Joy, Cruel Country, Cousin, as well as RSD releases like Cross Eyed Strangers) as well as a leader Jeff Tweedy (soundtrack to Showbiz Kids, Love is The King, and last year's Twilight Override) as well as Tweedy's Oct. 2025 Boston concert. Even though it is MA, it's still two-and-a-half hours from me, hence I haven't had a chance to attend in the past. This year I made it to the 2026 Solid Sound Festival!

me taking in some art at Mass MoCA

I didn't make it to the opening day of the fest on Fri, but it kicked off with artists like Gang of Four as well as Billy Bragg and Wilco performing the entire Mermaid Avenue album. Heard it was amazing!

Elizabeth Moen onstage

I arrived on Sat. afternoon, by which point the fest was in full swing. Attendees can go inside the museum (which is worth checking out) and they had multiple stages for music as well as comedy, food trucks, arts, and various vendors. On the Courtyard C stage, I caught the tail end of Elizabeth Moen, who did a solid cover of The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait". Then on the big stage in Joe's Field, they had World Record Yo-Yo. All I could think of was the episode of The Simpsons with yo-yo acrobats and then Bart and his friends became obsessed with yo-yo's. But I digress! The on the Courtyard D stage, they had Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band, who were rocking to say the least!

The Breeders onstage

Next up was The Breeders, one of my all-time favorites. I was lucky enough to see them perform on a taping of Last Call with Carson Daly in Aug. 2002. Then I got to see them do a free concert at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn in July 2008 and it was awesome! In 2023, I got to see them at House of Blues in Boston for the 30th anniversary of The Last Splash. The band started out as a side-project of Kim Deal while she was in The Pixies and slowly equaled and at times exceeded them. They played some of Last Splash's hits, notably "Drivin' on 9", "Cannonball", "Divine Hammer", and "Saints", which is a perfect Summer song from start to finish and I loved hearing it at a Summer fest! They also fit in their cover of The Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and some others too. The band is often affiliated with Boston because of The Pixies, but the Deal sisters hail from Dayton, OH and there was some shout-outs to their home state. But the most meaningful statement was from bassist Josephine Wiggs who said "there's not many festivals where you can both enjoy a rock show AND see some art" and she thanked Wilco. So true! This is not a festival for philistines. It was not just an audience that respects music and art, but an audience that was well-bahaved during the show. You could literally hear a pin drop from the audience during some songs!

Wilco onstage

Then it was the headliners Wilco. I saw them live in 2008 opening for Neil Young at Madison Square Garden and it was phenomenal. The current lineup of the band is the same lineup from that show: Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgensen, Nels Cline, and Pat Sansone. The show started in a surprising way: Bob James came out and played his theme song to Taxi. Then the band came out and they are about as tight a musical unit as you can imagine! No wonder they are often called the greatest American live band of the now. There were loads of guests too including Elizabeth Moen, Natalie Merchant, Macie Stewart, Leroy Bach, and Sylvan Esso. They have such a wide discography that there were loads of ground to cover, including tons of songs off Sky Blue Sky. Selfishly I wanted more from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot than just "Jesus, Etc". But for me the highlight of the whole entire festival was the encore closer "Spiders (Kidsmoke)", the epic 10 min. track from A Ghost is Born. It took me back to listening to that album a lot in the Summer of 2004 and feeling that song build and build and then kick into high gear! I've had the pleasure of covering Wilco releases over the years and getting to see them live again was a thrill! I just hope I don't wait another eighteen years for their next show!

I had to head back on Sun. so I didn't get to catch any of the last day at the fest. But the day was jam-packed with Wilco side projects including Mikael Jorgensen’s duo Expandards, John Stirratt’s duo The Autumn Defense, and Nels Cline’s Consentrik Quartet. But the show closer was Jeff Tweedy and Friends.

local art vending machines

Bottom line: I had a blast and would highly recommend the next Solid Sound! As Josephine Wiggs said, there's not many fests where you can enjoy a rock show and some art at the same time!

the sea of fans at Solid Sound

"Y.M.C.A" scene in Wayne's World 2

Village People singer Victor Willis has died at 74 (read the obit from EW here). The NYC disco group had a few hits in the 70s, the biggest being "Y.M.C.A." Willis is the one who was a cop and naval officer. The group had their controversies, notably that the song was used frequently by Trump and that Willis and the group took part in some of his rallies and the 2025 inauguration. Whatever you think about the Orange Menace, we can all agree "Y.M.C.A." was a pop standard. It is worth noting that in 1981 they released the album Renaissance, which was more punk and new wave leaning than their disco sound. A music geek friend I worked with at Fuse was blown away by it and said to me "what's crazier that Village People did a punk album or that Kiss did a disco album?", the answer is both!

Can't believe it's already the halfway point of 2026 and Summer is in full swing. In addition to Independence Day (7/4), here is what's on my radar:

Movies:

Evil Dead Burn

The 6th Evil Dead film is produced by Sam Raimi. With the exception of the TV series Ash Vs. Evil Dead, I haven't really cared for any since Raimi's original trilogy, but this new one has my attention. Opens 7/10.

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

I am a huge fan of the 90s MTV sketch comedy show and group The State. I was lucky enough to see them do a reunion show in 2023. This new comedy movie is practically a State reunion with director David Wain, co-writer Ken Marino, and several other alum in the cast. I so can't wait! Opens 7/10 (review to come).

The Odyssey

A Christopher Nolan movie, filmed in IMAX, based on Homer's The Odyssey, starring half of Hollywood is a cinematic event that I've been waiting for all year! Opens 7/17.

The Dink

I know, I know - another tennis movie?! But what got my attention about this is director Josh Greenbaum, who has very quietly become one of the great comedy and pop culture documentary directors of the now. His 2017 doc Too Funny to Fail about The Dana Carvey Show was one of my favorite docs of the last decade. Premieres 7/24 on Apple TV.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

It's been five years since Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was one of the best live-action Spider-Man movies. Now Tom Holland returns in the title role. Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is stepping in for Jon Watts, who stepped away after the last one. Opening 7/31.

Music:

The Rolling Stones Foreign Tongues

The 25th studio album from The Rolling Stones is upon us! Their last album Hackney Diamonds was a serious comeback and I even named it my #1 Album of 2023. New one drops 7/10.

Jack White Frozen Charlotte

The 7th solo album from Jack White is cause for celebration. He's been making a name for himself in recent years with his social media (read his take-downs of the Orange Menace if you don't believe me) and his new one has expectations high!

Sad13 1331

Speedy Ortiz singer Sadie Dupuis has done some awesome solo music under the name Sad13, including her 2020 album Haunted Painting. New one drops 7/10 (review to come).

America 250:

Anyone who knows me or reads this site knows I am a big consumer of lists and maker of lists. After a year ends, I roll out my Best Of lists for that previous year. Something that's becoming more common among critics is to come out with “Best of the Year So Far” lists in June. I personally don’t make these…but if I was to, here’s some contenders (no order, just namechecks):

Movies:

Disclosure Day, The Invite, Send Help, The Sheep Detectives, and Toy Story 5

Worth noting: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu looked and sounded fantastic in IMAX. Wouldn't call it one of the best of the year, but the experience of seeing it at Jordan's IMAX was spectacular

Documentaries:

Man on the Run, The Last Critic, Your Attention Please, One in a Million, and The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel

Albums:

Foo Fighters' Your Favorite Toy, Courtney Barnett's Creature of Habit, Snail Mail's Ricochet, The Claypool Lennon Delirium's The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy, and Ed O'Brien's Blue Morpho

Television:

I’ve been lucky enough to cover the Northeast Comic Con (read my coverage here) for a few years now. It's a fun cool convention for lovers of comics, pop culture, and collectibles. Not as big as the arena conventions where you can barely move, but plenty of fun celeb sightings, panels, cosplay and exhibitors! They also have plenty of parking, which other cons lack. Periodically the NECC puts on a smaller Collectibles Extravaganza, which is focused on exhibitors catering to collectors. This past weekend was the Summer edition of Collectibles Extravaganza at the Boxborough Regency (Boxborough, MA).

monster display at one of the exhibitor booths

The thing that’s fun about this kind of event is it’s still catering to pop culture obsessives and fan culture. I sold a few items and picked up some new ones. We arrived a little late in the day on Sunday and it's best to get there earlier in the convention before everyone is breaking down. But still had a blast!

Decades after getting into The Pixies with their album Surfer Rosa and then getting to see them reunited in 2004, I have gotten to cover the group here on this blog a number of times over the years. In addition to reviewing their 2016 album Head Carrier, 2019′s Beneath the Eyrie, 2022’s Doggerel, and 2024's The Night the Zombies Came, as well as getting to review their re-issue of 1988′s classic Come On Pilgrim… It'sSurfer Rosa and I got to do a concert review on my birthday in 2017! In May 2001, the group released Complete B-Sides: 1988-1997. The group broke up in 1993 and they eventually reunited in 2004. The compilation was made up of B-sides from their classic 4AD era. For the 40th anniversary of The Pixies this year and the 25th anniversary of that compilation, it is being reissued this week.

album cover

All of the tracks have been remastered from the original analogue tapes. I am a Pixies fan, so naturally I took to this compilation immediately. My all-time favorite Pixies compilation album is 1997's Death to The Pixies, which is now out of print. It combined the best selections from their original album releases from 1987-1991. This album grabs some solid tracks but the emphasis was more on their b-sides and rarities. This is worth checking out just for some of the select tracks like "In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)" from Eraserhead, "Wave of Mutilation (U.K. Surf)" from Pump Up the Volume, the cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting for You" (later covered by David Bowie with Dave Grohl on guitar), and numerous others. Bottom line: Pixies are always worth checking out and this has some solid b-sides that are cool as a compilation if you have some and not others!

For info on Complete B-Sides: 1988-1997

This week I got to review a documentary and a narrative film:

Supergirl

Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Superman, is such a unique character in the DC Universe. Not a direct sibling but close enough to have the same superpowers and warrant her own comic books. In 1984, only a year after Superman III, they released the first Supergirl movie with Helen Slater in the title role. I saw it in the movie theater as I grew up a big fan of Superman. That first movie was, well.... okay I guess. It had its moments but didn’t set the world on fire the way they had hoped with Richard Donner’s first Superman. Then she made an appearance in 2023’s The Flash. The character was brought into last year’s Superman with Milly Alcock playing her. Now Alcock is taking the lead in Supergirl, opening this week.

movie poster

Logline: When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice. Director Craig Gillespie (who has directed some good and bad movies, but the best being I, Tonya) enters the DC Universe with Superman director James Gunn producing.

my friend Mike and I at the advance screening

There's a lot of things about this movie that are derivative of other movies. Plot-wise it reminded me a lot of an interplanet True Grit. The villains and action are reminiscent of Mad Max and Guardians of the Galaxy. What impressed me a ton about last year's Superman is that they completely skipped the origin story and dropped the character into the modern day. In terms of a stand alone movie for Supergirl, who previously showed up as a young party girl with super powers, this movie tries to have it both ways: it is dropping Supergirl into an action-packed story, but it's also featuring flashbacks of her backstory. And yes, Superman (David Corenswet) makes a cameo or two checking in on her. Alcock does her best to make this character more than just a cliche. Much of the characters reminded me a ton of Mad Max villains and Jason Mamoa's character Lobo was borrowing more from shock rocker King Diamond. Overall the action is what more or less saves this movie. Bottom line: It is good, but not great. Having said that I feel like this is the Supergirl movie they need to get out of the way so that the next one (or one after) will be the really great Supergirl movie we haven't gotten yet.

For info on Supergirl

3 out of 5 stars

Peter Asher: Everywhere Man

By now there is actually a subgenre within the music documentary genre, which is the rock and roll zelig who has had something to do with loads of popular musicians over history and even if you didn't know them you know the works they had to do with. Such is the case with the recent festival hit Peter Asher: Everywhere Man, which has recently been released theatrically. I wasn't too familiar with him other than his being a part of Peter and Gordon and his affiliation with The Beatles. Asher's sister actress Jane dated Sir Paul McCartney from 1963 to 1968 and Asher's Brit pop duo Peter and Gordon did some Lennon-McCartney compositions, he became an A&R rep for The Beatles' Apple Records label, he ran the gallery that Yoko Ono had and exhibit at where John Lennon met her for the first time, and he later became a very notable music producer. This doc includes a stage show, where Asher is literally telling his own story.

movie poster

Directed by Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine, who previously directed Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (read my review here), this goes deep into the subject of Peter Asher. He is onstage telling his own story with pics, anecdotes and laughs, seen reuniting with old friends and collaborators, and being interviewed himself. Interviewees include Steve Martin, Eric Idle, Patty Boyd, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and numerous others. During a montage of Peter and Gordon in the early 60s of various TV appearances, there's a quick clip of Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg (who I interviewed for my documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66) introducing them too.

Bottom line: as a Beatle fanatic, I ate up portions of this doc and it was kind of cool to see how he intersected with so many aspects of pop culture. It was a little longer than it needed to be and it definitely bordered on hagiography. But it was cool to learn about this rock and roll zelig!

For info on Peter Asher: Everywhere Man

The Beatles "All You Need Is Love"

Blood, Sweat and Tears "Lisa, Listen to Me"

Music festival season is in full swing, but one in particular is on my radar: Wilco's Solid Sound Festival happening this weekend from Fri. June 26 to Sun. June 28 at Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA. I love that Wilco are from Chicago and they take over Western Mass. for a few days each year!

2026 poster

For music it is a showcase for Wilco, who are playing their own set and also performing the Mermaid Avenue album with Billy Bragg. In addition to Wilco collective, there is also Wilco solo and side projects including Jeff Tweedy and Friends (who I saw last Fall), Mikael Jorgensen's duo Expandards, John Stirratt's duo The Autumn Defense, and Nels Cline's Consentrik Quartet. Also playing this year are one of my all-time faves The Breeders (who I last saw in 2023), post-punk legends Gang of Four (who now feature Gail Greenwood of Belly and L7), Sharp Pins (who recently opened for Snail Mail), and Hannah Cohen

There are loads of activities, food and drink vendors, comedians including Jordan Klepper, DJ sets from members of Yo La Tengo, and plenty to do at the Mass MoCA museum space itself.

I'm looking forward to covering this year's fest!

This has been quite a month for landmark pop culture anniversaries including alt-rock albums, Richard Donner movies, and Steven Spielberg. Here are some of the other anniversaries to celebrate this month:

June 11, 1986: Ferris Bueller's Day Off opens

One of the all-time greatest teen / high school movies ever made was released in June 1986. John Hughes made so many great movies about teens in the 1980s (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, the list goes on and on), but this was his Sgt. Pepper. Ferris, as played by Matthew Broderick, was such a great character. An all-around teen who got along with everyone and was smart enough to out-fox his parents and teachers. On paper, the character could have been a self-entitled punk who deserved to get caught. But as played by Broderick with equal parts cool and charm, you wanted to see him get away with it. The idea of this guy playing hooky with his best friend and girlfriend, taking a day off from high school and just letting loose and enjoying the city of Chicago for a day, is something a lot of people fantasize about doing on a daily basis regardless of age, school, job or geographic region. I saw this in the theater when I was 10 and it stayed with me all through my teen years. I never faked being sicked, but I always wanted to. When it came to VHS, my sister and I watched it hundreds of times. To this day, I can recite the majority of dialogue. It is a perfect movie from start to finish! There’s been talk over the years about a sequel in which Ferris takes a day off from college or from his job, but it kinda wouldn’t be the same as the idea of being a high school student taking the day off. Although I got to say, if Ferris was that tech-savvy in 1986, imagine what he could do today!

In 2025, I spoke with co-star Alan Ruck at the Northeast Comic Con. I asked him about internet theories that the entire movie exists in Cameron’s mind and that Ferris is what Cameron wishes he could be (a Fight Club theory). He said “Whoever came up with that, if it was for a college paper, I hope they got an A in that class! It’s very clever and a fun way to think about the movie!” Happy 40 FBDO!

June 11, 1991: Slave to the Grind released

In June 1991, Skid Row's second album was released. They made a splash with their 1988 debut. I was really into them by the time of their sophomore release. This album is easily their magnum opus! I picked up the CD the week it was released because I had just gotten my first CD player and listened to it quite frequently over the next year. The band was in the zeitgeist as they were opening for Guns N' Roses, appearing on MTV, on the cover of Rolling Stone, guests on SNL and this album debuting at #1. One of the best metal albums of the early 90s! Happy 35th STTG!

June 14, 1951: Ace in the Hole opens

In June 1951, one of Billy Wilder's finest works was released. His satirical drama took aim at the press way before such questions were fashionable. Kirk Douglas's newsman covers the story of a man trapped in a cave, but tries to elongate the trapping in order to create a media frenzy to boost his career. What Network had to say about television, this had to say about print news. I have the Criterion edition in my collection. Happy 75th AITH!

June 17, 1971: The Anderson Tapes opens

In June 1971, one of Sidney Lumet's most underrated crime films was released. When he did crime movies, he was on fire, i.e. Dog Day Afternoon and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. But in 1971, he did this crime movie with Sean Connery in the lead. It also predated The Conversation as one of the earliest movies about surveillance. I picked this up on DVD a few years ago and it still holds up! Happy 55th TAT!

June 20, 1966: Blonde on Blonde released

In June 1966, Bob Dylan's 7th album was released. I am by no means a Dylanologist, but this is definitely up there with his best albums and the best albums of all time (just look for it on any list). The previous album Highway 61 Revisited might be slightly better, but this one is Dylan swinging for the fences! Happy 60th BOB!

June 21, 1966: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens

In June 1966, theater director Mike Nichols made his film debut with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which was an adaptation of a 1962 play. It is an out-and-out incredible chess game mind-trip between a dysfunctional husband and wife, played by real life couple Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. In the mid 90s, in an acting class I took in college, our final exam for the class was to perform a scene from this play. My acting partner and I rehearsed and studied the film and did a multi-page scene (I played George, he played Nick). We blew the class away! This film is also noteworthy for being the debut of Nichols (it was a year before he did The Graduate). Happy 60th Virginia Woolf!

June 30, 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory opens

Remembering Clive Davis 1932-2026

Legendary music executive Clive Davis has died at 94.

He was responsible for signing and/or discovering countless artists including Janis Joplin, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, and Aerosmith, whose song "No Surprize" made reference to him with the lyric:

And then old Clive Davis said I'm surely gonna make us a star I'm gonna make you a star Just the way you are

Davis with The Boss in 2017

Within pop culture, he appeared in tons of books, was interviewed for tons of documentaries and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Stanley Tucci played him in the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody (one of the highlights of that film IMHO).

In my film Musician For Hire, the record executive played by Phil Vos is named Clive Thompson as an homage to Clive Davis!

We're almost finished! I did so much in under 48 hours on my recent trip to Cleveland, OH that I’m still writing about it! In Part 1 I visited the Superman monuments. In Part 2 I visited the House from A Christmas Story. In Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 and Part 8 I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Here’s my continuation of my visit to the Rock Hall!

On the 4th floor, they had an exhibit about Pink Floyd's The Wall including replica's the stage set.

the front of The Wall and the back (that's me in the corner)

Then it was onto loads of music artifacts, including Eddie Van Halen's famous guitars and amps:

and Kurt Cobain's guitar and his broken guitar and the power drill he used to repair it:

On the 6th floor, they had a new exhibit about Paul McCartney and Wings, coinciding with the excellent new documentary Man on the Run about Sir Paul's post-Beatles years in Wings. They had loads of original lyrics, instruments, clothing and more on display. I loved it!

Sir Paul's exhibit

Afterward I hit the gift shop, which had tons to choose from. I picked up a signed copy of former Wings drummer Denny Seiwell's book The Best and Worst of Times.