Category: Takeaways

  • Takeaways: Of Things Past

    As an aspiring writer, first in New York and later in Los Angeles, I worked on a number of projects, most never seeing the light of day. There were historical dramas, romantic comedies, ensemble comedy/dramas, and experimental plays. I still have the rejection letters from major studios and production companies for a pet project that,…

  • Takeaways: The Last Payphone Before the Forest

    While driving with my son to Nuccio’s Nurseries in Altadena, CA I happened to notice something interesting on Google Maps. It was referred to as the Historic Working Payphone of Altadena. Up in the Verdugo Mountains, alongside Chaney Trail, not terribly far from Jet Propulsion Labs and in the broad general vicinity of Mt. Wilson…

  • Takeaways: Tuba Skinny

    Photo from tubaskinny.com Ever listen to heavy metal without the distortion on the guitars? No? Well, it’s an experience you will soon forget. How about ABBA for alto recorder to level-set your tastes? Maybe the Star Wars theme on bagpipes is more your style. Or, for you Queen fans, here’s a little Bohemian Rhapsody played…

  • Takeaways: Robert Earl Keen

    Macondo, Stonington, CT My introduction to Robert Earl Keen was his 1996 live album No. 2 Live Dinner A spirited performance of “Gringo Honeymoon,” a rowdy ballad tinged with melancholy performed before an appreciative audience hooked me. There’s always something special about hearing singer-songwriters performing their own work. The emotion is personal, the phrasing confident.…