Author Archives: Mark

Rand Paul, savior of Detroit or destroyer of the American middle class?

By Mark | December 8, 2013

Trying to put some distance between himself and his most recent plagiarism scandal, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who has aspirations of running for President in 2016, made his way to Michigan yesterday, promising to unveil a plan that would help turn around not only Detroit, but every struggling community across the United States. According to […]

Posted in Detroit, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged automotive bailout, Ayn Rand, Detroit Economic Club, Economic Freedom Zones, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, free market, Jack Kemp, Josh Pugh, Libertarianism, philanthropy, plagiarism, Rand Paul, robber barons, starve the beast, the free market will fix everything, union busting | 19 Comments

R. Crumb on the death of authentic American music

By Mark | December 7, 2013

While I have friends who play in bands, and, on occasion, even make music myself, I rarely, if ever, listen to anything recorded prior to the start of World War II. Yes, every once in a while I pull out a record by the Ramones, Television or the Velvet Underground, but, for the most part, […]

Posted in Art and Culture, Mark's Life, Uncategorized | Tagged 78 rpm records, authenticity, Benny Goodman, Charley Patton, Christmas gifts, comics, comix, commercialization, country music, Dock Boggs, Duke Ellington, jazz blues, Jelly Roll Morton, John Olson, music, music history, New Year's Eve, noise, pre-war jazz and blues, R Crumb, Radio Dismuke, sophistication, underground comics, Wolf Eyes | 8 Comments

“Hmmm…. Maybe I don’t have a problem after all.”

By Mark | December 5, 2013

[The quotes noted above are from British television cook Nigella Lawson, who was called on to testify in British court yesterday about a number of things, including her cocaine use. And the fellow at the bottom, for those of you who might not recognize him, is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who, like Lawson, has been […]

Posted in Observations, Uncategorized | Tagged addiction, cocaine, fat, Nigella Lawson, Rob Ford, skinny, Toronto, weight issues | 18 Comments

Artisanal toilet plunger or iconic felling axe… Can you tell which is parody?

By Mark | December 4, 2013

Peter Buchanan-Smith is the founder of Best Made Co., a high-end New York-based design boutique specializing in the production of items like this $350 artisanal American felling axe. The model above is called “Challis” Here’s how Best Made describes it: “Dependable, versatile and with a rich and powerful history, the American Felling Axe is the […]

Posted in Other, Uncategorized | Tagged anti-consumerism, artisanal goods, axes, Best Made Co., consumerism, design, J. Peterman, parody, Peter Buchanan-Smith, plumbing, plungers, product design, Re Made, satire, toilet plungers | 22 Comments

Michigan Musicians on Vacation: Misty Lyn Bergeron communing among the redwoods

By Mark | December 3, 2013

A few weeks ago, kind of on a whim, I reached out to a local musician and asked if he’d be willing to talk about a recent vacation he’d taken to Gettysburg. It went well. I enjoyed hearing about something that he was insanely passionate about, and I think he enjoyed, for a change, talking […]