Published inLEVEL·PinnedMember-onlyA Note to My Trump-Loving Facebook FriendsYou’re quiet out there now that your leader is gone. Don’t expect us to lower the volume while celebrating this victory. — It’s funny how an election changes situations. Many of you have been uncharacteristically quiet over the last couple of days, or maybe Facebook’s algorithm gods are just sparing my sanity. Either way, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the silence right now. Crickets all over.Donald Trump3 min readDonald Trump3 min read
Published inMomentum·3 days agoMember-onlyBeware of White Saviors with ‘Black Lives Matter’ SignsEmmy-winning actress Julianna Margulies has taken White liberalism to another new low. — “I’m the first person to march in Black Lives Matter. When that happened to George Floyd, I put a black screen on my Instagram. I ran to support my Black brothers and sisters. When LGBTQ people are being attacked, I run. I made a commercial for same-sex marriage with my…Racism6 min readRacism6 min read
Nov 27Member-onlyWhite Liberalism Goes Off the Rails AgainMore virtue signaling in the House of Progressives. — Susan Sarandon is no dummy. I believe her heart is in the right place when she does her activist thing. During her short speech at a rally in New York City’s Union Square on Nov. 17, she made some good points about how to debate scorching topics like the Israel-Hamas…Politics6 min readPolitics6 min read
Published inThis Must Be the Place·Nov 24Member-onlyWhat Being a Gay Black Man Abroad Taught Me About ObjectificationAfter spending 13 years living outside the U.S., I finally understood what women deal with every day. — One of my all-time favorite Sex and the City subplots involves Miranda and a guy wearing a Blimpie sandwich suit. Every time she walks by him on her way home from work, he says, “Eat me” — and he’s clearly not talking about a ham and cheese special. Miranda is…Race6 min readRace6 min read
Oct 29Member-onlyI Just Came Out as Someone Who Is Living with CancerIt was as scary as coming out as gay more than 30 years ago — and equally empowering. — On April 5 of this year, I received some news that has been life-altering in so many ways, some of which I am still in the process of processing. I was diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer. Don't worry. It was caught very very early, and my prognosis is excellent…Health7 min readHealth7 min read
Oct 24Member-only‘Parenting Is the Hardest Job in the World’The lament of a privileged White mother. — Parenting is hard work. There’s no doubt in my mind about this. Is it the hardest job in the world? I don’t know. The scope of my on-the-job experience doesn’t encompass a lot of things, like waiting tables, flying airplanes, going to war, or, yes, parenting. …Parenting5 min readParenting5 min read
Published inThe Riff·Sep 17Member-onlyAn Open Letter to Jann Wenner About Black and Female Music IconsIf the Rolling Stone co-founder really believes Marvin Gaye couldn’t “articulate” on the level of Mick Jagger, he doesn’t know “What’s Going On.” — Dear Mr. Wenner, I just finished reading and listening to your new interview in the New York Times, and my head is truly spinning. In fact, I’m still scratching it (my head, not the Q&A). As the co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine, you are an inspiration and a rock &…Music6 min readMusic6 min read
Sep 5Member-onlyWhen You Say Nothing at AllSome of the best conversations I’ve ever had were over before they began. — “Most people have nothing to say — NOTHING to say. And most people give you the same conversation every single day. It’s just the same old pattern, and you’re none the wiser for knowing someone for five years. That’s why I do this music-business thing. …Communication5 min readCommunication5 min read
Published inThe Riff·Jul 17Member-only13 Classic Pop Singles That Weren’t As Big As You ThinkThey’ve aged like fine wine, but smash status on Billboard’s Hot 100 ended up being well beyond their reach. — Popular taste can be so confusing. So can Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart, which measures popular taste in music. I spent a large chunk of my youth obsessing over chart numbers in Billboard magazine, particularly on its all-encompassing Hot 100, which was a weekly religious experience. Casey Kasem, a titanic…Music6 min readMusic6 min read
Jul 10Member-onlyWords That Make Me Shudder on the Inside“Iconic.” “Party.” “Brunch.” If you can’t say something nice… — We live in a culture of indecipherable abbreviations, trendy buzzwords, psychobabble, and professional jargon that I don’t recall people saying or writing with such regularity pre-social media and 24/7 Internet news. …Language5 min readLanguage5 min read