Chekov, Grease, and the cult of ignorance. — In Anton Chekov’s short story “Gooseberries,” Ivan Ivanovitch tells the tale of his brother Nikolay, a “poor timid clerk” who achieves his dream of becoming “a real landowner, a gentleman.” Nikolay is someone who finds great delight in devouring a plate of “sour and unripe” gooseberries, not because they taste…

For me, the pop culture icon was so much more than Grease and “Physical.” —

The Best Picture Oscar winner debuted this month in 2013. — Do you remember where you were when you saw 12 Years a Slave? I was living in Cape Town. My location at the time was fitting and almost poetic. During the year I spent in South Africa, I was constantly reminded of the country’s legacy of racism, both in historical…

Cringeworthy relationship clichés, from the start of a romance to the bitter end. — “Love is fair. It breaks everybody’s heart.” Thank you, Miss Barbara Mandrell. You offered some of the truest words ever spoken, or sung, about love on your 1981 country single. (Sorry, Sade. “Nothing can come between us” is purely wishful thinking.) It was a unique assessment with a surprise twist…

Reassessing a Rolling Stone alone, on his 79th birthday — By now you’ve no doubt heard the comparison: It’s the one that deems Harry Styles, aka the new king of pop, the second coming of Mick Jagger. Sure, there’s a distinct physical resemblance — I’ll give them that. And just as Jagger, who turns 79 this week (on July 26)…

Conservative celebrities are far more likely than Democratic ones to swerve way outside their lane. — From Debra Messing to Barbra Streisand to Robert DeNiro, liberal celebrities have had a lot to say about politics over the years, especially since Donald Trump ascended from reality TV alum to President of the United States in 2016. I admit I sometimes roll my eyes when star Democrats talk…

Is the British queen of art rock destined to be a one-hit wonder in the US? — “Problem” might be a too-strong word. As belated smash singles go, the delayed Top 5 US success of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” due to its prominent inclusion in the fourth season of the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things, 37 years after it peaked at No. 30, is pretty damn…

They’re the luckiest people in the world. — Here’s something from the “I can’t believe I actually wrote that!” file: Part of me wants to see as much of the world as possible. A bigger part of me wants to experience as many people and cultures from around the world as possible, which is why I prefer travelling…

The odds are stacked against us, but we don’t have to let them keep us down. — Several years ago, someone suggested to me that a writer can measure their success by how many angry comments they receive. I don’t know if that’s true, but it never ceases to amaze me how far some readers will go to unleash their anger directly at me. The most common…