A SoundCloud remix of Frank Sinatra’s “My Kind of Town” bellows out of the car’s stereo as we barrel down Lake Shore Drive. We speed south, maneuvering through congested city lanes. Time feels briefly arrested. Across the windshield, I can only see fuzzy streams of red car lights, apartment stoops, and skyscraper windows. The headlights […]
It seems like the best time to live is always the past. Romanticizing the aesthetics of bygone days happens in every culture, every year. “Singin’ in the Rain,” one of the most beloved films of the 20th century, is no exception to this nostalgia. What often goes forgotten is that “Singin’ in the Rain” is […]
In the 1952 movie musical “Singin’ in the Rain,” protagonist Don Lockwood tap dances down the dark New York City streets in the pouring rain after escorting his love interest, Kathy Selden, to her door and kissing her goodnight. Overcome by joy at their budding relationship, he discards his umbrella, opting to embrace the downpour […]
On rainy days growing up, my family and I would cuddle up on the sofa under a pile of blankets, make a cozy cup of tea, and turn on our favorite comforting romantic comedies. By the time the credits rolled, the storm would have subsided, and my face would always be soaked with tears of […]
In the early morn, she flutters down the damp walk, Looking for her writhing, sodden breakfast: a worm Dispelled from its home, flooded from the pelting rain— Easy pickings when they have no place to return; She nibbles at the granite, probes through dewy blades, And gobbles each bug for her baby bird back home. […]
First of all, it’s not “Top-sham,” it’s pronounced “Tops-um.” I am what you call a true Mainer, born and raised—we are very proud of our status, and transplants are almost eternally outsiders. If you’ve ever met someone from Maine, they’ll make it a key part of their personality; I’m no exception. I suppose it’s a […]
Earth Day could not have come at a better time. Spring in Boston is in full swing: temperatures are consistently above freezing, the trees boast blooming buds, and soft petals blow through the air. What better opportunity to look outward and appreciate the fresh florals and verdant colors overtaking once-bare branches. The playlist spans soul, […]
On Feb. 10, 1938, Sidney Bechet walked into a Decca Records studio in New York and cut a track called “Viper Mad.” The song, which Bechet composed with musician Rousseau Simmons, was an ode to smoking marijuana. O’Neill Spencer sang the lyrics over Bechet’s clarinet: “wrap your chops round this stick of tea / blow […]