Queen Bettie: Beach Babe

Bettie Page and beaches go together like chocolate and peanut butter. After all, Bettie’s career in modeling began when off-duty NYPD officer and avid photographer Jerry Tibbs approached her on the shores of Coney Island, New York, told her she’d be a great pinup model, and gave her his card. Soon after he was taking … Continue reading Queen Bettie: Beach Babe →

Bettie Page: From Nashville to Immortality

In a world gone mad with more depressing news landing with a thud each passing day, this feel-good story, reported by The Tennesseean, offers just the sort of soothing salve some of us need right now: “It's taken them nearly a century, but Nashville is ready to officially recognize one of the city's most iconic … Continue reading Bettie Page: From Nashville to Immortality →

The First Lady

Sometimes you read a review and think, "How did this person get inside my head?" That was my reaction while back to Doreen St. Félix's review for The New Yorker of the recently concluded first season of the Showtime limited series, The First Lady. For the most part, I share her overall assessment of the … Continue reading The First Lady →

Punk is Freedom

Never mind the bollocks, here’s the designer punk pumps and handbag. Huh? We’ve seen this before. The commodification of punk rock happened a long time ago, back when it all began in the 1970s. This almost always happens with zeitgeist moments. So, nothing should surprise me and my seen-it-all punk rock soul at this point. … Continue reading Punk is Freedom →

Middle Finger Monday

Social media users loves a good days-of-the-week hashtag, and Monday has its share of them. There’s Monday motivation, Monday mood, Monday morning, Monday blues, and more. My favorite, the one that most speaks to my sensibilities and feelings about Mondays, would have to be Middle Finger Monday. Flipping the bird is one of life’s most … Continue reading Middle Finger Monday →

Sea of Love

"I feel like a fucking teenager."Det. Frank Keller, Sea of Love Knocked silly, knocked flat, sideways downThese things they pick you up and turn you aroundSay your pieceSay you're sweet for meREM, "Me In Honey" Teenage love and lust in all its messy and passionate glory is the ultimate love, right? I mean, that's what … Continue reading Sea of Love →

We’ll Jump, and We’ll See

When did life get so hard? Oh wait, it's always been hard. At certain points in time we just fool ourselves into thinking it's all going smoothly. But in reality we're always making scary decisions and jumping into the great unknown. Every day, all day, over and over, until we shuffle off this mortal coil. … Continue reading We’ll Jump, and We’ll See →