Random Notes

(This review was originally published by the Washington Independent Review of Books on June 28, 2019.) Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder By John Waters All those midnight shows at the Bijou Theatre in Hipsterville USA featuring seedy movies like “Pink Flamingoes,” “Polyester,” “Serial Mom”— full disclosure: I never saw ‘em. And […]

(This review was originally published by the Washington Independent Review of Books on October 25, 2017.) Full disclosure. Before this heartfelt, scatterbrained book landed in my lap, I’d never heard of Marc Maron. According to the bio on this collection of podcast interviews, Waiting For the Punch, he’s a “stand-up comedian, actor, author and host […]

There I was, in good old Chicago this week, ready to MC the terribly cool health care shindig, HIStalkapalooza. A hot tic at the vast HIMSS15 health care information technology trade show at McCormick Place, the Palooza was held at the famed House of Blues, crowded with nearly 800 rockin’ health care wizards. Sponsored by […]

That time again. Though I really don’t like year-end lists, the notion of reading by the clock, here you go. What did Patti Smith say about the clock?   And as Mel Brooks said, “work work work work…”  Make that “read read read read….”  And “write write write write…”  And my top two novels of the year are: […]

(This review was originally published in the Washington Independent Review of Books, November 2014.) At some point in the late 1970s, smart-alecky teenager Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, flips on some New York radio station. Bruce Springsteen comes blaring out and all that passion, fire and teenage angst reaches out and touches this kid somewhere in the swamps […]