ORCHESTRIONS
IF YOU’VE ridden a carousel, you’ve heard the music of an orchestrion. Think of this pneumatically controlled collection of pipes and percussion as sort of a high-level music box, but with … Continue reading
AESTHETICS OF JAPAN
IT SEEMS to me there are contrasting sides to Japanese aesthetics. The same fellow who appreciates the simplicity of rocks in carefully raked sand also derives pleasure from art forms … Continue reading
FREBERG’S U.S.A.
HAPPY JULY 4TH! A great way to celebrate our nation’s 237th birthday is with the satire of Stan Freberg. His two-volume CD set, Stan Freberg Presents the United States of … Continue reading
LA CREATION DU MONDE
LET’S CELEBRATE the art of theater set design. Here’s a wonderful book on the topic, together with focus on one of its subjects, artist Fernand Léger, and one of my favorite pieces … Continue reading
ROARING TWENTIES
IT’S NO wonder the 1920s acquired the name Roaring Twenties. It’s certainly warranted from an economic point of view. A recent piece, “The Myth of Gatsby’s Suffering Middle Class,” by … Continue reading
HAVE A SMOKE
IT WAS extremely easy for me to quit smoking in 1984. The doctor said, “Yes, pal, you’re having a heart attack,” and, later, “Do you smoke?” “I used to,” I … Continue reading
A SMALL CYCLE COLLECTION
I AM current custodian of a small cycle collection. Well, not all cycles, as one of them is a Vespa; the others are a Dirt Bike and a Road Cruiser. … Continue reading
CALIFORNIA COOL
IN THE mid-part of the last century (how quaint this sounds in 2013!), Southern California was the birthplace of the cool. A wonderful exhibit curated by the Orange County Museum … Continue reading
OLD SCHOOL TIES
I’ve managed to get through most of my life without wearing ties. Not that I don’t appreciate this element of traditional menswear. In fact, rummaging through my books recently I … Continue reading
OPERA CHAOS, ACT II
A STAGE so ripe for chaos as grand opera certainly deserves more than a single mention (www.wp.me/p2ETap-11h). In fact, there are those who say, with complete accuracy, that onstage and … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 