Tagged “history”


A Social History of My Guitar

I play a 1938 Recording King M5 archtop guitar. I’m fond of this guitar, though I’m not always sure I like the way it sounds. I sometimes yearn for a Martin or Taylor flattop, but I have a loyalty to the Recording King that arises from its history.  Much of that history predates me. Recording King guitars were made by Gibson specifically for mail-order through Montgomery Ward. I picture a... Read More

Posted on May 11, 2019 at 10:52 am under Words & Music

Trump, Kim, and Wilhelm II

How close are we to nuclear war? Really? It’s September 2017, and we seem to be in the middle of a classic conflict spiral with North Korea that, without heroic intervention, will end up where conflict spirals usually end up: war. It’s disheartening to find myself hoping the other side will produce the hero—especially when the other side is a North Korea—but that’s where I am. President... Read More

Posted on September 25, 2017 at 6:47 pm under Life & Culture

From Propaganda to History

In 1998, the Modern Library published two lists of the 100 best novels in English. One list was chosen by the Modern Library board, the other by readers. The board’s list starts off predictably: Ulysses, The Great Gatsby, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Lolita. It goes on just as predictably, overwhelmingly white, male, and published by Modern Library. But that’s a separate essay;... Read More

Posted on May 15, 2017 at 12:51 pm under Words & Music