Russellarbenfox
MY BLOGS
-
In Medias Res
http://inmedias.blogspot.com/
Essays, notes, and fragments--personal, political, and philosophical--from the midst of things
LATEST ARTICLES ( 588 )
-
Songs of '78: "Don't Look Back"
Ah, Boston. The aspirations of progressive rock, the volume of heavy metal, with a huge guitar presence and huge hair. Similar to Kansas (which has already had... Read more
Posted on 02 August 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Badlands"
I didn't situate what is one of Bruce Springsteen's greatest songs with my memories of 1978--in fact, I almost certainly didn't even know it was a Springsteen... Read more
Posted on 01 August 2018 SOCIETY -
Of Parties, Primaries, and (Gubernatorial) Endorsements
It's 15 days until the August 7 primaries here in the state of Kansas, and early voting begins today. I'm a vote on the day-of person myself (I just like the... Read more
Posted on 23 July 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Take Me To the River"
There is some confusion on when, exactly, the Talking Heads's cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" was released. It was the only single released off... Read more
Posted on 21 July 2018 SOCIETY -
Catastrophe, Technology, Limits, and Localism
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Charles C. Mann's The Wizard and the Prophet, published earlier this year, is a fabulous book. Read more
Posted on 19 July 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Who Are You?"
The single "Who Are You" was released 40 years ago today; it was the lead song off of The Who's album of the same title, which would get its full release in... Read more
Posted on 14 July 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Fool (If You Think It's Over)"
Chris Rea, an English musician who has had a long and productive career in the United Kingdom and throughout western Europe, released his debut album, Whatever... Read more
Posted on 07 July 2018 SOCIETY -
What Do Farmers Want?
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]The obvious response to the title of this post is: I don't know; why don't you ask one? Well, Richard Wuthnow and his... Read more
Posted on 06 July 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Driver's Seat"
Pop radio and the music industry which enabled and profited from it was a mystery 40 years ago--at least from the excruciatingly well-documented,... Read more
Posted on 30 June 2018 SOCIETY -
Getting Political in Response to Wichita's Problems
[This is an expanded and more contextualized version of the editorial which appeared in the Wichita Eagle this morning.]James Chung is a business analyst and... Read more
Posted on 14 June 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Hot Child in the City"
Forty years ago today "Hot Child in the City," the first and only single off Nick Gilder's album City Nights, was released. Three quick points: 1) Don't even... Read more
Posted on 12 June 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Far Awar Eyes" and "Just My Imagination"
I said the Rolling Stones' Some Girls was the big one, as far as my memories of 1978 are concerned, and I wasn't kidding. "Miss You" was just the beginning;... Read more
Posted on 09 June 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Copacabana"
Yes, there were the Cars, and the Rolling Stones, and Joe Walsh, and Van Halen, and Cheap Trick, and Eric Clapton, and more. But it was still, you know, the... Read more
Posted on 01 June 2018 SOCIETY -
Mid-Sized Meditations #15: Naftzger Park, Planning, and the Problem of "Growth"
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Naftzger Memorial Park was a small, pleasantly run-down city block of trees, grass, and benches, near the center of... Read more
Posted on 31 May 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Just What I Needed"
Forty years ago today, "Just What I Needed," the first single off of the Cars's first album (also titled The Cars), hit the airwaves. What were the Cars? Punk? Read more
Posted on 29 May 2018 SOCIETY -
Nature, Wisdom, Spirit, Mother
[Cross-posted to By Common Consent]This is an expanded and re-written version of a Mother's Day sermon I gave in church last week, on May 13, 2018. Read more
Posted on 21 May 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78: "Sultans of Swing"
Dire Straits is one of those bands that crept into my consciousness, with me only realizing years afterward that I'd been listening to them for a long time.... Read more
Posted on 19 May 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs of '78:"Life's Been Good"
I've never smoked, never consumed any kind of alcoholic beverage, never taken any drug that wasn't an over-the-counter painkiller or something prescribed by a... Read more
Posted on 16 May 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs from '78: "Miss You"
This is the big one, folks--or at least, the beginning of the biggest, the first single from the band and the album that looms larger in my mind than almost... Read more
Posted on 10 May 2018 SOCIETY -
Songs from '78: "Runnin' with the Devil"
No tricks here, folks: Van Halen's second single, "Runnin' with the Devil," released 40 years ago today off of their debut album, Van Halen, was the first... Read more
Posted on 06 May 2018 SOCIETY