brendan halpin

Old friend Seamus Cooper dropped by with a haunted look in his eyes and a flash drive in his hand. “Just…publish it,” he said, pressing the flash drive into my hand. So here it is, just in time for Halloween!

Even after all these years, I am a sucker for found footage horror. I think it’s because it accounts for the presence of the camera, so you don’t have to suspend your disbelief quite as much as you do with a regular movie, where you know there’s a crew and a director and everybody right there because it’s a movie, but you make yourself forget it while you’re watching.

Your mileage may vary. I know a lot of people are fed up with found footage, and I have some thoughts on why that might be in my review of

I’ve been seeing a lot of older musicians lately, because, I mean, you can’t count on anything in this life except that people don’t live forever, so if someone over retirement age comes to town, you better go if you’re at all interested.

Here’s how I’m voting on the five ballot questions and why. I hope you’ll find it useful!

I have some national policy priorities that are pretty far outside the mainstream:

I love a mystery show, and I especially love a mystery show about rich people being terrible. And it seems like American producers are finally learning from British mystery shows and casting good actors in every role. And yet, ultimately, I didn’t love it.

I’ve now had my ebike for a few months, during which time I’ve been using it for my daily commute, errands, and occasional longer trips. (you can still get the same model for 800 bucks with a 400 dollar crazy bucks coupon if you live within driving range of an Ocean State Job Lots location!) (I have no financial connection here—just trying to alert folks to a bargain) Some thoughts:

Not too many famous people come from Cincinnati.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Oscar Robertson, Bootsy Collins, Jerry Springer… and Pete Rose.

When I was a kid in Cincinnati in the 70’s, Sarah Jessica Parker was also a kid, Oscar Robertson had recently retired, Bootsy was funky but not really someone that was on a kid’s radar, Jerry Springer was a city councilor, and Pete Rose was (white) Cincinnati’s favorite son.

Content warning: fanboy gushing

I saw X at the late, unlamented Landsowne Street Club Axis on the Hey Zeus! tour in 1993. This was the era when Billy Zoom wasn’t with the band, and it was extremely mid, as the kids say. I was like, well, I guess I can check the box that I got to see X. Too bad I never saw them at their best.

Well, last night, thirty years later, I did get to see them at their best.

Sent this out to my mailing list a few years ago. I’m going to see X on their farewell tour tonight, so I thought it was appropriate to re-post: