Category Archives: music

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?

Posted on December 31, 2025 by JE

Happy New Year to all on the Gregorian calendar. Happy Wednesday/Thursday to all. https://indiaandersonmusic.bandcamp.com/track/what-are-you-doing-new-years-eve

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Permanent Records

Posted on November 2, 2025 by JE

I’ve been dabbling in the used-record market to feed the maw of my newish turntable. One thing I’ve really wanted was Cal Tjader’s Tjader Plays Mambo (1956), which is long out of print. I managed to find a copy in … Continue reading →

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October 23: The Day of Might

Posted on October 23, 2025 by JE

At the Fortress of Engitude, we’re celebrating the Day of Might, proclaimed by the late, unceasingly great Howard Jones as a day for celebrating sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy, and heroic fiction generally.

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Joys of Analogue Media

Posted on October 17, 2025 by JE

One of the long-lost pleasures of vinyl that I’m recently recovering is going through stacks of used LPs at record stores. These are thinner on the ground than they were in the 20th C, but when I find one I … Continue reading →

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For the Record…

Posted on September 5, 2025 by JE

I finally replaced the turntable that broke a couple of moves ago, and have been enjoying long soaks in analogue sound. It’s fun to finally listen to the vinyl I’ve been buying to support bands over the last few years, … Continue reading →

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“I’m Unavailable.”

Posted on July 1, 2025 by JE

The Dudley Moore Trio, which I did not know was a thing, plays an instrumental version of “Bedazzled”.

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Viola Davis for President

Posted on April 16, 2025 by JE

When I heard about G20 (directed by Patricia Riggen), an action movie set at the titular summit in which Viola Davis plays an American president in action-hero mode, I knew I would have to watch it. I figured it would … Continue reading →

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Swords Against Style

Posted on March 31, 2025 by JE

For various reasons I’ve had a couple different essays under my eyes this afternoon: “Epic Pooh” (Moorcock’s Titanic body-slam against Tolkien and other “high” fantasists) and Tolkien’s “On Fairy-Stories”. All critical writing about fantasy needs to be taken with a … Continue reading →

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Horrible Old Music-Man

Posted on January 13, 2025 by JE

I’m not 100% crazy about Richard Strauss’ music, except for “Death and Transfiguration”, which I love. But I can never listen to it now without remembering the remark about Strauss attributed to  Hans Knappertsbusch: “I knew him very well. We … Continue reading →

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Masks to the Max

Posted on January 7, 2025 by JE

A rack of personae from a Latin manuscript of Terence in the Vatican Library, which always reminds me of this song by They Might Be Giants (who are, in fact, giants):

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