I think only two or three of Lindsay Zoladz's picks would be mine, and am *outraged by the absence of 'Papa Was a Rodeo,' but that's what such lists are for. To The Magnetic Fields and this album of our hearts - never thought you'd hear me say 'happy anniversary'<g>, but here we are.

An eclipse one day, everyone talking about Bookforum the next. Best week of the year so far. (Subscribe and then you can read my pan of Kyle Chayka's Filterworld from the previous issue, tho I must admit it's not so giddy a flagellation.)

Modern Columbo shows, ranked (am I missing some?):
4. Elsbeth (way too suspense-free and quirk-heavy so far, could improve?)
3. Imaginary early-2010s Mark Ruffalo Columbo that never happened
2. Pokerface
1. Just rewatching Columbo

honored for the shout-out in Carl Wilson's great new substack 'crritic!' (& to spread the gospel of March Danceness, 00s Edition)! 🎶 shorturl.at/mtHUV

This book is out today, and it is a game-changer. It's a compelling & important study of something that many of us talk about but no one has approached with this level of care. Moreover, Thompson's beautiful writing and deep research is a model for all of us, regardless of topic.

Everybody's been reacting to the Forbes news but Bloomberg reported that Taylor Swift had become a billionaire back in October. I mentioned it in my Jack Antonoff piece in early November: slate.com/culture/2023/1…

Among his various roles, Joe Flaherty was like the ultimate Canadian 20th-century dad, whether in his Freaks & Geeks 'Jimi Hendrix took drugs and then he DIED' mode or in his Count Floyd goofy playacting mode or his Guy Caballero business conman mode. Sucks so much to lose him.

Reminder: the Popular Music Books series session on New Dimensions in Bluegrass Scholarship starts at 5 pm ET. You can DM me for the zoom link before that.

In the newsletter today, some behind-the-scenes reflections on covering Cowboy Carter/country music last week, plus a cover-songs podcast and a playlist that asks, 'What if Jesus, but different?' tinyurl.com/crritic5

Looked up a profile bc I liked a Beyoncé take of theirs that was reposted, then impulsively started arguing with a political tweet they posted earlier. Rude, and unlike me to do out of nowhere, deserved the block. For what it's worth, apologies, Mr. Howard.

New nomination for most Globe and Mail headline:

I think my Beyoncé review was the first to I.D. the yodeler at the beginning of Willie's 'Smoke Hour' - it's blues yodeler Charles Anderson, 'Laughing Yodel' from 1924. youtube.com/watch?v=mJMdAf…

I finally got to guest on Hit Parade! Talked about the theory and practice of cover songs and some personal faves - if only Beyoncé's album had been out in time to discuss her Blackbird (my vote: yay!) and Jolene (my vote: nay!)

Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter is as much her rock album as her country one - but mainly it’s about the systemic racism of genre itself. slate.com/culture/2024/0…

Joyeux anniversaire! Always grateful for all i learned from Celine.

Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter is as much her rock album as her country one - but mainly it’s about the systemic racism of genre itself. slate.com/culture/2024/0…