A Song For Jesse Jackson

Reverend Jesse Jackson has died. A key figure of the civil rights movement and instrumental in getting Barack Obama to the White House, his upbringing was tough. He was tougher, yet his message was that of peace and unity. A brilliant orator and a great man. There’s a song that I immediately thought of whenContinue reading “A Song For Jesse Jackson”

Goodbye Sly

Sly Stone, aka Sylvester Stewart, has passed away at eighty two. Raise a glass to a true icon, whose multiracial, mixed gender band Sly And the Family Stone influenced everyone from Prince to Primal Scream. Even Pee Wee Herman covered ‘Stand’! Having formed the band with his family in San Francisco, he expanded the line-upContinue reading “Goodbye Sly”

Film Review: A Complete Unknown

Another year, another music biopic about a problematic genius. James Mangold has of course got previous with Walk The Line. A Complete Unknown isn’t much of a departure from the Johnny Cash film, as it’s also a good character study. Here, the truculent rebel is one Bob Dylan, right at the start of his career.Continue reading “Film Review: A Complete Unknown”