“If You Should Ever Leave Me” by Julie Driscoll Julie Driscoll came to epitomize the psychadelic 60′s era of British music.  Everything she sings sounds like it belongs on the Austin Powers soundtrack.  She’s also known primarily for covers, such as “Wheel’s on Fire” and “Season of the Witch.” As well as today’s item “If [...]

Those of you who know me at all are probably already sick of hearing about this.  September 1st for me is the beginning of Fall.  It’s not that I can’t wait for Summer to be over, I just can’t wait to get a move on with the Autumn.  Living in Southern California, it’s technically “Summer” [...]

“Me and My Gin” by Bessie Smith Writing a Gay News Roundup usually puts me in touch with my blues.  And every time I think blues, I think Bessie Smith’s “Me and My Gin.”  Crackling soundtrack, low trumpet, heavy voice, silly enough to keep me from going nuts.  Check! This one goes out to Justin [...]

Reclaim the Dream Fight fire with fire.  As many of you may know, Glenn Beck held a “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, D.C. Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which was held at the same spot.  And while I can’t imagine anything more [...]

“Breakfast in NYC” by Oppenheimer Today, we go to the actually really good “Gossip Girl” soundtrack from the actually really good show “Gossip Girl.”  A light-hearted, dance-y but not obnoxious collection of indie struts, the highlight is “Breakfast in NYC.” I chose it because I just had a fabulous weekend brunch in a fabulously metropolitan [...]

“Oh, What a Pear!” Martini A while back I featured a drink called “Maxwell’s Plum,” a martini at the fabled, now shut Tavern on the Green in New York.  The drink I feature today is a specialty order Tavern on the Green used to arrange for couples. When someone was going to propose at the [...]

Bienvenue, hipsters!  Today we set sail down SanMonBul to the magical nonsense world of the Far East (of Hollywood that is): Silver Lake.  A land of both caring and not caring, of quaintness and calamity, of treasure and trash, of paying a dollar for 30 cents. I threw on my t-shirt with a band on [...]

“Tower of Strength” by Gene McDaniels Expanding one’s music library is an art form of sorts.  It is not a blind amassing.  It involves a lot of tasting, keeping your ears open and being open to unfamiliarity.  This last one is particularly difficult, especially as one gets older. With the rise of music sharing sites [...]

If you own an iPhone, odds are that you are well on your way to being into this idea.  A very hipster idea.  It’s an app called Hipstamatic.  Get it.  Get it now.  No one I know has been sorry they paid the two bucks. When you buy the app, pictures you film with it [...]

“The VERTIGO Soundtrack” by Bernard Hermann What a driving companion!  If you have a dramatic or whimsical bone in your body, you’ll want to take a drive with the “Vertigo” soundtrack. I’m not saying it has to be PCH (although that would be nice), but Bernard Hermann’s untouchable score is so dramatic and filled with [...]