Welcome, Why I'm Here, Etc.



Brutally Honest Confession: For years I've written for various publications and websites, and never steered my own damn ship, writing-wise. So that's partially what this site is about: exercising my slightly-atrophied writing muscles, on my own self-indulgent terms.
Mostly, though, it's about sharing the stuff that's wrapped itself around my noggin for way too many years.

That stuff--film, music, and various forms of popular culture and arcana--makes my world go 'round. And it's a blast to share.

Ubersnobby analysis has never been very appealing to me (Hell, I've seen Bruno Mattei's schlocky gutmunch zombie opus Hell of the Living Dead as many times as I've seen Lawrence of Arabia), but at the same time, even the junkiest pop culture detritus reveals pockets of truth 'neath it's cheesy exterior. So herein lies (I hope) some fun.

We'll try to keep things zesty and brief, like a sprinkle of Tabasco sauce in the flavorless gruel of the routine. One regular feature in these postings will be Pop Culture Petri Dish 101, in which a specific topic/genre/personality recieves the Cliffs Notes treatment--introductory history, basics, essentials from that topic/genre/personality, etc. That way, you'll be able to impress a new acquaintance with your knowledge of, say, Italian muscleman movies of the '60's without having to sit through some four-dozen of them like I have (yes, I need help). Moreover, you'll get a chance to peruse somethin' new. I strongly believe that every human being who says they love movies should see at least one Italian sword-and-sandal epic, in the same way they should at least one of every genre of film in existance before departing the confines of this earth. So let this be your Whitman's Sampler of Exotic Treats that you might not have thought to taste. As Sindbad the Sailor once said, "A man who fears the unknown will someday take fright at his own backside." So, drink deep, brave souls. And have fun.

And then, of course, there'll be the obligatory reviews and opinionated blatherings so dear to the hearts of Blog readers and net surfers everywhere. Plus lists. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for lists of anything: Ten Bests, Ten Worsts, etc. They're fun and always stimulate thought (or at least get your dander up).

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