I Suppose I Should Say

I Have Sparred With Commenters As A Music Writer (on The Rumpus, Among Other Places, See E.g., My Review About Taylor Swift), And That Was Plenty Of Training!

I'm Trying To Make Sure That There's Comedy As Well As Sadness. It Makes The Sadness More Memorable.

The Great Recession Is Not Imaginary, And The Effects Loom Large. There Was An Article In The Nyt About The Galloping Death Rate Among White Men In Middle Age. Higher Than Among Any Other Demographic, Etc. Mostly Death By Drugs, Alcohol, Or Suicide. Many Of Them Rural. My Feeling Is That It's Many People Who Haven't Been Able To Get Back Into The Work Force. Reg Morse Is An Example Of The Problem.

So While It Is True That I Find Really Dark Stuff Funny Sometimes, It's Also True That As A Writer Of Books I Want To Have The Whole Range Of Human Emotions.

There’s Something Really Rich And Powerful In Not Talking About What You Need To Talk About Sometimes.