unsolicited criticism
These Eyes Spy Cheese Fries: The Return
I was talking with Kelli from the band Resounding No, and she mentioned a beloved childhood fast-food joint, Burger Express in Carteret. In researching it, she had stumbled upon a review I wrote which appeared in the New Jersey section of the New York Times way back on October 1, 2000. I asked if the […]
Meatball Sandwich Review: Frank & Joe’s
It was thrilling to learn how to drive again at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey, this past June. But almost equally exciting was finding out that my instructor Maria’s father ran a pizza place in Paterson. I promised myself that when I was finally an approved driver, with hand controls […]
Jack’s 2018 Fall TV Preview
It’s mid-September and I really should be back at school. But before I matriculate (hey now!), my beloved Fall TV Preview returns after a four-year hiatus. The rules, for those who are new or need a refresher: 1) I have not seen any of these programs, and for the great majority never will. 2) I […]
Album Review: ‘333’ by Sputnik
Earlier this month, I did an extremely rare reading of my poetry at a words-and-music event at Hoboken’s Issyra Gallery. Also on the bill was the band Sputnik. Years ago, I used to see their debut CD at my local record store, Tunes. But I’d never seen them live! I was really impressed, and thrilled […]
What I’ve Been Watching: Edition XV
So sometimes your personal life changes and you fall behind on your shows but then maybe your personal life changes again so you catch up on your shows. Anyhoo, this is what I’ve been watching recently. LOVED The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale (Netflix) Back in the day, Talk Soup was my jam. Kinnear, […]
EP Review: ‘Gross Dominance’ by Resounding No
4.5 stars out of 5 Click to sample or purchase I never got the chance to see Sarah C.’s previous group, the Soft Maybes. But it gave me a big smile when I learned that the bassist’s new band was called Resounding No. And now I’m smiling even more widely, because the trio has delivered […]
Album Review: ‘Great & Solemn Wild’ by Marybeth D’Amico
4 stars out of 5 Click to listen or purchase Word on the street was that Pat Byrne was releasing an album. Yet it wasn’t from his rocking band They Live!, nor was it selections from his fondly remembered WFMU comedy show Prove It All Night. Rather, Byrne had produced and was releasing a […]
My Highly Subjective List of the Best Movies of 2017
In my first talk with Joe Reda, the prosthetist at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, he asked about my goals. One of very few that I mentioned, back in December 2016, was regaining the ability to walk to my local movie theater. I achieved that goal by the spring, and […]
What I’ve Been Watching: Edition XIV
I am “all in” on traditional TV. Bought a new set. Got a new cable box. Even got new eyeglasses. And yet I’ve been watching an awful lot of Netflix shows, go figure. LOVED Big Mouth (Netflix) This animated series got better and better as it went along. Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, our pals […]
Song Review: “Blood (Coming Out of Her Whatever)” by psych-O-positive
The mostly-Hoboken supergroup psych-O-positive released their debut single today. I wrote a review for hMAG.com.
Jack Silbert, curator