unsolicited criticism
Theater Review: “As Bees in Honey Drown” at J City Theater
Sure I’m a theater critic, why do you ask? I wrote this review for the Jersey City Independent.
Album Review: “We Already Have Birds That Sing” by Life in a Blender
4 stars out of 5 Click to listen or purchase Last summer, when I did a 4th-of-July-themed episode of my wildly unpopular internet-radio show, my buddy Dave asked if I’d play “In the USA” from Life in a Blender’s 1988 debut album. Now hold on a cotton-picking second: Sure, Dave’s a buddy, but A) we […]
Meatball Sandwich Review: Favia Pizza
It was snowing like nobody’s business and I had to get to Jersey City. OK, sure, I could’ve rescheduled the interview I was conducting for a day with less inclement weather. But, I’m a bit of a masochist, a firm believer in “no time like the present,” and besides, I might get that meatball sandwich […]
My Highly Subjective List of the Best Movies of 2013
After a disappointing tally of 29 new releases seen in a theater in 2012, I vowed to rebound in 2013. But the fates seemed to conspire against me, and I worried about keeping that promise. The Clearview Cinemas chain changed hands, eliminating the “Free Tuesday” plan I had enjoyed so much with my Optimum Rewards […]
Record Store Review: Rough Trade NYC
I guess I first heard about Rough Trade when I was in high school (not to be confused with lower-case “rough trade,” which is another story for another day). It was a record label, and also a store, or vice-versa, and it was British and mysterious and cool, with an iconic logo, perfect for us […]
What I’ve Been Watching: Edition VII
As much as the media wanted to focus on the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, you could tell they were clearly distracted. You could almost read it on the face of each reporting-live-from-Dallas correspondent: “What has Jack Silbert been watching?” Fear not, friends, it is time for another bi-annual installment. If this doesn’t quite […]
Meatball Sandwich Review: Pizza Per Tutti
Here at Salt in Wound dot-com, we tirelessly circumnavigate the globe in search of the ultimate meatball sandwich. And so it was that I found myself in Oranjestad, Aruba, at the Tamarijn All-Inclusive Vacation Beach Resort. You know how they don’t feed you on planes anymore? Suffice to say I was starving like a mothereffer […]
Jack’s 2013 Fall TV Preview
Oh sure, it’s easy to write a fall TV preview when you’ve been sent DVD screeners and top-secret URLs and download codes. It’s another matter altogether when all you have to go on is the TV Guide Fall Preview 2013. But for the second year in a row, that’s what I’m going to do for […]
What I’ve Been Watching: Edition VI
So maybe, just maybe, I’ve been watching a little more TV these days. What have I been watching? The shows listed below, dummy! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that, I’ve been under a lot of pressure, what with my DVR at 97% and all. I watch other shows too, and probably mentioned them […]
Meatball Sandwich Review: Sanpanino
I know the intersection of Christopher and Hudson Streets very, very well. From 1994 through 2011, it was an important part of my daily commute: Get off the train at Christopher, cross Hudson, and be on my merry way—and the reverse in the evening. Still, I’ve never really “hung out” a lot over there. Sure, […]
Jack Silbert, curator