May 2, 2005 - Benjamin Wagner

Glass, Concrete & Stone

By admin | May 2, 2005 |

I have arrived in Los Angeles. The evidence is everywhere. Outside my window, through a thicket of palm trees, across PCH-1, and over the Santa Monica Mountains, the sun is setting. I see the ocean, the “deep and frozen sea.” Gary Coleman is on the TV. “Need a loan?” Local news is reporting a freeway…

Free At Last, Michael Penn Attempts A Comeback With Mr. Hollywood Jr.

By Benjamin | May 2, 2005 |

NEW YORK — The message conveyed at Michael Penn’s performance at Joe’s Pub a few weeks back was simple: He’s back, and he’s got a new record. It’s not that extraordinary; really, unless, like Penn, you’ve just emerged from one of the music industry’s longest-running contract skirmishes. “My father fought in World War II. He’d…