‘Cuz When The Feeling’s Right

I ran a half marathon yesterday. Abbigail, wisely, sat it out. Chris and I had returned from our whirlwind trip to Nantucket just twelve-hours prior when we met at the start of the Manhattan Half Marathon behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He, Jen and I were quickly seperated in the 5000+ runner start, so…

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Quietly Pass Me By

I walked out of the office with a few colleagues tonight. “If I don’t leave with you guys, I’ll be stuck here another hour.” Downstairs, Times Square was bustling with scarves, hats and parkas. We walked a few blocks together, pausing to say goodnight at every intersection. “Where are you going, anyway?” “Psychopharmacologist,” I replied.…

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In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

I lead a double life. My Blackberry lit up with the news of Heath Ledger’s death as my driver pointed his Town Car towards the Lincoln Tunnel. After all these years of covering random news at The MTV, I can’t say that I was surprised. I was sad, though; the guys had a kid. Anyway,…

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Believe In The Great Sound

I haven’t been listening to much music lately. As someone who is defined by my love of both making my own and listening to other’s, this is somewhat disconcerting. Years ago I lost my voice for no reason whatsoever. I wasn’t neither sick, not had I been talking too much. It just disappeared. Now, I…

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Wondering Where The Story’s Gone

When it’s sixty degrees at six o’clock in the morning in January, you go running whether you want to or not. These are interesting times. It’s the beginning, I think, of what basketball teams call “a rebuilding year.” There’s a lot of new: a new marriage, a new home, a new job. And so I…

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(The Angels Want To Wear My) Red Shoes

A colleague with whom I’ve been corresponding a fair amount of late has an oddly thought provoking email signature. Email signatures are odd little birds in their own right. In the age of digital aesthetic homogeny (I mean, let’s be honest: all we really have to distinguish ourselves within email is fontography), the signature is…

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Leisure Rules

My promotion was announced today. “MTV News Digital, which began as a single website, has blossomed into nearly a dozen destinations and products, including News’ user-generated You R Here vertical, Movies site, the video game and talent blogs, mobile news and podcasts. As recently-promoted Vice President, MTV News, Benjamin Wagner is charged with leading and…

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Shattered Nerves, Itchy Skin & Dirty Words

Sometimes a single moment can summarize a entire day. Stepping out for lunch this afternoon, I was slammed in the face by a bone-rattling blast of Arctic air. Times Square was choked with tourists, all racing face-down and oblivious towards their no doubt warmer destination. The Christmas tree in the lobby has been dismatled. The…

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Don’t Go Back To Sleep

It’s not like she didn’t warn me. I collapsed fully-clothed into bed at 8:30. “You sure you wanna go to bed?” Abbi asked. “You haven’t been sleeping well.” Sure enough, it’s nearly three o’clock on a Thursday morning, I’m wide awake, and have been for two hours. Truth is that I’ve been sleeping just fine.…

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What It Feels Like

My second blog post ever, written on November 21, 2000, began thusly: “Just ate an entire Entenmann’s Sweet Potato Pie. Happy Thanksgiving!” In fact, that post was part of what I called my “Studio Journal” during the making of my 2001 CD, “Crash Site.” I didn’t begin the Daily Journal in earnest until February 7,…

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