Posts by Benjamin
Twenty-four Hours Of “Twilight”
The red eye may be as close as we get to time travel. Without it, there’s far less of a chance that I would have volunteered to fly to Los Angeles for twenty-four hours (well, 12 in the air, and 12 in L.A., anyway). What would motivate such a trip at the end of a…
Read MoreSometimes I Wish I Was An Academic
Just days after graduating from Syracuse, I took two of my most beloved professors, Bob Gates and Tobias Wolff, to lunch to quiz them on the pros and cons of academia. I loved college. I loved the lectures, the discussions, the reading and writing. I loved all the newness, excitement of ideas, and that sometimes…
Read MoreOfficial “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” Track Listing & Art
I’m sure you’ve already marked your calendar. And, in the event you live somewhere other than New York, I’m sure you’ve already booked your travel. “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” will be released on Wednesday, November 19th at (get this) Rockwood Music Hall. It’s gonna’ be a big rock show featuring all the musicians who…
Read MoreYes
At 10:59 tonight, the crowd 29-stories below my office window began counting down as if it was New Years Eve. At 11:00, Charlie Gibson called California for Barack Obama, then projected his victory. Which is when the cheering began. Over two hours later, they’re still cheering. My mother still talks about shaking President John F.…
Read MoreAin’t That America
It hasn’t been until pretty recently that I even began to consider “The American Dream.” I dunno’, maybe I was too young, too single, had nothing invested or at stake. The older I get, though, and the more historical storms I weather (September 11, The Invasion Of Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, etc), the more I’ve come…
Read MoreFive Boroughs In 4:25:01
I don’t care if I ingest another PowerGel for as long as I live. Or Gatorade. Or Cliff Bar. Heck, I could even go without Gummy Bears (at least for a few weeks). Yesterday was my ninth New York City Marathon. Over the course of all that running (1,194 miles in 113 races alone, to…
Read MoreBoo! (Or, Crossing The River Styx In Costume)
My favorite Halloween was at the end of my least-favorite year. I was ten-years-old. My parents were separated, soon-to-be divorced (saw that comin’, right?). My mother was in Washington, DC. Chris and I were with our father in Oak Park, Illinois. It was, as I’ve written before, a particularly dark, confusing and chaotic time. In…
Read MoreNext News Now: New Business Model for News
Left to my own devices, I would have fled the scene. In fact, if transparency is the hallmark of blogging, than I’ll be honest: I did flee the scene. Instead of networking over lunch at the City University of New York’s New Business Model for News Conference last week, I took my salad at my…
Read MoreVote Early & Often (On My New Album Cover)
Sure, the fate of the free world hangs in the balance. No, I’m not talkin’ Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin. I’m talkin’ about you choosing the album cover for “Live From Rockwood Music Hall,” my forthcoming online-only release due at Authentic Records Online and iTunes on November 19th. There are four album covers to chose from. All…
Read MoreMy Top Ten Favorite Lyrics (Or, What’s Left Behind To Shoulder Grows Weightless)
In what has become a presumably tiresome refrain amongst my musician friends, I’ve said more than once of late that I’m not sure I’ll ever release another album. Sure, I’m releasing my Live From Rockwood Music Hall LP on November 19th. And yeah, I have plans for a big live recording of my “greatest hits”…
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