Ben East Books

Category: Music

  • May the Bird of Paradise Rest in Your Armpit

    May the Bird of Paradise Rest in Your Armpit

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    Ben East
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    The man with the 70’s hangover—big stache, wide lapels, swooping toupee—assigned to teach my fifth grade class regularly heaped this wish upon us: ‘May the bird of paradise rest in your armpit.’ What this meant, and why it should happen to us, was never made clear. It was only, mysteriously, repeated. This was a 1982-83,…

  • Writers & Musicians

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    Ben East
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    I could post the latest literary event on video, or this. Musicians make better company than writers. Books can wait until tomorrow.

  • Thinking in Tens

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    Ben East
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    The Top Ten Dumb Things Internet lists have made me do (one is a lie): 10. “Like” things that merely interest me 9. Assess the duplicity of others 8. Avoid work, especially writing 7. Scroll while driving 6. Scroll while biking 5. Groan aloud in public 4. Puzzle over others’ music interests 3. Read lists…

  • Love and Protest

    Love and Protest

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    Ben East
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    Amy’s Story by Anna Lawton sets a tempestuous romance against the turbulent half-century of global change that erupted in the 1960s and flowed across the land like a modern Great Flood. The novel plants the seeds of these decades in the post-World War One migration from Europe to the United States and reveals the newest fruits—poison…

  • Oh My God, Look at Her Butt

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    by

    Ben East
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    Will Sing win a Golden Globe or other award this season? I hope so. The soundtrack brought out memories of David Bowie (Under Pressure), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah), and George Michael. That, and its an inspiring story about overcoming obstacles to realize artistic passions. So even if on the surface the only thing your kids get…