Music obsessives and “regular” folks alike know of the song/memory retrieval phenomenon — you hear a song and instantly remember where you were the first time you heard it. The speed and clarity of detail associated with the song can be quite amazing. There have been claims that odors produceRead More

by Mark Saleski After listening to certain Tom Waits songs, I get to thinking about what the man might have stored in his garage. Sure, it’s become sort of a cliché, doing a mental inventory of Waits’ collection of bullhorns and whatnot, but it sure is fun. Even more funRead More

by Mark Saleski There’s a lot of writing out there about where inspiration comes from. We’ve all read stories about the Muse and how fickle it can be and all of that. For me, the vanishing Muse has most often to do with life situations out of control. Stress showsRead More

by Mark Saleski There are some things in this world that at first appear to be encased in mystery, the secrets of which can only be revealed by the “experts” — free-verse poetry, modern art, okra. It turns out that no special knowledge is required to appreciate these things. You’veRead More

by Mark Saleski This review was written with a No. 2 pencil. It seemed like the right thing to do. I know this seems like an odd choice, especially for material destined for a website, but after finishing Against The Machine I felt the need to put some ‘old’ technologyRead More

by Mark Saleski A man discover’s that his old college professor (whom he hasn’t seen in over fifteen years) has contracted Lou Gehrig’s Disease. What happens next is simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. Mitch Albom’s account of his weekly meetings with Morrie Schwartz poses many questions about how we chose toRead More

“Outlaw Pete” isn’t exactly my favorite Bruce Springsteen song, but in concert it took on new life.

by Mark Saleski From the cool & creepy photo of the record left on Elvis’ turntable the day he died (“The Stamps”) to the beautiful and somewhat bittersweet picture of Johnny Cash and June carter, Annie Leibovitz’ American Music is just filled to overflowing with photo portraits of a wideRead More

by Mark Saleski A friend of mine (a car aficionado, racer and mechanic) loaned me this. If you’ve ever been interested in how SUVs came into existence…and how they became so popular, then this might be of interest. The safety issues are well known (rollover risk, damage to other vehicles,Read More