(cover of Torres’ album Three Futures, one of the best albums of the year.)

Patreon

97 in the list of best albums of all time: Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes— Os Afro-Sambas.

Are centrist dems too weak or too strong?

On how free college is a neoliberal plot (or maybe it isn’t.)

The 30 best albums of the year.

I listed the best essays I wrote this year.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the LA Times I said, down with naive cynicism!

At Playboy I argued that The Post is not the media criticism we need right now.

At NBC I wrote about

—a new book arguing that we should regulate hate speech.

—how the ubiquity of superheroes reduces opportunity for diversity.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—copyright and Joker fish.

—Leonardo da Vinci’s history of child abuse.
 
 

 
On Patreon

I wrote about why the left should focus on voter suppression rather than on finding inspirational candidates.

In my best album ever countdown I wrote about The Gospel Tradition: The Roots and the Branches.

A haiku about everyone else being wrong.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Quartz I wrote about Kayla Moore and why saying someone is “a Jew” sounds anti-Semitic.

At the Forward I wrote about Star Wars and a universe without Jews.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—why the anti-Balthus petition isn’t censorship.

—an old Batman and the Metal Men comic in which sad robots are discriminated against and die.

At the Reader I wrote about

—Chicago pop punk band Daymaker.

—evil heavy grind core band Cloud Rat.

News

My new book on fascism in film came out this week! Buy it now! Buy it again just to be safe!

On Patreon

The 100th best album ever, Risque Rhythm, a collection of dirty jump blues. (and why comps on best of lists aren’t cheating.)

I wrote a couple haiku.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Public Books, Lucinda Elliot wrote about why Georgette Heyer is reactionary and romances for working people. (This is part of an occasional series on romance novels that I edit.

At Quartz I wrote about

—the Supreme Court wedding cake case and how denying people service contributes to restrictions on free speech.

—Al Franken resigning, and why it’s a sign of Democratic strength.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—why the Democrats aren’t to blame for the tax bill.

—a Superman comic from my childhood Part of a new series; this one’s about not wanting to be a superhero and Superman as un-castrator.

 
On Patreon

On science-fiction and how we no longer believe in a future.

The 5th Dimension’s Magic Garden is better than Sgt. Pepper’s.

Why the white working class came out for Trump.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Vice I wrote about the wonderful horror television show No End House, and using serial fiction to mirror grief.

At Pacific Standard I wrote about Mr. Robot and why you can’t have a socialist superhero.

At A Beautiful Perspective I wrote about

—the Chicago campaign to keep Rahm Emanuel from spending 95 million on a new cop academy.

—Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch series and why screen sci-fi is less adventurous than sci-fi novels.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—Hamilton’s Battalion, a series of romance novellas about marginalized people during the Revolutionary war.

—whether Jane Austen was a lesbian.

—how you (yes you!) are implicated in Murder on the Orient Express.