Posts by author

Max Gray

  • Weekend Rumpus Roundup

    In the Saturday Essay, Lisa Borders describes moving to a small community in southern New Jersey at thirteen. It’s the sort of place where everyone knows the difference between “good” and “bad” families. This dynamic reminds Borders of Steven Avery, the…

  • Song of the Day: “It Ain’t Easy”

    David Bowie’s name is on everyone’s lips this week due to the sad passing of the legendary artist after an eighteen-month struggle with liver cancer. It is as difficult to summarize Bowie’s achievements as it is to define him. The innovator…

  • Song of the Day: “Say I Love You”

    Once upon a time, during the days of vinyl, there was a type of record that revolved forty-five times a minute, and it was the medium of choice for singles. Digging through a dusty crate of 45s today often reveals a treasure trove…

  • Weekend Rumpus Roundup

    First, in the Saturday Interview, Arielle Bernstein talks to writer and workshop facilitator Jen Pastiloff. Pastiloff’s project, The Manifestation Workshop: On Being Human, combines yoga and creative writing to inspire participants. She speaks openly about anorexia, healing as a process, and how…

  • Weekend Rumpus Roundup

    First, we share all the reasons why our Book Clubs are so unique and make the perfect last-minute gift for your literary friends and family members—and for yourself. Then, in the Saturday Essay, Becca Schuh writes about the unique challenges of being…

  • Song of the Day: “Creep”

    An important part of Prince’s artistic image has relied upon mystery—the mystery of his genius is comprised of equal parts sexuality and technical prowess. But there is another component to it, and that is Prince’s ironclad policy against the free…

  • Song of the Day: “What’s That You Got?”

    Call it arrogance, hubris, or a holier-than-thou attitude—there are some traits that just don’t make a great impression. Antoine “Fats” Domino was well aware of that when he released “What’s That You Got?” in 1965. The hefty New Orleans native…

  • Weekend Rumpus Roundup

    In the Saturday Essay, Rachel Wilkinson shares her findings after watching seventy-eight episodes of the competitive reality show Shark Tank in only six weeks. Shark Tanks‘s business moguls decide on the air, with all the requisite pageantry, whether they want…

  • Song of the Day: “Fade Into You”

    “Alternative rock” group Mazzy Star reached their commercial peak during the early 90s, a period when American music was dominated by grunge and Nirvana. The creative core of Mazzy Star consisted of guitarist and producer Dave Roback and lyricst and multi-instrumentalist…

  • Weekend Rumpus Roundup

    First, Brandon Hicks allows us a peek into psychological disorders of the animal kingdom, the most elite bars in the world, and more in “Just Some Jokes.” Then, in the Saturday Interview, our own Arielle Bernstein talks with blogger Josie Pickens about…

  • Weekend Rumpus Roundup

    In the Saturday Essay, Anna March takes an unflinching look at the historical film Suffragette, which attempts to portray the women who took part in the suffrage movement during the early 1900s. While the film does draw attention to feminist successes,…

  • Song of the Day: “Olivia”

    To mark the anniversary of a late, great hip hop icon whose very name inspires controversy, XXL Magazine asked former members of the legendary rap group Wu-Tang to remember their friend, Russell Tyrone Jones, known otherwise as Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Lyricist Raekwon recalled the following anecdote:…