I started interviewing bands when I was 16 and have
been writing ever since.
Here’s some of it.
I was a Houston Flood Kid
As Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas, I reflected on growing up with perpetual flood anxiety in Houston. (The A.V. Club)
How Insane Clown Posse won hearts and minds at the Juggalo March
I was on the ground in D.C. to witness how ICP went from punch line to cause célèbre. (The A.V. Club)
My Favorite Music Year: 1993
Why is 1993 my favorite year for music? Fugazi, Sugar, J Church, A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, Superchunk, Archers Of Loaf, Shellac, and so many more. (The A.V. Club)
“You’ve got to walk yourself to the edge”: Patton Oswalt talks despair and defiance
I talked to Patton Oswalt ahead of his soul-scorching stand-up special about the sudden death of his wife. (The A.V. Club)
Summarize The Simpsons in 10 episodes? That’s unpossible! (But we try anyway)
I took on the fool’s errand of choosing the 10 most representative episodes of one of the most acclaimed, longest-running series of all time. (The A.V. Club)
The Go-Go’s made history with Beauty And The Beat—and barely survived it
We’re No. 1 is one of my favorite A.V. Club features, a close examination of an album that topped the Billboard 200. This one looked at the first album by The Go-Go’s. (The A.V. Club)
The surprisingly subversive album that changed stand-up comedy forever
I wrote about Bob Newhart’s massively successful debut stand-up album. (The A.V. Club)
If ‘The Interview’ were a prestige pic, how would this have gone?
If Seth Rogen and James Franco’s dopey comedy were an “important movie,” it would’ve had a lot more defenders. And that’s a problem. (Entertainment Weekly)
Here’s some more.
The Year in Band Names
My signature feature for The A.V. Club was an annual round up of the funniest, weirdest, and occasional worst band names I’d encountered that year. It ran every year from 2006-2018, but lives on now as my monthly newsletter, Band Name Bureau.
Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison made anthems out of agony
I was devastated by the loss of Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, an immensely talented, kind, and funny musician I met during his many trips to The A.V. Club. I tried to pay tribute to his life and music. (The A.V. Club)
Beats, Rhymes & Life was A Tribe Called Quest’s commercial peak—and first misstep
I look into the beginning of the end of one of my favorite groups of all time. (The A.V. Club)
Albums That Time Forgot: In 1968, An Open Letter addressed the era’s troubled times, with maximum squareness
This spoken-word album from the late ’60s has had it with filthy, freeloading hippies. (The A.V. Club)
The power of failing: Chris Simpson revisits Mineral two decades later
Mineral, stalwarts of the emo’s second wave, reunite 16 years after breaking up. I saw them a million times back in the day, so this is my forté. (Entertainment Weekly)
Gateways to Geekery: Where to start with alt-rock icon Bob Mould
The reissue of Sugar’s Copper Blue provides the perfect place to start with one of rock’s best discographies.
In defense of podcasts (even if they don’t make money)
I was an early advocate for podcasts at The A.V. Club, creating our weekly podcast review feature, Podmass (the first of its kind), hosting our podcast Reasonable Discussions, and writing this dispatch in 2012, after the first podcast bubble burst.
“I didn’t do myself any favors”: David Cross talks racism and comedy
David Cross discusses the social media/#MeToo firestorm he faced following an accusation from Charlyne Yi and the effect it had on his comedy. (The A.V. Club)
Maria Bamford is no longer terrified of her TV show
Comedian Maria Bamford is one of my favorite comics and one of my favorite people to interview. (The A.V. Club)
Be careful with pubic hair: 6 lessons The Birthday Boys learned from the first season of their show
Adventures in standards and practices with IFC’s great sketch show. (Entertainment Weekly)
Random Roles: William Atherton
The go-to asshole of ’80s films has a deep filmography. (The A.V. Club)
10 episodes that made The Larry Sanders Show one of the best comedies of the ’90s
For TV Club 10, I pick the most representative episodes of the great, not-heralded-enough Larry Sanders Show. I also recapped the first three seasons. (The A.V. Club)
Gateways to Geekery: Emo
Where to begin with the much-maligned genre? With the debut of a scene-making Seattle band. (The A.V. Club)