Even as a child, there was something about Bach’s music that I just connected with.  It was a little darker, a little more unsettling, and a little more MINOR (even as a kid I would skip the major key songs) than other music of the baroque era.  And all of these qualities are on full…

Last month’s Tarzan book covers post reminded me that I still had never seen a Weissmuller Tarzan movie, so I jumped right into the series to correct that as soon as I could.  And while I still haven’t watched them all, so far the clear standout has been Tarzan and his Mate, a direct sequel…

At an impressionable age (like, full-on elementary school), I stumbled upon the delights of the turn of the century author Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Kind of like a *slightly* less boring and racist H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs was best known for his Tarzan books, and I quickly tore through all 24 novels in the series…

As a young man turning my nose up at Carcass’ Heartwork for being a sell-out death metal album for uncultured scene tourists, I never would have thought that I’d be willingly listening to full-on reggae 30 years later.  However, I’m here to report that there’s a lot of good stuff out there…if you avoid all…

Though I have no formal religious education, I have actually learned a fair bit about Christianity over the years, both via apophatic deduction applied to my metal collection, and, through cinema.  In this recurring series, I feature a classic biblical movie (typically of the “epic” variety), and discuss just what one can learn about Christianity…

After 40+ years of watching movies, I’ve come to learn a few things about my tastes in film.  I don’t want to be taught a lesson (at least not in any non-oblique way).  I don’t enjoy movies based on true stories (being rooted in history feels static and without narrative freedom).  And 9 times out…

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (as seen in…GAME OF THRONES PRESENTS: TALES OF DUNK AND EGG) is currently airing on HBO, and, my own affinity for the diarrheic cold-open aside, I knew there was something about the show that had a nice familiar ring to it.  That’s when I realized that the whole “unlikely…

Carol of the Bells is pretty much the best Christmas Song.  Absolutely minor key, medieval sounding, and even better, it’s full of bells–the good kind.  So, I’m happy to report that, thanks to NoJoy’s recommendation, I believe I’ve finally found the best version of the song for today’s post: https://isleyunruh.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Ray-Conniff-Ring-Christmas-Bells.mp3 No, this isn’t the original…

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year.  Despite coming from a short line of godless folk, my family always made the most of the holiday season with the month of December making up a sizeable portion of my core childhood memories. The smell of our log furnace when the weather turned cold. Pulling…

I really don’t know much about The Beach Boys, beyond a general distaste for “oldies.” “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” seems like a fine song, but I haven’t even listened to the rest of Pet Sounds, let alone any deeper dive into their work. So, in the wake of his death, I kind of discovered a…