Opinion
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Guest column: Bay Area artist Laura Sullivan on her latest Grammy nomination
Laura Sullivan as a toddler with her father, courtesy. Editor’s note: I first met Laura Sullivan at the 2013 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. She wasn’t nominated that year, but was back the next with a nomination in the Best New Age Album field, which she won, beating out…
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Obituary: The singular genius of Stephen Sondheim
Composer Stephen Sondheim speaks at the Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars annual gala hosted by The Dramatists Guild Fund on Oct. 21, 2013 in New York. Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Dramatists Guild Fund. Editor’s note: We at RIFF wanted to address the passing of theater genius…
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Insert Foot: ‘Get Back’ clears up misconceptions and highlights Beatles’ joy
Insert Foot is loving Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” Beatles documentary. Phone lines and the internet burned all over the world this week, and it wasn’t people remarking how lifelike tofurkey tastes in 2021. The hubbub was about four guys playing music more than half a century ago, as well as…
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Insert Foot: This Thanksgiving may get some giving thanks, after all
Insert Foot finding the joy in Thanksgiving again. Rendering: Adam Pardee/STAFF. Thanksgiving is a date on a calendar. Beyond that, its meaning and value depends on the year (in my world). Not this year. This one will be different. In the early years, Thanksgiving was the optimistic gateway/family dress…
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Insert Foot: Britney Spears is back. Now what?
Protestors at the #FreeBritney Termination Rally in in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2021. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images. Britney’s free, bitch. Now what do we do? The question is, “what does Britney do?” Whatever she wants, I guess. What if I don’t care? Rendering: Adam Pardee/STAFF. I mean,…
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REWIND: It’s the third annual self-indulgent birthday column
Pictured: Either Gordon Lightfoot or editor Daniel J. Willis. Physically, the two are around the same age. Emotionally, Lightfoot is much younger. Good news! It was my birthday yesterday. That means two things: First, it means that I’m somehow even older. You’d think there would be a theoretical maximum…
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Insert Foot: Why people died at Astroworld is inexcusable
A street sign shows the cancelation of the Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston on Nov. 6, 2021. Eight people died and more than a dozen others were taken to hospitals after a crowd surge at the festival, started by Houston rapper Travis Scott in 2018. Photo by…
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REWIND: We need to talk about Aaron Rodgers
Jake from State Farm, you deserved so much better than Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers, man. It’s amazing how fast and efficiently that dude burned down his image and legacy. If you missed the beginning of the story: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, that guy who hangs out with…
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Outside Lands 2021: The best and worst of Sunday
A concertgoer at the Lands End stage at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Oct. 31, 2021. Adam Pardee/STAFF. Once again, Outside Lands has come to an end. Usually that means it’s time to soak in a giant tub of aloe to treat the full-body sunburn while also drinking…
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Outside Lands 2021: The best and worst of Friday and Saturday
Attendees walk under the windmills at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2021. Adam Pardee/STAFF. Usually, I write up the best and worst of each day at Outside Lands. This year I’m combining the first two days into one. Why is that? Well, for one thing, I’ve…
