Eminem First, as a follow-up to last week’s column of “Eurovision” favorites, an update: The final isn’t until noon on May 11, but of our top 10, only eight countries are still in it. Iceland and San Marino won’t be there. San Marino was easily my second-favorite, but its…

Stewart Copeland, “Police Deranged for Orchestra.” One weird thing about living under late capitalism is that everything has to be “reimagined.” For whatever reason (corporate profit) we need a live action “The Little Mermaid” and a Spielberg-ian “West Side Story” (which is, of course, a reimagined “Romeo and Juliet”).…

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performs during Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Feb. 1, 2019. Courtesy Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest. In my column last week I said I had to pre-write it because I would be spending the weekend in…

The Ramones in 1976. Courtesy. Today is National Boss’ Day. (Assuming you’re reading this the day it publishes, which, I mean, why wouldn’t you be.) Which is ironic. There are so many strikes about to start in the coming days that it may turn into a general strike purely…

For nearly a century and a half, scholars and fans have puzzled over a mysterious line in Richard Wagner’s 1882 opera, “Parsifal.” During the first act, a wise knight named Gurnemanz describes the Grail castle to the fool Parsifal: “You see son, here time becomes space.” There’s a Quora…

Ed Sheeran could never shoot straight. He tragically passed away shortly after his appearance in the ‘Star Wars’ series. Condolences, in the form of cash, may be sent to the RIFF office. This weekend marks one of the most pervasive and joyous of American traditions: something beloved by young…

Sting, “My Songs.” It’s not uncommon for an artist to live many lives through the course of a career, but few transcend boundaries quite like Sting. Having won a Grammy or Best Reggae Album of 2018 for his collaboration with Shaggy, Sting’s identity has been subject to much interpretation and…