NHT Blog

Welcome to a new month and a new season.  As of today, it’s December and instead of talking about Thanksgiving the conversation has shifted very quickly to Christmas.

Unfortunately, I wish I could be reporting on change in the music industry, but some very recent examples show that things look the same, unfortunately, and there’s still work to be done as a result.

This Thursday (November 27) in the United States is Thanksgiving Day.  People will sit down at tables across the country to eat turkey, likely while watching an NFL game, and hopefully talk about what they are thankful for.

It always strikes me as odd that we need one day singled out as such to dictate that we should have those feelings that day.  Why can’t we be more aware of our gratitude throughout the year instead of just on that holiday?  Perhaps we’re too caught up in where we’re trying to get to rather than what we’ve already achieved.

Although I’m a Member of the Recording Academy, I’m also realistic about my standing in the music community.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a household name or someone that readers of Rolling Stone magazine see mentioned regularly in articles published through that legendary publication.

Yet, it is still tough to get my attention with a song you want heard.  And like so many other things, timing is key.

If you have long followed my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast – listened to the show, read the free weekly e-newsletter, and/or followed its official Instagram account – you know that I go out of my way to highlight when I’ve hit a milestone episode, either by its number or an anniversary.

This morning, I received a phone call from someone who, in the past, on multiple occasions, I have asked to be a guest on my weekly podcast.  As evidenced by having had to ask this person more than once, the answer each time had been “No thanks.”

It raised a bit of an eyebrow with me early today when I saw the caller ID, unsure as to why he might be calling me.  But lo and behold, my Monday started with good news.  He rang me so as to state that he was ready to be a guest if I was still interested in interviewing him.

Two days ago, at a craft fair that was set up at an outdoor mall that’s a dozen or so miles from where I live, I bought cheese.  Talk amongst yourselves about a vendor being set up to sell cheese at a craft fair.  (And yes, I already know both sides of the debate).

This is where I tell you that I am quite the cheese eater.  Dare I say, I’m a big fan.  There is a difference, though, in that I would not necessarily say that I’m a connoisseur.  I don’t mind disclosing that every weekday, cheese (and crackers) is a part of what I consider to be my lunch.

I don’t mind taking one for the team and being Captain Obvious here.  Click bait has absolutely gotten out of hand.  And I wish it would stop.

Those who write that way (and I wonder how they sleep at night) would hate that I didn’t bury the lead.  They would cringe if they saw what I put in that first paragraph because they would prefer that I write a bunch of useless nonsense just to fill up space and then finally come out with my main point in, I don’t know, maybe paragraph seven.

Guess what?  We all see right through it.

Yesterday marked exactly two weeks since my birthday.  And I’m not writing that so that people will send me belated birthday wishes.

For the record, it’s belated Happy Birthday, it’s not Happy Belated Birthday.  The wishes are belated, not the birthday.  Got it?  Thank you.  Please drive ahead to the second window.

For the headline I would’ve also accepted something containing the expression ‘one trick pony.’  The fact is, if that describes you, there is reason for worry and it's time to mix things up a bit.

Actor Jason Bateman is in the Netflix series “Black Rabbit” and his character – not unlike what he portrayed in the movie “Carry-On” – is far from the witty guy we had gotten used to seeing him play.  Of course, “Ozark” is really where we saw him make the turn.  But the fact is, we still love him, almost no matter who he is portraying, right?

When you come to this blog every Monday, you know what to expect in terms of length. Well, hopefully content too, but let’s just focus this week on the amount of time you figure it will take you to read what gets posted when you come here at the start of your work week.

The Web, after all, is where blogs have lived for years and years.  And years, let me add for emphasis.