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Life is full of contradictions, isn’t it? For example, I’m not a fan of country music, yet I like songs and artists who fuse country elements into their songs. Go figure. Lately, those country sounds have been popping up on my iPod when I’m driving to work. So I decided to grab some of those songs and add a few others and throw them into the musical blender and see how it all mixes.

“33 RPM Soul,” Michelle Shocked

Back in the days when I had more disposable income, when it came to artists I really liked, I would buy almost every recording they produced. Michelle Shocked was one of those “gotta buy everything” artists. I instantly liked her after seeing the video to “When I Grow Up” on MTV. By the time she released Arkansas Traveler, however, I was starting to fall out of love with her — but not completely! I still love the pop goodness of this track, even though the rest of the CD is kind of uneven. (more…)

“Who cares what I think? I’m not the president. I’m just a storyteller, man.”

So says Bob Dylan — or, at least, Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn as Bob Dylan — in Todd Haynes’ wonderful, baffling film I’m Not There. But whether Quinn/Dylan’s dismissal is sincere, or just part of his circa ‘65 scramble to negate every aspect of his public image, the question he poses is one with which artists and entertainers have been struggling for decades. Their celebrity brings access to cameras and microphones, but does it also bring the ability — or the responsibility — to influence political debates and even turn elections? Can actors and pop stars really change the world by speaking their minds? Should they bother trying? And, honestly, who cares what they think? (more…)