Why It Matters

Blog

wimwords.com/

Profile

wimwords.com/author/jostafford

Homepage

jamesostafford.com

  • 157. Disturbance at the Hanner House

    Statesboro, Georgia. Jody and I are in a school gym. At one end of the floor rests a stage. Bodies press together to about half court, then the crowd trails off like the tail of a comet with only a few stragglers under the opposite hoop where the mixing board is set up. This is…

  • From the Stacks: Louis Prima – Call of the Wildest

    The problem with Louis Prima is that every bad goombah movie and shitty Italian restaurant chain goes directly to his catalog to soundtrack their faux experiences. Prima is aural shorthand for candles in Chianti bottles and checkered tablecloths. This is where I kiss my fingertips and wave them in the air.

  • Deep Cuts: Songs About Years

    Sure I could give you a list of starting fresh songs, but how about some songs about years instead?

  • 156. Fragments for a New Years Story

    [Following is the piece that I was working on when I learned that Laura B. was gone. It hurt so much, knowing that she’d never read it and leave one of her generous notes that made me feel—if just for a moment—like a literary titan rather than a hack. I  described her elsewhere as sort…

  • Good Night, Laura B.

    Laura B. passed away on the day after Christmas. We never met, but she was one of my biggest cheerleaders, even by the numbers: Laura B. left three times as many comments as the next busiest commenter. She was so kind, so encouraging. There were many days that I found myself writing solely for her,…

  • Deep Cuts: Your 2014 Montage Song

    Okay, the presents are opened, the pudding has been adequately figgied, and now you’re ready to start thinking about your 2014 goals. Whatever you choose, there’s no need to waste a whole year on your resolution. If movies have taught me anything it’s that transformation only takes the length of a good montage song. Pick…

  • Your Home for Christmas Reruns

    Holy reindeer pellets, I’ve built up a little backlog of Christmas material between WIM and The Good Men Project. I wish I had time to write you a fresh one, but that’s just not going to happen. Anyway, enjoy:

  • From the Stacks: The Heaters

    I bought this one for a quarter from the Starship Records cutout bin because I thought maybe they might have some relation to The Knack. I was kind of right.

  • From the Stacks: Husker Du – Land Speed Record

    This is early eighties skate punk at its finest. Land Speed Record contains 17 songs in 27 minutes and was recorded for 300 bucks, and it doesn’t sound anything like latter day Bob Mould.

  • 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

    So who made it to the mighty hall this year? My childhood heroes KISS, for one. Read my full article on the Class of 2014 at The Good Men Project.