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Thom Dunn is a Boston-based writer, musician, and utterly terrible dancer. He is the singer/guitarist for the indie rock/power-pop the Roland High Life, as well as a staff writer for the New York Times’ Wirecutter and a regular contributor at BoingBoing.net. Thom enjoys Oxford commas, metaphysics, and romantic clichés (especially when they involve whiskey), and he firmly believes that Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" is the single greatest atrocity committed against mankind. He is a graduate of Clarion Writer's Workshop at UCSD ('13) & Emerson College ('08).

Song of the (Bi-)Week, Week 7: "I Gotta Feeling"

I'm going to be completely honest right now: I think "I Gotta a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is one of the most trite, mundane, and obnoxious songs ever written. And the fact that anyway — including but not limited to my left ass-cheek — could have written something so asinine makes even angrier, because neither me nor left ass-cheek did write it, and neither one of us is famous. The song came on while I was driving the other day, and I started thinking of ways to make it better (and by better, I mean worse, which means better, because it's already the worst. Get it?). So I grabbed my acoustic guitar, dropped it into a minor key, and suddenly America's moronic party anthem sounds...well, it sounds like a struggle with addiction, really. Not to make light of that issue, I do find it interesting how fine the line is between fun and self-destruction, as this musical, but not lyrical*, shift demonstrates.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/13193367"]

*Okay, there's a slight lyrical shift. I know, it's slow, it's sad, but keep listening towards the end of the 2nd verse, and there might be a little surprise waiting for you....

How Are You?

On Thursday, March 25th, Mitchell Dubey was murdered in his home in New Haven. I never knew Mitchell myself, but he touched the lives of countless people whom I've known, and left a lasting, positive impact on these people and the community of which they are a part. Last night, his friends put together a benefit concert for Mitchell's family, who has suffered a great deal in the past year, and successfully raised over $23,000, and completely sold out Toad's Place, a famous music venue in New Haven. It was a glorious sight to behold, a celebration of his life and the things he loved. (And yes, that is a GIANT photo of me getting a wristband from the doorman at the concert. Embarrassing. I wish they could have featured someone else who knew Mitchell personally. But, I'll take it.)

I feel strange that I never had the chance to meet Mitchell, but he touched the lives of so many people that I've known a long time, and left a lasting, positive impact on a community that I care greatly for, even though I don't live there anymore. I don't want to rob my grief from those that actually knew Mitchell and were so greatly affected by this loss, but I was overwhelmed by the amount of love on display last night. Mitchell Dubey left a mark on the lives of so many people that I have known, and so, by extension, his life has affected mine, and I think that is the very definition of community.

This week's post on Five By Five Hundred is dedicated to Mitchell. It was inspired by an interaction that I had at the show with my old friend Jerry Morgan. We haven't seen each other in a long time, and have never done well keeping in touch, but I think we were both happy to see each other, barring the circumstances. Jerry knew Mitchell through the bicyclist and vegan communities in New Haven, as well as the music scene, and when we both asked each other how we "were," we both understand what it meant — what has your life been like since we last spoke, excepting the detail of your friend's gruesome murder. Fortunately Jerry always remains positive, and took our "How are you?"s in good humor, and it sparked a conversation.

Before I link you selfishly to my writing, here's a video of Mitchell taken by a complete stranger in California several years ago. It only makes me wish I knew him more.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmh9FBDAvwo&w=425&h=349]



Check out "Three Words" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

Sons of the Prophet Teaser Trailer

Check out this brand new teaser trailer that I created for Stephen Karam's Sons of the Prophet, which is having it's world premiere at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston before moving to the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York later in the year. Also, featuring Joanna Gleason, who totally won the Tony Award for the Best Actress for the original production of Into the Woods! Ya know, if you're into that kind of thing.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2hLIVECji8&w=500&h=311]

And in case you were wondering, the deer's name is Bruce.

69 Love Songs

Check out my latest piece over at FiveByFivehundred.com, about a Morning After that she may or may not regret. Complete with an overbearing 20-something male playing bad love songs on an acoustic guitar who is in no way, shape, or form intended as analog for myself. Seriously.

"69 Love Songs" on FiveByFiveHundred.com

Song of the (Bi-)Week, Week 6: "Sunday Morning"

Because for some reason, these things never go as planned. I was all set to post a slow pretty version of "Sunday Morning" by the Velvet Underground, using only a clean, warm electric guitar, and a bass synth pad. Then, around midnight on Thursday, I had a Eureka moment, and came up with this instead (and incidentally kept my girlfriend awake until about 3am WHOOPS). Realizing I had to be awake in 6 hours, I decided to postpone the release of the song until....well, Sunday morning. How do ya like that! Enjoy!

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/12593689"]

Blood Orange Hefeweizen!

I've been falling behind a bit on my homebrewing (it seems that life's been getting in the way), but I'm finally back on track. And to celebrate, I just brewed a blood orange hefeweizen. I had the impetus to make one late last spring, until I discovered that I had already missed blood orange season (It's a shame that the season for something so delicious only lasts for 2 months in the winter). The recipe was an adaptation of a Honey Wheat Ale kit from Barleycorn's Craft Brew in Natick, combined with a friend's suggestion for the blood oranges.

Yes — that's a pot full of blood orange juice on the left. AWESOME.

This was my first time visiting Barleycorn's, and they were fantastic — much better than the arrogant beersnobs that run Modern Homebrew in Cambridge (Imagine Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Now imagine he runs a homebrew store instead. "Extract brew? Ugh. Why don't you just like, sparge at 275 Fahrenheit?" I HATE YOU). If you're looking to get into homebrewing (and have access to a car), I suggest you check them out.

Emerson GOLD Council

I received a brief shout-out in this article from the Berkeley Beacon, my Alma Mater's student-run newspaper, about the Emerson GOLD (Graduates Of the Last Decade, get it?) Council, with whom I've been working and meeting for the last month or so. It's a new initiative, but there's some exciting plans on the horizon for Emerson Alumni in each of our main networks. Also, special thanks to Caitlin Collins for not making me sound like an idiot, and not publishing any of the incredibly-witty-but-terribly-inappropriate-and/or-incriminating things that I may or may not have said during our brief interview.

Go Lions!*

*Just kidding. No one cares about sports at Emerson College.**

**Apologies to all of you Emerson athletes out there. I think you're fantastic people. I really do. So I don't say this to insult you. I say this because it's true.

Le Fheile Padraig

Alright, so my commitment to posting a new cover song every 2 weeks has fallen behind. I've been recovering from a sinus infection, which of course has rendered me unable to sing. But serendipity shined its smiling Irish eyes on me, and I was able to finish just in time for the Feast of Saint Patrick (one of my personal favorite holidays). This entry into the Song of the (Bi-)Week series is a cover of "Streams of Whiskey" by the Irish rock group The Pogues. This song pays homage to two of my favorite things: drinking whiskey, and Irish playwright/author Brendan Behan, who is also the namesake of my favorite local pub (where I often enjoy drinking whiskey). The original song is an sloppy, upbeat drinking song in 4/4 time; my version follows more in the tradition of Americana, complete with plenty of lap steel guitar, and converts the meter to 3/4 time.

Enjoy, and have yourselves a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/12036874"]

Review: The Nightly News

The VOICE says: When killing activists, never shoot for the head, always aim for the heart."

Over at DailyGenoshan.com, I've posted my review of Jonathan Hickman's debut book The Nightly News, which combines contemporary graphic design, infographics, prose, photorenderings, and comic book dialogue with a gazillion conflicting narratives to tell the story of a domestic terrorist cult determined to take down the American news media. In case that sentence wasn't clear, it's absolutely nuts. Check it out.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Especially When There's Time Travel Involved

It’s hard to stay together once you’ve watched your partner die. Katie never understood this. She thought I was being irrational. “Everyone dies,” she said. Or will say, I’m not sure if she’s actually said it yet. “It’s something that happens. But you and I, we’ll always be together, at least somewhen in time."

Check out my latest piece, Not Dead Yet, at FiveByFiveHundred.com!

Song of the (Bi-)Week, Week 4: “Alive”

Yeah, this is totally the song that Alyssa sang at the lesbian bar in Chasing Amy before Ben Affleck realized she was gay. What of it? It's a good tune! I tried going all Neutral Milk Hotel* on the chorus, which sounded great in the cans, but sounds a little thin on laptop speakers. Oh well. You'll live. Enjoy!

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/9517428"]

*Also? Their first and only concert in 10 years just sold out this morning in under a minute. You can bet I'm pissed.

The Backyard Committee at Cafe Nine

Thanks to everyone who came out to see The Backyard Committee at Cafe Nine in New Haven last night (especially my Dad, even though he fell asleep before we went on). I felt a lot more comfortable with the songs this time around, so I think it went pretty well (and if the Canadian guy who was dancing is any reliable indication, I'm right). The Fatal Flaw from Boston (literally, around the corner from me) also played, so thanks to them for coming down. Joel Reader is a great guy, and if you asked 16-year-old-Thom if he'd be headlining a show over Joel from the Mr. T Experience, he would totally freak (25-year-old-Thom, meanwhile, has a much more well-adjusted worldview, at least comparatively)

Domestic Violence and the Weather at FiveByFiveHundred.com

This week at Five By Five Hundred, I wrote a short new poem about living in New England, because with the way the weather changes here, I sometimes feel like I'm in an abusive relationship. Every time it makes me miserable, there's a beautiful sunny day to make me remember why I love it here. And then it snows again. AARGH!

Anyway, enjoy!

"My City is a Fickle Mistress" at FiveByFiveHundred.com

Song of the (Bi-)Week, Week 3: "Don't Think Twice"

A little late — first because my internet access was out, and then because I was trapped on the worst MegaBus ride ever, and then because I was time traveling to 1920s Philadelphia, which caused all sorts of problems. But I'm back now, and I brought t-shirts for everybody! Well, maybe not t-shirts. But at least this song. Just out of time for Valentine's Day, enjoy an atmospheric Irish wake of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice." And tell my lap steel guitar how sorry you are for the awful things I did to it in order to make those sounds.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/10580248"]

The Bible Vs. Superman

If you've ever wondered about the connection between the original Biblical murder and issue #1 of SUPERMAN IN ACTION COMICS, then Brad Meltzer's got your ticket in The Book of Lies, a labyrinthine conspiracy thriller that's kind of like The Da Vinci Code for comic book fans, except good. Read my full review over at DailyGenoshan.com!

The Future of the Emerson College Public Safety Video

My fellow Emerson alum are all too aware that the ATM is possibly the greatest invention ever. This week, over at FiveByFiveHundred.com, my newest piece of speculative flash-fiction explores the future of the ATM, and the possible ramifications of artificial intelligence as it spreads to more pedestrian technologies. Also, because sassy robots are just plain funny. And that's what really matters. Enjoy!