Author Archives: Scott Foglesong

In re-reading Ron Rosenbaum’s The Shakespeare Wars I have been struck by his introductory essay in which he attempts to pin down some of the attributes that make Shakespeare so wonderful. It’s an intriguing question. We take it for granted … Continue reading →

For several years I was a regular attendee in a Buddhist sitting group. We would begin with a period of meditation, followed by a talk and discussion, followed by a social period with the obligatory Buddhist herb tea and cookies. … Continue reading →

Last week I gave my annual lecture on Handel to my students at UC Berkeley. In the course of said lecture, I bring up the delicate and dicey issue of Handel’s so-called “borrowings” — or, more crudely put, his plagiarism. … Continue reading →

There’s a Voltaire quote that, roughly translated, goes like this: “the best is the enemy of the good.” That’s one tricky bugger of a quote, easily misconstrued; I read it as saying that we can drive ourselves crazy looking for … Continue reading →

In November of last year I vented my spleen at the Occupy movement, then festering in the midst of their noxious Oakland and San Francisco camps. As regards Oakland, I wrote: While the Occupy movement is doing nothing positive except … Continue reading →

In 1988 a friend and I attended the first run of Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Temptation of Christ. It was playing at the now-posthumous Northpoint Theater, one of the City’s nicest first-run movie houses. It being a popular—indeed, notorious—film, … Continue reading →

Veteran audiophile journalist Art Dudley has stirred up a hornet’s nest in this month’s Stereophile. Dudley’s words are long overdue and just might act as the snowflakes that start sliding down the mountainside and set off a mighty avalanche. Than … Continue reading →

Anyone who has written even halfway decent prose knows the challenges and pitfalls that await. Good writing, an alchemy that embraces clarity yet avoids police-blotter tedium, is not easily achieved. The seeker will find no shortcuts, no magic bullets, no … Continue reading →

As much as I love the grand old movie musical Singin’ in the Rain, one moment never fails to elicit a cringe. It’s during the last scene, when Lina Lamont has been put on the spot to sing before an … Continue reading →

As fall semester settles in, I’m back to my Tuesday/Thursday stroll along the south side of the UC Berkeley campus. My route takes me due east along Channing, starting just west of Telegraph, up to Bowditch where I make a … Continue reading →