Bruce Watson 6/7/23 Bruce Watson 6/7/23

THE KINDLY CAREER OF WAVY GRAVY

From Woodstock to world humanitarianism, the former Hugh Romney has spread joy and healing.

The Attic 5/19/23 The Attic 5/19/23

ART BY POPULAR DEMAND

Modern art was elitist, so Komar and Melamid asked people what they wanted. Then they painted it — by the numbers.

The Attic 5/4/23 The Attic 5/4/23

SCHOOL FOR WISE WITS

Once just a pack of Ivy League smartasses, the Harvard Lampoon is now the stepping stone to comedy careers.

The Attic 3/10/23 The Attic 3/10/23

CRUISIN' WITH DAVID FOSTER WALLACE

On the verge of Infinite Jest, DFW took a cruise. His witty, acerbic, heartfelt account bore all the brilliance of his novels.

The Attic 2/9/23 The Attic 2/9/23

THE WISDOM OF MR. NATURAL

Laid back and lampooning the Sixties and himself, R. Crumb’s creation keeps on truckin’.

The Attic 9/15/22 The Attic 9/15/22

BOB AND RAY AND WALLY AND KOMODO DRAGONS

From radio’s heyday to SNL and beyond, audiences loved the gentle mockery of Bob and Ray.

The Attic 9/8/22 The Attic 9/8/22

ROGER MILLER -- COUNTRY'S WACKY WORDSMITH

Nashville had plenty of Hanks and Patsys, but there was only one Roger Miller.

The Attic 6/23/22 The Attic 6/23/22

STEVERINO -- TELEVISION'S WISEST WIT

TV was “the boob tube” but Steve Allen brought intelligence, style, and a wacky wit that inspired generations.

The Attic 3/3/22 The Attic 3/3/22

CLASSICAL'S CLEVER CUT-UP -- P.D.Q. BACH

Tongue in cheek and baton in hand, Peter Schickle poked fun at classical music and the justly forgotten P.D.Q. Bach.

The Attic 1/6/22 The Attic 1/6/22

THE ADS THAT TICKLED THE WASTELAND

Madison Avenue had statistics and selling points but one Mad Man dared to think different.

The Attic 12/31/21 The Attic 12/31/21

THE TOWN THAT SECEDED TO SUCCEED

Denied government aid for a water project, Kinney, MN (pop. 325) and its “little old lady” mayor got a radical idea.

The Attic 8/13/21 The Attic 8/13/21

GOOSING THE GRIM REAPER

Death may be final but mocking the Grim Reaper is an old American tradition

The Attic 5/10/21 The Attic 5/10/21

IS SEX NECESSARY?

At the end of the Freud-filled 1920s, James Thurber and E.B. White launched their careers with a silly question and a spoof.

The Attic 4/12/21 The Attic 4/12/21

FOOTBALL'S MADCAP "MAD DUCK"

You may think football a grim sport, but meet Alex Karras, "a clown with a fine sense of timing." And, BTW, Hitler's husband.

The Attic 4/9/21 The Attic 4/9/21

OGDEN NASH -- MASTER OF PACE AND RHYME

No verse was too light, no rhyme was too impossible for Ogden Nash.

The Attic 4/2/21 The Attic 4/2/21

"NETWORK" -- MORE THAN JUST “MAD AS HELL”

“Network" did not predict populist anger -- it foresaw a network using anger to boost ratings. Sound familiar?