Baron Wormser: David Lynch (1946 – 2025)
In Lynch’s world, human beings are, so to speak, flammable animals whose electrical nature can be set off by a carnal gaze or by sinister forces that roam the ether and can turn one person into another with a mere zap. The zap can seem both hokey and terrifying.
Jeff Cohen: Fired by MSNBC for Giving Voice to Iraq War Opposition, Phil Donahue (1935-2024) Was Courage Personified
The TV show host, who died Sunday at the age of 88, made his mark on our society. He fought for the underdog with style and grace and a sense of humor.
Mike Schneider: Gerald Stern (1925-2022)
In a flashy white-straw hat, leaning on his bright red metal cane, step-by-step silently making his way to a seat at the podium, Stern commanded the audience without a word.
Mike Schneider: Against Walls | John le Carré (1931-2020)
Among reasons we’ll remember le Carré, not least is his 1963 breakthrough novel, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold. Set in Cold War Berlin, it’s a classic story of love and espionage centered on the Berlin Wall, both as physical reality and symbol of separation between people — a wall that resonates with 21st-century politics.
Daniel Burston: John Prine, Working Class Poet (1947-2020)
John Prine was a national treasure, whose songs about love, loss and aging – many written while he was still a relatively young man! – reflect his working class roots. But even so, they have a universal and timeless relevance.
