Awesome Middle Eights: a playlist

A finely-crafted middle eight (aka, bridge) is a precious and rare thing of beauty, and I'm definitely a connoisseur. On the down side, nothing blows up a great song like a crappy, slapped-together bridge (and wow, there are a lot of those).
To celebrate the best that the middle eight has to offer, here are some my favorites followed by a Spotify playlist:

• Radiohead: "Creep" Perfection. This might be my favorite of all time: seamless and gorgeous in composition and execution, this bridge adds impossible amounts of power while also dramatically increasing the melancholy of the narrator. Well and truly nailed it.
• Fountains of Wayne: "Stacy's Mom" Adam Schlesinger, RIP :( I just love FoW's masterful manipulation of emotion and energy. 
• SPECIAL BONUS! Robby Fulks: "Fountains of Wayne Hotline" Better if you listen to this with no explanation, just give it a go
• Sheryl Crow: "My Favorite Mistake" I really love this one because of the Hammond organ. It's so deeply sweet and soulful, and the guitar behind has enough throat to make Sheryl's plea feel urgent and real. 

Mini Book Reports: Murder, Weirdos, More Weirdos, More Murder (hmm...)

I forgot I had a blog for a year! But I didn't forget to read a bunch of books. A short list of mini-reports:

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief

• I picked this up, thinking "Oh cool. These guys are batshit, so this oughta read well." I HAD. NO IDEA. More like utterly batfucked. A jaw-dropping read. Also, note to Tom Cruise: back up. Keep going ... no, don't stop, just keep going. We'll let you know.

Columbine

• Save miserable people - if you can - from the depths of their despair. Also, after a mass shooting nothing goes back together.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

• "White Man's Burden" is a crock of shit. 

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

• Again, after a mass shooting nothing goes back together. 

Educated: A Memoir

• Holy shit.