by Mark O'Brien | Jan 16, 2017
Recently, for the first time in nearly 30 years, I heard the song, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, by the Australian band, Crowded House. (The band comprised Paul Hester, Nick Seymour, and the Finn brothers — Neil, Tim, and Dorsal.) Along with a...
by Mark O'Brien | Aug 1, 2016
The other day, I saw the LinkedIn profile of a person who’d given himself the title, Freelance Conceptor. When I saw it, I thought, as Robbie Robertson says, “Oh, this is sure stirrin’ up some ghosts for me.” Contemplate that for a moment. For...
by Mark O'Brien | Jun 6, 2016
Sometimes, we measure our gains by taking the measure of our losses. In the span of two-and-a-half years, three hugely influential men have passed from my life — my father, B.B. King, and now Muhammad Ali. There was a point at which I couldn’t imagine my life...
by Mark O'Brien | Feb 23, 2016
A few years ago, I was boarding a flight from Hartford to Atlanta. The weather was cold. So, as soon as the announcement was made that, in the interest of preserving space in the overhead bins for luggage, no coats should be placed in them, most of the people on the...
by Mark O'Brien | Feb 15, 2016
The airing of the current television series, The People v. O.J. Simpson, brought back a mixed emotional torrent — ambivalence and disgust, anger and confusion, bitterness and disbelief, despair and hope. I was in a gym the afternoon the O.J. verdict was announced:...
by Mark O'Brien | Jan 13, 2016
This was quite the morning. First, I read this, from my horoscope: How exactly do you hold onto your ideals in a world where it seems like the whole game is rigged for greed, competition, and conformity? Then I read this — “John Edwards (yes, that one) looks to...
