Darrell Curtis

Dark Room, Yellow Light: How “Wrecking Ball” Remade Emmylou Harris

I came across the Wrecking Ball CD in the late 1990s, pulling it from the racks at the Vernon Parish Public Library in Central Louisiana. The cover alone — a high-contrast black-and-white close-up of Emmylou’s face blurred and streaked as though dissolving into shadow or motion, pierced by a single vivid yellow glow that cuts through theContinueContinue reading “Dark Room, Yellow Light: How “Wrecking Ball” Remade Emmylou Harris”

AI: SkyNet’s Cousin or Just a Really Good Autocorrect?

I read an article today that got me thinking about how every shiny new tech wave seems to come with its own apocalyptic soundtrack, and it reminded me that I’ve watched this movie before with different special effects each time. The Article That Started the Thought The piece (linked at the bottom) looks at howContinueContinue reading “AI: SkyNet’s Cousin or Just a Really Good Autocorrect?”

Hearing a Soul Mid-Sentence

There are songs that arrive already sorted out. Clean lines. Clear message. You know where the singer stands by the second verse, and nothing in the bridge is going to change that. And then there are songs that sound more like a man sitting at a kitchen table early in the morning, coffee going cold,ContinueContinue reading “Hearing a Soul Mid-Sentence”

The Slim That Outran Wisdom

THE TRUTH: This is a work of fiction. It’s inspired by real reports about popular weight-loss injections like Ozempic and Wegovy (both use a drug called semaglutide). These shots were first made for people with type 2 diabetes, but lots of people use them just to lose weight—often 15% or more of their body weight—becauseContinueContinue reading “The Slim That Outran Wisdom”

The Amazing and Totally Useless Power of “Thoughts and Prayers”

Ah yes, the universal panacea! The easy answer. The spiritual duct tape slapped on every crisis.Just close my eyes, whisper something vaguely hopeful, and watch the world magically fix itself. Poverty disappears. Crime vanishes. Corrupt leaders feel conviction. All from the safety of my recliner. I love the optics of compassion. Post it on social media—maybeContinueContinue reading “The Amazing and Totally Useless Power of “Thoughts and Prayers””