outh ash

Articles, stories, and humor by Mike Walsh

Short Stories

Oberman the Footnote -- A humorous retelling of the Snow White tale as a romantic and political intrigue from the POV of the Huntsman. Graphics by Ted Stamas.

Man in the Basement, a Kafka-esque, Wizard of Oz-ish, Marx Brothers-ish, Heart of Darkness-ish, Dante's Inferno-esque satire of corporate accounting practices.

Fourteen Stations: The Stations of the Cross Reinterpreted
Carvings by Susan Hagen and stories by Mike Walsh.


Nonfiction

Black Hoods and Iron Gags, the Quaker penal experiment at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.

The Nightmare Before Christmas: The true story of a bitter, unemployed writer's pursuit of good gift giving through seasonal employment.

The story of the legendary Tube Bar recording, one of the strangest cultural artifacts you're ever likely to encounter.

Roadside America: A Utopian Vision of an America Long Gone

My Gay Community Day


Humor

Season of the Sun, Season of Danger: Beware the dangers of the outdoors this summer

How to Pick Up Girls, Guaranteed!

Goddamn the Ponytail Man: Inside the ponytail wearer’s head, low, cunning thoughts do lurk

Please Mr. Congressman, Don’t Take My Assault Weapons Away


Sports

A Mythical Willie Mays Triple, a Matinee Hero, and Some Bored Cub Scouts - The author attends a Phillies Game in 1966, and an interview with the winning pitcher, Terry Fox

Phils Choke Again in '04 but Nothing Compares to ‘64: The 40th Anniversary of the Most Legendary Choke of All Time

Soul on Ice: The story of Willie O'Ree, the 1st black man to play in the NHL.

The Eagles Wide Receiver Problems of the Early 2000s and Their Disastrous Free Agents (2012)

Phlegm of Dreams: Those Salivatin’, Expectoratin’ Boys of Summer


South Philly

RIP: Fear & Loathing At Cheesesteak Junction. The story of Joey Vento's impact in my former neighborhood.

This Ain't Dodge City: The story of an injured cat, a drunk neighbor, and a gun.

Ah-ha, the Cowlicks: A few afternoons in a South Philly barber shop.


Photography

Wowie Zoe: Zoe Strauss at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2012)

The Afterlife of the Brilliant Vivian Maier (2012)

Mayhem Is My Business; Business Is Good: The wonderfully horrible Weegee

Music

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Bob Dylan: Review of a Dylan concert in Philadelphia in August 2011.

A Very Wayne Newton Christmas: Not as Funny as It Should Be

David Lee Roth Fondles Himself at the Hard Rock Casino: Now that's entertainment!

Divine Intervention: An Appreciation of Matthew Sweet's masterpiece Girlfriend.

Nitroglycerine!!! The Rock & Roll Eruption of Wanda Jackson.

The Weird, Wild, Wonderful World of Liberace.

Sun Ra: The life, music, and philosophy of the jazz genius from outer space.

The Replacements: Songs for Slim, Color Me Obsessed, When The Sh*t Hits The Fans, and All For Nothing & Nothing For All.

Wayne's World: An appreciation of the exquisite power pop of the Fountains of Wayne.

John K. Samson, the Weakerthans, and a Cat Named Virtute (2012)

Q&A With The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt (2012)

The Magic of Merrill Garbus and tUnE-yArDs in Concert

For the Love of Elvis: The Jim "E" Curtin Story

Get Your Ziggy On: The Candy Volcano Bowie Tribute Show


Politics

The Tea Party Incorporated: Throw the Bums Out (2012)

Top Ten Big Fat Lies of the Romney/Ryan Campaign (2012)

The $32 Trillion Dollar Man: Do The Math, Mitt Romney Will Double The Deficit In 10 Years (2012)

Santorum Dissembles, Just Like His Role Model: The senator from PA just can't stop lying (2003)

George W. Bush Euphemism Game: When Lies Cannot be Called “Lies” (2003)

George W. Bush, Problem Child or Average Guy? (2003)

Predictions About George H. Bush's Term in Office (1989)


Movies, TV, and Books

In Memorium: Novelist Kent Haruf 1943-2014. An appreciation of the novelist from northeaster Colorado.

Running With The Devil: review of the documentary, West of Memphis, which is about the West Memphis 3 murder case.

Slackjaw: Q&A with author Jim Knipfel (2012)

I See Darkness, Twin Peaks. A look back at the wonderful funny, creepy, and influential TV show from the early 90s.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, a book review

1989, The Year of the Drooler: The Cinema Reaches New Levels of Verisimilitude

Chant and Be Happy: Explore the Magick of Chant-O-Matics

Check out more articles and essays by Mike Walsh in Expresso Tilt.

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