- T. Ballard Lesemann
Music Editor
Elegantly slobby Charlestonian, recently back after 16 years in Athens, Georgia. I remember the Killer Whales, the old Sonny Goldberg ads on TV, the "Happy Rain" kids show, and the Slip-Slidin' waterslide in Mt. P. I find high-quality beer, obscure rock records, and strong coffee irresistible. I edit and write for the City Paper's music section and play drums and make noise for fun.
Category Archives: news
A breathe of the brogue on the Fourth
July 8, 2008 – 12:21 pm
Yesterday, someone asked me about my Fourth of July. Although I enjoyed playing some drums with friends in the evening sun at the Charleston Harbor Resort (just down the road from the massively-packed Patriots Point/Yorktown event), I had to admit the highlight of the holiday was in overhearing some pure Lowcountryspeak up in the quaint […]
R.I.P. George Carlin
June 23, 2008 – 11:37 am
We were sad to hear to news his morning on the passing of veteran comedian and actor George Carlin. I first caught wind of it on 1250 AM WTMA’s Morning Buzz with Richard Todd. The host played plenty of audio clips and spoke at length about Carlin’s style, impact, and cultural significance. It made we […]
Local documentary Bin Yah’s TV premiere, 6/12
June 12, 2008 – 11:16 am
Bin - [Orig: Gullah, for “been”], to occupy a position, exist, live
Yah - [Orig: Gullah for “here”], in this spot, locality
Local film organization ChasDOC’s first feature-length documentary — Bin Yah: There’s No Place Like Home — makes its television premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on ETV as part of SCETV’s “Southern Lens” series. The […]
Sonny gets a plaque on King Street
April 17, 2008 – 8:01 pm
The local evening TV news and Post and Courier’s business section covered small ceremony on King Street in which Mayor Joe Riley, Melvin Solomon, and Robert Goldberg (Sonny’s son) unveiled a small brass plaque dedicated to the memory of late businessman Sonny Goldberg.
I remember the old TV advertisements for Sonny Goldberg’s Furniture store, an old […]
Murray Hewitt = Chuck Todd
April 17, 2008 – 6:39 pm
In the months following the conclusion of the first season of HBO’s brilliant original series The Flight of the Conchords, I’ve noticed another TV guy on cable who almost totally looks like one of the main characters.
Every time I click to MSNMC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, a goateed pundit (NBC’s news director) named Chuck Todd […]
Cabbagetown trashed and smashed?
March 15, 2008 – 11:44 am
Wow. The news coming out of Atlanta this morning looked bleak and frightening — especially for residents in the East Atlanta area who weathered an F2 tornado late last night (and more on the way?).
When I lived and played music in Athens (60 miles northwest of Atlanta), I used to commute the East Atlanta mill […]
R.I.P. Beer Hunter Michael Jackson
September 1, 2007 – 2:47 pm
It was sad this morning to read the news of the passing of British journalist and beer champion Michael Jackson, a serious writer who led the way for many through the so-called “beer renaissance” movement of the 1980s and ’90s.
Jackson had apparently been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for some time. He died of a heart […]
Thomas Ravenel Playlist
June 20, 2007 – 7:16 pm
A quick 16-song rock ‘n’ roll playlist for the S.C. State Treasurer:
“Nobody’s Fault But Mine” — Led Zeppelin
“Pusherman” — Curtis Mayfield
“Totally Wired” — The Fall
“With a Little Help from My Friends” — The Beatles
“Cocaine Blues” — Johnny Cash
“Share” — Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
“Casey Jones” — The Grateful Dead
“Drug Train” — The Cramps
“Cocaine” — […]
Plane Jane Ripped Off, Gear Missing
June 12, 2007 – 11:24 am
This just in: a white trailer containing much of popular local party band Plane Jane’s audio gear was stolen from their driveway on Mon. June. 11. How are they suppose to get down if they can’t be heard? The band posted various bulletins online today asking folks to keep an eye out and to get […]
Blotter Shocks East Cooper Grandmother
May 3, 2007 – 12:05 pm
Just took a call at the music desk from an angry grandmother in Mt. Pleasant who objected to foul language used in this week’s Blotter (on p. 21). She told me her nine-year-old grandson read the “f-word” twice and she was very upset about it. “The Post & Courier doesn’t allow this kind of thing […]
