My Bossa Nova Years
It is no coincidence that the bossa nova craze coincided with the years in which I achieved my greatest romantic success–first through sixth grades. No music is better suited to inspire thoughts of love than […]
Author: Con Chapman
I'm a Boston-area writer, author of The Year of the Gerbil, a history of the 1978 Red Sox-Yankees pennant race, and 50 books of humor including "Scooter & Skipper Blow Things Up!" by HumorOutcasts Press. My work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor and The Boston Globe among print outlets. "Rabbit's Blues," my biography of Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington's long-time alto sax player, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019, and was named Book of the Year by Hot Club de France. My young adult novel, "Kimiko Chou, Girl Samurai," was published by Atmosphere Press in 2021.
In Pursuit of Sales, Guys Try to Out-Humble Each Other
NANTUCKET, Mass. It all started with Bob and Tom, two self-described “ordinary guys” who decided to try their hands at making salt water taffy here. “They were the first to adopt the mantle of the […]
Last of the Great Furniture-in-Mouth Blues Singers
But the group couldn’t transfer that energy from Club Matinee to the recording studio. It is, after all, difficult to capture the sound of a man dancing with a table in his mouth. The […]
For One Crime Reporter, Trail of Death is Getting Fishy
BOSTON. Pete Boyle has been a reporter for the better part of three decades on a succession of newspapers here, but he says he has no fear he’ll ever be out of work. “I cover […]
Two-to-One on the Nun
A nun with a gambling addiction has been accused of stealing $128,000 from two parishes where she worked. Associated Press I had known Sister Carmelita going back to fourth grade. Back then, the AFL […]
Scooter & Skipper Get a Sea Lion in Their Bed
It’s Thursday night, time for my wife to make time for “Grey’s Anatomy,” since neither one of us can figure out how to tape the damn show. “I’ll take care of the kids,” I said, kissing […]
Ballot Questions Show Americans United by Deep Divisions
ARLINGTON, Virginia. A survey of state-wide ballot questions voted on yesterday reveals a nation deeply divided by partisan differences that nonetheless unite people with common viewpoints, or something like that. Tatum: “You have to ‘keep it simple, stupid,’ […]
With Crowded Field, Race for King of Gypsies Tightens
CINCINNATI, Ohio. The two major political parties have chosen their mid-term candidates, but one unknown here says public disgust over the current contentious state of politics gives him room to run for daylight. “So many Democrats are corrupt,” says […]
A Day on the Campaign Trail With the Fruit-in-Bra Candidate
A Cambridge, Mass. man who has appeared on local cable access TV wearing a white brassiere filled with fruit is running for office. The Boston Globe Tomorrow–finally–is election day. It’s been a long time, but when […]
Mullet-Americans Seen as Crucial Swing Voters in Mid-Terms
HOXIE, Arkansas. This town in Northeast Arkansas is drawing an unusual amount of attention for tomorrow’s elections with the announcement by the Department of the Census that it has become the mean center of the nation’s mullets, a hairstyle that […]