Created by Ian Rankin REGAN is a hard-boiled American private eye right out of central casting--or at least an American pulp mag from the forties, very much in the Chandler mold, full of world-weariness, wisecracks and similes, is hired to investigate a woman's murder, in Scottish author Ian Rankin's 2012 illustrated novella "The Lie Factory." "The … Continue reading Regan
Tag: Rock’n’roll
Ford Fairlane
Created by Rex Weiner "The lights glimmered down Broadway like a strand of pearls slung over a black girl’s thigh." -- the opening line of "So many assholes, so few bullets!" -- Ford waxes philosphical Intended as a star vehicle for misogynistic, racist, foul-mouthed comic Andrew Dice Clay, the 1990 flick The Adventures of Ford … Continue reading Ford Fairlane
Jackie Fuentes (Killer Groove)
Created by Ollie Masters and Eoin Marron It's the early Seventies, and the Swingin' Sixties are definitely over, but that doesn't mean musicians aren't still pouring into Los Angeles, desperate to stoke the star-making machinery of the popular song, in the 2019 five-part comic mini-series Killer Groove. Struggling singer-songwriter Jonny is one of them. He's a … Continue reading Jackie Fuentes (Killer Groove)
The Vinyl Detective
Created by Andrew Cartmel As anyone hep to the jive knows, the twelve-inch LP enjoyed an unexpected comeback of sorts among mostly younger hipsters and wannabes in the 2010s, while audiophiles and aging old-school rockers from Jack White to Neil Young strutted around saying "I told you so!" Which probably explains why this series, pretty … Continue reading The Vinyl Detective
Kinky Friedman
Created By Kinky Friedman (1944-2024) "Kinky is the best whodunit writer to come along since Dashiell what's-his-name." -- noted literary critic Willie Nelson, in Mystery Scene #41 The former Texas Jewboy, and tongue-in-cheek country singer was reborn as tongue-in-cheek Greenwich Village private eye KINKY FRIEDMAN in this tongue-in-cheek detective series (and that's an awful lot of … Continue reading Kinky Friedman
How Does It Feel?
Bob Dylan and Crime Fiction The man in the trench coat Badge out, laid off Says he's got a bad cough Wants to get it paid off... — Subterranean Homesick Blues (aka "The Case of the Missing Pump Handles") BOB DYLAN and his music have always had ties to crime and detective fiction. On his … Continue reading How Does It Feel?
How Does It Feel? Revisited
Private eye titles lifted from Bob Dylan lyrics The Dylan/private eye connection continues. I've just started fooling around with this one, so any suggestions and/or comments are more than welcome.... Amphetamines and Pearls (1976, by John Harvey, featuring private eye Scott Mitchell) From "Just Like a Woman" The Geranium Kiss (1977, by John Harvey, featuring … Continue reading How Does It Feel? Revisited
My Scrapbook: Bob Dylan, Private Eye?
My Scrapbook Bob Dylan, Private Eye? “Sometimes you just have to bite your upper lip and put sunglasses on.” — Bob Dylan in Chronicles: Volume One” (2004) Back in September 2018, Ayun Halliday (no relation to Brett) and Todd Alcott of Open Culture (the self-proclaimed "best free cultural and educational media on the web") had a little (okay, … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Bob Dylan, Private Eye?
Suddenly the Air Was Full of Music…
Ladies and gentlemen, may I submit for your approval... SIDE A The Peter Gunn Theme | Buy this song Henry Mancini We kick off with the inevitable and instantly-recognizable thomping thud of Mancini's theme from perhaps the coolest TV eye of all time. This tune packs its own sort of menace, while never letting us forget that, … Continue reading Suddenly the Air Was Full of Music…
Jack Reacher
Created by Lee Child Pseudonym of James Grant (1954--) “My name is Jack Reacher. No middle name. No address.” “I’m not looking for trouble. I like a quiet life.” -- Reacher in Blue Moon (2019) The audacious breadth and scope of this series continues to amaze me. One book, the ex-MP drifter (Silver Star, Purple … Continue reading Jack Reacher