The Useless Critic 2.0

Annie (Norwegian pop star queen) has been a constant fixture on The Useless Critic since I started this website. And with good reason - she makes amazing music and is just all-around an incredibly kind woman.  Recently, Annie got a HUGE exposure in the American music scene, where she's been more of a bit player than a main attraction. The Metro Boomin song featuring Travis Scott, "Overdue," features a sample of her 2009 track "Anthonio." So I saw Annie was getting a lot of traction about this surprise collab, and I reached out to her to ask her a few questions about it. She, being so lovely and gracious, agreed.  Without further ado, here is Annie talking about being featured in a song with one of the biggest rappers at the moment. About finding out she was featured on the song:  I got to know it through Richard X (NOTE: Annie and Richard X collaborate a lot) that produced "Anthonio" ... and it all got through just a day before it wa...

I think it's been a good several years since I posted some poetry. The commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One seems like a good time to start.  Here's one of the premier WWI poets - Siegfried Sassoon, who lived a pretty good long life after the end of the war. Dreamers BY  SIEGFRIED SASSOON Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land, Drawing no dividend from time's to-morrows.    In the great hour of destiny they stand, Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows.    Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win    Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives. Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin They think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives. I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,    Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats, And mocked by hopeless longing to regain  ...