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joshuakosman.bsky.social
Retired classical music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. Co-constructor, Out of Left Field cryptic crossword. pacificaisle.substack.com. He/him
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I know this is controversial but I don't think we need to pay anybody to assault senior citizens. We can defund this 100%.

There’s a killer on the road. His brain is squirming like a toad. Like — and I cannot stress this enough — a toad

Let’s not mince words on exactly what the MAGA movement is.

there are a lot of good people in this country we will win

"Could there be a more appropriate work — or at any rate a more sweepingly optimistic one — to mark the end of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s brief tenure as music director of the San Francisco Symphony?" @joshuakosman.bsky.social's byline returns to @sfchronicle.com! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

"Patrons were also there to offer a loving, bittersweet farewell to the musician whose presence has made Davies an artistic destination for the past five years..." I'm back in the Chronicle today, writing about Salonen's final concerts with the SF Symphony. RTWT here

Acceptable names for a dog: Biff Speedy Jennifer Acceptable names for a cat: Mork Potato Arturo Perez-Reverte Acceptable names for a horse: Pulchritude The Securities and Exchange Commission A Single Man in Possession of a Good Fortune

"We are in San Francisco, in 2025, and the city is eating itself." In today's issue, Hannah Edgar has a major new report into the turmoil at the San Fransisco Symphony. van-magazine.com/mag/san-fran...

Waiting for the SFS rehearsal of Mahler 2 to begin and I stg someone in the brass section is warming up with Blue Monk. Either that or I better take another look at that score.

Bounce Marco off the wall (5) In our latest Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I make a modest proposal with regard to the Secretary of State. www.patreon.com/posts/puzzle...

New post at On a Pacific Aisle, with thoughts on a wonderful new orchestral work by composer Gabriella Smith. pacificaisle.substack.com/p/child-of-n...

This is incredible

The Case for Always Getting The Thing At The Restaurant You Like And Know Is Good, my two hour lecture at the Being Old Is Great Actually conference

Nun sei bedankt, mein lieber Schwann!

This has been on my bookshelf for so many years I’d stopped even seeing it (pub date 2000). It’s the recycling bin for you, Yuri! (But also, RIP the Schwann catalog 😢)

Does anyone know if people like Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, and other Democratic "leaders" are still alive? If so, there is little evidence as Donald Trump is threatening to arrest the governor of our largest state.

Solution: FIST Duke: definition Sussex initially: S found in: container indicator convulsion: FIT New puzzle and clue on Thursday!

"THERE OUGHT TO BE TROOPS!!!"

I find there are pieces I love so much that every performance is a source of joy, and others that I love so much that every performance falls short. If Traviata is on the stage I’m always happy. If it’s Figaro, the slightest missed note or poor directorial decision is a knife to my heart.

12yo clicked the wrong wiki link in an effort to find out more about Odysseus, ended up learning about James Joyce, and decided he wanted to attempt Finnegans Wake. i wished him best of luck.

ATTACK THEM ON EVERY FUCKING THING. EVERY TIME. EVERY DAY. RUIN THEIR MISERABLE LIVES. SHAME THEIR SUPPORTERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. MAKE YOUR SUPPORTERS ASHAMED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. You don’t even mention that he’s a rapist pedophile, why the fuck not? What’s wrong with you?

When you went to the Iowa Writers Workshop but ended up in journalism

this is like drake and kendrick lamar but they're both drake

Duke of Sussex initially found in convulsion (4) In our latest Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I briefly concern ourselves with the doings of the Royal Family. www.patreon.com/posts/puzzle...

New post at On a Pacific Aisle, with thoughts on La Bohème, Harvey Milk, and Hilary Hahn. pacificaisle.substack.com/p/bohemian-r...

Rosalind Russell, born this day in 1907 (and sadly passing away in 1976) always, ALWAYS understood the assignment.

Schaunard, patron saint of people who need to be told explicitly to their face, because it wouldn’t occur to them otherwise, to fuck right off and let dying people have a little privacy

Your regular reminder that the ADL is *quite literally* a pro-Nazi organization

Solution: EGADS Holy moly: definition DEGAS: anagram fodder is dancing: anagram indicator New puzzle and clue on Thursday!

The Goldfinch.

Proud to support this project!

Beautiful.

I understand the desire to believe this, but the distinction between wanting Trump to hurt only his enemies and wanting Trump to hurt a broader swath of voters is one without a difference.

The face of pure unfiltered evil.

Might be time to repost this oldie of mine from the bad site (originally written in response to arnoldzwicky.org/2017/05/17/l... )

WAKE UP BABES, NEW SHARON SU AND IT'S A FLORENCE PRICE RECORDING

NEW: Third Way President Jon Cowan has a must-wipe-your-ass column on how Democrats should capitulate on basic human rights for an extremely vulnerable demographic by gleefully throwing them under the bus in a fruitless effort to chase people who will vote Republican anyway:

Ooof — nothing but support and admiration for my virtuous twin talkingbiznews.com/media-news/n...

Holy moly! Degas is dancing! (5) In our latest Out of Left Field cryptic crossword, sent to subscribers this morning, @hpicciotto.bsky.social and I drop in on the Folies Bergère. www.patreon.com/posts/puzzle...