Listening to Ariana Grande’s “fake smile” and Holding onto My Teacher Persona
In her rejection of performing happiness, Grande invokes gratitude for the impact she’s made on others. I have to believe the same.
John Bazley is an essayist and critic from Monmouth County, New Jersey. He writes primarily about the intersection of music and home. His work has appeared in Substream Magazine, Alternative Press, and The Asbury Park Press.
Enter your email address to receive notifications for author John Bazley
Success!
Confirmation link sent to your email to add you to notification list for author John Bazley
More by this author
Listening to Fall Out Boy on the Brink of Collapse
The release of "Infinity on High" marked the final moments of the mid-2000s, a time when collapse nested on the tongues of everyone in my universe but never made it out of their mouths.
More in this series
Finding My Voice as a Filipino Through the Kundiman and Karaoke
It’s hard to negotiate how much of me is Filipino or American, but I realize this is only a question asked of me by people who seek clarity in their own definition of “American” identity.
What Springsteen’s Music Means to This Child of Working-Class Immigrants
I relate to what Springsteen sings because he reveals much of the American Dream as an intoxicating illusion.
How Fanny Mendelssohn’s “Hiob Cantata” Inspired Me to Become a Screenwriter
This film is an opportunity to help rescue Fanny Mendelssohn from near-obscurity; and to do the same for me.