"Truly Defined the Band's Lean 'n' Mean Sound"

"From 1973, when he formed AC/DC with his young brother Angus, to 2014, when dementia and other health issues forced his premature retirement, Malcolm never once allowed the band to deviate from its swinging, swaggering, riff-driven course. During Malcolm's tenure, AC/DC's recordings featured three different lead vocalists, three different bassists and five different drummers; and yet, the band's musical aesthetic remained so stubbornly consistent as to make the Ramones look like flighty trend-jumpers by comparison."

Dan Epstein at Rolling Stone writes an obit for Malcolm Young.

"Free Speech Is Fragile"

"Protecting freedom of speech involves protecting the voices of people with whom you may violently disagree. In my youth, liberals would defend the right of neo-Nazis to march down Main Street. I cannot imagine anyone on the left making that case today."

Lionel Shriver in The New York Times responds to the response to her speech in Australia on writing fiction.

Jonathan Foreman at Commentary revisits the ruckus.

"Institutions Must Advance"

"As for the pursuit of happiness, Americans are free to do just that—provided that they aren’t rotting in jail. But are they likely to find it? Most Americans work longer hours and have fewer paid vacations and benefits—including health care—than their counterparts in most advanced countries. Consider also that in the CIA World Factbook, the United States ranks 51st in life expectancy at birth. Working oneself into an early grave does not do much for one’s happiness quotient. This year the United States tied for 14th in “life satisfaction” on an annual quality-of-life study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That puts the United States behind Canada (eighth) and Australia (12th). A report co-authored last year by the economist Jeffrey Sachs ranked the United States 10th in the world for happiness—again behind Canada and Australia. The Sachs study found that the United States has made 'striking economic and technological progress over the past half century without gains in the self-reported happiness of the citizenry. Instead, uncertainties and anxieties are high, social and economic inequalities have widened considerably, social trust is in decline, and confidence in government is at an all-time low.'
"Ouch."

Paul Pirie in The Washington Post argues that "the American Revolution was a flop."

Der No-Show Freedom Pain

The Los Angeles Times runs obits for singer George Jones, lawyer Leo Branton, Jr., singer Chrissy Amphlett, singer Richie Havens, newspaper publisher Al Neuharth, designer Storm Thorgerson, architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, sports broadcaster Pat Summerall, and restaurateur John Galardi.

"Peter Had to Face an Entire Country and Suffer Alone"

"For decades, Peter Norman was invited to condemn Smith and Carlos as well as his own actions. If he had, he would have been re-embraced by the establishment, found steady work through the Australian Olympic Committee, and been part of the pageantry when the Olympics came to Sydney in 2000. But he never wavered and remained a proud outcast until a fatal heart attack in 2006 struck him down at the all-too-young age of 63. The lead pallbearers at his funeral were John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Now six years after his death and in the aftermath of what was arguably the poorest Australian Olympic performance in decades, Australia wants to reclaim him as their own."

Dave Zirin at The Nation reports that the Australian House of Parliament will apologize to sprinter Peter Norman, "the white guy" who won the silver medal in the 200 meters during the 1968 Olympics.

The Fatal Wonka Chorus Line

The Los Angeles Times runs obits for writer Robert Hughes, movie critic Judith Crist, composer Marvin Hamlisch, movie director Mel Stuart, and journalist Karl Fleming.

American Phantom Shadows Band

The New York Times publishes obits for television personality Dick Clark, actors William Finley and Jonathan Frid, musicians Levon Helm and Greg Ham, guitar teacher Bert Weedon, and Nixon aide Charles W. Colson.

Sails in the Sunset

Paola Totaro in The Sydney Morning Herald reports the death of architect Jørn Utzon, best known for designing the Sydney Opera House.

He's Not There

James Barron in The New York Times reports the death of actor Heath Ledger.

Also in The New York Times, Jenny Lyn Baden compares Ledger to James Dean, Thomas Chatterton, and other tragic deaths.

Bleedin' 'eck!

"Americans have never taken to the slang word bloody, but Aussies use it a lot, and have for a long time. In the late 19th century, writes David Crystal in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, it was known as 'the great Australian adjective,' and by the 1940s it was no longer considered a swear word.
"It was a different story in Britain, where bloody turned increasingly taboo after its debut in the 17th century."

Jan Freeman in The Boston Globe explores the sanguine intensifier.