Jay Gabler
@jaygabler.com
Writer, editor, etc. Arts and entertainment reporter for the Duluth News Tribune, co-founder of The Tangential. Views expressed are mine alone.
"It's a bit of a drive up here, and gets a little spendy with the hotels and so on, but this is a special one."
Split Rock Lighthouse honors Edmund Fitzgerald at 50-year mark
An unprecedented sellout crowd gathered to pay respects Monday, as the lighthouse beacon was lit with crewmen's family members in attendance.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:04 PM
"It's a bit of a drive up here, and gets a little spendy with the hotels and so on, but this is a special one."
Thanks to everyone who has listened to our podcast. It's been great to hear all the positive feedback and know that we did some justice to this epic, tragic story. The final episode is out now.
Listen to final episode of ‘Edmund Fitzgerald: 50 Years Below’ podcast
How did the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald become more famous than any shipwreck besides the Titanic?
www.duluthnewstribune.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Thanks to everyone who has listened to our podcast. It's been great to hear all the positive feedback and know that we did some justice to this epic, tragic story. The final episode is out now.
Director Lynne Ramsay has a sure hand with style, and two talented actors who came ready to rip it up.
Movie review: Jennifer Lawrence pulls out stops in 'Die My Love'
Robert Pattinson costars in Lynne Ramsay's drama about a young family coming undone.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Director Lynne Ramsay has a sure hand with style, and two talented actors who came ready to rip it up.
After 19 years in arts journalism, it still staggers me how many large performing arts organizations cannot and will never definitively determine whether their venue is a "theater" or a "theatre."
November 5, 2025 at 5:41 PM
After 19 years in arts journalism, it still staggers me how many large performing arts organizations cannot and will never definitively determine whether their venue is a "theater" or a "theatre."
Reposted by Jay Gabler
If nothing else, pro-urbanists can take heart at "The French Italian," which argues that even living above an unstable couple with a karaoke machine is better than taking the New Haven Line home to dead silence.
Movie review: Revenge is sour in "The French Italian" - The Tangential
Writer-director Rachel Wolther bets big on an implausible premise that "The French Italian" strains to sustain.
thetangential.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:06 AM
If nothing else, pro-urbanists can take heart at "The French Italian," which argues that even living above an unstable couple with a karaoke machine is better than taking the New Haven Line home to dead silence.
David James Carlson once tried to tell Lightfoot "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was the greatest song of all time.
"I said to him, 'It's the perfect song,'" Carlson remembered. "He said, 'No, no ... it's got no chorus. It's just verses over and over. It's a story.'"
"I said to him, 'It's the perfect song,'" Carlson remembered. "He said, 'No, no ... it's got no chorus. It's just verses over and over. It's a story.'"
'The perfect song': Remembering Gordon Lightfoot and the Edmund Fitzgerald
David James Carlson leads the Gordon Lightfoot Tribute Band. He knew the late singer-songwriter personally, and remembers what Lightfoot said about why he wrote "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
www.duluthnewstribune.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:02 PM
David James Carlson once tried to tell Lightfoot "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was the greatest song of all time.
"I said to him, 'It's the perfect song,'" Carlson remembered. "He said, 'No, no ... it's got no chorus. It's just verses over and over. It's a story.'"
"I said to him, 'It's the perfect song,'" Carlson remembered. "He said, 'No, no ... it's got no chorus. It's just verses over and over. It's a story.'"
We pick up the story on the night of November 10, 1975, as the world begins to discover the Edmund Fitzgerald is missing with all hands.
Listen to 4th episode of ‘Edmund Fitzgerald: 50 Years Below’ podcast
On Nov. 10, 1975, TV anchor Dennis Anderson was preparing for the 10 p.m. news. John Crowley was at a Duluth bar with some Coast Guard shipmates. Their lives were about to change forever.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:55 PM
We pick up the story on the night of November 10, 1975, as the world begins to discover the Edmund Fitzgerald is missing with all hands.
I walked through the doors of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and there, front and center, was the burnished bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was playing in the gallery, and I thought, well, they know what we came for.
Front Row Seat: How Edmund Fitzgerald podcast was made
A year of reporting and research went into the News Tribune's five-episode podcast, "Edmund Fitzgerald: 50 Years Below."
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
I walked through the doors of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and there, front and center, was the burnished bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was playing in the gallery, and I thought, well, they know what we came for.
"The fascinating part to me was sitting in the wardroom with the TV screen after the submersible went down, and we're starting to see the damage," John Crowley remembered. "The first thing you see is the name board. So, OK, this is the Fitzgerald."
Coast Guard veteran remembers search for Edmund Fitzgerald
John Crowley was fresh out of the Coast Guard Academy in November 1975, when he and his shipmates were called from Duluth to search for the missing ore carrier.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:22 PM
"The fascinating part to me was sitting in the wardroom with the TV screen after the submersible went down, and we're starting to see the damage," John Crowley remembered. "The first thing you see is the name board. So, OK, this is the Fitzgerald."
The legend lives on, indeed.
Edmund Fitzgerald ceremony at Split Rock sells out for first time
Attendance has been capped and capacity reached in advance for the Nov. 10 ceremony at Split Rock Lighthouse, marking 50 years since the loss of the legendary laker.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:39 PM
The legend lives on, indeed.
This is the big one: the episode where we explore exactly what happened the night of November 10, 1975. I had a specific idea for how to use the opening minutes of this crucial episode, and wondered if I could get away with it. Take a listen and let me know what you think.
Listen to 3rd episode of ‘Edmund Fitzgerald: 50 Years Below’ podcast
The Edmund Fitzgerald made no distress call. During a Lake Superior storm on the night of Nov. 10, 1975, the ship suddenly disappeared from radar. What exactly happened out there?
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:17 PM
This is the big one: the episode where we explore exactly what happened the night of November 10, 1975. I had a specific idea for how to use the opening minutes of this crucial episode, and wondered if I could get away with it. Take a listen and let me know what you think.
Todd Eckart was described by the @duluthnewstribune.com as the Northland's "lounge superstar."
Northland musicians remember Todd Eckart
The veteran singer-songwriter died Wednesday, at age 61, in a car crash south of Superior. He brought "joy to countless people," said one collaborator.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 24, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Todd Eckart was described by the @duluthnewstribune.com as the Northland's "lounge superstar."
RIP the White House screening room, demolished with the East Wing: where Ronald Reagan told Steven Spielberg the ending credits of E.T. were too long.
(source: “Movie Nights with the Reagans,” Mark Weinberg)
(source: “Movie Nights with the Reagans,” Mark Weinberg)
October 24, 2025 at 10:17 AM
RIP the White House screening room, demolished with the East Wing: where Ronald Reagan told Steven Spielberg the ending credits of E.T. were too long.
(source: “Movie Nights with the Reagans,” Mark Weinberg)
(source: “Movie Nights with the Reagans,” Mark Weinberg)
Never have I seen a more explicit warning to avoid a book
October 23, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Never have I seen a more explicit warning to avoid a book
“Boats like the Edmund Fitzgerald, they came by a couple of times every week. They’re familiar names. They’re kind of like family.”
Gales of November conference to focus on Edmund Fitzgerald
Multiple experts on the Great Lakes’ best-known shipwreck will be coming to Duluth over the course of the two-day conference organized by the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:39 PM
“Boats like the Edmund Fitzgerald, they came by a couple of times every week. They’re familiar names. They’re kind of like family.”
We've been so pleased with the reception for episode one of the @duluthnewstribune.com five-part podcast about the Edmund Fitzgerald: nothing but five-star ratings on Apple Podcasts. Episode two is out today.
Listen to 2nd episode of ‘Edmund Fitzgerald: 50 Years Below’ podcast
Could anything reasonably have been done to avert the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald? What did Capt. McSorley know about the weather he was facing when he steamed out of Superior on Nov. 9, 1975?
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:44 PM
We've been so pleased with the reception for episode one of the @duluthnewstribune.com five-part podcast about the Edmund Fitzgerald: nothing but five-star ratings on Apple Podcasts. Episode two is out today.
Something I never knew about working at a newspaper, but should probably have guessed, is how often people write in just looking for a big pile of newspapers.
October 16, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Something I never knew about working at a newspaper, but should probably have guessed, is how often people write in just looking for a big pile of newspapers.
The economic impact of the arts in Minnesota is greater than the impact of agriculture and forestry combined, according to a new study.
Northland arts leaders highlight economic, human impact
Nonprofit arts activity in the Arrowhead region generates nearly $50 million in annual expenditures, according to a new report.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The economic impact of the arts in Minnesota is greater than the impact of agriculture and forestry combined, according to a new study.
The 65th Arrowhead Regional Biennial spotlights artists' innovative use of materials.
Front Row Seat: 65th Arrowhead Regional Biennial opens at DAI
Judge Wendy Savage highlighted the innovative use of materials among dozens of works created by artists from across the Upper Midwest.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The 65th Arrowhead Regional Biennial spotlights artists' innovative use of materials.
You know you live in Duluth when your healthcare provider has both a Lakeside Clinic and a Lakewalk Clinic and it doesn't occur to anyone that might possibly be confusing.
October 16, 2025 at 4:14 PM
You know you live in Duluth when your healthcare provider has both a Lakeside Clinic and a Lakewalk Clinic and it doesn't occur to anyone that might possibly be confusing.
True facts about the post office:
- There is always a line
- People are always astonished and confused to discover there is a line
- There is always a line
- People are always astonished and confused to discover there is a line
October 14, 2025 at 5:05 PM
True facts about the post office:
- There is always a line
- People are always astonished and confused to discover there is a line
- There is always a line
- People are always astonished and confused to discover there is a line
A Washington, DC, passenger wrote in 1966:
"When death’s dark door I ferry o’er
A day that surely shall come
From heaven itself, I’ll ask no more
Than an Edmund Fitzgerald welcome."
"When death’s dark door I ferry o’er
A day that surely shall come
From heaven itself, I’ll ask no more
Than an Edmund Fitzgerald welcome."
Listen to first episode of podcast 'Edmund Fitzgerald: 50 Years Below'
Why was the ship a legend long before its loss? What was it like to ride on the Great Lakes’ largest vessel?
www.duluthnewstribune.com
October 13, 2025 at 1:15 PM
A Washington, DC, passenger wrote in 1966:
"When death’s dark door I ferry o’er
A day that surely shall come
From heaven itself, I’ll ask no more
Than an Edmund Fitzgerald welcome."
"When death’s dark door I ferry o’er
A day that surely shall come
From heaven itself, I’ll ask no more
Than an Edmund Fitzgerald welcome."
Me when an artist's bio describes them as "based in Minnesota"
October 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Me when an artist's bio describes them as "based in Minnesota"
The deadpan punctuation really drives this home
October 9, 2025 at 8:48 PM
The deadpan punctuation really drives this home
My gravestone will read ASSUMED BAND ACTUALLY HAD THE RIGHTS TO DISTRIBUTE THAT PHOTO THEY SENT
October 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
My gravestone will read ASSUMED BAND ACTUALLY HAD THE RIGHTS TO DISTRIBUTE THAT PHOTO THEY SENT