Steppin' into the twilight zone ... 📺
Ah, smell that springtime sanitizer!
Well, THANK YOU KINDLY for your messages and birthday wishes this week! They not only raised my mood, they improved my health, which is dang near close to 100%. Now maybe I'll have the energy to dye my roots and read more than five pages of a novel.
Shout-out to our longtime friend Dean Haspiel for sending me this bday portrait. Dean was recently featured in a Washington Post story about how to spark creativity during quarantine. "Look around you," he advises. "Listen to others. Listen to your heart. Take it in. Let it steep. Make the art. Express yourself." I'm gonna try.
A few simple props to occupy our time this week:
1. STAR TREK: DISCOVERY is so good, I almost can't stand it. This week I started watching Season 2, so no spoilers! If your favorite Trek is the original series, you'll adore this iteration. Get the DVDs or subscribe to CBS All Access. (I get it through Amazon).
2. BETTER CALL SAUL wrapped another top-notch season this week. I keep having to stop myself from theorizing too much, because when the end comes, I wanna be surprised.
3. Don't forget today's Pathway to Paris livestream festival, which will feature performances by Patti Smith(!), Michael Stipe(!), Cat Power(!) and other exclamatory artists.
4. VALLEY GIRL has been remade as a musical. Alicia Silverstone is in it, along with a bunch of young people I don't recognize. Here's the trailer.
5. In related news, the original VALLEY GIRL is now streaming on digital platforms for the first time.
6. I've been having some Zoom game nights lately, and they're saving my sanity. My Decrypto power is unstoppable.
7. I'm digging the new Fiona Apple record (and its title), FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS. Start with this song.
8. Amy P. reminds us of The National's "communal events" every Monday on YouTube.
9. Chad lets us know that South by Southwest is showcasing films on Amazon. "The documentary about Johnny Cash's first wife, Vivian, should be super-interesting," he says. The fest launches April 27.
10. Hoo-boy, Glenn Danzig has recorded an album of Elvis covers.
11. Roger O'Donnell (keyboardist for The Cure) has a new solo album, and this song featuring vocals by Jennifer Pague is beautiful.
12. Chris (aka BIG BUSINESS) recommends THE MIDNIGHT GOSPEL, a trippy Netflix collaboration between Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell. I love those guys and can't wait to watch.
13. Norm S. just binged HIGH FIDELITY on Hulu (which I loved) and wonders what other stories have been successful as books, movies and TV series. Thoughts?
14. Legendary NYC piano bar Marie's Crisis has been staying open as a virtual piano bar. I've had some memorable evenings there over the years.
15. Our pals Sara Benincasa and Cecil Castellucci are holding a #SociallyDistantComicCon on May 1 that will feature live interviews with creative folks like John Ross Bowie, our friend Mari Naomi, Aya Cash and many others. Get details here.
16. How am I only now realizing that Flea has a book club?
17. Mitch recommends I SO LOUNGING, the live music show from Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell. "It's basically 40 minutes of hanging with the coolest married couple in music," he says. "It's super-chill, relaxed, candid, raw, funny and often filled with some absolutely stunning performances." Mitch adds that their John Prine tribute is a must-see.
18. Our friend/musician Thomas Comerford sends us this track by Chicago musician Azita. Her record has been put on hold by Drag City because of current circumstances, but at least we can enjoy this new song in the meantime.
19. Lindsay has been rewatching a YouTube series called EDGAR ALLAN POE'S MURDER MYSTERY DINNER PARTY during quarantine. "It's a few years old, but it always makes me laugh," she says.
20. Paul recommends this Margaret Atwood essay about how she's handling lockdown.
21. The original lineup of X just released their first new record in 27 years! And Wayne White did the cover!
22. Kid tip: My daughter has been "borrowing" free books from the Internet Archive. There's tons of stuff on there--Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, A-Z Mysteries, The Boxcar Children--and, of course, there are many grown-up offerings as well.
23. Online summer workshops at The Center for Cartoon Studies sound cool and have some fantastic instructors.
24. Our lovely friend Mel Joulwan emailed to say she got her mom StoryWorth in 2018. (I mentioned StoryWorth last week.) "Every week after she wrote her essay, she told me it was the best gift she’s ever gotten," Mel says. This might be a great time to mention that, if you're a company interesting in advertising here, find me at whitmath@gmail.com.
25. And finally, please enjoy this rollerskating Prince tribute by my friend Camille, an artist who makes beautiful pottery. (And yes, some of her work features Prince!)
What do you get when you plant kisses?*
I hope you do something fun this week and/or at least open the window and scream as loud as you can. Get in touch via whitmath@gmail.com, Twitter, Instagram or tin-can phone.
With masked kisses and gloved high-fives,
Skippy Handelman
*TULIPS!
“I think being boring is just the worst sin of all time.”
— Elaine Stritch