Flower punks and love witches 🌹
I wrote 63 songs this year, they're all about this newsletter, and I'm gonna play every single one of them tonight.*
Do you feel that chill in the air? It's either the ghost of Don Knotts breathing on your shoulder OR the sweet whispers of fall, with its pumpkin-flavored fantasies and socially distant hayrides.
11 things putting a wiggle in my waddle:
1. My favorite podcast right now is Jo Firestone's EVERYDAY DECISIONS, in which she asks guests to go through the last 24 hours of their lives in VERY SPECIFIC DETAIL. It makes me laugh out loud, and her guests are fantastic: SNL's Bowen Yang talked about ordering a breakfast burrito and eating it in bed; Julio Torres talked about eating the exact same lunch every day; Gerard Bradford discussed the nuttiness of working on THE TONIGHT SHOW; and Patti Harrison shared stories of bugs and dating apps.
2. This week I dipped into THE LOVE WITCH, a delicious slice of mystical cheesecake that came out in 2017 but looks like it was made in 1966. If you like potions, seductions, miniskirts, feminist spells, blue eyeshadow, naked people and hypnotic rainbows, this movie is for you.  Â
3. Miranda July's KAJILLIONAIRE is in select theaters now and will be available on demand next week. I can't wait to see it; in the meantime, I'm loving her recent retrospective book. Â
4. NOW #9 is one of my fave issues of the comics anthology so far. Highlights include incredible journal-style pages by Texas artist Raquelle Jac and a trippy comic from Danish cartoonist Emil Friis Ernst, whose recent book DR. MURDER AND THE ISLAND OF DEATH looks like a must-buy.
5. FLOWER PUNK is a 28-minute documentary about a Japanese punk musician who became a florist, and if that doesn't make you clickclickplay, I don't know what else to do.
6. The new issue of KITCHEN TABLE magazine is out, and just look at that stunning cover by Jaz Meier. Get it for 10 bucks or grab a bundle of issues for $30.Â
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7. The long-awaited documentary WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL premieres on Film Movement Plus today. I've been waiting for this film forever; here's the trailer.Â
8. This week the White Stripes announced their first greatest-hits collection. They're also posting rare stuff on YouTube, like this 2003 performance of "Ball and Biscuit."Â
9. I'm about halfway through Ottessa Moshfegh's collection of short stories, HOMESICK FOR ANOTHER WORLD. Her work is funny, grotesque and memorable, and I highly recommend this and her 2018 novel, MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION (which seems even more relevant now). Â
10. The charming and uplifting Robyn Hitchcock is performing a livestream John Lennon tribute on Oct. 11. Buy tix on a "pay what you can" scale.
11. And finally, you look like you could use a dose of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Might I suggest this music video from AaRON?
Also: I have a little article in the new issue of AARP magazine, if you are Of Distinguished Age to receive that publication!
R.I.P.:Â This week I learned that Leonard "Len" D'Arcy passed away. Len was a very early reader/supporter of Pop Candy, and I always appreciated his friendly tips and messages. My heart goes out to his family, and I'm grateful to have had his positive energy in my orbit. Rest in peace, Len.
*You know what this is from.
HOT MELODIC LOVE ON
MY SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!
This week's additions to my Spotify playlist of new music include Hot Chip's remix of OMD's "Enola Gay" and The Rain Within's cover of "Hungry Like the Wolf," along with Japanese rockers CHAI, layered sounds from rad electro-/R&B-infused duo Thaba and motivating synth from Roosevelt.
I spotted this statue last weekend in East Hampton, N.Y., and it has haunted my dreams ever since.
I THANK YOU with all my red blood cells for reading this! Email me anytime at whitmath@gmail.com. I wish you a week of hard partying in soft clothing.
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Your roller-skating gnome,
Cosmic Cow
“I've made a career off of Halloween."
- Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark)
Reach out! Find me on Twitter, Instagram and at whitmath@gmail.com.