Newsletter No. 3: Tattoos, talking dustpans, Suzanne Sugarbaker, etc.
Hey, you guys!*
Whew, we made it through another week! Just days ago I was blasting the air conditioning like I was made of money, and now I'm about five degrees from wearing a toboggan at the dinner table. Sheesh.
Anyway, I hope you found some good music/books/stuff to get you through these last few days; if not, maybe I can help. Stay warm and let's forge ahead ...
* Huge thanks to @BIGBUSINESS for creating this week's logo. If you wanna make one, I'll use it and give you credit. (Do what you want, just throw "Whitney" on there somewhere and don't violate any copyright laws.)
11 things I'm into right now ...
1. Last week I came upon DUST PAM, this fantastic little comic by Thu Tran. Thu and I met years ago when she was working on her brilliant IFC series, FOOD PARTY. (That surreal show blended food and puppets and was a downright gift to us all. Watch an episode and then go make something crazy out of a milk carton.) Anyway, DUST PAM follows the adventures of a talking cat-dustpan and assorted critters (including dust mites and a cockroach) that share an apartment. If you're down with, say, Dame Darcy and/or Pee-wee's Playhouse and/or anthropomorphism, I think you'll dig it. Order online at peowstudio.com and follow Thu on Twitter.
2. I've never done a sheet mask because I'm worried it'll eat my face off, BUT I'm still very down with NATCH BEAUT, Jackie Johnson's podcast about makeup and natural/vegan/cruelty-free beauty products. Raised in Texas and now trying to stay sane in L.A., Jackie cracks me up while handing out useful advice, which is a blissful combo. Her guests include everyone from makeup artists to indie beauty business owners to Paul F. "King of All Podcasts" Tompkins. Last week she tried to persuade Courtney Pauroso out of carrying all of her makeup in an old Petco shopping bag, and I laughed many times.
3. Ooh, the 30 FOR 30 podcast is back with new episodes. If you love watching the documentaries, you really need to hear this show, which tells completely different sports stories that are just as compelling. (Please tell me you heard the Bikram series over the summer. Holy moly.) The first ep talks about Jose Canseco's tell-all memoir, JUICED.
4. Tiana Clark's new book of poetry, I CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE TREES WITHOUT THE BLOOD, is being hailed as a stunning achievement; Kaveh Akbar called it "one of the best first books of poetry I have ever read." Her poem "Nashville" knocked me down, and I was excited to see a big ol' stack of signed books at Books Are Magic this week. Read her stuff and follow her on Twitter.
5. My Chicago-based friend Thomas Comerford has new music out and, man, it sounds so good through earbuds on an autumn walk. His music has been compared to Jeff Tweedy and Kris Kristofferson, but I don't think anyone sounds quite like him. Hear/buy his latest, BLOOD MOON, on Bandcamp, and check out this rad music video he made with artist/animator Lisa Barcy.
6. Honestly, I'm more likely to see a movie/TV show if it has amazing design than if it stars, say, Ryan Gosling. So yeah, I did want to read more about the true star of Amazon's THE ROMANOFFS: the killer French apartment in Episode 1. If there were an award for Tallest Doors on Television, it would win.
7. My daughter is obsessed with Elise Gravel, and so am I. The author/artist has put out some amazing books for kids, like THE MUSHROOM FAN CLUB and her books about worms, spiders, slugs and other beautifully icky creatures. Right now my kid is halfway through OLGA AND THE SMELLY THING FROM NOWHERE, and it's hitting all of her buttons: humor, comics, animal facts, poop. The follow-up, OLGA: WE'RE OUT OF HERE!, came out earlier this year.
8. BAD RONALD has resurfaced! This wonderfully terrible '70s TV movie is now out on Blu-ray, thanks to the Warner Archive Collection. In it, Scott Jacoby plays a creepy kid who lives in the walls of an old house, dreams up a bizarro fantasy world and ... I mean, I don't want to spoil it, but let's just say there's a great busting-out-of-the-wall scene the Kool-Aid Man could only dream of. Dabney Coleman appears. Here's the trailer.
9. Electric Literature has been rocking it lately, so you should visit their site and/or follow them on Medium. Recent faves have been Jeff Jackson's list of contenders for Great American Rock 'n' Roll Novel and this roundup of cool super-short fiction pieces.
10. Ack, I've fallen into a Delta Burke wormhole: First, the wonderful Matt Baume made a smart video about the time Suzanne Sugarbaker found out her friend was a lesbian on DESIGNING WOMEN. Then I wound up watching a couple eps of WOMEN OF THE HOUSE, the short-lived '90s series where Burke reprises her role as Suzanne, although this time she's living in Washington and serving in Congress. (The cast also includes Teri Garr, Patricia Heaton and BETTER CALL SAUL star Jonathan Banks.) Is it good? Not entirely, but it's very mid-'90s, and sometimes that's enough. See it on Amazon Prime.
11. Finally, I wrote a piece about Marc Maron for PleaseKillMe.com, the online home of the seminal book and its kickass authors. Take a look! (And speaking of Maron, I loved his chat with Kurt Vile, who's a damn American treasure.)
This week the amazing Ed Brubaker did an event at my favorite comics shop in the country, San Francisco's Isotope. Owner James Sime got Ed to sign a copy of his new book for me, and I am still squealing with glee! MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES is on sale now.
... And 11 things YOU'RE into right now:
Keep those notes and voicemails coming! Call my pop-culture rec line to hear a new recorded message (by myself) every day: 929-515-1988. Feel free to leave a message telling me what stuff you're into, too. Here are a few things you suggested this week:
1. The British anthology series INSIDE NO. 9, which sounds right up my alley (and ooh, two season are on Hulu);
2. AMONG THE GHOSTS, the latest from beloved Memphis alt-country band Lucero (p.s. you mustmustmust watch this Lucero video/short film featuring Michael Shannon);
3. the history/comedy podcast THE DOLLOP;
4. Lorraine Rastall's LEGEND OF ZELDA-themed webcomic A TALE OF TWO RULERS;
5. the rad-looking animated series STAR VS. THE FORCES OF EVIL (three seasons are on Hulu);
6. the new season of DAREDEVIL, which launches Oct. 19 on Netflix;
7. any news related to FX's Y: THE LAST MAN series;
8. THE CURIOUS CREATIONS OF CHRISTINE MCCONNELL on Netflix;
9. new music from Simple Minds, who are now on tour;
10. the documentary XTC: THIS IS POP, which I can't believe I haven't seen yet; and
11. your seven-sentence short stories, which I'm loving so much! It's not too late to start writing one. Email it to me (I won't publicly share it or anything), and I'll reply with mine.
So hey, let's also send some collective good vibes to Dennis, a reader in Virginia who's going through a rough patch right now. I also got a voicemail from Jake in Texas, who's getting back on his feet after spending nine days in the hospital. I'm pulling for you guys, and I know I'm not the only one.
Newsletter subscriber Brad B. loves TWIN PEAKS so much he got the Red Room inked on his back. He says it was done by artist Nick McCurdy in Minneapolis. (I love seeing pop culture tattoos, so holler if you have a good one.)
Please enjoy this riveting page from my 1991 diary.
Before I go ...
- Feel free to send me any feedback, podcast requests, freelance opportunities, jokes or vintage photos of yourself wearing pop-culture Halloween costumes. (You can just reply to this email.)
- Tell people to subscribe to this newsletter by going to WhitneyMatheson.com. The more subscribers I have, the more possible it becomes to expand this thing!
Now go try to do something that will make you remember this day for the rest of your life.
With some Nescafe and ice,
*scratches her elbow*
Whitney
"You don't know who Edie the Egg Lady is???" - Debbie Harry
(P.S. Here is a video about Edie the Egg Lady.)