Newsletter No. 4: Goths, molds, shirtless Gavin MacLeod, etc.
Hey, you all everybody,*
How's it going? This week I decided that instead of listening to a billion podcasts, I'd only listen to The Cure. (And yes, I called it "The Cure for Too Many Podcasts" to no one but myself.) If we can't indulge in a little October Disintegration**, what kind of life are we living??
Anyway, this week I have good stuff to share, so let's get on with the show ...
* Long live Drive Shaft. Also, this week I thought I came up with the perfect band name -- Accent Aigu -- and then was devastated to discover someone had taken it. We would've had killer merch!
** My fave Cure album is actually The Head on the Door, by a nose.
11 things I'm into right now ...
1. Please tell me you watched MY DINNER WITH HERVÉ, HBO's movie about Hervé Villechaize starring the one and only Peter Dinklage. I thought it was quite entertaining in an '80s movie-of-the-week kind of way, and it made me miss those Fantasy Island- and Love Boat-type shows where you never knew which near-forgotten star would pop up next. (Spoiler: It was usually Shelley Winters.) Also, as I mentioned on my hotline, writer/director Sacha Gervasi was in the band Bush before it became Bush. AND there's a Bush song in this movie! And now I must stop talking about Bush.
2. I'm not a horror fan, but I may need to see the new HALLOWEEN, because Jamie Lee Curtis/David Gordon Green/Danny McBride sounds like a divine trifecta. Not long ago I rewatched ALL THE REAL GIRLS, Green's sublime 2003 film starring Zooey Deschanel and Paul Schneider. I'm not sure it ever got the acclaim it deserves, and not enough people are making movies like that right now. (Stream it on HBO.)
3. I'm loving Jill Soloway's new memoir, SHE WANTS IT. Soloway, of course, created TRANSPARENT and did the movie AFTERNOON DELIGHT, which is currently on Amazon Prime. I've loved Jill's writing for a long time, and I stayed up way past my bedtime immersed in this last night. Hear a five-minute excerpt on Soundcloud.
4. I'm salivating over the new Julie Doucet DIRTY PLOTTE box set, which I hope to buy as soon as those big-ticket freelancing assignments start pouring in. Doucet's MY NEW YORK DIARY was one of those books that cemented my passion for comix and the artists who make them.
5. Jensen Karp and Matthew Robinson are ending GET UP ON THIS, their long-running podcast about all the cool stuff they're watching/hearing/doing. I'm a longtime Jensen acolyte, and I wish the guys much post-pod success. I, for one, never tired of hearing about Matt's passion for pinball.
6. Thanks to my rad friends Gabe and Greg for insisting I watch I'M SORRY on Netflix. The half-hour comedy stars Andrea Savage as a potty-mouthed mom who often screws up basic human interactions, so I can relate. Also, Jason Mantzoukas is in it, and I'd happily watch that dude scrub grease off a pan.
7. This video about Mold-A-Rama sent me down a wormhole, and I hope it does the same for you. I lived in Chicago for a few years, but somehow this glorious cultural innovation escaped me.
8. Though I have little disposable income, I do love gazing at fine footwear. Irregular Choice has a bunch of funky new shoes, including this one with a cartoon hamburger, several with a carousel horse molded into the heel and these cool "disco ball boots." (And yes, you can pull them off.)
9. 'Tis the season to reacquaint yourself with "The Story of Goth in 33 Songs." Blast the Spotify playlist while you cook a very goth dinner.
10. I know about as much about baseball as I do about making soufflés, but Rhea Butcher's THREE SWINGS is the baseball podcast I didn't know I needed. Rhea talks about the sport in an enthusiastic way that's also refreshingly accessible, and sometimes they'll take a minute to go off-topic about, say the benefits of meditation. When people talk sports I often cover my ears, but Rhea reels me right in.
11. And finally, if I can't have Jada Yuan's job and travel the world for the New York Times, I want one of you to do it. The application deadline is Oct. 30. In the meantime, Jada is still a travelin' fool, so follow her adventures.
Did you know there's a new hardcover illustrated edition of Patti Smith's JUST KIDS? It's full of beautiful photographs and artwork.
... And 11 things YOU'RE into right now:
Thanks to everyone who's calling/texting my hotline! Put these digits into your device if you haven't already: 929-515-1988. I leave a new outgoing message every day and love hearing whatever you have to say. (You can also reach me by replying to this email. I'm nice, I swear!)
Some cool stuff you're into this week:
1. HILDA, both the Netflix animated series and the books (my daughter and I are also fans!);
2. the info-filled OMNIBUS! podcast, hosted by Ken Jennings and John Roderick;
3. CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, which is back with a new season;
4. the five-part podcast DO YOU REMEMBER? THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF HÜSKER DÜ (how have I not heard this?!);
5. the band Starcrawler, particularly the video for I LOVE LA;
6. the music blog IndieIsNotAGenre.com;
7. the Dennis Hopper documentary ALONG FOR THE RIDE;
8. Brian Heater's long-running RIYL podcast, which just posted its 300th ep with Michael McDonald;
9. the new Robert Redford movie THE OLD MAN & THE GUN;
10. RICHARD'S FAMOUS FOOD PODCAST, which is back after a break;
11. old episodes of the original HAWAII FIVE-O, which includes one ep where Gavin MacLeod plays a drug pusher named "Big Chicken." (Oh my, there's even a shower scene.)
I'm so happy to hear some of you are getting into artist Genieve Figgis after I mentioned her work. And no, I still haven't seen the Velvet Underground Experience, but it's on my list! It's open through Dec. 30.
This is a photograph of my daughter at the Guggenheim Museum's Hilma af Klint exhibition. Klint was a Swedish artist whose beautiful abstract paintings were decades ahead of their time. The exhibit will be up through April 2019; here's a video that offers a good introduction to her work.
After I posted this pic on the 'book/'gram/etc., many asked where I got my hat. Here ya go!
Now it's time to say goodbye ...
- YES, I welcome your feedback, freelance opportunities, press releases, podcast requests, insomnia cures and celebrity sightings. Just reply to this email and/or leave a message at 929-515-1988.
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Now go write a haiku about the last celebrity you Googled. It's gonna be great.
Shaking like milk,
*rolls the 100-sided dice*
Whitney
"I go to bakeries all day long / There's a lack of sweetness in my life" - "Hospital," The Modern Lovers
"They've got entertainment to dazzle your eyes / Go visit the bakery and watch the buns rise" - "Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio," John Denver