Newsletter No. 14: Yuppie TV and Ron Swanson's ID
Hey, string bean -- it's 2019!
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you! It's above freezing outside and I can breathe through both my nostrils, so I can't complain. I'm still finalizing my resolutions, but one is to spend as little time on my phone as possible. The other day I made my screen black and white -- did you know you can do that? -- and I swear it's helping! Nothing's sexy in grayscale.
I took a few days off from my hotline because of the holidays/illness, but now I'm back with new daily messages at 929-515-1988. I listen to all of your voicemails and try to reply to all the texts! Sometimes, I also open the window and bang on some pans, just for kicks.
Let's get it on ...
11 things I'm into right now ...
In no particular order, some stuff that's pushing my pleasure buttons:
1. BLACK MONDAY is a wild '80s riot full of perms, yuppies and coke jokes, and the premiere is streaming for free on Showtime's website. The show focuses on the 1987 stock market crash and stars Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, Andrew Rannells, Paul Scheer and loads more cool folks. It made me laugh way harder than I expected, and the soundtrack and production design are spot-on. It premieres Jan. 20.
2. Before the holidays, I mentioned that I wanted Typex's ANDY: A FACTUAL FAIRYTALE, which is a 562-page comic biography of Andy Warhol. Now that I've read it, I can give it a hearty recommendation -- not only is it super-fun, the art evolves to match each time period! (So the '60s section looks kinda like a '60s comic, etc.)
3. On the train from Virginia to New York I read Jerzy Kosinski's BEING THERE, the short novel that was later turned into the stupendous Peter Sellers film. This is one of the rare cases where the movie is as good, if not better, than the book. But the book is still worth reading, and you can do it in one sitting.
4. I adore ANTIQUES ROADSHOW -- I had so much fun doing a story about it a few years ago -- so I must tell you it returns with a new season Jan. 7. This time, the show ventures out of boring convention centers and into beautiful historical venues, which makes sense. Here's a new clip of a guy getting a Temptations wardrobe trunk appraised, and the first few minutes of the premiere are on Facebook.
5. The next time you wanna kill a few minutes, go to Propstore.com and marvel at all the Hollywood props they have for sale. For instance, you can buy Ron Swanson's ID from PARKS AND REC for $995!
6. Gotta love Ethan Hawke's appearance on Amoeba's "What's In My Bag?" series. In it, he touts Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Les Blank movies, Hurray for the Riff Raff and loads of other good stuff.
7. I finally got around to seeing FACES PLACES on Netflix. Let me tell you, this doc will turn your day around: It follows filmmaker Agnes Varda and photographer JR, who roam the French countryside, print giant photos of people they meet and paste 'em on the sides of buildings. (That's really simplifying it. Trust me, it's great. If you like THE TRIP movies with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, I think you'll like this.)
8. The Rumpus is taking poetry submissions this month, so let's get off our butts and write some poems.
9. My pal Adam Schatz made an elaborate "radio play" called THE HOLIDAY PARTY that's an absolute sonic dreamland. It features the voices of Clare O'Kane, Scott Rogowsky, Yoni Wolf and others, and the title is kind of a misnomer, 'cause you could listen on a non-holiday and be just dandy. (I've written about Adam a bunch over the years. Once upon a time, he fronted the band Previously on Lost, which only wrote and performed songs about the TV show LOST. I loved them.)
10. My friend Benjamin told me the podcast HIT PARADE did a two-part episode on the B-52's and R.E.M. earlier this year, and I can't believe I didn't hear it 'til now. As you know, I'm a lifelong member of the Deadbeat Club.
11. And finally, many of us struggle with feeling excited and hopeful about the future. I thought The Cut's Heather Havrilesky did a good job of helping this woman who says she feels like she has wasted her life. (Does that sound like too much of a New Year's downer? Because I swear it gets inspiring by the end.)
... and some stuff you recommend:
I love your suggestions, which you can send via email (just hit reply) or text/voicemail at 929-515-1988. Dig the new format*:
TV: Rod loves THE RUNAWAYS on Hulu; Michael is binging on the first season of Syfy's HAPPY!, which is on Netflix.
MUSIC: Herman likes the Grimes song "We Appreciate Power"; Vinnie is happy Sade is back with "The Big Unknown," which you can hear in the movie WIDOWS; a couple of you are psyched about Juliana Hatfield's new music (as am I); thanks to all who pointed me to this cover of "Summer in the City" by Johnny Marr and The The's Matt Johnson.
MOVIES: Dang, you really love SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. You really, really do.
BOOKS: Ricardo loves the audiobook for Rachel Slade's INTO THE RAGING SEA.
ART: Amanda enjoys Dave Pollot's pop-culture-infused paintings and the colorful, whimsical work of Melvin McGee.
OFFICE SUPPLIES: Diane recommends pen/stationery fans like myself get lost in the wonderland that is jetpens.com.
MISCELLANY: And finally, Samantha can't decide if her cat is sitting or standing in this photo:
Keep the suggestions coming! We don't wanna waste time on crummy entertainment in 2019.
* Do you like this format or no?
Every time I go home to Fredericksburg, Va., I make sure to stop by one of my favorite used bookstores, Riverby Books. You can even Secret Santa yourself with a surprise book wrapped in brown paper ... though sometimes it's easy to figure out what's underneath.
Signing off ...
Clap your hands and say hi anytime at 929-515-1988, and I'd love if you could tell friends to subscribe at WhitneyMatheson.com or this page. (If you promote me on social media, I'll like/retweet ya.) Enjoy the weekend! Wear a Noel Fielding-esque shirt!
On the wings of love,
Sheela Na Gig
"I was the only kid at the dance that didn't care to slow dance ... Everybody else wanted to neck. I wanted to do the jerk." - singer Fred Schneider
"I've always sung in the shower. Now I make the stage a mental shower in order to not get too uptight and enjoy it." - Elizabeth Taylor