No. 20: Whit talks to Jill Sobule, watches many TV comedies & more
And I feel fine:
Happy weekend! This week I've been alternating between hibernation and bold mingling. I've also realized that leaving my apartment can be quite healthy and productive, so if you happen to know of a quiet space in Brooklyn/Manhattan where I can work for a few hours, please holler. (Thanks to friends who let me invade their workspaces this week. I'm mega-grateful for your kindness and free office coffee.)
Let's move along -- this week's edition is a fine one!
11 things I'm into this week ...
Here's what's frying my bologna right now:
1. Last weekend I mainlined new eps of Netflix's ONE DAY AT A TIME, which just gets better and tugs harder on my heart each season. Who could've guessed that in 2019 my favorite characters on TV would include Jughead, Lenny Bruce and Schneider?
2. I just finished reading Erling Kagge's SILENCE IN THE AGE OF NOISE, a smart rumination on the role silence plays (or should play) in our lives. Kagge is a Norwegian explorer who was the first person to reach the South Pole alone. He knows a lot about being stuck with your thoughts, and somehow he manages to weave everything from Zen poetry to Depeche Mode into his essays.
3. Filthy Friends are back, and this new song is so gorgeous and dirty. (The supergroup features Corin Tucker from Sleater-Kinney, Peter Buck from R.E.M. and the incomparable Scott McCaughey and Kurt Bloch.) They release a new record in May.
4. The Hulu series PEN15 cracks me up. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play awkward 7th grade girls, circa 1999 -- and yep, they're 30-somethings playing 13-year-olds, which makes me love it even more. It's super-funny but also honest and cringe-worthy, kind of like a NAPOLEON DYNAMITE with more tears, thongs and Brad Renfro references.
5. If you've seen the 1980 movie FLASH GORDON, you either love it or hate it. The new documentary LIFE AFTER FLASH explores its legacy and catches up with the cast, and I'm all in! Look for it Feb. 26.
6. Bob Mould never lets us down, and I'm loving his new record, SUNSHINE ROCK. Catch him on tour and smile 'til your face hurts. (Anyone wanna go to the Brooklyn show?)
7. More good music: Athens band Deep State caught my attention with "Son," a kickass song off their new album, THE PATH TO FAST OBLIVION. This band's guitar-driven fervor recalls some of the Elephant 6 bands I loved so much in the '90s.
8. Comedy Central has two must-see shows right now: the final season of BROAD CITY and THE OTHER TWO, which stars Drew Tarver and Helene Yorke as two less-than-perfect siblings dealing with their kid brother's newfound status as a viral pop sensation. The OTHER TWO pilot and the first ep of BROAD CITY's new season are streaming on Comedy Central's site.
9. HEAVY TRIP is a heavy-metal road comedy from Finland, and if those words aren't music to your ears, I don't know what to tell ya. It follows the small-town band as they travel to a Norwegian music festival "with a corpse, a coffin, and a new drummer from a local mental hospital in tow," and oh my golly, somehow this description keeps getting better. Look for it on Amazon Prime on Feb. 28.
10. The New Yorker's Haruki Murakami interview reminds me of how I need to read more of his books:
How many cats do you have?
None at all. I go jogging around my house every morning and I regularly see three or four cats — they are friends of mine. I stop and say hello to them and they come to me; we know each other very well.
11. And finally, I love that Larry Smith is still doing his Six-Word Memoir project. Post yours, and you could be featured; better yet, ask your kids/students/fave young people to write tiny memoirs, too.
Some recs from ... JILL SOBULE!
Jill Sobule is a singer, songwriter and all-around cool person with excellent taste. The other day I asked Jill what she's into right now - she also loves comics! - and here's what she said:
1. So ... I had to learn to play Joni Mitchell’s song “Chelsea Morning” for a Judy Collins gala last week. Judy also had a hit with the song in 1969. That got me onto a Joni jag. She was so deep and complicated. It’s hard to figure out all her open tunings. I love artists that experiment, grow and change, whether their fans like it or not. She started as this folkie, then a few years later she does this rather difficult record putting lyrics to Charlie Mingus tunes. I’m sure the record label was not that happy.
2. I’m in the middle of reading SABRINA by Nick Drnaso. I had to check out a graphic novel that was nominated for the fancy Man Booker Prize. That’s kinda great that a comic won that. Anyway, it’s kind of a crime mystery but also a look at our world of toxic social media and crazy-ass conspiracy theorists. A book for the age of Trump.
3. HAPPY AS LAZZARO. An Italian movie that should have gotten a lot more attention last year. It’s hard to really explain, really. It starts off seemingly grounded but goes off into magic-realism land. I loved it.
Thanks, Jill! If you want more Jill Sobule in your life (and who doesn't?), her latest record is NOSTALGIA KILLS. She's also on tour.
(Photo credit: Shervin Lainez)
... and YOU recommend:
MUSIC: Shane recommends UK band Deep Cut, which just released a new album, Different Planet. "They’re a UK home band featuring Mat Flint, who used to front the shoegaze band Revolver (and was bassist for Death in Vegas) ... and his wife and brother-in-law. The album is a blissful '90s throwback that falls somewhere between shoegaze and the C86 sound of the Primitives/Darling Buds." ... Nathan alerted me to a couple releases of hard-to-find recordings by Alex Chilton, including an album of jazz standards. (He also recommends the handy site Pause & Play for keeping up with music release dates.) Robert is down with Piroshka, which is somewhat of a supergroup featuring former members of Lush, Elastica and Modern English.
BOOKS: Leanne digs Curtis Sittenfeld's YOU THINK IT, I'LL SAY IT, a book of stories "about a very specific middle-age woman, married with kids, and all the horrible, funny everyday traumas of our lives."
PODCASTS: Sabrina is obsessed with THE DROPOUT, which tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Christian loves FALL OF A TITAN, which tell the tragic story of former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair.
TV: Maurey suggests REBEL WITHOUT A CREW on the El Rey Network. "Even though I generally hate reality shows, this one is different in that it’s helping young filmmakers get their first feature films produced," he says. "Robert Rodriguez is heavily involved and is having the filmmakers produce and direct their films under the same conditions he faced when he made EL MARIACHI back in 1991 – with $7,000 and 14 days to shoot." Bobby is getting into STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, saying, "Captain Pike has proven to be such a lovable character in a short time. When that show is on, it’s like watching a movie, such high production value." And several of you have emailed me swearing Ray Romano's new Netflix comedy special is worth watching!
What about you? Email me your recs (just hit reply) or leave a text/voicemail at 929-515-1988. I'll pass on your suggestions in a future newsletter.
There is truth in my daughter's homework ...
No, you hang up first!
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Until next time, friends and fiends!
Running down a dream,
Bailey Quarters
"If Crispin Glover were named, you know, John Glover, he might not have become the interesting and unusual fellow that he is."
- Jeff Goldblum
"The only thing I wanted to be before an actor was a geologist."
- Crispin Glover