No. 23: SMILF, PUNK, Pippi, recs from Thu Tran & more
Lions and lambs,
Hello, new subscribers! Hello, young-looking old subscribers! Thanks to all who are spreading the word about this lil' newsletter, which is growing by the hour. Putting this thing together makes me so happy, and I'm glad you're digging it, too.
If you haven't called my pop-culture hotline lately, don't forget it's open 24/7 at 929-515-1988. I've been experimenting with leaving longer messages, and you can leave your own salutations and recommendations at the beep. (You can text, too.)
OK, let me escort you to the next room ...
11 things I'm into this week!
A few things fluffing my pillows right now:
1. KITCHEN TABLE magazine just released its first issue full of food, charm and comics. Last week I attended its NYC launch party and ran into several folks I haven't seen in years! Issue #1 covers everything from crawfish boils to Portland, Oregon's thriving donut scene, and contributing artists include James Kochalka Jim Mahfood and Dan Zettwoch. It's all magically delicious.
2. How good is SMILF? I just got Showtime so I could catch up on Season 2, and creator/star Frankie Shaw is really going for it this year. (Ditto for Rosie O'Donnell. A scene where she sings Third Eye Blind is worth the subscription alone.)
3. Last week I also attended an R.E.M. tribute show that benefited the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It was an enthusiastic crowd, though I'm pretty sure I was the *most* excited person there. Here's a short clip of rehearsal footage. If you're in New York, the good folks at Leave A Lasting Mark put on all sorts of charity concerts, including a Hall & Oates tribute in a couple weeks.
4. Thanks to writer Chris Kopcow for compiling a guide to understanding "ON CINEMA's Giant, Underground Universe." They don't come smarter/funnier/wonderfully weirder than Tim Heidecker, and I'm a fan for life.
5. As someone who grew up on Pippi Longstocking, I'm curious about this Astrid Lindgren movie, which comes out on VOD/DVD March 19. It has a 96% Rotten Tomatoes rating (not that we should look to RT to make our film decisions, but still).
6. The other day I watched THE SECRET LIFE OF LANCE LETSCHER, a mesmerizing doc about Austin-based collage artist Lance Letscher. It's on Amazon Prime right now, and it's one of those rare movies that actually inspires you to make something after you see it.
7. Have you heard about Epix's PUNK docuseries? It premieres March 11 and, thanks to executive producers Iggy Pop and John Varvatos, it features new interviews with just about everyone from that scene who's still alive. (And I've only seen about half of it, so who knows, maybe Joey Ramone's ghost pops up in the fourth hour.)
8. JP Ahonen's BELZEBUBS comic was described to me as kind of a "black metal FAMILY CIRCUS," and it more than delivers! The book arrives March 19 and will make you laugh your pretty little face off (and melt it, too).
9. Legendary cartoonist Gahan Wilson is suffering from dementia and lost his wife of 53 years, Nancy Winters, just a few days ago. His family needs help paying for his memory care. Give to the GoFundMe for Gahan they set up if you can.
10. My 6-year-old daughter and I have been drawing together with a little help from Kamo's HOW TO DRAW ALMOST EVERY DAY. Tiny drawing lessons are presented in a way that encourages us both to practice and experiment. I've gotten pretty good at sketching sake bottles and sleeping cats!
11. And finally, Luke Perry's death saddened all of us this week, particularly because he was such a kindhearted and respectful guy. He also had a farm near Nashville and would pop up from time to time.
Some recs from ... THU TRAN!
I'm a big fan of artist/writer/creative genius Thu Tran, who caught my eye several years ago with her stupendous puppet-filled IFC series, FOOD PARTY. These days, Thu works on lots of projects, including rad comics like DUST PAM, animations and books. (April 20 marks the release of WEED: EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW BUT ARE ALWAYS TOO STONED TO ASK, which she illustrated.)
I asked Thu what she's into right now, and she offered some great horror-themed picks inspired by the next comic book she's working on:
1. THE BLACK CAT (GATTO NERO), directed by Lucio Fulci (1981)
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofLECchzQto
This is a fun movie I watched on Kanopy. I recently got into watching giallo genre because of the cool music and the flamboyant Italian horror style (like stuff by Mario Bava and Dario Argento). This one is great because I also love cats. This is a somewhat campy adaptation of "The Black Cat," a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. If you think you might enjoy watching a cat kill people with silly effects, you might love this like I do.
2. SCARY BOOK 2 - INSECTS by Kazuo Umezu (2006)
This is a cool horror manga because it centers around Megumi, a girl who is terrified of butterflies. I love the gothic horror vibes, and the artwork is really beautiful. This book does a good job of being spooky without being grotesque. (This is the second book in a trilogy: SCARY BOOK 1 - REFLECTIONS is a double feature, with the first story about a vain girl who loves to look at herself in the mirror and her evil reflection that terrorizes her.)
3. SHIVER by Junji Ito (2015)
This collection of short horror manga stories is by Junji Ito, who is best known for UZUMAKI, a creepy saga about spirals. SHIVER is great because after each story, you can read some author commentary about where he got the idea for the story and some notes and sketches. The titular story, "Shiver," is especially triggering if you have trypophobia (fear of holes).
Thanks, Thu! Pre-order WEED: EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW BUT ARE ALWAYS TOO STONED TO ASK at your fave indie bookstore. Thu says author Michelle Lhooq is "a culture writer who covers raves, drugs, music, etc., and approaches this subject matter from a new-gen perspective. Being a stoner is very different now than it was in the past, and this book is sort of a weird guidebook for that."
And YOU recommend:
TV: Olivia's loving the new season of HBO's HIGH MAINTENANCE, particularly the music by Grizzly Bear's Chris Bear. ... Alex shares the good news that David Sedaris is now a regular contributor at CBS SUNDAY MORNING. ... Chris dug up the first episode of Penelope Spheeris' short-lived '90s TV series, DANGER THEATRE. ... And finally, several of you are leaving messages about DC Universe's DOOM PATROL, so I guess I need to get a free trial!
MUSIC: Natalie wants us to hear new songs from Ex Hex, particularly "Rainbow Shiner." The band's new album, IT'S REAL, arrives March 22. ... Herman recommends' new music from LP (Laura Pergolizzi), particularly "Shaken" and "Special." ... Olivia turned me on to the new record from British country singer Yola, "Walk Through Fire," which is produced by Dan Auerbach. (Here's the video for her single "Ride Out in the Country.") ... And finally, Catherine recommends the new album from Rayland Baxter, WIDE AWAKE.
Now it's your turn! Tell me what you're into via email (just hit reply) or text/leave a voicemail at 929-515-1988. I'll share your recs in a future newsletter!
Shout-out to my brother, who visited last weekend and insisted we visit the GHOSTBUSTERS firehouse. You can't go inside, but it's still pretty exciting to see the ghosts painted on the sidewalk!
Goodbye? Never!
As always, email me anytime at whitmath (at) gmail with suggestions or just to compliment my eyeliner. Call/text 929-515-1988. Subscribe to this newsletter here. Am I forgetting anything?
Crashing hard into the secret wind,
Dexter Stuffins
"I used to hang out by the food table at parties because you don't have to talk to anybody. If you do, then you can talk about the food."
- Jennifer Jason Leigh
"I panic at parties. I don't like talking about absolutely nothing and pretending."
- Mary Steenburgen