No. 24: Cool Japan, The Kinks, cover songs, a Hawke trailer & more
Hey, glad girls!
Let's slice ourselves a belated piece of Pi Day pie, because we've made it through another week. Cheers to those of you who've been rocking out at South by Southwest; please tell us about the cool stuff you're seeing/discovering in Austin. (Next weekend is the beautiful Big Ears fest in Knoxville, Tenn., and it kills me that I won't be there. Go if you can, and kiss the Sunsphere for me.)
Ready for more? Here we go ...
What am I into right now?
Don't freak out, but I'm testing a new format! (To paraphrase Seal, sometimes we gotta get a little crazy in email newsletters.)
A few things tousling my locks at the moment:
COMICS: Last week I bought COOL JAPAN GUIDE, Abby Denson's "comic book writer's personal tour of Japan." The second my daughter saw it, she grabbed it and started reading, and now she wants to visit the land of fish-shaped candy and heated toilet seats as soon as possible. (This morning she asked me "Where is the bathroom?" in Japanese.) I don't think I've seen another travel book that's this engaging and family-friendly.
MORE COMICS: I finally got around to reading Carolyn Nowak's GIRL TOWN, which landed on many "Best of 2018" lists. This excellent collection of short, surreal, empowering, sexy and poignant comics will inspire you to use too many adjectives and buy a second copy for a friend. (The story "Diana's Electric Tongue" will stay in my head for a long time.) While this book isn't for kids, Carolyn ALSO did the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER illustrated novel for middle-grade readers. Keep 'em coming!
TV: I'm not sure how it escaped me that YOU'RE THE WORST is airing its final season, so I've been catching up on that. I also caught up on HBO's HIGH MAINTENANCE, thanks to last week's reader reminder/recommendation. One thing these shows have in common are particularly talented music supervisors; kudos to Tiffany Anders at YTW and Meghan Currier at HM for their kickass taste.
MOVIE TRAILERS: WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY (out April 12) stars Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson, and that's all I need to know ... Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace and Bob Dylan's "New Morning" are charming me in the trailer for STOCKHOLM (also out April 12).
MUSIC VIDEOS: Yes, of course I'll watch a new video from L7! ... And yep, I'll also watch Lucinda Williams perform three songs from CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that landmark album. ... And ooh, here's a new video from The Good, The Bad & The Queen directed by Paul Simonon. (The supergroup features Simonon, Damon Albarn, Tony Allen and Simon Tong.)
COVER SONGS: Kirin J. Callinan posted a fine cover of The Waterboys' "The Whole of the Moon" before heading to SXSW. ... Swedish band Taken by Trees shares a dreamy take on George Michael's "Careless Whisper" that has me swaying in my Ikea office chair.
MUSIC FESTIVALS: Moogfest 2019 is trying to win my heart/money with a lineup that includes Martin Gore, U.S. Girls, A Place to Bury Strangers and many other acts I wanna see. It happens April 25-28 in Durham, N.C.
COMEDY: This week I saw several funny folks at Littlefield, including Ashley Brooke Roberts. I dug Ashley for many reasons, particularly because a) she admitted to posting fake "missed connections" ads on Craigslist; and b) like myself, she's from a small town in Virginia. If you're curious, she also does a reality TV podcast called REALITY BLOWS.
BLOGS: Shout-out to my old pal and fellow Early Blogger David Gutowski, who continues to run the stellar music and literature blog Largehearted Boy. We had lunch the other day; I ate too many beets and forgot to take a photo.
MISCELLANY: Pedro Mealha sells these beautiful handmade cuckoo clocks on Etsy, and I'm not sure how the heck I found them, but now I desperately want one.
AND HEY: Do you like this format or the old way? VOTE HERE! Or don't! Do what feels right.
Some recs from ... writer Annie Zaleski!
Annie Zaleski is a rad Cleveland-based writer with excellent taste and two books on the horizon I can't wait to read: WHY THE B-52'S MATTER and a 33 1/3 book about Duran Duran's RIO. She was kind enough to take a break from her busy schedule to tell us about some stuff she's into right now:
1. "Music-wise, I'm currently obsessed with illuminati hotties. The band's 2018 album, KISS YR FRENEMIES, reminds me of fuzzy '90s indie rock and power-pop -- and if you like modern acts such as Snail Mail, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers, you'll love them -- but they also have a '60s girl-group vibe at times, and their lyrics are wise and cutting, if not emotionally devastating. Their new single, "I Wanna Keep Yr Dog," manages somehow to be louder and grungier, but almost new wave-inspired."
2. "The video for Carly Rae Jepsen's frothy love song "Now That I Found You" offers a dash of her usual whimsy, this time in the form of celebrating the over-the-top nature of our love of cats."
3. "TV-wise, I'm in the middle of binging Showtime's drama-slash-thriller BLACK MONDAY. Besides the fantastic '80s soundtrack, I'm into Don Cheadle's portrayal of a ruthless, money-grubbing trader -- who views truth and reality as slippery things -- and how the show skewers Wall Street excess while also examining the very real consequences of greed and avarice."
Thanks, Annie! For more of her delightful pop-culture writings and musings, follow her on Twitter at @anniezaleski.
This reader loves ... THE BEE GEES
Newsletter enthusiast/former Pop Candy fan David F. adores the Bee Gees, even though he's a couple decades younger than your typical Bee Gees fan. Here's a pic of part of his collection (much of it's in storage). "For some strange reason, I got into the Bee Gees my sophomore year in high school and became obsessed," he says. "I spent my weekends thumbing through piles of records at flea markets, building my vinyl collection with their back catalog."
Do you have a big ol' pop-culture collection? Send me a pic, and you may see it here. (And who knows, another reader may happen to have that very rare something-or-other you've spent 20 years searching for.)
And YOU recommend:
Here's what you guys are raving about via email/voicemail/telepathy:
MOVIES: Hank in Glen Allen, Va., is digging SHOT!, the documentary about rock photographer Mick Rock. "It's a bit weird at times, but it's cool how they present his story, and his insights on how he works are very interesting," he says. ... Amanda has been sick in bed watching THE BREAKER UPPERERS on Netflix. "It tickled my funny bone," she says. "I’ve pretty much enjoyed anything Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are attached to, though Taika doesn’t appear in the film and Jemaine only appears for a short time." ... And to round out the Netflix love, Olivia recommends the doc about writer Wendell Berry, LOOK & SEE, which has inspired her to read more of his work.
MUSIC: Joey digs the new single from Scottish artist Honeyblood, “The Third Degree,” and describes it as "fuzzed-out indie rock with some classic girl group vibes." ... Herman says "the Bananarama-like Fever High has an new EP out" and suggests we hear their cover of "Never Let Me Down Again" on Spotify. ... And at least three of you have suggested "Not Checking Up," an unreleased track from Arthur Russell.
YOUTUBE: Alex in Thunder Bay, Ontario, points us to "every Albert Brooks appearance on LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, all in one link!
PODCASTS: Alex recommends Marc Maron's 1000th episode of WTF and says CONAN O'BRIEN NEEDS A FRIEND "is really great and keeps getting better." ... Chris likes the Patton Oswalt ep of OFF CAMERA WITH SAM JONES and suggests we watch this clip. ... Sabrina is getting her true-crime fix from the addictive podcast BEAR BROOK. ... And Spring adores Maeve Higgins' podcast of immigration stories, MAEVE IN AMERICA.
BOOKS: Joanna snagged a copy of WHAT WOULD DOLLY DO? and suggests we all do the same.
CONCERTS: Conrad went to Los Angeles for the "Wild Honey Orchestra's Does The Kinks" show. "There were a lot of highlights, but I was thrilled to see Jody Stephens of Big Star singing some harmony," he says. "Graham Coxon of Blur did a fabulous version of "Dedicated Follower of Fashion." Elliot Easton played some killer guitar. I didn't get a good shot of Clem Burke of Blondie on drums but did have a nice conversation with him. And the last time I saw Mike Mills this close was 35 years ago." (Search YouTube for lots of great video.)
OK, now you! Tell us 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.
My new business cards make me as happy as a little girl. Feel free to invite me to your company's next networking event. I like to think I'm a pretty compelling hang.
You come and go, you come and go ...
That's all for this week! Email me anytime at whitmath (at) gmail or call/text 929-515-1988. Subscribe to this newsletter here. I love making this thing, so if you dig it, shout it from fire escapes.
I forget what eight was for,
Bill Haverchuck
"I can probably wear the same suit for three weeks, and they look great and don't smell that bad. I don't know why they don't just fall apart from sheer stench, but they don't."
- Wayne Coyne
"Since I was a child, I hated having to deal with my hair. I hated having to change my clothes. As a kid, I had a sailor shirt and the same old corduroy pants, and that's what I wanted to wear every day."
- Patti Smith