No. 36: Joseph Arthur, new S-K, R.I.P. Roky and more
Let's exchange the experience,
Happy Friday! Happy Pride! Wherever you are, I hope you're doing something that makes your brain tingle.
Topics I've discussed amongst friends this week:
a) Is it OK to remove your shoes in a therapist's office?
b) Please review these Sleater-Kinney looks in five words or less.
c) Cauliflower: yay or nay? (I'm a nay. Sorry!)
**Drumroll** Does this newsletter set your innards aflame? Support it on Patreon.
What I'm into right now:
A few things peppering my pierogis:
NETFLIX: ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE delivered on the rom-com satisfaction, and of course I delighted in all of Keanu's Keanu-ness. ... The Ellen DeGeneres ep of Dave Letterman's Netflix show is worth watching, if only for the moments where they wander the Warner Bros. lot, scare unsuspecting folks and bump into Clint Eastwood. ... And I've been savoring TOAST OF LONDON, but I finally finished the series this week. I love you, Clem Fandango.
HULU: Well, I didn't expect ASK DR RUTH to bring on the waterworks, but man, what a story of persistence and the triumph of the human spirit. (And yeah, there's some sex talk from a petite 90-year-old, if that's your bag.) I also love that she has lived in the same apartment for more than 50 years.
TV: Take note that Season 1 of THE OTHER TWO is temporarily streaming on Comedy Central's website. Binge it and laugh at all the Justin Theroux jokes.
TRAILERS: Ooh, a restored version of PARIS IS BURNING returns to select theaters this month, around the same time that POSE returns to FX. Both inspire me to live my best life and work harder on my eye makeup. ... Also, here's the trailer for TRANSPARENT's finale, which will be a movie musical. I'll take Judith Light any way I can get her.
MUSIC: Sleater-Kinney released a new track from their St. Vincent-produced record, and the video is directed by Miranda July and good lord, WHAT MORE COULD WE ASK FOR. ... Also, the Washington Post's David Malitz interviewed David Berman, and the piece rekindles my love for his music and my concerns about his health. His new song is called "All My Happiness is Gone," and fingers crossed that it's just a metaphor.
POETRY: A friend showed me a book of poetry by Matthea Harvey called IF THE TABLOIDS ARE TRUE WHAT ARE YOU?, and I was instantly enthralled. As you can kinda see on the cover, the poems are accompanied by incredible images, including several of tiny things encased in blocks of ice! You can read several of her poems here. They rock.
GOOD READ: Emily VanDerWerff knocks it out of the park with this beautiful essay that's kind of about THE HANDMAID'S TALE, but mostly about what it's like to recognize and embrace your true self. There's nothing lovelier than that.
R.I.P.: I'm still mourning the incredible cosmic force that was Roky Erickson. I was lucky to see him perform a few times over the years and will miss those starry eyes.
Heads-up, goggles on! This month I'm running a new Patreon special offer where, if you support me at $5 or higher, I'll send you my all-new list of "99 Great Graphic Novels." Donate to this newsletter anytime at patreon.com/whitneymatheson. "99 Great Graphic Novels" will land in your inbox in July -- and it will ONLY be available to supporters like you.
And YOU recommend:
TV: Herman started watching HBO's CHERNOBYL, which he calls "gripping and horrifying. ... Watching the mistakes made when dealing with something never dealt with before made me think of Christine Todd Whitman telling the public the air around Ground Zero in New York was safe to breathe in the days after the 9/11 attacks."
MORE TV: Will tells me he's bewitched, bothered and bewildered by MTV's HOW FAR IS TATTOO FAR?, in which friends and couples design insane tattoos for each other that they then MUST get inked on their bodies. (Remember when Steve-O from JACKASS got tattooed in the back of a Jeep while Henry Rollins drove like a maniac? Good times.)
MUSIC: Our pal Herman says this new Bleached single has "a driving beat and effective use of whistling." And Will fell for Le Butcherettes after seeing them open for L7. Catch them on tour.
PODCASTS: John, Chris and several other readers loved Marc Maron's interview with David Letterman. I can't wait to listen.
BOOKS: Leanne is reading THE NEW ME by Halle Butler, as recommended via this New Yorker article by Jia Tolentino. "It's written from the point of view of a woman who is in an internship, and she hates everything ... she pretty much hates herself," she says. "It's very bitter, and maybe that's interesting, because I haven't really read that point of view."
TV: Alex in Thunder Bay liked David Sedaris' thoughts on representation in movies for CBS SUNDAY MORNING.
AND YOU? What are you digging right now? Share via email (just hit reply) or text/voicemail at 929-515-1988. I'll put you in a future newsletter!
3 Recs from ... musician/artist JOSEPH ARTHUR!
Joseph Arthur is an insanely talented singer/songwriter and visual artist who, if you ask me, turns all he touches into magic. This week Joe launched a podcast, COME TO WHERE I'M FROM, in which he interviews fellow creative spirits like Jesse Malin, Craig Wedren, Dave Hill and Holly Miranda. (The title mirrors his landmark 2000 album.)
I asked Joe what he's into these days, and he was quick to pass along these recs:
1. Social media. I know -- shocking, huh? I mean, it has the worst rap ever and deservingly so. It’s addictive and a soul stealer. However, at its best, it can save lives. I recently overcame some rather complex trauma and was validated and embraced in many ways just by watching videos on NPD abuse recovery on YouTube, which led me down a rabbit hole of many other healing modalities including fasting, mantras and meditation and (embarrassingly enough) NoFap or, as the ancients called it, brahmacharya. ... Social media, like life, is all about what you choose to focus on, and at its best, it connects us into some kind of cosmic healing tribe. Rock on!
2. Poetry. I believe in it again. In this loud world, poetry can fall by the wayside. But just like with rock 'n' roll, I think it can make a comeback. And I think with poetry we can communicate complex ideas in a way that is palatable even in this culture of outrage. We need to learn to communicate without burying each other just 'cause we disagree. And if we are honest and at all open-minded, most of the time you can weigh two sides of reasonable arguments and see that each side has a point. We are in this together. Let’s start acting like it. Oh wait ... let me get off this soapbox and write a poem about it. Poetry!!
3. Mantras and metacognition. Excellent ways to go beyond your thoughts and to stop identifying yourself as your thoughts. I’m listening to a mantra in my headphones writing this the whole time. Shreem brzee Shreem brzee Shreem brzee (look it up on YouTube). I run with mantras. I wake up with mantras. Hell, I even sleep with mantras. Ho’oponopono is the big boss mantra in my book. It’s an old Hawaiian prayer which goes, "I love you, I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you." It's about forgiveness and, therefore, self-empowerment. It’s about taking responsibility for everything within your field of consciousness so that you may live from inspiration rather than memory, so that you may manifest a world of your dreams rather than re-manifesting a painful and disappointing past. Mantras are the new punk rock. My friend Helium G taught me all about them. He sometimes posts clips over on my Instagram. Peace and love!!
Peace and love back atcha, Joe! Check out COME TO WHERE I'M FROM via YouTube, iTunes, Spotify or wherever you hear good things. Throw him some support on Patreon, and see lots of his paintings, musings and cover songs on Instagram. His latest album, ARTHUR BUCK, a collaboration with Peter Buck (of R.E.M.), was one of my favorite records of 2018.
COMING UP: Noteworthy TV/film/books/etc.
TV/STREAMING:
- ARMISTEAD MAUPIN'S TALES OF THE CITY breathes new life (Netflix, June 7);
- THE BLACK GODFATHER profiles music exec Clarence Avant (Netflix, June 7);
- Hilary Swank leads the thriller I AM MOTHER (Netflix, June 7);
- INTO THE DARK: THEY COME KNOCKING looks creepy (Hulu, June 7);
- The doc XY CHELSEA profiles Chelsea Manning (Showtime, June 7);
- James Corden hosts the Tony Awards (CBS, June 9);
- BIG LITTLE LIES is still lyin' (HBO, June 9);
- Bruce Campbell resurrects RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! (Travel Channel, June 9);
- CLAWS returns (TNT, June 9);
- POSE returns (FX, June 11);
- Leo DiCaprio produces the climate change doc ICE ON FIRE (HBO, June 11);
- The game show PRESS YOUR LUCK returns with host Elizabeth Banks (ABC, June 11);
- Get onboard ROLLING THUNDER REVUE: A BOB DYLAN STORY BY MARTIN SCORSESE (Netflix, June 12);
- CARD SHARKS and MATCH GAME make a comeback (ABC, June 12);
- YOUNGER returns with a few new wrinkles (TV Land, June 12); and
- Hooray for more BASKETS (FX, June 13).
IN THEATERS (OUT JUNE 7):
- I can't wait to see the sexy-tense boat documentary THE RAFT;
- Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling helm LATE NIGHT;
- DARK PHOENIX rises;
- The PAVAROTTI doc looks good (and hey, there's Bono);
- Seth Green writes, directs and stars in CHANGELAND;
- Glenn Close narrates THE LAVENDER SCARE;
- Alec Baldwin pops up in the docudrama FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN;
- LETO tells a rock 'n' roll story in '80s Russia;
- THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO looks heartbreaking and beautiful;
- THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 is a thing that might occupy your kid; and
- KATIE SAYS GOODBYE has a mountain of good performances.
BOOKS (ON SALE JUNE 11):
- BOJACK HORSEMAN creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg pens SOMEONE WHO WILL LOVE YOU IN ALL YOUR DAMAGED GLORY: STORIES;
- Scott Ryan brings us THE WOMEN OF DAVID LYNCH: A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS;
- The splendid MK Reed and Greg Means write PENNY NICHOLS, with art by Matt Wiegle;
- Sharon Marcus explores THE DRAMA OF CELEBRITY;
- Jennifer Weiner delivers MRS. EVERYTHING.
BIRTHDAY COOLNESS:
June 7: Tom Jones, Gordon Gano, Damien Hirst, Dave Navarro, Bill Hader, Michael Cera (Also, Prince would've been 61 today.)
June 8: Jerry Stiller, Nancy Sinatra, Colin Baker, Boz Scaggs, Greg Ginn, Griffin Dunne, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Nick Rhodes, Kanye West
June 9: Michael J. Fox, Aaron Sorkin, Johnny Depp, Natalie Portman
June 10: Kim Deal, Gina Gershon, Joey Santiago
June 11: Adrienne Barbeau, Hugh Laurie, Peter Dinklage, Shia LaBeouf
June 12: John Linnell, Scott Thompson, Jason Mewes, Richard Ayoade, Robyn
June 13: Bob McGrath (pictured), Christo, Malcolm McDowell, Ally Sheedy, Virginie Despentes, Rivers Cuomo, Chris Evans, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Have a rad week!
Your messages give me life, so reply to this email or text/call me at 929-515-1988. Don't hesitate -- I'm very nice! Also email if you wanna send me stuff, advertise or hire me as a writer/editor/speaker. , and follow/tag me on Twitter and Instagram. (If this email is landing in spam/junk, you may need to add me to your address book. Here are more potential fixes.)
Frame me and hang me on the wall,
The Great Gazoo
"I sweat real sweat, and I shake real shakes."
- Elizabeth Taylor
"Our love is so furious that we burn each other out."
- Richard Burton (referring to Elizabeth Taylor)
"Our love is god, let's go get a Slushie."
- Heathers (1988)
Psst, I wrote a kids' book! In WE MAKE COMICS, I talk to folks behind some of today's most popular graphic novels. Illustrated by Genevieve Kote, it's available exclusively on the kids' digital library getepic.com, which is available via subscription and for free in schools/libraries. (Use the code SUMMER19, and you can get a three-month subscription for $3.)