"Mr. Toilet," Pee-wee toys, T-shirt tips & more
Oh-oh, it's magic ...
Last weekend my street had its annual block party, which was great because a) my kid stayed outside for 11 hours; b) someone set up an "oyster station" with raw and grilled oysters (welcome to Brooklyn!); and c) now I know a bunch of my neighbors. I've lived in so many places over the years where I didn't know any neighbors, and man, it makes such a difference. On the flip side, I guess this means I can't run out the door in pajama pants anymore.
Anyway, let's jump into it ...
* The above pic is from The Cars' incredible "You Might Think" video. RIP, Ric Ocasek.
What I'm into right now:
TV: NO SPOILERS but I'm pulling hard for the Goth Baker on GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW ... THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES keeps getting better, particularly with the addition of Walton Goggins ... Thanks to last week's reader rec, I just started THIS WAY UP on Hulu and am digging it. It has Sharon Horgan and Chris Geere (from You're the Worst)? Holy wow.
TONIGHT ON TV: As a former violinist, I have a soft spot for Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Tonight PBS airs a Vivaldi episode of its new NOW HEAR THIS series. Hit me with it.
WEBCOMICS: My buddy (and longtime Pop Candy reader) Dean Haspiel wrapped his 26-part (!) webcomic this week, STARCROSS. Dean is one of my favorite writers and artists--he writes, as they say, "with the blood," often pouring straight from the aorta. STARCROSS takes place in a trippy alternate Brooklyn where art is currency and only love will save the world. You can read it as a standalone story, or you can start with Dean's first two New Brooklyn stories, THE RED HOOK and WAR CRY, both available online for freeeeee.
TRAILERS: I mean, if you call your documentary MR. TOILET, you've had me at hello.
MUSIC: Stephen Malkmus covered two Silver Jews songs the other day, and now my heart is full.
READING: This lovely story from the Chicago Reader about musician/artist Wesley Willis ... Rob Sheffield's Ric Ocasek appreciation ... The New York Times' profile of Demi Moore ... This hilarious story about a man who brought an "emotional support clown" to the office on the day he was fired.
FOR KIDS: Did you know there's an audio adventure story from musicians Steve Burns (ex-Blue's Clues guy) and Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips)? It's called FOREVERYWHERE, and it's meant for kids but adults may dig it, too. Check out the trailer, and get it on Audible.
TOYS: Those Pee-wee figures you like are about to come back in style! Grab them and a billion other cool things at Super7.com.
Inspired by Teen Wolf Halloween costume, New York-based reader Marc B. sent this image of the time he dressed as Teen Wolf's dad.
If you have a fun Halloween pic to share (whether it's from 1979 or 2009), send it to whitmath@gmail.com. I may post it next week.
What you're into:
MUSIC: Norm in Ohio left a voicemail to recommend Fontaines D.C., a band he describes as "like a scruffy Irish punk kind of thing." Start with the song "Boys in the Better Land," then watch their recent Glastonbury set and other stuff you can find on YouTube.
BOOKS: After reading George Takei's graphic memoir (with art by Harmony Becker), THEY CALLED US ENEMY, Michael says he was drawn to a book called INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed. "It's set in modern day and is about a sudden rise in Islamophobia where the (unnamed) president set up internment camps for Muslims mirroring what was done to the Japanese during WWII," he says. Though it's a heavy read, Michael says it's such a page-turner he finished it in a weekend.
STREAMING: Our pal Joanna can't get enough of DESIGNING WOMEN reruns on Hulu. "I watched the Dolly Parton episode when Charlene has her baby--such a tearjerker!" she says.
T-SHIRT SITES: Last week a reader asked where to find cool T-shirts online, and several of you chimed in: Jason R. is a longtime fan of Burning Airlines for concert/band T-shirts. John in Charlotte loves Cotton Bureau and Society 6. And Amanda in Tennessee digs Out of Print for literary-themed shirts, which come in kids sizes, too.
NEWSLETTERS: Jim emailed me about PODCAST THE NEWSLETTER, a fun e-newsletter done by Lauren Passell. Hit subscribe on that sucker, and let me know if there are other newsletters we should check out.
HEADS-UP: This week I got all kinds of emails about J.J. Abrams' SPIDER-MAN run (which he's doing with his son, Henry Abrams). Have you read it? What did you think?
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Send your recommendations to whitmath@gmail.com or leave a text/voicemail at 929-515-1988. They may appear in a future newsletter!
Notable new releases:
TV: I'm all in for BETWEEN TWO FERNS: THE MOVIE (Netflix, Sept. 20) ... Netflix debuts the police-interrogation drama CRIMINAL (Sept. 20) ... DISENCHANTMENT returns (Sept. 20) ... INSIDE BILL'S BRAIN: DECODING BILL GATES debuts (Netflix, Sept. 20) ... Fox airs the Emmys (Sept. 21) ... You can watch the first nine minutes of EMERGENCE before it premieres (Sept. 24, ABC) ... MIXED-ISH debuts (ABC, Sept. 24) ... ABSTRACT: THE ART OF DESIGN returns (Netflix, Sept. 25) ... The animation/live-action hybrid CAKE looks cool (FXX, Sept. 25) ... THE MASKED SINGER returns (Fox, Sept. 25) ... Cobie Smulders stars in STUMPTOWN (ABC, Sept. 25) ... CREEPSHOW becomes a horror anthology series (Shudder, Sept. 26) ... THE GOOD PLACE returns (NBC, Sept. 26) ... Walton Goggins stars in THE UNICORN (CBS, Sept. 26).
MOVIES: Brad Pitt stars in AD ASTRA ... DOWNTON ABBEY jumps to the big screen ... Sylvester Stallone returns in RAMBO: LAST BLOOD ... Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne and Barry Pepper star in RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL ... James Franco helms and stars in ZEROVILLE ... Demi Moore pops up in CORPORATE ANIMALS ... A DIEGO MARADONA doc profiles the athlete ... DON'T BE NICE shines a light on New York slam poets.
MUSIC: This week's releases include records from Brittany Howard, Blink-182, Liam Gallagher, Fitz and the Tantrums and Vivian Girls.
BIRTHDAYS:
Sept. 20: Sophia Loren, George R.R. Martin, Asia Argento
Sept. 21: Bill Murray, Stephen King, Ethan Coen, Ricki Lake, Alfonso Ribeiro, Liam Gallagher
Sept. 22: Toni Basil (pictured), Nick Cave, Johnette Napolitano, Joan Jett, Billie Piper, Tatiana Maslany
Sept. 23: Mary Kay Place, Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco
Sept. 24: Brad Bird, Janet Weiss
Sept. 25: Barbara Walters, Michael Douglas, Pedro Almodóvar, Mark Hamill, bell hooks, Bill Simmons, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Clea DuVall, Donald Glover
Sept. 26: Bryan Ferry, Olivia Newton-John, Linda Hamilton, Tracey Thorn, Lilly Singh
That letterpress poster behind me came from one of my favorite places, Hatch Show Print. Get some stuff for those empty walls! They're good folks.
Gimme the car,
Send email to whitmath@gmail.com and texts/voicemail to 929-515-1988. Also email for my mailing address or if you want to hire me as a writer/editor/speaker/manicurist. My filing technique is unstoppable.
Like this newsletter? Forward it to friends! ! Find/tag me on Twitter & Instagram. If this got stuck in spam, try this.
Under the Milky Way,
Jenny Calendar
"Reality is something you rise above." - Liza Minnelli
"We don't create a fantasy world to escape reality. We create it to be able to stay." - Lynda Barry
Don't forget to read my kids' book, WE MAKE COMICS, on getepic.com!