Comic-Con flashback, Jonathan Richman + more

In like a lion.

Wow, what a week! Thanks to everyone who shared, commented and said such nice things about last week’s “Andy Warhol” essay, where I reflected upon the heyday of “the comments section.” Many of you sent photos and memories that really warmed my gray-haired heart.

My friend Amanda sent me this image from a Pop Candy meetup at San Diego Comic-Con in 2007:

“Skip the line, go to the back room!” is my seven-word memoir.

Here I am onstage at the Eisner Awards that year with the great Paul Pope:

Bare shoulders were very in that year.

And here I am in 2008 hiding in one of those ridiculous merch bags. (Astro Boy really came and went, didn’t it?)

If you have any pics or recollections from that time, send ‘em to whitmath@gmail.com. And look for another longer essay soon.

Rapid thoughts:

jonathan richman

Last night I joined a couple hundred modern lovers for Jonathan Richman’s show at The Bell House. He didn’t disappoint, leading us in a singalong of “I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar” and an arresting rendition of “Pablo Picasso.” He’s playing three more nights; tickets are still available for March 10. Tommy Larkins joins him on drums, as always. What else do you need, aside from a cold glass and cushioned shoes?

Jonathan was one of the first guests on Late Night with Conan O’Brien back in 1993. What a kind, open-hearted soul he is — and on top of it, he made one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll records of all time.

pylon reenactment society

Speaking of killer rock ‘n’ roll, the Athens, Ga., group Pylon is having a semi-resurgence with Pylon Reenactment Society, a group led by original lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay.

Pylon was integral to the late ‘70s/early ‘80s Athens scene alongside the B-52’s and R.E.M. Their biggest hit was “Crazy,” which was later covered by R.E.M. and introduced them to the masses:

The band just released a new record, which you can preview below. Pylon Reenactment Society is doing a few shows this spring, and Vanessa appears on a recent episode of Revolutions Per Movie, the excellent podcast about music-related films. On the ep, she discusses the seminal college rock doc Athens, GA: Inside/Out.

edouard levé

The other day I picked up Edouard Levé’s Autoportrait, a stream-of-consciousness memoir by the late French artist and writer. Published in 2005, it consists of disjointed sentences that, glued together, paint a portrait of a life.

See how it goes from love to Bobby Ewing to salad in half a page:

john stamos good night

Recently I discovered that John Stamos puts me to sleep in minutes. The actor narrates a series of bedtime stories on Audible, and now you know how desperate I am to fall asleep if I’m listening to Uncle Jesse whisper in my ear at 2 a.m.

I’m partial to “Flea Market Foraging,” where Stamos describes wandering a flea market on a lazy afternoon. I hope you’re laughing at this revelation but also suggest you try it with a nice artisanal rooibos.

i am leaving abruptly,
whitney whiskers

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