First off, lemme blow a hot air kiss to new subscribers (paid and free!). If you like what I’m putting down, please forward this to a friend and/or promote it on social media or tell your cousin, who happens to be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I love to circulate a room.
Jiggling in my head:
lost in translation
This week I rewatched the 2003 film on Netflix. When it came out, I was close to the age of Scarlett Johansson’s character; now I’m not far from Bill Murray’s. Maybe the only good thing about getting older is that it helps you see art from a new perspective; I’m sure if I rewatched Almost Famous tomorrow, I’d feel disturbingly close to the hand-wringing mom.
Anyway, the movie holds up and reflects this fuzzy indie dreamland a lot of us bathed in back in the early 2000s. I think Lost in Translation also gave me one of the best promo items I’ve ever received: a white hotel pillowcase with the film title embroidered on the side. Useful swag is rare, though this was too lovely to use and remains sealed in a storage unit.
When I first saw this movie in a packed Washington, D.C., theater — almost 20 years ago to the day — I was torn by the final shot. What was whispered? Why leave it a mystery? Today, I’m not bothered by it, and I think I have a good idea of what was said. (And thank goodness we got this film when we did, because today it would end with “I’ll text you!” and a wave. Technology has really murdered poetic storytelling.)
Here’s the soundtrack, which has four Kevin Shields songs and endless sighs.
the best show
This week Tom Scharpling & Co. executed an insane, star-studded and inspiring 24-hour marathon of The Best Show. Guests included Bob Odenkirk, Marc Maron, Tony Shalhoub, Sarah Sherman, Tim Heidecker, Samantha Bee, Julie Klausner, Ben Gibbard, on and on. He streamed the whole thing on Twitch, and now I finally understand the merits of that website.
I’ve been listening to The Best Show for almost two decades. Tom has always done it his way, a quality I greatly admire in others and is much easier said than done. The Best Show is the ultimate example of “do what you love, and happiness (and maybe some cash) will follow” — something I try so hard to remember and live by.
The marathon will be released via The Best Show’s podcast feed. Tom also wrote a fantastic and moving memoir, It Never Ends. My adulation is eternal.
you hear it first: an oral history of mtv news
My friend Benjamin Wagner has been supporting my work for many years; I’ll never forget how he took me out for drinks after I lost my job and gave me a pep talk, which I desperately needed at the time. Anyway, Benjamin is a veteran of the great MTV News (R.I.P.), and he just launched a podcast that details its storied history. His first guest is John Norris, a journalist/music enthusiast who needs no introduction and always wore fabulous shirts.
Hear You Hear It First on Spotify or Apple. Congrats, Benjamin!
friday i’m in love by camryn garrett
My kid devoured this new YA novel and gave it to me to do the same. It’s about a 16-year-old girl who saves up to throw a big “coming out party” … and kinda falls in love in the process. The book references cool music (hence the title) and is a fun read, although it also makes me feel so relieved that my high school days are just a dot in the rearview.
the poet
Dean went to Baltimore Comic-Con and brought me back a couple books by Todd Webb, who draws a webcomic about a poet and a bird. I just adore it, and his fans include Hal Hartley, John Porcellino and others folks with solid taste. Follow him on Instagram and peruse/purchase his many titles, which include I Had a Leaf Stuck to My Shoe, Life in the Slow Lane, and I Have Mixed Emotions About Storms. (I know, he is a titling genius.)
damnation diaries by peter rostovsky
What’s it like to be Hell’s therapist? That’s the titillating premise of Damnation Diaries, the debut graphic novel from Peter Rostovsky that’s getting fantastic reviews and swells with just the kind of dry, hot humor we’re gonna need to get through the apocalyptic winter months.
Peter deserves every ounce of success; we used to share a studio, and he has spent many years toiling over this masterfully drawn tome. Learn more about him and the book in a recent interview with The Virtual Memories Show podcast.
for mature readers
If you’re heading to New York Comic Con next month, I’ll be moderating a panel called “For Mature Readers” that talks about the thrills and challenges of making adult-oriented comics. Come hang with myself and panelists Dean Haspiel, Bishakh Som, Ann Nocenti and the aforementioned Peter Rostovsky.
And yes, I still post diary comics on Patreon! Stay tuned for my annual “best of” minicomic, which should be out in October.
Well, I’m perspiring now. Holler at whitmath@gmail.com. See ya soon.
i don’t mess with those,
cecil turtle
I was 19 when I saw Lost In Translation at my local (only?) art house cinema, and I revisit it every couple of years. It does still hold up.