Passing through Whitneyville

Also: Jeffery Self + a bushel of links

Last weekend I traveled to New Haven, Conn., for the Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3), which was quite energizing and made me wanna go home and make more stuff.

But before I returned to Brooklyn, I had one important stop to make:

Whitneyville.

Find a donut shop with your name on it and go there immediately.

Oh, yes — Whitneyville, Conn., which lies just outside New Haven, is named for inventor Eli Whitney. Dean was kind enough to drive me down Whitney Avenue and by Whitney Lake so I could take photos of every damn Whitney business I passed. If you need a cheap thrill, I suggest road-tripping to a town that carries your name.

Whitney will press your pants and starch your shirts!

I tried going inside, but they were hosting a children’s birthday party.

My only complaint about Whitneyville is there isn’t enough merch. I did make it outta there with a Whitney Donut travel mug and a trip to the Whitneyville Walmart (which I realize I should probably keep to myself, but toilet paper and Cheerios are crazy-expensive in the city).

Here’s proof that I did something in Connecticut other than pose for ridiculous pics and eat donuts:

Thanks to everyone who came by our table at IC3! I sold a bunch of diary comics and Trudy Sellout books. (Photo by Tony Wolf)

If you still don’t have Trudy Sellout (my book of short fiction) or my diary comics (2023 or 2024 editions), I still have a few copies you can order. My next con appearance will be at the splendid Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase (BICS) on April 26-27.

See ya next year, IC3! (We sat next to Paul Kirchner, creator of The Bus and Hans Rickheit, creator of Mechanical Stilt-Women of Mars!)

jeffery self

On Monday I attended an event celebrating Jeffery Self’s new book, Self-Sabotage, which is neck-and-neck with Ione Skye’s Say Everything for snazziest memoir title of the season. Moderated by the effervescent Cole Escola — they return to star in Oh, Mary! next month — the longtime friends/former collaborators reminisced and made us laugh and laugh and laugh before we walked outside to dodge puke in the street. (It was St. Patrick’s Day, so the sidewalk-sickness ratio was a bit higher than usual.)

Jeffery is incredibly funny-smart-talented, and you can read a long excerpt from his book on the publisher’s website. My only complaint is now I can’t use the same fave Elaine Stritch quote as an epigraph (“Everybody’s got a sack of rocks.”).

The shimmering Jeffery Self, left, with Cole Escola at The Strand. (photo by Whitney Matheson)

And you gotta see this movie if you haven’t already:

book club zoom on april 6

I hope you’ll join me via Zoom on Sunday, April 6 at 4 p.m. to discuss GOTH: A HISTORY as well as your own experiences with goth culture. This Zoom will be open to everyone and not require an RSVP. I’ll share the link closer to the date.

And here’s a playlist devoted to the book, though I agree with my friend Will that there are *way* too many Doors songs:

links

• “Within 10 minutes of meeting Dandy Warhols singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor, he told me: ‘I sneeze and hits come out.’” Filmmaker Ondi Timoner talks about making the music doc Dig!. (The Guardian)

• Kim Deal & Kim Gordon performed on John Mulaney’s Netflix show. (Stereogum)

• Orville Peck will remove his mask for Cabaret at the KitKat Club. (Deadline)

• I’m glad I went to SXSW back when it had more music than tech. (Vulture)

• There’s a new doc about Catherine Coulson, the actress who played The Log Lady on Twin Peaks. I hear it’s tree-mendously entertaining! I hear it’s so long they may have to whittle it down! I hear it branches out into some interesting territory! I hear it will leaf you speechless! I bet it’s great. (Variety)

• Nothing lasts forever, not even Forever 21. (CNBC)

• Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy will go on tour with R.E.M.’s Lifes Rich Pageant album next year. (Spin)

• The Yeah Yeah Yeahs is touring “intimate theaters.” (Pitchfork)

• Sound engineer Kipp Elbaum told me so many great band/music-biz stories when my short films screened at Parkside Lounge that I said he needed to write a memoir. Right now some friends are trying to help raise money for Kipp’s cancer treatment/recovery. (GoFundMe)

And I’ll see you in the front row at the ol’ Ani DiFranco documentary:

The Luckiest Man in America tells the story of the guy who couldn’t stop winning the game show Press Your Luck (and co-stars my imaginary paramours Walton Goggins AND Johnny Knoxville):

Amy Sedaris stars in the 16-minute short film The Maddening Disconnect of Phone Therapy:

I’m outta here, but I’ll see ya soon. Thanks for reading! Consider becoming a paid subscriber! Moisturize under the waning gibbous!

your blog lady,
whitney donut
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