Joe Strummer used to say “No input, no output,” which is so true: I can’t write unless I’m also absorbing lots of books, movies, etc.
Below are some recent ingestions and inspirations — but first I’m going for a walk, let’s pick this up later.
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* infinite life *
It’s later, and I must tell you about Annie Baker’s new play, Infinite Life. Baker is my favorite living playwright and the only one I can think of who will cast five women over 50. Life takes place outside a health (?) center, where the women are fasting and talking and fasting some more. The final monologue by octogenarian Marylouise Burke is so moving I might need to experience it again before it closes in October.
If you can’t catch a performance, read one of Baker’s plays, maybe starting with The Flick, which won the Pulitzer.
* modest mouse/pixies with cat power (at pier 17) *
You wanna hear hits? Catch MM/Pixies on tour and try not to be annoyed by the dude behind you who screams along to every song or the couple next to you making out and getting spit on your toes. Both bands sounded excellent and seemed genuinely happy to be there, and it’s always a goosepimply treat to hear Chan Marshall’s killer pipes IRL.
* the ripped bodice *
Recently a romance bookstore opened in my neighborhood called The Ripped Bodice, which not only sounds like a fake business on Gilmore Girls but kind of looks like a TV set inside, with pink floors and velvet chairs and saucy pages artfully glued to the walls.
Even though romance isn’t my bag, I had to check it out and loved the scene inside — a multigenerational stew of folks loading up on passion. In this store, the only wildfires burning are inside hearts and loins.
* toni morrison: the pieces i am * (on netflix)
I finally watched this 2019 doc and loved it. I read so many books about writers and creative processes and whatnot, and many of them boil down to “And then I wrote for 12 hours while a kind woman brought me meals and took care of my kids!” Morrison’s life is interesting at every turn, first as a legendary editor and then as a legendary writer who had one of her novels banned from prisons because some idiots feared it could start a riot. (Her work has also been banned in schools near my hometown; I’m proud to support spots like Riverby that guarantee banned books are always in stock.)
* sr. * (on netflix)
This doc celebrates the work of pioneering filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. and his relationship with his loving son. Directed by Chris Smith (American Movie), it’s sad and sweet, and the clips from RDS’s films are wild and free and remind you that things are only worth doing if they’re interesting.
* what we do in the shadows *
There’s more humanity and character development on this vampire series than anywhere else right now. This season is … ahem … killing it.
* write yourself out of a corner by alice laplante *
I’m not usually into “writing prompts” because I have enough ideas to fill a Rock City barn, but this book goes deeper and celebrates dozens of authors and their unique styles/constraints. Dip into it, then dip out and write a poem or bake a pie or whatever you feel.
* judy * (amazon prime)
I don’t know where I got the impression that this Judy Garland biopic was lousy, but it’s not — in fact, it’s a throwback to movies that aren’t really made anymore but surged in the early 2000s with Pollock, Ray, Milk, insert another one-word title here. Renee Zellweger puts her guts into it.
* teenage mutant ninja turtles: mutant mayhem * (in theaters)
There’s a reason it has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (even though that site often gets it wrong). Speaking of Pollock, this movie reminded me of when Marcia Gay Harden exclaims, “You’ve cracked it wide open!” Just when you think everything has been done before in animation and Turtle-land, they find a way to make it fresh.
* uncle buck *
My kid and I watched this Hughes/Candy classic the other night, and it holds up. I know I’ve said this before, but back when I was doing Pop Candy, I always wanted to rebrand the blog “John Candy” on Halloween — the actor’s birthday — and only post John Candy-related things for 24 hours.
* clerks 3 *
I saw Clerks for the first time with a cool guy in a messy dorm room, and I think part of the reason we return to Kevin Smith’s work is because he’s so good at injecting us with nostalgia and heart and enough story with room to daydream. A fitting end to the series that turns 30 (!) next year.
* tony hawk: till the wheels fall off * (hbo)
I can’t stand on a skateboard to save my life, but I’ll always adore and watch movies about those who can. I imagine Say Anything’s Lloyd Dobler would be a little Hawkish today, appearing in video games about kickboxing, selling DOBLER brand trench coats and still taking care of his Gas-N-Sip buddies so they don’t go hungry or without a place to play.
* telemarketers (hbo) *
While watching this three-episode series, I kept wondering the same thing Dave Letterman used to ask: “Is this anything?” Now that it’s over, I think it was, and I hope it’ll become even more of something as time goes by. If you liked it, check out The Target Shoots First, Chris Wilcha’s cult doc about working at Columbia House or American Movie by the aforementioned Chris Smith.
Also …
Also:
I still post diary comics on Patreon.
Earlier this year, I collaborated with several cartoonists for a comic I wrote called “Thriving.” James Greene’s interpretation is detailed and beautiful, and I look forward to sharing more from other artists soon.
R.I.P. Arleen Sorkin, whose character on Days of Our Lives (Calliope) was one of my first fashion icons.
THANK YOU to all the recent Substack paid subscribers!
OK, lights out! Shout at whitmath@gmail.com. I hope something sizzles for you this week (other than the sidewalk).
ripping my own bodice,
master splinter
It played like a cross between AMERICAN MOVIE and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN but I, too, wondered if TELEMARKETERS was anything and, it turns out, it was (I think). Only time will tell. Kudos to MAX and the filmmakers and producers for sticking their necks out on this horrible loop hole in America. Perhaps it will rally our representatives to make significant and proper changes that helps benefit the people who are getting scammed or just squash the scam altogether. To organize the stealth fleecing of millions of dollars by monetizing good will is pure evil.
Uncle Buck foreverrrrr !