tv+art+book recs & so many links!

Paul Reubens, Daniel Johnston, coughing, etc.

Jun 13, 2025

Holy wow, I’m so happy to be back! Thanks for your patience while I was sidelined by a long ‘n’ nasty respiratory illness. My summer look is a frayed robe and beige inhaler.

Who am I gazing upon? YOU’LL NEVER KNOW (Photo by Dean Haspiel)

A bunch of stuff I’ve been into lately:

pee-wee as himself (hbo)

Matt Wolf’s documentary about Paul Reubens affected me so deeply that I couldn’t sleep the night after I watched it. It’s inspiring and heartbreaking and just wrecks me that Paul left this world so soon.

The best art reminds us how complicated and beautiful it is to be alive. Paul’s work certainly reflected that — and so does this film. See it, scream real loud, have a good cry.

glengarry glen ross (broadway)

Last week Bob Odenkirk, Kieran Culkin, Bill Burr and Michael McKean razzle-dazzled me on the stahge in this adaptation, and since I haven’t seen the film in about 20 years, nearly every scene was a gorgeous, semi-depressing surprise. Each actor is at the top of his game, but the real showstopper is Burr, who eases into Mamet’s pitter-patter like a silk slipper. (Culkin is great, but don’t swig your Shirley Temple every time he touches his hair or you’ll be running to the loo in 20 minutes.)

The play closes at the end of the month, so grab your tix. (Hot tip: I found a good deal on a Wednesday matinee.)

daniel johnston (pioneer works, brooklyn)

When I heard Pioneer Works was exhibiting 300 drawings by the late musician/artist Daniel Johnston, I had to head over. As I’d hoped, they’re full of devil towns and supermen. And if you can’t make it to the big art show before Aug. 10, you can buy this new hardcover:

One of Johnston’s many comic-inspired drawings.

It’s been 20 years since the release of the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Give it a rewatch, learn to play “True Love Will Find You in the End” and toast a fellow human who, despite life’s challenges, never stopped making things.

mountainhead (hbo)

Bro, the only things that might persuade me to watch tech billionaires screw around in a giant glass house for 90 minutes are a) Jason Schwartzman; and b) dialogue written by Succession creator Jesse Armstrong. This film may give you emotional cavities, but I’ll still probably watch it a second time to catch all the rapid-fire witticisms I missed the first go-round.

osgemeos: endless story (hirschhorn museum)

I spent a few days in D.C. and hit all the hot spots: Kramers, Union Market and one of my favorite museums (which is free!), the Hirschhorn.

An exhibit devoted to Brazilian twins Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, aka OSGEMEOS, knocked my socks off. The show includes sculptures, installations, paintings and artifacts that encapsulate their incredible, productive career.

Here’s an installation that included a big ol’ moon:

And I should’ve taken video of these painted speakers, because they sounded as cool as they looked:

See OSGEMEOS: ENDLESS STORY through Aug. 3 and follow them on Instagram.

mission: impossible — the final reckoning (in theaters)

Here’s to Tom Cruise for pushing me into a movie theater, even when I had walking pneumonia. It’s a fitting franchise finale — aside from the pearl-clutching stunts, my favorite moment might be when one character says, “This is … THE FINAL RECKONING.”

the studio (apple tv+)

I finally got around to watching this Seth Rogen series from my sickbed. The guest stars are nuts and include writer/director Owen Kline, who visited our studio a few weeks ago and didn’t say a word about it.

And I know I’m late to the dance on this observation, but the real star of the series is every ensemble worn by Kathryn Hahn.

the portlandia channel (youtube tv)

YouTube TV costs more than a trip to Morocco and I should cancel it already, but in terms of background viewing/comfort watching, nothing beats their 24-7 Portlandia channel. The show debuted in 2011, but in many ways it feels nine generations old, as if Opie and Mary Tyler Moore could pop up any second to talk about birds and scooters.

poker face (peacock)

Season 2 of Poker Face fully embraces its mystery-of-the-week format with guest stars that delight my 12-year-old (Cynthia Erivo, John Mulaney, Ego Nwodim) and myself (Katie Holmes, Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Corrigan, David Krumholtz). Keep your Calm app, I’d rather fall asleep listening to the Natasha Lyonne’s confident scratch.

Holmes and Lyonne, Thelma and Louise-ing.

next gen nyc (bravo)

Mid-newsletter confessional: I watched the premiere of this new reality series about Rich Gen-Z Party People, and I may keep going … although (or maybe because?) I can’t get over the girl who refuses to wash her hands or the kid who’s heir to the Zaxby’s chicken fortune.

wtf with marc maron (podcast)

Like Kenny always said, you gotta know when to fold ‘em, and last week Maron said he’s ending his podcast after 16 years. Does this mean he’ll finally talk to Enya and Dinah Shore’s ghost? Fingers crossed.

orbital by samantha harvey

This novel about six astronauts orbiting Earth took me longer to finish than I expected. Harvey is a thoughtful and descriptive writer who can (fittingly) transport us to another universe where we sleep in midair and must constantly remind ourselves that time exists. If you read it, chase it with the thoughtful New York Times book club discussion.

the work of art by adam moss

After a monthslong library wait, I finally snagged this massive hardcover that profiles artists across all media. My favorite interviews are the ones with writers (Louise Glück, Gay Talese, George Saunders, Wesley Morris, Michael Cunningham), but there’s something for everyone here, from Sofia Coppola to Stephen Sondheim to Barbara Kruger.

slips slips (free newspaper)

I’m honored to have a short story in slips slips, a cool broadsheet lit mag that launched last month.

slips slips is being distributed for free at many locations in nyc. If you live elsewhere and crave it, go here to request a copy (but it would be nice if you threw them $5 for shipping).

miscellany

Congrats to the multi-talented Dave Hill on his first comic book series, Dark Regards! Dean Haspiel & I met him at Forbidden Planet — in August you can grab the fourth issue featuring Dean’s rockin’ cover art.

My sweet kid is working on a series of album paintings that bring me much delight:

Recently my cousin Lee published a WWII diary my great-uncle wrote while he worked as a shipbuilder in Norfolk, Va. It’s full of fascinating details about my relatives and their daily routines (picking butter beans, writing letters, repairing bicycles). I’m learning all sorts of stuff about my family, including the fact that a) I’m related to clarinet player Mahlon Clark; and b) my great-uncle saw Bill Monroe perform in 1944:

Keep a diary! Eighty years from now, it’s gonna blow people’s minds.

Hi, it's Whitney

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