NEW YORK TIMES: Bouncing his young daughter on his knee, or at work in his studio, Mr. Lynch is less cryptic in this film directed by Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes and Olivia Neergaard-Holm than in the 2007 documentary “Lynch.” Mr. Lynch charts the shift from an idyllic early childhood in Idaho to a darker period after a family move to Virginia. He repeatedly credits the encouragement of the artist Bushnell Keeler and he calls Philadelphia, where he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, a city that would “suck your happiness away and fill you with sadness and fear.” […]
NPR 4 THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When U Can’t
FRESH AIR: Chicago illustrator Emil Ferris has always be fascinated by monsters. As a kid, she would watch werewolf movies and find herself sympathizing with the wolf. Now 55, she’s recently published her first graphic novel, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters. “I always felt like [monsters] were kind of heroic because they were facing something,” Ferris tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “Becoming a monster sometimes isn’t a choice that you have. We’re all that; we’re all ‘the other’ in one way or another.” Set in 1968, Ferris’ novel is rendered as a sketchbook that belongs to a 10-year-old girl, […]
WORTH REPEATING: Rule Britannia
THE TELEGRAPH: At the book’s heart is Justine Frischmann, singer with the band Elastica. She is to Harris what Edie Sedgwick was to George Plimpton: a beautiful debutante around whom a cultural clique rises and – with a gloomy predictability – self-destructs. The daughter of the engineering consultant behind the NatWest Tower, Frischmann was, in the awestruck words of Alex James, bass player with Blur, “cash rich”. In 1988 she moved in with Brett Anderson, a boy from Haywards Heath who was soon to form the band Suede. Suede’s first review, a one-liner buried somewhere in the middle of […]
CINEMA: Valerian
Directed by Luc Besson, based on the French sci-fi graphic novel, Valerian & Laureline. In theaters July 21st.
XIU XIU: Get Up
Xiu Xiu plays the Boot & Saddle with Grandchildren on Friday with April 7th.
NPR 4 THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When U Can’t
TERRY GROSS: Thinking big can lead to breakthroughs or spectacular failures. And the Pentagon agency DARPA has had its share of both. DARPA is the acronym for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It started off as ARPA before the D was added for defense. Its mission is to create innovative defense technologies. Its projects have ranged from space-based missile shields to cyborg insects. Its innovations have had practical applications in the civilian world, ranging from the Internet to robot vacuum cleaners. My guest, Sharon Weinberger, is the author of a new book about DARPA called “The Imagineers Of […]
BEING THERE: Beach Slang @ Union Transfer
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER Even if you’re agnostic about Beach Slang’s brand of super-catchy, radio-ready punk anthems, there are two reasons that you’d still lose out if you took a dare not to enjoy their show. First, James Alex, Beach Slang’s mop-topped frontman-singer-songwriter-guitarist, bleeds openly with a genuine joy and gratitude for the living he gets to make doing what he does, and seems not to be able to help but share that joy and that gratitude effusively for all who hear him play. There’s no irony or cynicism, no arrogance to accompany his newfound celebrity and national attention. For […]
REVIEW: The King And I @ The Academy Of Music
BY CHARLIE C. THEATER CRITIC The King and I, in a few words, spoils audiences with its grandeur. The Lincoln Center Theater’s production of this Rogers & Hammerstein classic proudly boasts rich and elegant set designs, wisely casted actors, and a poignant but deeply affecting ending that will stick with you long afterwards. It felt wildly similar to the similar product of Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Sound of Music, in terms of its cheerful and uplifting protagonist and timeless, soaring melodies. The marriage of all of these elements crafted an unforgettable experience that is difficult to place in words. […]
CINEMA: Rust For Life
T2 Trainspotting (2017, directed by Danny Boyle, 117 minutes, U.K.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Trainspotting was a fun lark in 1996, so why not bring the boys back together 20 years later to catch up? Drawing partially from Irvine Welsh’s literary sequel, Porno, director Danny Boyle takes the dare and ties off for another hit of drugs, banter, and hi-jinks. Reuniting the 40-something Scots (Rent Boy, Sick Boy, Begbie, and Spud) the film wants to be a knowing look at middle-age but seems to be just as confused as its characters on the question of why is exists. Spud […]
NPR 4 THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When U Can’t
Artwork via THE NEW YORKER THE NEW YORKER: Mercer is the co-C.E.O. of Renaissance Technologies, which is among the most profitable hedge funds in the country. A brilliant computer scientist, he helped transform the financial industry through the innovative use of trading algorithms. But he has never given an interview explaining his political views. Although Mercer has recently become an object of media speculation, Trevor Potter, the president of the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan watchdog group, who formerly served as the chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said, “I have no idea what his political views are—they’re unknown, not […]
THE KOLARS: Dizzy
The Kolars play Boot & Saddle on Wed. April 5th with Sammy Brue.
GIVING BACK: Me & Petey Greene
BY MAX ABRAMS You can count on one hand the number of black men who have both gone to jail for armed robbery and been a guest at the White House at the president’s behest — and still have a few fingers left over. Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene Jr. is a member of that exclusive club. Greene started disc jockeying in jail and eventually grew to national acclaim for his radio and Emmy Award-winning television show, becoming a progressive and seminal voice of a generation and a movement. Petey Greene dropped out of school in 9th grade. When he […]
BOB DYLAN: Stardust
PITCHFORK: Bob Dylan doesn’t give many interviews. To make up for lost time, he sat down for a massive Q&A with author Bill Flanagan, which was posted on his website tonight. The piece runs over 8,000 words and covers a wide range of topics. He tells a story about meeting Frank Sinatra and reveals that he watches “I Love Lucy” on his tour bus (“all the time, non-stop”). He casually mentions that he and George Harrison skipped out on a recording session with Elvis Presley. When asked about some recent favorite records, he mentions Iggy Pop’s 2012 album Aprés. Naturally, he also discusses his new triple album of covers, Triplicate, which is […]