On The Mystery Of The 1969 Naked Esquire Photo Shoot
Holy smokes, Ned Rorem's still kickin' it? And, has he gotten over himself since the 1950's?
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On Mad Men's Megan Draper Reads (And Wears) 1966 'Vogue'
@hockeymom I've always loved that as soon as Jane married Roger, she went full Vreeland editorial-looking. Gold caftans for lounging, space-princess get-ups. "THAT's what I want!", right off the page.
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On Magical Recording of Beyoncé Doing Prince
They pulled the video, but here's another link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG0RpWxzGsg
Yes, she's amazing.
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On Lawless White People Go Wilding in Vancouver
I think it's pretty clear that was Jane Lynch catching the crotch-rocket.
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On Martin Rushent, 1948-2011
Dare was made at Rushent's studio, Genetic Sound, at his home in Streatley, Berkshire. This was equipped with the most up-to-date recording systems, at considerable cost; it was claimed that £35,000 was spent on air-conditioning alone, a luxury in Britain in the early 1980s.
"In those days, making electronic music was a big job, particularly the way that I was doing it," Rushent said last year. "To get the sounds I wanted, I might have 24 synthesizers playing one synth line, all programmed, all analogue and all drifting out of tune. It used to take hours and hours and hours. I don't know how we ever got through it."
I'm always going to have affection for those Brits tinkering on Fairlights and such in the early days of electronic pop. They really were so creative with it- it was the sound of "the future", but also of its time. RIP, Martin.
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On Smoking Is Expensive
Bosh. We smokers are considerate enough to die young. Calculate the savingz!
Andrew of course would be the first to proclaim that smoking weed is 100% risk-free though, based on scant evidence. It's still smoke in your lungs. He writes well on some things, and dumb/heartlessly/excitably on an awful lot of other things. I'm glad I stopped reading him, he's not actually that bright, just incredibly spoilt and lucky, easily swayed and persuadable. Amateur contrarian, he eventually does a 180 and come to the conclusion that sensible people always had, and wants a medal for it.
"the decadent (antiwar) Left in its enclaves on the coasts is not dead - and may well mount what amounts to a fifth column" Ha, fuck you too Andrew. Never forget!
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On Prince Turns 53 Today
I watched this as a teen, and as I re-watch it in 2011 I can't stop giggling at Prince in his moody silence and purple monkey-fur outfit with flowers. He seems so aggrieved by this award for Best Black Album On Vinyl. I sort of see his point, dreadful categorization. Love him, but his sulky ponciness makes me laugh here.
This was also the night they recorded the celebrity wallow in Ethiopian misery, "We Are The World". I'm rather glad for Madonna that she wasn't invited/skipped it. What a phony ratfuck.
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On "Read It Later": Republishing is Theft
@SeanP : Attention publishers and writers: the world doesn't owe you a living.
And no true writer/artist/musician has ever thought "the world owes them a living". Sorry, I just really hate that resentful expression toawrds artists. It's true there's an awful lot of subsidized amateurs out there. They won't last, they will get resepectable jobs. Most artists give up or forgo a lot- money, a steady salary, health insurance, a pension, bourgeois respectability. Peace of mind. The financial stability to start a family. They do it because they have to. Time weeds out the poseurs. But no real artist thinks the world owes them a living. Real artists fight for their living every day.
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On "Read It Later": Republishing is Theft
@Anarcissie I mean writing writing, not the kind of blather that appears in the Times
The NYTimes has its famous flaws, but it is not mere blather, it is still the best newspaper in America.
I know I won't buy anything again that doesn't go straight to the author or composer.
So you'll never buy a book or a record again ? Yes, that will really broaden your cultural horizons, limiting yourself like that to self-published works. That will help your quixotic cause. Uh, give me a break. I'll agree publishing and more direly music are in bad ways as cultural industries, but they also employ vast armies of people -editors and designers etc.- to get that book into bookstores. Most authors, at least ninety-five percent, aren't very good to begin with. Giving such specific primacy to authors alone, and ignoring that 100 people have jobs because his or her terrible book is being published, seems kind of pointless. Yes, the system sucks, but it's what we have right now. Very very few authors get rich from publishing with an established house, just as most musicians see little money from their labels. But what the publishers and labels can do is get your name out there, give you legitamacy. "Straight to the author" - even if the author is fucking terrible? Because if most published authors are bad, believe me, the self-published are far far worse. Good luck with your project of only buying content from the author or composer!
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On The Man Behind The Brilliant Media Hoax Of "I, Libertine"
This was a tremendous and fascinating read. His story seems like this fascinating combination.. the emerging counterculture, the beats, but within the corporate radio context.. Lenny Bruce and Mad Men and a bit of Network and much more. The hoax. Superb work here, Mr. Callan. Get cracking on a screenplay about Shepherd!