* Support me on Patreon! *
Hey! Before we get into this week's shenanigans, I'm excited to tell you that I just launched a Patreon page where you can support my work and get some fun rewards!
I love writing this newsletter -- it's my favorite part of the week -- but it's becoming hard for me to keep doing it for free. If you wanna toss a few bucks my way, I'd be so grateful. Your contributions will help me scale back my freelance hustle, afford more child care and, most importantly, be able to create more fun content, whether it's a podcast, exclusive interviews or what have you.
ALSO: If you become a $20+ patron by May 31, I'll send you THREE awesome pins designed by artist Jeff Dionise. (I'll debut them soon on the Patreon page.) Holy moly!
Thanks for your emotional/financial/psychic support, and let's get on with the show ...
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What I'm into right now:
A few things frying my banana:
PUZZLE THEATER: Last weekend I had the pleasure of assisting David Kwong, aka "The Enigmatist," at one of his popular live shows. David is an interesting guy who, among other things, creates New York Times crossword puzzles and works as a "magic consultant" on various films and TV series. During his live performances, he interacts with the audience and demonstrates his own gasp-inducing magic skills. I went in thinking I was pretty puzzle-savvy -- I served as the evening's "Puzzle Room Conductor" -- but I left realizing I have so much to learn. If you're coming to NYC anytime soon, tix are available through June.
DOGGIE THEATER: This week I also attended Isabella Rossellini's enchanting Link Link Circus. With the help of various props, clever Green Porno videos and her adorable dog, Pan, Isabella sheds light on the animal kingdom in this 80-minute show. (Fun fact: The actress recently earned her Master's degree in Animal Behavior and Conservation at Hunter College, where I saw the performance.) She has taken her Link Link Circus all over the world, and I hope one day it becomes a Netflix/Hulu/whatever special.
BOOKS: The first time I saw Mark Alan Stamaty's illustrations, I fell in love. Best known for writing and illustrating the stupendous 1973 children's book WHO NEEDS DONUTS?, Stamaty penned a comic strip for the Village Voice in the late '70s called MACDOODLE ST. A hardcover collection of these comics is now available, and when I spotted a signed copy at a local bookstore, I just had to get it.
MUSIC: Violent Femmes have a new song featuring Tom Verlaine, so you know that got my heart racing. It's good! ... And since it's baseball season, I was thrilled to learn that super-cool Boston Red Sox organist Josh Kantor has played Guided by Voices tunes at a couple games. He loves taking requests, so holler if you have one.
MOVIES: My old friend Davy Rothbart is highly productive: He started the excellent FOUND magazine, has appeared on THIS AMERICAN LIFE a bunch of times and has written a couple books. But his new documentary, 17 BLOCKS, may be his most astounding achievement yet. Filmed over the course of 20 years (!), it follows a Washington, D.C., family that lives just 17 blocks from the White House and goes through incredible hardships that will have you in tears. The film is getting rave reviews at the Tribeca Film Fest, and I hope someone (perhaps a powerful person reading this?) distributes it nationwide so everyone can experience it. I just can't stop thinking about this movie.
PENS: As you may have seen on Instagram, I discovered the most amazing pen store the other day called Goods for the Study. Because many of you asked, here's what I bought:
- Pilot Neo-Gel .7: Cheap, smooth, very little smudging.
- Uni-Ball Deluxe Micro 0.5: A classic (and a fave of many cartoonists!).
- Pentel Stylo Sketch Pen: An affordable fountain pen that's super-fun to use.
- ICO Signetta Classic Ballpen: Maybe the only ballpoint pen I'd buy, partly because it looks so dang cool.
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Congrats to longtime supporter/former Pop Candy reader Steve Herold, whose latest short film just landed on Amazon Prime! DEATH OF AN UMBRELLA SALESMAN follows Stanley Grimp (Kevin Kolack), a middle-aged umbrella salesman who may be reaching the end of the road. The film is only 31 minutes long; if you enjoy it, say hi to Steve on Facebook. (By the way, my husband is now using this screengrab as his wallpaper.)
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And YOU recommend:
TV: "As a Bruce Lee fan, I've been watching the Cinemax series WARRIOR, since it's based on his pilot pitch, with his daughter producing," Herman tells us, adding, "Only three weeks in, and it's nice to see many Asians in the cast." ... Joe in Ocean City, Md., is digging I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE on Netflix. "I thought it was absolutely hilarious ... laughed right off the bat at the first sketch," he says. "I'm a huge STATE fan, and I'd say if you like those guys, you'd like this, too."
BOOKS: Clayton called the hotline to recommend BOOK LOVE by British cartoonist Debbie Tung and KIND OF COPING: AN ILLUSTRATED LOOK AT LIFE WITH ANXIETY by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson. He also snagged an early copy of Chuck Klosterman's new book of "fictional nonfiction," RAISED IN CAPTIVITY. He says it's great, so maybe a pre-order is in order ...
EVENTS: Amy P. lives in Waltham, Mass., aka the Watch City. "Waltham is home to an annual steampunk festival happening on May 11," she tells us. "It's super-fun, a little weird, a lot quirky and a good time filled with people in costumes, music, acrobats and general mayhem. I went last year and found Doctor Who-inspired tea and steampunked Nerf guns!"
MISCELLANY: This week my kid LOVED hearing your favorite Beatles songs on the hotline! I'll try to get her to belt out another tune. ... Also, congrats to longtime reader Joanna B. on her nuptials this weekend. I hope she dances to at least one Dolly Parton song at the reception.
AND YOU? Tell us what pop culture you're into via email or text/voicemail at 929-515-1988. I'll share your recs in a future newsletter!
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Cool recs from ... SLICING UP EYEBALLS' MATT SEBASTIAN!
For the last decade, journalist Matt Sebastian has been celebrating '80s college rock on his excellent website, Slicing Up Eyeballs. This site only gets better with age, and today it's one of the few music websites I visit on a regular basis.
Despite having his hands full with recent news about The Cure, Morrissey and other artists we adore, Matt was kind enough to share some of his own pop-culture recommendations:
- STAY FREE: THE STORY OF THE CLASH: This eight-part podcast series produced by Spotify and BBC Studios covers well-worn ground, but it's a nice distillation of — and certainly a great introduction to — the legend and still-crucial music of The Only Band That Matters. It doesn't hurt that it's narrated by Public Enemy's Chuck D in that booming, stop-traffic voice of his. Plus, the series even wades into the mess that is "Cut the Crap," the Clash's final, Mick Jones-less album that generally gets whitewashed out of the band's history. (Note from Whitney: I wrote about this and other punk podcasts for PleaseKillMe.com recently. Check it out!)
- BARRY: Now in its second season, Bill Hader's HBO series about a would-be actor trying in vain to shed his past life as a world-class hitman has been a dark delight. But the April 28 installment — "ronny/lily" — was some next-level brilliance, an episode-long series of brutal fights between Hader's Barry and both the silent Taekwondo master he really, really doesn't want to kill, and that man's feral teenage daughter who's seemingly "not of this world." It's dark comedy at its darkest.
- MIDNIGHT IN CHERNOBYL: Journalist Adam Higginbotham's decade-in-the making book — subtitled "The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster" — is a riveting account of the April 26, 1986, explosion that tore open the Chernobyl power station's Reactor No. 4, the ensuing environmental calamity and the Soviet Union's futile attempts to bury the story. It's a highly technical account, heavy on the science of atomic energy and lethal radioactivity, yet still human, as Higginbotham details the lives intertwined with the disaster that brought the horrors of the nuclear age into stark relief.
Thanks so much, Matt! Make sure to visit Slicing Up Eyeballs and listen to Matt's radio show, DARK WAVE, every Sunday night on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's 1st Wave channel. He has impeccable taste.
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Upcoming shows/books/cool stuff:
EVENTS:
- Don't forget May 4 is Free Comic Book Day! Get the lowdown on books and retailers at freecomicbookday.com.
TV/STREAMING:
- Netflix debuts its new animated series from Lisa Hanawalt, TUCA & BERTIE (May 3);
- Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini star in the Netflix series DEAD TO ME (May 3);
- Zac Efron is Ted Bundy in EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL & VILE (Nettflix, May 3);
- RIVERDALE's KJ Apa stars in the Netflix teen flick THE LAST SUMMER (May 3);
- Diane Sawyer delivers a report on SCREEN TIME (May 3);
- HBO debuts its CHERNOBYL miniseries (May 6);
- Sundance releases STATE OF THE UNION, a comedy with 10-minute episodes (May 6).
IN THEATERS (OUT MAY 3):
- BOLDEN tells the story of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden;
- LONG SHOT stars Seth Rogen and Charlie Theron;
- Werner Herzog reflects on MEETING GORBACHEV;
- The unflappable Olivier Assayas directs NON-FICTION;
- Anna Paquin helms TELL IT TO THE BEES;
- And make way for UGLYDOLLS (or don't).
MUSIC (OUT MAY 3):
- Rock 'n' roll supergroup Filthy Friends are back with a new album (the band includes R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker). Also releasing records today: Vampire Weekend, L7, Bad Religion, Editors, Tacocat and The Dream Syndicate.
PODCAST:
- Our longtime pal Mike Sacks just launched a comedy podcast called RANDY!. "It's an 11-part memoir of a 30-something from Maryland named Randy," says Mike, who *supposedly* found these recordings at a garage sale. Use the promo code RANDY to hear the eps free for a month.
BOOKS (ON SALE MAY 7):
- Ani DiFranco releases her memoir, NO WALLS AND THE RECURRING DREAM;
- Moby returns with a second memoir, THEN IT FELL APART;
- Fantagraphics puts out another issue of its comics anthology, NOW #6;
- Adam Dolgins delivers THE BIG BOOK OF ROCK & ROLL NAMES: HOW ARCADE FIRE, LED ZEPPELIN, NIRVANA, VAMPIRE WEEKEND & 532 OTHER BANDS GOT THEIR NAMES;
- Vivien Goldman pens REVENGE OF THE SHE-PUNKS: A FEMINIST MUSIC HISTORY FROM POLYSTYRENE TO PUSSY RIOT;
- Dip into Shawn Levy's THE CASTLE ON SUNSET: LIFE, DEATH, LOVE, ART AND SCANDAL AT HOLLYWOOD'S CHATEAU MARMONT;
- And Al Burian delivers NO APOCALYPSE: PUNK, POLITICS AND THE GREAT AMERICAN WEIRDNESS.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOU'RE AWESOME:
May 3: Bill Sienkiewicz, Rob Brydon, Paul Banks (& Pete Seeger would've turned 100 today)
May 4: Pia Zadora, Will Arnett, Mike Dirnt
May 5: Bernard Pivot, Kurt Loder, Richard E. Grant, Vincent Kartheiser, Adele
May 6: James Turrell, John Flansburgh, George Clooney
May 7: Amy Heckerling, Traci Lords (pictured), Aidy Bryant
May 8: David Attenborough, Thomas Pynchon, Michel Gondry
May 9: Charles Simic, Candice Bergen, Dave Gahan, Rosario Dawson
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Eric F. lives in Utah, and for years he has wanted to visit Athens, Ga., home of R.E.M. and so many more amazing bands. "I finally made it!" he says, sending me this pic of himself in front of the legendary 40 Watt Club. Other stops on Eric's tour included Wuxtry Records and the Georgia Theatre.
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'Til next time ...
See ya soon! In the meantime, email me (just hit reply) or text/call me at 929-515-1988. Also, please email if you'd like to send me things, advertise or hire me as a freelance writer/editor/speaker. Subscribe to this newsletter here, and follow/tag me on Twitter and Instagram.
And once more for the fellas in the back: I'm now on Patreon at patreon.com/whitneymatheson. Woohoo!
Your hot burrito #29,
Polythene Pam
"You can't always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say, so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream."
- Frank Zappa
"You need (that guy) like a giraffe needs a sore throat."
- Ann Landers
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