Caught!

Leave it to the Wall Street Journal to rain on a fine parade. The emergence of Marié Digby on YouTube, as it turns out, was manufactured by the pros. (In any event, it's funny to see a record label stoop to low-tech marketing to attract new listeners.) The article can be read here: LINK.

Slight Corrective

Alright, alright, alright. For the sake of balance, I offer up an essay by Timothy Garton Ash, who takes a more nuanced view of "Lives." He speaks with some measure of authority, having been a target of the Stasi himself. Still doesn't change my overall reaction to the film, though.

The Sound of Music

Is there any doubt that "The Lives of Others," the German film by the wunderkind writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, cannot be considered anything other than a masterpiece? (Okay, so the guy is in his early thirties, but if it hadn't taken so long to secure financing, he could have finished "Lives" much earlier.) The central scene in the movie revolves around a piece of music, "Sonata for a Good Man," which is played on a piano by one of the main characters, a playwright, upon hearing that his good friend, a black-listed theater director, offed himself. The piece -- haunting, powerful, direct -- holds its own, but the money shot is the camera slowly but steadily circling the other main character, a Stasi officer spying on the playwright's home with a pair of oversized earphones, which ultimately lands on the face of the character, upon which you spot an unmistakable tear. It is a simple moment, yet moving.

It's All About You

The Hitch delivers another fine essay: LINK

Deep Thought #1

Some lazy Sunday afternoon thinking: we are all hostages to our own experiences.

In Search of Lost Time

This week, Slate is running an interesting series featuring memoir writers. I think this one by the online magazine's chief political correspondent is particularly good. It's only four paragraphs long, but with economy and precision, the piece conveys a great deal of emotion. Take note of the piece's structure: it's the wave of the future with online pieces in terms of compressing material and revealing the Rosebud at the end in quick strokes. Wait, what am I saying? That future is now! LINK.

Political Mashup

A new breed of political ads.

British Rock Meets High Art

This is Edge

The Grand Elders of indie rock with their latest. Really tight.

Featuring Robert Allen Zimmerman

Inaugural B.A.M.F. Award

The first ever B.A.M.F. Award ("Chuck Norris" Award) goes to David Swensen, the manager of Yale's endowment. The business section of the Times ran a profile of him today -- quite frankly, I'm not sure about that editorial decision as I can't sniff any legit news peg, but that's fine with me as it's more grist for my mill -- and you can read it here: LINK.

Swensen is such an inspiration: he not only excels at his job, but he also feels that his work serves a noble purpose. I've read his second book, "Unconventional Success," which is geared toward the investing public; although it reads like a dry academic paper at times, there's enough populist fire in there to make Al Gore (ca. 2000) blush.

Put Your Records On

Music to lift your soul: LINK.

Have You Read a Good Martin Amis Book Lately?

See Keith Gessen, arguably the most astute critic of his generation, take stock of what Amis has been up to for the past several years: LINK.

Haiku on Late Nite

I'm sorry, but I still can't kick the Larry Sanders habit. (For those of you who don't know, all the episodes are on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.) The opening of a late-night talk show always features a monologue, rammed to the hilt with jokes. They often seem cheap and easy, but I'll be damned: short jokes are hard to write! (You try writing a few night after night sometime.) They're a little like short bursts of haiku, pared down with a sharp knife so that the words build their own momentum toward the punchline. You can sample the best jokes from all the talk show hosts every night here: LINK.

Hint: "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor"

Is there anything sadder than a prominent politican trying to be hip by name-checking a band? See Chancellor of the Exchequer (and future Prime Minister) Gordon Brown sing the praises of the Arctic Monkeys, and then fail to name any of their songs.
LINK, and LINK.

Johnny Marr is God

In the old days:





Marr looking back.

These Charming Men

The Smiths field questions from schoolchildren, circa 1984.

What Difference Does It Make?

The British philosopher and cultural historian, Noel Gallagher, musing on The Smiths:

Merhaba

I saw Morrisey in concert last summer in Istanbul, of all places, and somebody taped the opening. Still sends shivers down my spine.

Old School

New School

Lo-Fi Was King

Every once in awhile, you find a hidden gem.

This Video Will Blow Your Mind

If you're not convinced why YouTube should exist, check this out.

There She Goes

The perfect pop song. Enjoy.

Hip Hop with Footnotes

Here is a Web site that qualifies as a true public service: the annotated lyrics of the Beastie Boys. Almost as fun as scrutinizing Ulysses. LINK.

Notes from Underground

Fascinating story about the Unabomber's legal fight against the federal government and a group of his victims regarding his own papers. Includes First Amendment implications. LINK.

Art Buchwald

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you an obit of the humorist Art Buchwald, courtesy of The New York Times: LINK

What a character -- to have lived such a colorful life! Note, too, his difficult childhood, which only reinforces my theory that "funny" can only come out of harsh circumstances. So beware the next time you meet someone funny.

Also of interest: the accompanying multimedia presentation that the Times released. It's Buchwald himself, inaugurating a new genre: the video obit. LINK.

Cahiers du politique

As the proverbial Curtain has been raised -- officially, it can now be said -- on the 2008 presidential race, a line from Sidney Blumenthal's self-serving but otherwise excellent book, The Clinton Wars, crept back into my head: "Politics could be written about like a movie review, a movie review like politics." Blumenthal was discussing his foray into the alt.newspaper scene in Boston during the early '70s, but he was presaging (inadvertently?) the commingling of Politics and Entertainment in America. The apogee of this development -- if you prefer to think of it as a good thing -- arrived on newsstands and in subscribers' mailboxes in the glossy form of George magazine, the brainchild of JFK Jr.

But put that thought aside for a minute, and think about "politics" and "story" in a deeper way. I'll pick this up in my next post.

Announcing the BAMF Award (a.k.a. Chuck Norris Award)

I would like to launch a monthly feature: the BAMF Award (also known in the industry as the "Chuck Norris Award"). This honor will be bestowed each month -- let's start with a monthly schedule; a weekly schedule would've been rather ambitious -- on someone who deserves wider recognition beyond his or her own field (yo yo, listen up, MacArthur people!). Tune in for this month's selection. Nominations from readers are welcome.

Judge Posner's Avatar

See the most influential jurist of our time converse with a virtual raccoon. I'm not kidding. LINK

Parody?

Can one, it must be asked, parody something that already borders on self-parody? You be the judge. Check out the video seen 'round the world last October by a Yale student who thought it would be a good idea to apply for a job as an investment banker on Wall Street with a self-promotional short film: LINK.

Then, see this parody, courtesy of the young actor Michael Cera (of "Arrested Development" fame): LINK.

The Sitcom as Art?

Recently, I came across an interesting program that aired in the UK: Ricky Gervais interviewing one of his heroes, Larry David. Gervais is the seemingly ubiquitous British comedian who created, wrote, and starred in the original British version of "The Office." And David, of course, became famous for co-creating and writing "Seinfeld," and later fully showcased his sensibility on his own HBO show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Here, Gervais plays the role of eager disciple, picking the brain of a comedy master. It's clear that Gervais is a genuine student of comedy -- constantly thinking about it, analyzing it, turning it over in his mind. David proves to be a generous interviewee -- gracious in his comments and genuine in his laughter: LINK.

Even more riveting is Gervais's interview with Garry Shandling, the mastermind behind "The Larry Sanders Show." At times, it's uncomfortable to watch the interview; there's some underlying tension between the two (the reasons why are unclear) that often bubbles up to the surface. But it's still worth watching if only to see Shandling as a serious thinker. He views his work as a vehicle through which to explore the human condition, and after hearing his comments, you'll never be able to watch "Larry Sanders" in the same way: LINK.

Ground Rules

This will be a modest blog. I claim no expertise in any given subject, and the topics I choose to write about will be varied, a tad eclectic even. The ideas presented herein will be necessarily half-baked -- think of this blog as a continuous rough draft. Most likely, I will not discuss my personal life, as some blogs do, nor will I cough up any pernicious gossip. Please enjoy, and thoughtful comments are always welcome.