The second episode of Vidalotry, the podcast that explores Gore Vidal, is now available. "Candidate Vidal" explores the political career of Mr. Vidal and it's a twisting, turning and sorted tale. Even more interesting is Vidal's refreshingly progressive take on just about every question tossed his way. For instance, this interview from 1981:
Q: Every American boy is told that he could become President. Do you still believe you could become President? Vidal: Every American girl now is also told she can become President. The Presidency is not something I don't think you really want to have now. The political situation is such that the actual governing United States is not done by the President or Congress, it's done by the Chase-Manhattan Bank - a very important bank, the oil companies, the defense industries... People in Board Rooms run the United States.
In one breath he reminds the interviewer of the equal capabilities of Men and Woman to be President and clarifies that our political system is run by private influence.
It's a phenomenal episode filled with parallels to our "modern" political world, here in 2018. It's streaming on all platforms or you can fire it up right here.
I dunno if I just started paying attention again or if he found new life in his art but Chad VanGaalen has really been pushing all my buttons lately. His latest album, Light Information, is a real treat but his videos are just unstoppable. This new one for Host Body continues in his trend of depicting otherworldly space travelers interacting or morphing into new forms or experiencing a fever dream but there's a good bit of something extra going on as well. Maybe it's the strange overlays or maybe it's the random jokey asides but, whatever it is, it works for me. A whole lot.
Excellent piece from, of all people, Michael Ian Black entitled The Boys Are Not All Right that tackles the notion that our Nation's gun problem stems from men. Men are performing these heinous acts and Men are clearly having a hard time traversing what it means to "Be A Man." To be clear, the article isn't about shaming men or contributing to your horrible Uncle's notion of Weak Snowflakes but, rather, a contemplative take on the archaic model of masculinity.
Too many boys are trapped in the same suffocating, outdated model of masculinity, where manhood is measured in strength, where there is no way to be vulnerable without being emasculated, where manliness is about having power over others. They are trapped, and they don't even have the language to talk about how they feel about being trapped, because the language that exists to discuss the full range of human emotion is still viewed as sensitive and feminine.
He follows this by saying that "most men will never turn violent... Most will learn to navigate the deep waters of their feelings without ever engaging in any form of destruction." And that's an important addendum. This isn't an article saying Men Are Bad but, rather, a call to say that we need to rethink how we're training boys to be shutoff from emotion.
I'm not a parent and I'm sure there are plenty out there that are raising wonderful, mindful, emotionally aware kids. I am optimistic for the next generation.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to get a singular screenshot or image that encapsulates the vibe of Futurismo, a label that's "specialising in New Wave, No Wave, Synthpunk, Post Punk and Avant Pop." They've reissued a bunch of LP's from the likes of Devo, Gleaming Spires and Psychedelic Furs to name but a few. Their aesthetic is, clearly, extremely 80's but it's done in the most legitimate and tasteful way. It hits on all of the tropes but it manages to steer clear of ever being kitschy; it's just good.
They aren't incredibly active on social media so I suggest just cruising their official site and immersing yourself in their Tumblr for the full experience. They aren't responsible for everything on the Tumblr but pieces like this or this are sure to stir some inspirational gears.
The latest episode of Hott Minute is likely their strongest yet. Why? Because they got themselves a theme song courtesy of Nashville band Tower Defense that is downright perfect, they discuss a smattering of crushable topics including Camus and Janelle Monae and manage to vamp on everything.
Head over to their Episode page to hear the goods or just do yourself a favor and subscribe to the dang thing!
Pretty smitten with the work of Martin Ontiveros lately. His subject matter tends to veer towards the occult, aliens, metal symbology and giving just about everything a dark spin. However, it also does a great job of not losing sight of actually being fun and a little ridiculous at times - a balance that is hard to achieve. This Baphomanic blank is a great example - it's a totem representing the devil itself but it's also downright adorable.
Plenty to see in his feed and a few things to see in his store. Take the deep dive.
The Academy Awards are on, so one final update to my Oscar piracy spreadsheet. Only two nominated films didn't leak online in high-quality format before the ceremony: All the Money in the World and The Last Jedi. https://t.co/93R0e6ktnl
This #HereWeAre Twitter commercial just gave me chills. That was stunning.
Now. Twitter, we shall await your continued work to make this platform safer for women who look like those in that commercial.
