27.02.2025 14:36
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Back in 2017, the stunning conclusion to TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN prompted me to write this essay, which is partly an appreciation of the massive impact David Lynch had on my life. Its words still ring true, especially on this day when he passed into whatever is beyond this life. Rest in power, DKL.
To all who celebrate...enjoy!
Watercolored #BATMAN
Social media platforms are no more a "public square" than the inside of a grocery store. These are products offered by companies. Robust moderation is the prerogative of any private entity.
Most media companies are happy to purvey propaganda. But they are under no obligation to do so.
Alright…I’m here.
Despair and retreat might seem like the only options amidst the current state of the world, but never forget that Navalny walked right back into a life sentence in Moscow because standing up for his convictions and the future of his country mattered more to him than freedom in exile.
A favorite gift from a few years back: An original painting depicting the Double R Diner in the style of Edward Hopper. (Ian Herriott, artist.)
The relentless, decades-long drive of the Right (especially the anti-abortion movement) to get what they want, even amidst multiple setbacks, is something the Left could learn from. The long game isn't sexy, but it's the only way that any major social change gets done.
Some days....some days...
“The Bookseller asked if any of the titles published by Spines have gone on to be bestsellers. Niv said: “Yes, we’ve had several successes.” …When asked for sales volume information they said ‘that data is private and belongs to the author.’”
Planning for a Happy Thanksgiving!
One thing I find interesting about the echo chamber complaint is that an echo chamber just won a presidential election.
Put aside the convo of whether it’s “good” or “bad” for a moment. The far right has devoted enormous resources + time to building echo chambers & loathes spaces they don’t control
The former English Teacher in me wants to give @theguardian.com all sorts of bonus points for actually reading the book for today's class, something the other major media outlets seem to have considered too onerous. It's a low bar, for sure....but hey!
The irony of the Coolidge showing a film about a theatre staff rising up against their moneyed superiors just after its own nascent union issued a blistering critique of their so-far failed negotiations for better working conditions is...rich. Much like the theatre management they negotiate with.
What struck me 24 years ago about as Waters doing Waters to lesser effect than his classic run now seems like a riotously rude and hilarious broadside against all the cultural forces that have only gotten worse since then.
CECIL B. DEMENTED in 35mm w/John Waters In Person at the Coolidge Corner Theatre was a hoot, with William Castle aficionado Waters buzzing parts of the audience during the post-show Q+A with the Percepto motors left over from the theatre's recent run of THE TINGLER.
Finally saw DAISIES last night, after too many years of skipping screenings for various and sundry reasons. An incredible, gleefully anarchic romp whose stylistic bravado puts most modern art house-leaning films to shame. Essential in this age of grand delusion (to borrow a phrase from Bowie).
I've come to think that if I were Charlie, I would've gone off with Irene...but that's just me.
In my column today, I go hard against the dangers of search engines "powered" by AI. I'm pissed! prospect.org/politics/202...
Name a TV show no one remembers but you:
A more recent entry, but one which got caught in the tailwinds of THE WALKING DEAD's massive success, which refocused AMC on mega-ratings projects at the cost of more eccentric fare. Gone after one season, following a crazy climax and cliffhanger.
This thread should be the script for the first episode when they remake Season 4 of THE WIRE. 😜
Especially in an era where social media algorithms and corporate messaging encourage unprecedented groupthink and blind stanning for whatever someone might believe in. Bad teaching of the Arg. Essay doesn't mean the form itself is corrupt.
The fact that corporate media have long since turned this format into false equivalencies and internet "We're Thinking About X All Wrong" takes shouldn't take away from the value of this form of essay in the ideal laboratory setting of a private classroom.
Isn't this down to the instructor and the school, though? I used this format for almost a decade, and always emphasized that it was a theoretical exercise that would encourage students to understand arguments they might not agree with in order to strengthen their own stances in the real world.
