Monday, May 13, 2019
Packer’s recent cover story for The Atlantic — “Elegy for the American Century” — is an exceptional piece of longform reporting and vivid narration. Excerpted from his new book, Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Really enjoyed this substantive recent conversation on Krista Tippett’s “On Being” podcast. At one point, Tippett quotes Cole’s Blind Spot, one of my favorite books from the last few years: “To look is to see only a fraction of what one is looking at. Even in the most vigilant eye, there is a blind spot. What is missing?” She tells Cole, “I find that useful language.” The ruminative Cole responds:
Sunday, March 24, 2019
While not personally a blues guy, I loved every paragraph of David Remnick’s terrific New Yorker feature exploring Buddy Guy’s long career, the change of blues’s place in culture and what the future holds, if anything, for the genre as Guy’s been playing it. Toward the end of the piece, Remnick turns to his magazine’s own poetry editor — poet and essayist Kevin Young — for this insightful description of the form: The blues contain multitudes.
Recommended 🎧: The new Lomelda record, “M for Empathy”, 11 songs and just 16 minutes long. Unlike anything else I’ve heard.
Finished “What We Lose," the debut novel from Zinzi Clemmons about a young woman living through the death of her mother. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a debut with four-plus pages of major press kudos at the start — good for Clemmons. I was not as thoroughly wow’d as some of the reviewers, but I was definitely impressed (strong voice, ideal format) and I’m glad I read it.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 →
We binged “Russian Doll”. Absorbing and original. Killer soundtrack. Streaming on Netflix.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 →
Liked this this quote/pic posted by a company I really enjoy following online.
Favorite song of the year so far: “Dylan Thomas” on the Bridgers/Oberst combo record (Spotify).
Crib crasher
Finished and really enjoyed the BBC’s recent four-part “Howards End” adaptation. Streaming on Prime.
Dana Goodyear: “Blurred Lines” — Fantastically interesting and smartly plotted New Yorker profile of filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and his new Gerhard Richter-related project.
Enjoyed this Kara Swisher interview with executive recruiter James Citrin, who’s working at the highest levels of tech and media.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
In an episode of the company’s “Rework” podcast, Basecamp staff look back on their five-hour outrage in November. Savvy framing of one of the company’s worst days.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
From the wine importer’s crisply written and life-philosophy-framing book Reading Between the Wines, a favorite of mine from last year: Such wines are not easy to find. We drink them just a few times in our lives. But we never forget them, or the places they lead us to. A few weeks before writing this, I dined with my wife in the Austrian Alps, in a restaurant whose chef worked with wild local herbs.
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Thoughtful piece at Wired from someone who’s been thinking and writing about this subject for quite some time: “We have arrived to the once imagined Future Book in piecemeal truths.”
Sunday, December 9, 2018
At the close of Coates’ recent interview with Chris Hayes, the host asks him if he’s working on a new book. The dodge Coates gives, not wanting to discuss a project-in-process, ends up being a terrific toast to the necessity of sharp, tough early readers and editors: I do, I do have a writing project and I love you people so much, let me tell you how much I love you.
“Will Oldham: Unmasked” — For GQ, Alex Pappademas gets unusual access to one of my favorite songwriters.
Monday, November 12, 2018
From a substantive new interview with Joshua Rothman: I had felt for many, many years that the form of the novel, as I used it, created a distance from life. When I started to write about myself, that distance disappeared. If you write about your life, as it is to yourself, every mundane detail is somehow of interest—it doesn’t have to be motivated by plot or character. That was my only reason for writing about myself.
Friday, November 9, 2018
Finished season one. Stopped midway through, for its sourness, then continued through the finale. Moneyed, nasty fun that leaves a lousy aftertaste. Great performances. Nicholas Braun as Cousin Greg steals every scene he’s in.
Late thanks to EQ for having me on as a guest on the Bourbon Friday Show. Enjoyed talking about Forest Park and Forest Park Forever.