The Source, which has its world premiere tonight at the BAM Fisher Fishman Space and runs through the 25th, blends the use of the human voice with a politically resonant topic. The Source is described as “a multimedia oratorio,” and takes as its focus Chelsea Manning, and the media’s response to her. To learn more about the project’s origins, I checked in with two of the people behind it, composer Ted Hearne and librettist Mark Doten.
Guy Debord’s Legacy
Primarily, Debord longed to see the social order pass. He wanted a life without “dead time,” so he positioned himself as the enemy of the daily grind, a scourge to consensus. The “spectacle” was his name for the network of socio-cultural-economic forces with a vested interest in keeping people ensnared in a set of permissible routines: go to work, go home, watch TV, cheer on your favorite political team and, between those obligations, buy something. – At Hazlitt, Christopher Byrd on the life, […]
Frontrunners: Post-Election Takeaways for Obama and Romney in Jose Saramago’s “Seeing”
To celebrate Tuesday’s proceedings – when Brooklynites and whoever else lives in America cast their votes for state and national candidates – Vol. 1 today presents the third and final installment of of Frontrunners: a short series examining novels about elections and their entrants. May these profiles celebrate both citizenship and the sensual art of civics itself. With any luck, the “absentee ballads” vetted here might even find their way to President Re-Up and Governor Sideburns, and offer both men […]
Frontrunners: Last Minute Tips for Obama and Romney in V.S. Naipaul’s “The Suffrage of Elvira”
To prep for (hopefully) tonight’s grand finale, when Brooklynites and whoever else lives in America will cast their votes for state and national candidates, Vol. 1 Brooklyn presents part two of Frontrunners: a short series examining novels about elections and their entrants. May these profiles both rally citizens and celebrate the sensual art of civics itself. With any luck, the “absentee ballads” vetted here might even find their way to President Obama and Governor Sideburns, and offer both men solace […]
Frontrunners: What Obama and Romney Can Learn from Philip Roth’s “Our Gang”
To prep for November 6th – when Brooklynites and whoever else lives in America will cast their votes for state and national candidates – Vol. 1 Brooklyn today premieres Frontrunners: a weekly series examining novels about elections and their entrants. May these profiles both rally citizens, and celebrate the sensual art of civics itself. With any luck, the “absentee ballads” vetted here might even find their way to President Obama and Governor Sideburns, and offer both men solace and inspiration […]
Mitt Romney Plays the Historical Hits
Oh how we love election season satire. This time around, Mitt Romney takes on Emma Lazarus, J.F.K., and The (original) Wicker Man at the new Tumblr called Historical Romneys. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and our Tumblr.
The Very Necessary Ellen Willis
I had read a few Ellen Willis essays on music in the past, but until Out of the Vinyl Deeps: Ellen Willis on Rock Music (University of Minnesota Press) was released last year, I’d never had a chance to sit down and immerse myself in her writings. Simply put: Reading Ellen Willis’ thoughts on music was a revelation. Willis had this ability to mix the personal with the political when talking about music that I can’t recall ever reading before–she was truly in […]
From the Sixties to Occupy: A Conversation With Todd Gitlin (Part Two)
Here we continue our discussion with Todd Gitlin, author of Occupy Nation, about the future of the OWS, the challenges of political change, and the social cost of income inequality. (Read part one of this interview here.)