In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Scott Adlerberg’s new novel, interviews with John Darnielle and Jonathan Lethem, and more.
Morning Bites: The Mountain Goats’ Latest, “Twin Peaks” Revisited, Amber Sparks, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on the new Mountain Goats album, “Twin Peaks”-inspired nonfiction, and more.
Morning Bites: Patricia Lockwood, “American Gods” on TV, Books Are Magic, Mountain Goats on Goth, and More
In our morning reading: a review of Patricia Lockwood’s new book, talking with Books Are Magic, and much more.
John Hodgman Writes Bio for new Mountain Goats Record
Here’s what I know about the new Mountain Goats album: It’s called Transcendental Youth, it comes out on October 2nd, the words “Florida,” “Judas,” and “Satan” are all included in the song titles, and John Hodgman wrote this biography.
Afternoon Bites: Putney Swope, Jennifer Egan’s New Story, Matt Fraction Loves the Mountain Goats, and More
The Criterion Collection has released a box set of the films of Robert Downey Sr., including the 1969 classic (and Louis C.K. favorite) Putney Swope. That price is a steal. Speaking of steals: the work of women artists from the post-war era is remarkably cheaper than that of their male counterparts. If we can call $10.7 million cheap, that is. Starting tonight, the New Yorker’s fiction department (@NYerFiction) will be tweeting Jennifer Egan’s new story, which apparently contains only 140-character-or-less […]
Bites: Bolaño syllabus, Jewish Wild Things, David Byrne, Hot Topic tour, and more.
Lit. The Millions have an essay, “A Bolaño Syllabus.” That’s all, nothing witty. Just read it. Tablet Magazine, happy to point out that Where the Wild Things Are has “profoundly Jewish roots,” calls Paste Magazine’s essay which informs this theory “overwrought.” The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Once a dream, now a reality. L Magazine interviews Stephen Elliott, author of The Adderall Diaries. Google may modify its online book deal (Thanks, Boston Globe) Dear Conversational Reading, Mainstream publishing mystifies […]
Mountain Goats try to get religion, putting out new album, and going on tour
(Photo from Brooklyn Vegan) Listen to “Genesis 3:23” off the upcoming Mountain Goats album, The Life Of The World To Come (4AD). According to the press release: Somewhere in between 2007 and 2009 the same stuff started happening in John Darnielle’s life that happens in everybody else’s life: some people got sick, and some people stayed sick, and some people died young, and John started doing what he does when things go south, i.e., turning to old religious texts both […]