I’m writing about secrets in two sections today, since the first will probably offend the tastes of some readers. Section one: Today, folks from the Rochester Art Center (yes, all the way down in Rochester) are talking about the influence of graffiti and skateboard culture on contemporary art. Scott Sulen, a young artist and, if … Read more
An art dialogue worth noting: A collection of artists, critics, and administrators are gathering tonight at the Minnesota Museum of Art to discuss the life and work of George Morrison, a Minnesota-born American Indian artist most famous for his abstracted “North Shore” style. (If you need a primer, go look at the sidewalk mosaic outside … Read more
For a brief time, early in my days as a desperate man, I had a job at this ubiquitous sandwich chain. It was outrageous. It was awful beyond belief. I worked for this flinching woman who sat in the back room all day “portioning,” which basically involved sorting meat. You’ve probably seen how this works: … Read more
just say no … If you know someone like me, or are someone like me, this list might be handy. United States of Arugula looks to be a good read, documenting our food revolution. Please please please, a year of cheese. We usually don’t leave anything in the bottle, but still, I’m always looking for … Read more
The Late Show, 1977. Written and directed by Robert Benton. Starring Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, the great character actor Bill Macy, Eugene Roche, Joanna Cassidy, and John Considine. Who’s making noir anymore? Foreigners, maybe, immigrants from a decaying Russia come to France to ply their trade, or Austrians eager to shake us by the nape … Read more
It’s the sort of thing that might keep you up at night, but nevertheless, the Jonestown documentary that’s playing at Oak Street Cinema is worth seeing. Lots of folks are too young to remember or know exactly what transpired at Jonestown. Of course, most of us have seen those haunting images of heaped bodies, faced-down … Read more
Wow, this Monday there’s something really cool and uplifting going on (besides shopping). The Blind Boys of Alabama perform tonight on the Guthrie stage. Get a sample at blindboys.com.
Umarked solitude absorbing time, bloating to become an environment…. –Lisa Robertson, Occasional Work and Seven Walks from the Office of Soft Architecture The monks at Lodeve, in Gascony, sanctified a mouse who had eaten a consecrated wafer. —Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Aphorisms In his reluctance to embrace any sort of tidy resolution he kept spiraling further … Read more
Deutscher sind verruckt! I love December 01. It’s the first day of a month of days that begin with a little chocolate treat from my advent calendar. I am much more disciplined now than I was in the early years. I understand that it’s better to stretch the happiness out over the cold days, rather … Read more
The Nativity Story and Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple. The Nativity Story, 2006. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, written by Mike Rich. Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Hiam Abbass, Shaun Toub, Ciaran Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Stanley Townsend, Alexander Siddig, Joe Pesci look-alike Nadim Sawalha, Eriq Ebouaney, Stefan Kalipha, and Farida Ouchani. Now … Read more