We remember Bowles as a novelist, but he was trained as a composer, and he made a landmark collection of field recordings of music that was disappearing as mass media spread through the kingdom. (includes sound clips)
Author: Matthew Westphal
Weird Foreign Place Names Are Threat To ‘National Dignity,’ China Tells Developers
Who could possibly object to Yuppie International Towers or Merlin Champagne Town? Chinese officialdom does – and it’s demanding that developments have names like “Yellow River” instead.
The Queen Of Soul And Her Need For Control: The New Yorker Turns Its Eye To Aretha Franklin
“[She’s] a musical genius and a pivotal figure in the cultural history of the black freedom movement; she is also someone who has suffered countless losses, been mistreated in many ways, and at times has reactions that try the patience of her associates, creditors, family, and friends.”
The One Basic Thing About TV Series That Netflix, Amazon, And Hulu Don’t Get
Because they’re focused on the phenomenon, they misunderstand how individual episodes work.
If You Think Pee-Wee Herman Is Gay, You’re Sorta Missing The Joke
“Pee-wee might live in a world of adult longings and eroticism, but Pee-wee does not partake. It’s not that he’s queer or even asexual, but that – by being frozen in a state of stunted adolescence – he exists in a prepubescent universe where sexuality doesn’t quite exist yet.”
Chicago’s Harris Theater Names Its First Choreographer-In-Residence
“The unlikely new position means that the 41-year-old choreographer from New York has been tapped to create new works for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (the Harris’ company in residence), Miami City Ballet and [his own company]. Additional companies will be announced at a later date.”
‘Hamilton’ Gets In Trouble With Equity Over Casting Notice
“A casting call seeking ‘nonwhite men and women’ to audition for the show drew criticism from the union representing theater actors, prompting Hamilton to say Wednesday that it will amend its language to make clear that anyone is welcome to try out for the show.”
NBC Expands From Live Musicals To Its First Live Stage Play
“[The network] said on Wednesday that in early 2017 it will broadcast a live version of A Few Good Men, Aaron Sorkin’s 1989 Broadway play that was later adapted into a popular 1992 film starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise.”
You Can Now Create Art With A Sharpie-Wielding Drone
“Imagine if Michelangelo had been able to use drones – perhaps the Sistine Chapel wouldn’t have taken so long.”
How American Psycho Patrick Bateman Became An American (Anti-)Hero
“Over the past decade or so, Bateman has become a pop something, a grinning, blood-flecked national gargoyle. A brash new musical based on American Psycho is set to open on Broadway. You can purchase Bateman action figures. Bateman memes – photographs and GIFs from the director Mary Harron’s excellent 2000 film version of American Psycho – splash across every corner of the web. (‘I have to return some videotapes’ is among the movie’s indelible lines.)”