Why are they doing Rock-in-a-wig Moana when Jason Momoa is literally right there? And while we’re asking important questions inspired by the ads on this subway platform, why do Minions have hair?

Fucking Minions, man. Surely there’s a reasonable chain of events that led to their utter inescapability, threaded through a small army of smart people of sound mind rationally advancing towards meaningful ends over many years. For the result of all of that thought and effort to be something so profoundly absurd feels in the classical sense mysterious, miraculous. As if the character of the Gibbering Yellow Sea Cucumber emerges willfully from the essence of culture and speaks with the voice of God, making divine mockery of humanity’s hubristic desire to render the world knowable and known. The people clamour for the messenger because the message is true. The Minion is a prophet and a herald sent to conduct a bedside vigil for Enlightenment thought and usher us into a new and beautiful age of darkness where nothing is real and nothing hurts and it’s a good idea to spend $200 million on a movie starring Dwayne Johnson wearing a mop.

Podcast:

New episode of Art Workers! Rachel Lin—actor and writer and very cool person—was kind enough to join me to talk about her starring role in the play I Want a Unicorn Frappe!!! which just closed at The Tank, her solo show Dear John which had a run at HERE Arts Center earlier this year, and the theatrical landscape as it exists, existed and might yet exist in New York City. That’s better copy than the intro I ran for the episode, but it’s too late now! Give it a listen, if you like.

Art Workers with Carl Bindman Podcast - Episode 12: Rachel Lin | Free Listening on Podbean App

For this episode of Art Workers I’m joined by actor and writer Rachel Lin. Find Rachel at her Website or her Instagram. Find me at carlbindman.com or my newsletter or my Instagram. Produced, hosted, and edited by Carl Bindman. Thanks to Louie Zong for the use of his song, “Fragments”.

Short Film Now Viewable: “Wet Specimen”

I acted in this short, “Wet Specimen”, way back in March of last year (as featured in Newsletter #19). Now it's out in the world on director Ann Marie Martin’s page, awaiting your eager eyes, oh viewing public! I play a really great dad and all around good guy (and sport a fun lil’ turn o’ the century dialect). Give it a watch, if you fancy.

Wet Specimen

A nun is sent to evaluate a little girl whose father insists she be admitted into a mental hospital.

Venezuela: Help out?

The earthquakes in Venezuela last week were catastrophic. It’s a bad situation. Friend of the newsletter Bethsabé Caballero sent along some recommended resources, if you’re able to contribute to disaster relief.

Food: World Central Kitchen

Shelter: The House Project

General: I Love Venezuela Foundation

Donations to the above orgs are tax deductible, so you can consider it an offset for those tax dollars of yours spent bombing the country earlier this year.

(Bella) Ciao!

Shout out to the DSA candidates and non-DSA democratic socialist candidates taking out the trash in the Democratic primaries this month. Happy Pride, we’re gonna win. While we’re at it: fuck the Supreme Court, trans rights forever!

That’s all from me. Love you! And happy Canada Day, for those who celebrate.

-C