Issue 7: Parker
Welcome to the seventh issue of Everything Is Made Up.
Good morning/afternoon/evening to everyone. This is the seventh issue of my newsletter.
This issue is dedicated to Charlie Parker for no reason other than the fact he’s on my list of names to give my newsletter issues. And he’s a jazz legend so there’s that too.
Like before, I’m going to try and keep things short this time but if you have any suggestions for what you’d like to see more or less of, let me know!
Okay, enough fluff. Let’s get cracking!
For The Mind
Stalker: the fatal movie of Andrei Tarkovsky - The late Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky made “Stalker” back in 1979, a film about someone—the “Stalker”—who takes two clients to a restricted site known as the “Zone”, a room that supposedly grants anyone who enters it their innermost desires. This video essay details the difficulty to make it and how it could have contributed to the director’s death.
Joseph Bologne, the Black polymath composer - Imagine a Black composer in the 18th century who was a virtuoso violinist, a conductor, and a renowned champion fencer. But that didn’t stop people dubbing him the “Black Mozart”, being subjected to racism, and a unique sharing of space with Mozart himself.
Angela Davis: Revolution today - In this lecture, Angela Davis spoke about revolution, the need to fight for progress, and her thoughts on modern feminism, including this quote:
“The mainstream feminist movement has made serious, serious mistakes. You know, I often point out that when I wrote a book that was published in 1981 called Women, Race, & Class, everybody started referring to me as a feminist and my response was ‘I’m not a feminist, you know, I’m a black revolutionary’ because I didn’t see how the two had anything to do with each other.”
For The Ears
Starchildluke – 31
It was my birthday on Sunday and I released an album a few days before to celebrate. Also, you can download my entire discography (currently 44 albums and a few random singles strong) for £31 until Saturday!
Gabriel Garzón-Montano – Agüita
My vote for album of the year and I don’t see anyone knocking GGM off the top of that pedestal. It gives me heavy Prince vibes without coming across as a knockoff. Touches on love, loss, heart, and soul. It’s so raw and naked and sometimes literally.
Fini Bearman – La Loba
I heard this today and it’s a beautiful jazz album from London-based singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Fini Bearman.
Spanning a wide range of musical textures and lyrical themes, ‘La Loba’ is infused with world-wide influences, from American folklore (La Loba) to stories of young children in East Berlin (And We Climb). Narratives play a pivotal role throughout and with this change in aesthetic - multi-layered vocals, guitars and percussion, perhaps reminiscent of Becca Stevens or Jacob Collier - this sound-world draws the listener in as the elements of each story unfold.
For The Eyes
Some more great art I’ve found on the internet, courtesy of Louie Zong.
Well, I’m gonna make like a tire and hit the road. Thanks for reading and join me next time for more of the same. Any comments or suggestions, get in touch!