The Magpie #018: No kings, no tyrants
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Magpie, a wire service for the weird compiled from the open tabs of writer Alex de Campi. Here’s what’s going on:
(Slinks back into your inbox) Heyyy, so did you miss me? I took my birthday week off from any and all responsibilities, and then I also took another unplanned week off because I spent all my newsletter time… designing t-shirts. No, really, I have a TeePublic now. And it’s all for charity, because I’m bad at capitalism.
What else happened, other than the ongoing national humiliation of being an American and the dissolution of my country’s social safety net by a drug-addled oligarch’s twentysomething pickmes? Well. Baby rhino?
In personal work news, I somewhat accidentally have a TV series pitch going out today based on a spec adaptation of an out of copyright book I did mostly for funsies. Wrote the pilot, did breakdowns of the rest of the episodes, and my agent was like “no, we’re not keeping this as a screenwriting sample, we’re pitching it” so la, here we are.
Also FINALLY got unblocked on chapter 2 of the medieval heist graphic novel I’m doing with Tom Fowler, finished the damn chapter after a YEAR of not being able to do so due to other commitments/bad life stuff/the scene was difficult, man. Reading a lot of good heist novels in the meantime helped. My goal is breakdowns for Ch 3 this week, then start on the second episode of the TV adaptation.
I forget which of you imps recommended Bujold’s Vorkosigan books to me but I’m whipping through Shards of Honor, so thank you. (It’s out of print but I got it on my Kobo). The first third of it reminds me a lot of Scavengers Reign, which of course I worked on.
TABS
Look, I’m not linking to political stuff. It’s everywhere, and I want to keep this a space of… oh wow, these French folks are just giving out instructions on how to light Tesla dealerships on fire, aren’t they? I do rather like the bit about “may our utopias flourish on their graves,” however.
Oh also salute to you, unknown coder: “Apple pledges to fix transcription glitch where ‘racist’ is replaced with ‘Trump’”
But seriously, if you’re trying to keep up with what’s happening on the ground at US government agencies, the r/fednews mega-threads of layoffs is your best bet.
US Army choir chooses “Do you hear the people sing” from Les Miz to perform for Trump at Governors Ball. Look at these scoundrels, having the time of their lives. Go Army!
A brief history of George Dale and his determined, relentless resistance to the KKK. That’s how you do it, fists up, teeth sharp.
The Stepford Wives as prophecy (or, what if the Torment Nexus was blonde?)
USAians, have you considered running for office? Here’s how. Here’s also a list of 30 things you could do to make things better (hint: none of them are “posting.”) You’re not supposed to do them all! Just find one to start. And then maybe by the end you’ll click the running for office link.
Susan Raffo walked across the US to try to understand how to be better, and writes very movingly of the end of the walk.
Obviously I am going to link to a piece on the hardest working font in Manhattan, duh.
Movies!!! Cult Welsh film Twin Town looks bananas and is also free to download. Let’s get on that, shall we? Also I really like Priscilla Page’s writing on film, so here (belatedly) are her favorite movies of 2024.
Truly exceptional piece by Sam Thieleman (the best thing ever to happen to the NYT’s comics/graphic novel coverage; let’s be real Gene Gustines is very much Not It) on Jaime Hernandez drawing Maggie Chascarillo for over 40 years, and the character ageing as the creator does.
Another stunner from Josie Reisman on Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and her journey with it and its more fascist elements (which she sort of succumbs to during a breakdown in college in an empty dance studio.) Her piece on modern Republicanism as Neokayfabe is also a banger, FYI—and written long before Vince McMahon’s wife became Education Secretary.
I hope the journalist who wrote this headline had a very good week and/or was taken out to celebratory drinks by their colleagues.
I know I should read this long piece on James Murdoch and the circus that is the Murdoch family, but I’ve also not yet mustered the energy to watch Succession, so.
Consumerism! These Starfall trackies by Carmico are so, so cute! Isaac Mizrahi, legendary designer of the 90s and 00s, has put his entire archive online for sale, with new pieces dropping every week. The owner of this lovely Atlanta-based independent fountain pen and ink store is going through some hard times so if you want to buy/gift a new pen and/or some ink, this would be a very good time to do that.
Gandalf the wizard arrested for selling weed in NZ. Look, I saw those movies and he always looked a bit stoned if you ask me.
Crypto trader loses last $500 trading memecoins, kills himself live on stream, and asks that he be memorialized… as a memecoin.
I don’t know when this ‘zine written by Lou Reed came out but I am very glad someone (Andrew Hickey?) turned it up because mean ol’ Lou feels like just the thing right now. So does Gwendolyn Brooks’ RIOT, available as PDF or facsimile.
Speaking of experimental music, the BBC has uploaded the entire contents of its Radiophonic Music Archive (lots of groovy sci-fi sounds) for nerds like us to grab and play around with.
Seven days left to back Meat4Meat, a transgender body horror anthology which contains work by one of my oldest and dearest friends. Please consider pledging!
New Vajra Chandasekera story, The Limner Wrings His Hands. I loved Saint of Bright Doors but jeez, while I recognize his style is evolving since SoBD into a direction that is clearly important to him, I could not finish either Rakesfall or this. All of it is very clever and pomo but there is no forward propulsion nor do I care about the characters. I still hope he makes a zillion dollars and wins lots of awards and is happy, because it’s what I hope for every writer out there. But maybe I personally need to leave his stuff alone for a while.
(Do you want to read someone absolutely savage the new trend of self-conscious pomo novels that seem like a string of misspelled instagram posts, by writers indulged with a book contract way too young? Trust me, you do)
I’ve bookmarked Raven Jakubowski’s short She Sheds Her Skin to read too, but not gotten to it yet.
Ada Palmer’s Inventing the Renaissance is the nonfiction book I’m most looking forward to this spring, and she’s been absolutely slaying it with Bluesky posts and blog essays about Renaissance history—this one, about Florence’s uniquely anti-nobility dress code, was a delight from start to finish.
Honestly I think the highest honor as a writer is for there to be a fake grave for your most famous character in a swanky Manhattan church graveyard.
Good long and very even-handed look at Sandman for better or worse, which takes into account Gaiman’s upbringing and… sociopathy.
Sent this article on a student kicked out of his PhD program for using ChatGPT to my kiddo and she got to the last line of it and texted back “oh so he’s COOKED cooked” and yes, this is not how you do crime, son.
Speaking of crime, Fyre Festival 2 tickets went on sale, and apparently nobody has told the residents or government of the island where it’s supposed to be. I’m sure it will go fine!
Still on the subject of crime, if you are in the USA I would strongly suggest locking down your credit, which helps prevent identity theft—especially because so much government data is in a lot of very insecure hands. Here’s how.
Interview worth your time this week: the excellent and very philosophical Meredith Whitaker on the subject of AI’s social impact.
Claire Willett writes passionately about fundraising and morality in the arts—in essence, who you do (and don’t) take money from has long-ranging consequences. A fiery, fast, and angry read.
Working in restaurants is exhausting and traumatizing and pays shit, which is why it’s also a great framework for looking at worker solidarity.
A Golden Gate park ranger’s slow process of outreach to unhoused people sheltering in the park—improving lives, one conversation at a time.
The particle physics world grows increasingly split between whether the muon’s movements & properties uphold or disprove the Standard Model. Translation: is everything we know wrong? Maybe!
Cool things happened in ancient and medieval history studies recently! We discovered why Roman concrete worked so well, a new fragment of the Bayeux Tapestry in an archive in Germany, an early Roman basilica under a London office building, more cool new frescoes in Pompeii, and man tracks!!!.
Quick hits: Mapping Gotham, marrying Philly, people are apparently sending nudes to Luigi Mangione and he would politely like to let you know that the cops look at all of them.
WIKIPEDIA PAGE OF INTEREST: Richard Meinertzhagen or: what happens when you are British, upper-class, and have a penchant for lying to make yourself sound more interesting.
RECIPE: Earlier this week I roasted a “foolproof” chicken and in a few days the leftovers will go in this Thai lemongrass chicken soup.
MUSIC:
I dunno, man. Shit’s bleak. Let’s listen to 1970s stuff
Until next week: be well, be kind to yourself, and maybe consider preordering my new graphic novel. It looks like this:
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