Breakout
A new episode w/Jim Moske on Deaths of Artists, some art of my own, and the possibility of a hiatus
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Podcastery
This week, I posted Episode 590 of The Virtual Memories Show, feat. archivist Jim Moske and his marvelous new book, DEATHS OF ARTISTS (Blast Books), where he explores art, mortality, media, fame and our secret lives. We talk about how the book grew from his chance discovery in the Met Museum’s archives of century-old scrapbooks filled with artists’ obituaries, his attraction to the obits’ brutal tabloid poetry, and how he fell down the rabbit-hole of figuring out the scandalous, redemptive life of their compiler, Arthur D’Hervilly. We get into what these obits — and D’Hervilly’s life — can teach us about art and artistic reputation, the challenges of working with 100+-year-old newsprint, the aesthetic pleasure of historical records, and why Jim considered doing this project as a ‘zine (just like last week’s guest!). We also discuss how he got started as an archivist, his favorite phases of the Met’s history, his archive of illegible historical documents (!), the impact of digitization and electronics on the archivist field, what we lose when materiality goes away, the oblique influence of Bolaño’s 2666 on Deaths of Artists, how D’Hervilly’s art-obit collection became a chronicle of the democratization of art, and why Jim regularly purges his own archives & records. Give it a listen, and go read DEATHS OF ARTISTS!
Last week, I posted Episode 589 of The Virtual Memories Show, feat. hall-of-fame magazine editor Adam Moss. His amazing new book, THE WORK OF ART: How Something Comes From Nothing (Penguin Press), explores the artistic process with interviews of more than 40 creators about the evolution of a piece of their art. We talk about the archeology of early drafts and sketches, why he took up painting in recent years and how its vexations drove him into making this book, the creative benefits of “the bounce,” and the differences between collaborative and solo art-making. We get into how his 40-year magazine editing career began (and why he left New York after ~15 years), the process of figuring out how to write and edit his own prose, the design project of bringing The Work Of Art to life as a museum of creativity, and what happened when he pitched Warren Beatty on this project. We also discuss how the introspection of COVID-lockdown influenced The Work Of Art, which interview subject intimidated him the most, how he finally learned to stop waiting for a catharsis and learned to take joy in the making of art rather than the finished artwork, and more. Give it a listen, and go read THE WORK OF ART!
Recent episodes: Randy Fertel • D.W. Young • Jen Silverman • Leonard Barkan • Emily Raboteau • Trillian Stars & Kyle Cassidy (bonus) • Leela Corman • Keith Mayerson
Hiatus
I’m thinking I might just . . . go away for a little while. I don’t have guests lined up for the May 28 or June 4 slots, don’t think I have time to crash-course prep for a guest this holiday weekend, will be traveling May 31 on, and haven’t had any experiences lately that warrant a 30+-min. monologue episode.
I figure none of you guys will mind/notice if I skip a few weeks, but since I often say the podcast is what brings meaning to my life, a hiatus like that might be existentially weird. I’ll take my chances.
I’ll continue to post the Sunday newsletter with ALL them links!, but maybe you won’t see this Wednesday email for while.
(I reserve the right to post new episodes over the next few weeks, if a guest or something comes up.)
While we’re here, enjoy a view of a little portion of my library/office from this morning. It’s the desk where I read a couple pages of Emily Dickinson every morning and write my journal & postcards:
Art
I finished the Japanese White Eye postcard I mentioned last week, and mailed that out to Adam Moss. I’ve sketched a few things since, but nothing to share with you guys. You should go to the Flickr album of most of the art I’ve made & find something you like.
Postcardery
Let me know if you want to be on my postcard-a-day list. (Financial supporters of the podcast get a hand-drawn/painted postcard as a thank-you.)
Kickstartery
I didn’t get together with any guests (past or upcoming) this week, so no new Instax photos for my proposed book. Maybe I’ll use my hiatus-time to work on the prose pieces that’ll accompany the pictures. I did come across a phrase this weekend that I’m tempted to use as the title of the book, but I think I’m pretty wedded to the current one. We’ll see as the project progresses and I ask you guys for some money/preorders.
If you’ve got ideas about what sort of rewards I should make for different tiers of donors — like, things you’d love to receive if you contributed, say, $30, $40, $50 to this project — let me know.
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far! I’ll be back on Sunday with links, books, & workouts, but who knows if Wednesday will bring a new episode, art, etc.?
Why does what I'm saying hurt you? / I didn't say that we were through,