Hitting The Links: 6/15/25
We've got lots of great links for you to check out, my Yaddo-drop-in, forlorn Birdy, a power-lift flex, and more
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Retreat
I’m headed up to Yaddo artist retreat in Saratoga Springs this morning to record a podcast, and from there on to Boston for a big biotech conference, so no time for a lengthy intro, as I’ve got a minimum of 5.5 hours of driving ahead of me today.
Last time I visited Yaddo I was in college, traveling with a pal of mine and his dad. I’d go on to screw over my pal during our senior year (I remember the girl’s name, fwiw) and never reconciled.
I just looked him up and he’s still alive, so maybe I’ll bump into him in the weirdest of goddamned places, as happened with another pal earlier this year. Or maybe I’ll drop him a line tonight.
Time to write up some questions for the podcast (and pack, as I don’t like to put my suits/shirts in the bag too early).
Here’s me gazing into the distance.
Birdy Of The Week
While I was down in Washington, DC, the dog groomer paid a visit and got Birdy into summer-shape. She was none too happy about it. (Photo by Amy Roth)
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And now, let’s hit the links!
Links & Such
Recent Virtual Memories Show podcasts: David Denby • Peter Stothard • Cecile Wajsbrot • Keiler Roberts • Peter Kuper • Vauhini Vara • Craig Thompson
RIP Sly Stone . . . RIP Brian Wilson . . . RIP Frederick Forsyth . . . RIP Harris Yulin . . . RIP Betsy Jochum . . . RIP Amanda Feilding . . . RIP Ananda Lewis . . . RIP Sunjay Kapur (from swallowing a bee) . . . RIP Dara Birnbaum . . . RIP Foday Musa Suso . . .
Great article by Emily Nussbaum about Gertrude Berg and the invention of the sitcom.
Alexander Sorondo writes about Harold Bloom & the essay he wanted to write about him, and cites my podcast w/Bloom. (As an obscure callback, Alexander’s the one who interviewed me about Bloom last year and noted my “monastic devotion” to the podcast/newsletter project.)
It’s good to see treatment advances in the form of leukemia I have. I’m still Stage Zero/no treatment, but when/if it progresses beyond that point, I’m glad there’ll be plenty of options.
Some NYer writers wrote about the long books/series they’re planning to read this summer. None of them mentioned The Man Without Qualities, so I guess I’d feel left out if they invited me to a party.
Apparently, ChatGPT has figured out how to fake sincerity, which is more than I can say for most people.
Peter Trachtenberg was interviewed by Peter Spear about art, desire, The Twilight of Bohemia, and a lot more.
I almost did a coffee spit-take this morning when I was reading Warren Ellis’ weekly Orbital Operations newsletter and saw that he cited my podcast. (Last week, he asked readers about podcasts he should check out, so I sent him some info about the Virtual Memories Show, but I wasn’t expecting any sorta response, so: zowie.)
Amy came across a post about Zegna’s spring-summer 2026 fashion show where they cast some older male models and now wonders when I had time to fly to Dubai to walk the show. (One of my more fashionable social media connections wrote, “It’s like he’s a cousin of yours that found himself in India in 1935.”)
Current/Recent Reading
Great Books - David Denby
Melting Point: Family, Memory, and the Search for a Promised Land - Rachel Cockerell
Alterations - Kate Maruyama
The Man Without Qualities, Vol. 2 - Robert Musil (tr. Wilkins & Pike)
Sound Body, Fractured Mind
Man, I totally failed on my workout cycle this week. No weights Wednesday because of travel back from DC, no yoga Thursday because my old man fell and I had to head over to his place to get him off the floor, no weights Friday because of work and podcast-prep, but at least I got yoga in Saturday after getting back from recording this week’s show in Stamford, CT.
On the plus side — and part of the reason I write about this stuff — I did manage to power lift my 185-lb. dad. After I cleaned up the broken glass from the bowl he dropped during his fall, I got him to sit up, crouched way down behind him, got my arms under his armpits and around his chest, and gave a Monica Seles grunt as I hefted him up to his feet. He had a sore back from the fall, and I could feel it a little in my own lower back the next morning, but no real pain for me.
So that’s part of why I work out as much as I do; it’s not just for my own health, but because if I can do this, we can spare an EMT/police call. Which I guess is a Fathers Day present of some sort.
Here’s a flex:
Meditation’s been pretty fruitless, and I missed a few days because of travel and other excuses. Maybe I’ll be able to get out from under myself in my hotel room this week.
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far! I’ll be back on Wednesday with a new episode, some new Instax, & some art, and on Sunday with links, books, & workout craziness, & maybe a little profundity or something.
What do you expect? / The guy’s a gigolo, man,