Someone We'll Never Know
A new episode, omens and time-lapses, a bad postcard, some good Instax, and more
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Podcastery
This week I posted Episode 595 of The Virtual Memories Show, feat. historian, professor & author Laura Beers as we go deep on her important new book, ORWELL'S GHOSTS: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century (Norton). We talk about the course she teaches on Orwell and the making of the early twentieth century, how the post-Jan. 6 misuse of "Orwellian" inspired her to write this book, and her own path into Orwell. We get into Orwell's balancing act between freedom of speech and obligation to truth, what he meant when he wrote that he was "for democratic socialism, as I understand it," his family's history with Empire and his hatred of inequality, why my favorite of his essays, Inside The Whale, may be the most misunderstood Orwell piece of all (!), and why The Road To Wigan Pier might have the most influence on her. We also discuss the ways to reckon with Orwell's prejudices and especially his misogyny, why students are still coming into college with Animal Farm under their belt, Laura's trip to Barcelona to follow Orwell's steps in the Spanish Civil War, how her chapter on gender involved some deep, critical reading and writing, how we should look at the "blacklist" Orwell provided to the Information Research Dept., how Laura's next book on the politics of infertility sort of dovetails with Orwell's Ghosts, and more!. Give it a listen! And go read ORWELL'S GHOSTS
Last week I posted Episode 594, as author, publicist and partially involved narrator Robert Pranzatelli joined me to celebrate his amazing new book, PILOBOLUS: A Story of Dance and Life. We talk about the origins of the legendary Pilobolus dance company, his transformational first experience seeing them in 1997, the workshops he took with them and the friendships they engendered, and the “itchy fingers” moment when he realized he had to write their history. We also get into the joyful challenge of describing Pilobolus’ melding of improvisation and dance technique on the page, the importance of capturing the time capsule of Pilobolus’ ’70s roots (and covering All The Affairs, along with the friendships and fallings-out), how Pilobolus was taken seriously by dance critics long after audiences flocked to them, and how they managed over 50+ years to continue the tradition of something that was based on overthrowing tradition. Plus we discuss Robert’s history as a writer, how Metal Hurlant & Moebius blew his mind as a teen, how he became a book publicist at Yale University Press, why he got choked up while reading a text to me, and more. Give it a listen! And go read PILOBOLUS: A Story of Dance and Life
Recent episodes: Bob Fingerman • Swan Huntley • Stan Mack • Jim Moske • Adam Moss • Randy Fertel • D.W. Young
Someone We’ll Never Know
We came home from Toronto on Monday morning. It was already a long day, as I’d woken up at 2:45 and was unable to get back to sleep. The men working on our kitchen renovation had already arrived and were setting up in our backyard for the day’s work.
As I headed into the house, I noticed a dead luna moth on our driveway. Its wingspan was maybe 4”, and it was mostly intact, except for some tears and missing pieces of wing. I took our bags inside and came back out so I could share it with you.
Maybe it’s an omen, only there’s no oracle to consult.
Before we left for Toronto I took a photo of the hibiscus blooming in a neighbor’s yard
and I thought about a photo I took of it 15 months ago
and how there’s never one flower.
Kickstartery
Here are two Instax pix I took during the weekend, at the homes of upcoming guests Anita Kunz & Maurice Vellekoop:
I’m going to make a book of these — Instax on left, some sorta writing on right, similar to Jarrett Earnest’s Valid Until Sunset but with fewer dicks. I plan on launching a Kickstarter for it later this year. All the pix will be from my 2024 in-person podcasts, as well as when I get together with past guests; the pix won’t be of the people themselves, but of something of theirs, or something in their environment.
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 OR A WHOLE LOT MORE to this project — let me know. (Plus, ideas for stretch goals, on the remote chance people actually support this project. The obvious one (to me) would be to hold a big ol’ launch party in NYC or environs, where all the contributors can come together and talk crap about me.)
Artistry
I didn’t do much drawing-painting last week. I started a postcard of the water and the island as viewed from our hotel room, except without 500 boats, ferries, water taxis and the like. It was with some blunt watercolor pencils and a water-brush-pen, with my contact lenses in, which should give you an idea of how poorly it turned out. When I looked at it the next morning, I realized you could flip it upside down and let the sea stand in for the sky, which is about all the good you can say about it. 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. I’m falling behind on those; better get to making some art!)
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far! I’ll be back on Sunday (from another undisclosed location!) with links, books, & workouts, and on Wednesday with a new episode, and maybe some art & more Instax.
luna luna luna luna / illuminate,