All right, Bob Dylan fans, here you go: The 70-year-old voice of your (or maybe your parents’) generation is recording his 35th studio album as we speak. All we know right now — via an Aspen Times article on Los Lobos singer David Hidalgo, a frequent Dylan collaborator who just finished working on the record — is that it’s different from the artist’s recent albums, it’s being recorded at Jackson Browne’s studio in Los Angeles, and that it may well see release before the year’s out. But we’ll keep an ear out for more details, and you do the same. Deal? [via The Guardian]
The Dylan tapes — recordings of 1971 conversations between the singer and self-appointed “Dylanologist” A.J. Weberman — are the gold standard for Dylan-related wingnuttery. They’ve surfaced on various media over the years — originally on a bootleg LP in 1977, which was quickly deleted once Dylan’s lawyers got in touch. Various excerpts have resurfaced online of late — in particular, two telephone conversations between Dylan and Weberman about a previous, unrecorded discussion they’d had, which Weberman was proposing to type up and send out to “every underground paper in America” as an interview feature. Dylan isn’t amused by this — ”If you want an interview, I’ll give you an interview,” he tells Weberman, “but that’s sneaky shit.” It’s hard to disagree with Dylan, actually — it’s poor form for Weberman to write up his “recollections” of a conversation and then pass them off as an interview. It’s not clear that Dylan knew the phone conversations were being recorded, either. Apparently Weberman was known for going through Dylan’s trash, so it’s not surprising his journalistic ethics are questionable at best, but the whole weird business is an insight into the way that there can be a fine line between journalism and obsessive fandom (at one point, Weberman tries to claim that one of Dylan’s songs was written for him). Listen via UbuWeb.
Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover biopic J. Edgar is out on DVD today, following a fall theatrical run notable mostly for its lack of awards consideration; the film, and particularly Leonardo DiCaprio’s leading role in it, had been the object of much presumptive Oscar buzz (hitting, as it does, multiple circles in the Oscar Venn diagram: slightly villainous, based on a real person, wide range of aging, secretly gay). But the film underwhelmed, for one very simple reason: we’re just getting tired of biopics.
The biographical film portrait has been a venerable institution since the early days of cinema; Georges Méliès made a Joan of Arc biopic clear back in 1900. And while there have been scores of great ones, the tropes of the form (the birth-to-death chronology, the trials and triumphs, the romantic struggles, etc.) are so firmly established that the only biographical films that really make an impression any more, it seems, are those that buck the trends and experiment, or at least futz with the form a bit. After the jump, we’ll take a look at ten great biopics that made an impression, and float some theories as to why.
If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: the second eldest (and most fiery) March sister, Jo.
As big basketball fans, we were amused to see that fellow closet hoops nut Daniel Lopatin — aka Oneohtrix Point Never — recently released a song called “Rubio.” It’s named in honor of Ricky Rubio, the precocious Catalan point guard who’s currently filling up the highlight reels in his rookie season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Rubio” is only available in demo form at the moment, but we like it a lot, and it inevitably got us thinking about other great songs inspired by sports stars — there have been some good ones over the years, along with a few stinkers. Here’s a selection from both sides of the fence.
The portrait, as far as we’re concerned, is one of the most arresting forms of art. Not only does it portray a person, but it can affix a million meanings or emotions to that person, adding to and possibly conflicting whatever baseline emotions their visage stirs up in the viewer. Here, we’ve collected a few of what can best be described as the most iconic portraits of the most iconic figures, from musicians to actors to artists to politicians. Note: we’re not claiming that these are the most iconic figures of the 20th century hands down (although some would definitely make the cut), but rather that these portraits rank among the most powerful and enduring photographic images of the century. Indeed, many of these photographs have transcended their subjects to become iconic in their own rights as images — for instance, even those who have no idea who Che Guevara is would probably recognize his face as captured by Alberto Korda and spray-painted on a t-shirt. Click through to see 10 of the most enduring portraits of pop culture icons taken in the 20th century, and since of course there are many more that could have been included on this list, be sure to chime in with your own suggestions in the comments.
Whether or not you buy into the whole idea of New Year’s resolutions, sticking a new calendar up on the wall does provide a convenient starting point for new endeavors. We’ve probably all got something in our lives we’d like to do more or less of (in our case, it’s less drinking, especially with today’s monster hangover). Plenty of musicians have committed similar feelings to song over the years, which probably isn’t surprising considering that the music industry isn’t exactly a place whose denizens are known for their restraint or self-control. So let us aid your transition to the new year with a selection of songs about making changes — hopefully, for the better.
[Editor's note: While your Flavorwire editors take a much-needed holiday break, we'll spend the next two weekends revisiting some of our most popular features of the year. This post was originally published May 30, 2011.] There’s something magical about catching a glimpse of one of your favorite authors at work – even a photo of the epic event can send an anxious thrill down your spine, as if you might be able to see some hint of literary genius in posture or setting, in attire or facial expression. And it’s even better if they’re working on a typewriter. After all, there’s something impossibly gorgeous about a typewriter – maybe it’s the vintage charm, maybe it’s the physicality the noisy machine lends to the writing process, but people (and you can count us among them) go mad for typewriters, especially if they’ve been used by someone famous. Inspired by LIFE’s “In Praise of the Typewriter” photo gallery, we decided to compile all our favorite authors-at-work-on-typewriters photographs for your viewing pleasure, so click through to indulge in a little vintage literary eye candy.
A patron of the arts as well as a visionary bookseller, George Whitman, the owner of Shakespeare & Company, the legendary English-language bookstore on the Left Bank in Paris, died this week at age 98. Writers flocked to his shop to browse, mingle, and even spend the night. To honor Whitman’s legacy, we decided to take a look at Shakespeare & Company, as well as several other storied haunts of artists, writers, poets and other intellectuals, from cafés to bookstores to hotels. Click through to check out our list, and let us know which currently happening spot you think will become the next artist hangout of legend in the comments. Read More »
The holiday concept album is a tricky and often terrible thing. Many artists at the dawn of their retirement will turn a couple of festive tricks, putting a strange spin on carols that symbolize cozy, good cheer. The results are often bizarre and embarrassing, hammering another nail in the coffin of a recording career. Novelty recordings are usually no less weird, making family-friendly standards raunchy or rip-roaringly bad in cheap and silly ways. In a few cases, though, an unusual take on holiday tunes is just what we need to reinvigorate our spirit and help us appreciate the classics once more. We’ve uncovered ten truly weird holiday albums that should get you in the mood for this season’s celebrations — or at least make you shake your head and laugh. Check them out past the break, and leave your personal favorites below. Read More »
