Myths About Drugs and Booze In the Creative Process Have Been Perpetuated By People Who Should Know Better →

John Roderick:

The idea that drugs fuel creativity is nothing new. The same can be said of almost any new experience or recognition of a new reality. But like anything perception-altering--love, adrenaline, or being a U.S. Senator--the effect dulls with time. The feeling you never thought you'd get tired of, eventually you get tired of. And unlike love, there are only so many ways you can reinvent the experience of taking drugs--eventually it boils down to the fact that you're just taking more drugs and stronger drugs, chasing the dragon. Drugs do fuel creativity, but being addicted to drugs, and especially dying from drugs, doesn't.

This piece—posted in 2010—feels appropriate to read (or re-read) after the news of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death.

‘Suddenly, everything he does looks suspicious.’ →

30 for 30 Shorts: Judging Jewell:

On July 27, 1996, a terrorist's bomb exploded in a crowded Centennial Olympic Park during the Atlanta Olympic Games. The death toll might have been far higher if not for security guard Richard Jewell, who hours after his heroism was called a murderer.

Take twenty minutes out of your day and watch this. We all owe it to the guy.

Arcade Fire-My Body Is A Cage (Dub Version?)

There have been rumors floating around about Arcade Fire releasing a dub version of ‘Reflektor.’ With this recent very dub performance of ‘My Body Is A Cage’ for the Australian program Triple J (which also included interesting takes on ‘Normal Person’ and ‘Joan of Arc’), I think that there might be some truth to those rumors.

/via Consequence of Sound

The Art of the Rap Logo →

The Art of the Rap Logo: 5 pages (15 per page) of nothing but black and white rap logos. Totally awesome. I hope they keep adding to this.

/via kottke.org

Is a Seinfeld Reunion (Of Sorts) In the Works? →

Sean O’Neal, writing for The A.V. Club:

Appearing on WFAN’s “Boomer & Carton” show, Seinfeld said they weren’t filming an episode of his Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, nor were they filming a commercial—though he also added that it was “not not those things either.” He then submitted to a round of “20 Questions” wherein he confirmed that Alexander appeared in character as George (hence those photos of him sans hairpiece), that other Seinfeld characters were involved, and that they had also filmed in other locations (but not in the old Seinfeld apartment set).

My heart wants to be really excited about this but my brain knows that these types of things hardly ever end well.

The New York Filming Locations of The Godfather, Then and Now →

Nick Carr, writing for Scouting New York:

On March 29, 1971, The Godfather, considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made, began principal photography in New York City.

Because the film is a period piece, The Godfather actually presents a fascinating record of what 1940s-era New York City locations still existed in the early-1970s. Sadly, many of them are now gone. What still remains? Let’s take a closer look.

This is incredible. My favorite find is the speckled plaster where the water box was once mounted in what used to be Louis Restaurant.

/via kottke.org

Planet Hillary →

Amy Chozick, writing for The New York Times Magazine:

If there is one thing that Clinton allies want to make sure you know — and will keep reminding you, over and over, in interviews — it’s that Hillary Clinton’s State Department was run nothing like her chaotic 2008 presidential campaign. When Clinton accepted the job as secretary of state, she did so with the understanding that she could bring some of her most loyal people — called the Royal Council by one aide — along with her. (“Obama didn’t realize that extended to the cafeteria workers,” quipped one person familiar with the confirmation process.) Clinton’s hires included a mix of longtime advisers, like Cheryl D. Mills, but she also brought in new people and embraced the existing State Department staff. During meetings, the secretary would sit on a silk-upholstered couch in her Foggy Bottom office, deferring to senior and junior aides to hear their opinions first.

Never too early to start reading up on the 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee.

Why Classic Movies Have Terrible Trailers →

Adrienne LaFrance, writing for The Atlantic:

Pulp Fiction lampoons itself in a way that captures director Quentin Tarantino’s still-appealing puckishness, but the devices it uses seem old-fashioned by today's standards. But this isn’t just a particular quirk of Pulp Fiction’s promos. Watching the trailer for any classic film years after its release can be a disorienting experience. Many trailers don't hold up at all, even when their full-length film counterparts do.

This may seem counterintuitive. After all, a trailer is made from pieces of the film. It's meant to encapsulate what the film is all about. And yet the narrative structure of the film trailer, as a format, seems to evolve more rapidly than the narrative structure of film.

There are film people who watch trailers and film people who don’t—I watch them. And I have always wondered why old trailers are so rotten. Now I know.

Almost Everything In ‘Dr. Strangelove’ Was True →

Eric Schlosser, writing for The New Yorker:

Despite public assurances that everything was fully under control, in the winter of 1964, while “Dr. Strangelove” was playing in theatres and being condemned as Soviet propaganda, there was nothing to prevent an American bomber crew or missile launch crew from using their weapons against the Soviets. Kubrick had researched the subject for years, consulted experts, and worked closely with a former R.A.F. pilot, Peter George, on the screenplay of the film. George’s novel about the risk of accidental nuclear war, “Red Alert,” was the source for most of “Strangelove” ’s plot. Unbeknownst to both Kubrick and George, a top official at the Department of Defense had already sent a copy of “Red Alert” to every member of the Pentagon’s Scientific Advisory Committee for Ballistic Missiles. At the Pentagon, the book was taken seriously as a cautionary tale about what might go wrong. Even Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara privately worried that an accident, a mistake, or a rogue American officer could start a nuclear war.

Make sure you read all the way to the end. You’ll see why.

(Spoiler: the incompetence still hasn’t been dealt with!)

Joe Strummer’s London Calling: An Eight-Part Radio Series →

PRX:

Joe Strummer, the legendary gravel-voiced punk-poet from The Clash, loved to listen to music on the radio. Even as he toured the world with "the only band that matters," he still had a dream to one day spin records for the BBC World Service, where he heard the latest UK hits over the shortwave band as a teenager in Africa.

He finally got his wish in 1999, when BBC World Service premiered Joe Strummer's London Calling. Between then and 2002, Strummer hosted a series of programs with a simple format - one man and his eclectic record collection. His globe spanning playlists included many of the rock, reggae and folk artists that inspired the Clash, plus many surprises.

I try to only post stuff here that I have completely read/thought about/listened to, but I’m taking my time with this series and after only two episodes, it’s something that I’m 100% confident that I want to share. I’m going to be revisiting these songs for a long, long time. For music fans, this is a treasure.