The CIA launched its Twitter account with self-mockery; the U.S. State Dept. vetted The Interview; Obama’s best promotion of the new healthcare law as with Zack Galafianikis, and he was funnier than the pro comedian at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner – on the night Navy SEALs got Osama Bin Laden, no less. “Comedy [has been] stolen from the professional jokesters by their traditional targets and became, unexpectedly, the new language of power, policy, and politics.”
Tag: 03.30.15
We’re In A New Golden Age Of Comedians
“There has never been a better time to be a comedian: The talent pool is broad, deep, and more diverse than ever before; a new generation of passionate fans is supporting experimental work; and there are countless ways (online, onscreen, in your earbuds, at live shows) for new voices to be heard and — not always a given when it comes to the internet — make a living. It’s a peak that hasn’t been seen since the first comedy boom, which lasted from 1979 to about 1995, and was defined by two stages.”
Why Our Presence On Earth Matters
“A cognitive scientist and a German philosopher walk into the woods and come upon a tree in bloom: What does each one see? And why does it matter? While that may sound like the set-up to a joke making the rounds at a philosophy conference, I pose it here sincerely, as a way to explore the implications of two distinct strains of thought – that of cognitive science and that of phenomenology, in particular, the thought of Martin Heidegger, who offers a most compelling vision of the ultimate significance of our being here, and what it means to be fully human.”
The Weirdest Musical Instruments
“As a radical new two-string violin goes on display in New York, Clemency Burton-Hill looks at some more odd instruments, from the octobass to the theremin.”
How One English City’s Arts Venues Survived Savage Cuts
“There were howls of protest in 2012 when Newcastle City Council said it would be the first British city to scrap funding for theatres, galleries and other arts venues. A compromise was found, and venues are now finding new ways to survive.”
When Arts Donors Get Too Much Control
“I have observed over the past 10 years, as the need for major donors has grown, that when one donor provides a substantial percentage of total money raised, too many beneficiary organizations are ceding far too much authority to that donor.”
Radio France Network In Turmoil As Strike Enters Third Week
“Radio France, an umbrella group for several stations, including France Inter, France Info and France Culture, is 90% state funded through licence fees. After announcing a projected budget deficit of €21.3m (£15.6m) for this year, there are fears of widespread redundancies amid threats of outsourcing production and cleaning contracts.”
Mary Clarke, Doyenne Of London Dance Critics, Dead At 91
“An article in Dancing Times in December 1943 eventually led to her editing that journal for 45 years, and to serving as the Guardian‘s dance critic for 17 years. There were books, too, and she became one of the most influential writers on dance during the second half of the 20th century.”
There Should Be Time Limit On Claims For Nazi-Looted Art, Says Vienna Museum Director
Klaus Albrecht Schröder of the Albertina Museum: “If we don’t set a time limit of around 100 years after the end of the Second World War, then we should ask ourselves why claims regarding crimes committed during the First World War should not still be valid; why we don’t argue anymore about the consequences of the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian war?”
Brecht’s Epic Theatre And “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
Nadine Friedman: “On RuPaul’s Drag Race, every capitalist wink to iTunes and each meta-musical number conjures Brecht’s Epic Theatre, teaching that pop culture zeitgeists can be fronts for transformative ideas about society. Drag Race, and its role in creating more intersectional media, stimulates what Brecht called for nearly a century ago through his V-effekt: “a desire for understanding, a delight in changing reality’.”