“Writing for certain art magazines and blogs allowed me a Gatsbyian entrance into the lives of the extraordinarily wealthy. I got to interview art collectors, gallery dealers, models, artists, and designers who probably spend more on handbags than I do on rent. I’ve sipped champagne in a Bentley and feasted on caviar in penthouse apartments. Though I disliked some of the art I was assigned to cover, as a grad student I couldn’t really be choosy about what I wrote about. I wanted to get published, and getting paid to write, no matter the topic, felt like a blessing.”
Tag: 04.02.15
‘Memetics’ – Towards A Theory Of Internet Memes
“In an age where politicians campaign through social media and viral marketers ponder the appeal of sneezing baby pandas, memes are more important than ever – however trivial they may seem. … What has happened to the idea of the meme, and what does that evolution reveal about its usefulness as a concept?”
Can We Save The Universe From Certain Death?
“Should life surrender to its sad, entropic fate, or should we (for ‘we’ are the only entities we know of who might be able to make a difference) at least begin to think about postponing – perhaps indefinitely – the death of the only home we have?”
The Most Popular Artist In The World, 2014 Edition, Goes Against The Odds
“Male artists represented by the world’s major art dealers were over seven times more likely to be given a solo exhibition than female artists signed to the same top gallerists, including Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth and David Zwirner. Against this background, [Yayoi] Kusama’s success in 2014 looks even more remarkable.”
BuzzFeed – Yes, BuzzFeed – Is Launching Writers’ Fellowships And A Literary Magazine
Poet Saeed Jones: “The fellowship is just the beginning of what I really like to think of as a kind of literary movement coming to BuzzFeed. In addition to the fellowship program, I’ll be launching a literary magazine — about a year from now — as well as a reading and salon series. We’ll also be hosting creative writing workshops.”
Why Did Amazon’s New ‘Dash’ Button Cause So Much Reflexive Horror?
“As propaganda, the video seems more like a condemnation of consumption than a celebration of it. All that stuff, the same stuff, used and discarded day after day. It’s the kind of montage that a movie director would use to show just how sad and soulless a character’s life was.”
The Rise And Fall Of Thomas Kinkade
“It was Thom’s favorite subject: world domination. The excitement of planning, of dreaming, of bringing vision to life. And it wasn’t because of the money. It was because he believed God had a special purpose for him, and that was to influence people through his paintings. He thought that with his paintings, he would change the world.”
California’s Iconic Record Store Amoeba Records Turns 25
“In a lot of ways, we’re kind of like an art museum – for music. It’s interesting – a lot of people don’t know how to look at art or talk about art. But people definitely know how to talk about music. Music is something a lot more people are literate to. And people don’t really have anywhere to go, outside of a show, to cultivate that. The closest you can get is to come to a place like Amoeba.”
Is Yannick Nézet-Séguin The Template For The New American Orchestra Music Director?
“As a number of American orchestras — including the National Symphony Orchestra — embark on the search for new music directors of their own, Nézet-Séguin appears to be a template for what they’re looking for. If there’s a flaw in his seemingly perfect profile, everything around him is usually moving too fast, with too much electricity and excitement, for anyone to have time to figure it out.”
Here’s How To Disrupt The Public Radio Model
“Shows are the center of gravity for public radio fans. Fans should be able to support the shows they love, while the distribution channels take their cut behind the scenes.”