“How does a genre in love with routine respond to a moment in which everyone’s lives have been disrupted?… Country fetishizes the day-after-day realities of homes, highways, and beer halls. There are exceptions, but typically it’s a genre in which work and family and place all are held up as things that must be defended. … As a slew of recent scandals and scuffles have demonstrated, however, not even Nashville can maintain the status quo anymore.” – The Atlantic
Tag: 07.15.20
‘Everything Is Up For Change, And Will Change’: New Wave Of Bosses May Finally Make Publishing More Diverse
“Over the last year, deaths, retirements and executive reshuffling have made way for new leaders, more diverse and often more commercial than their predecessors, as well as people who have never worked in publishing before. Those appointments stand to fundamentally change the industry, and the books it puts out into the world.” – The New York Times
China Starts Reopening Movie Theaters (For The Second Time)
“China will begin reopening cinemas in ‘low-risk regions’ from July 20, the China Film Administration announced Thursday, ending nearly six months of closures that left thousands of theaters bankrupt. … When a small portion of cinemas reopened briefly in March, business was dismal. Venues were unable to attract much of a crowd by offering stale local titles that most people had already seen. Fresh content will now be crucial to getting people through the door.” – Variety
Bristol Removes BLM Statue Erected To Replace Racist
The sculpture of Jen Reid was erected on Wednesday but removed by Bristol City Council just over 24 hours later. Ms Reid had been photographed standing on the empty plinth after the Colston statue was pulled down during protests. Mayor Marvin Rees said it was up to the people of Bristol to decide what would replace Colston’s statue. – BBC
When “Plague” Ceases Being A Metaphor… What To Say?
“Early in the spring-2020 semester, I had planned to say quite a bit about Homer’s figurative use of disease and the literary tradition it initiated. But as we concluded February in exhausted anticipation of spring break, Covid-19 made the artistry of that metaphor abruptly beside the point. It seemed — and still seems — futile to talk about what plague means in the history of human discourse when plague quite literally is the current defining condition of homo sapiens.” – Chronicle of Higher Education
The Problem With Open Letters
“Perhaps because I spend a lot of time listening to people with crazy opinions, I am sympathetic to the view that the only way to live a healthy intellectual life is to expose oneself constantly to weird or detestable opinions. But I never sign petitions or open letters. I told the letter’s organizers that if I have something to say, I will write my own damn letter. Open letters are terrible, and you should never write one or sign one.” – The Atlantic
Yes, Enjoy Quibi Schadenfreude And Do Not Feel Guilty
Kate Knibbs: “Occasionally, circumstances arise where someone or something so high and mighty takes such a ludicrous tumble that the pratfall practically begs for a gleeful response, even from the most generous of spirits. Case in point: the disastrous debut of Quibi, a lavishly funded new streaming service that may currently have more jokes made at its expense than loyal subscribers. … [And laughing is] not sinful. In fact, there’s something akin to virtue in recognizing why Quibi deserves a ribbing.” – Wired
Canadian Choreographer, Dance Pioneer Anna Wyman, 92
For much of the 1970s and 1980s the Anna Wyman Dance Theatre was regarded as one of Canada’s foremost modern-dance companies. In 1975 it became the first modern dance troupe to tour Canada and went on to become one of the most travelled companies in North America. It took Canada-made modern dance to India, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. It made TV specials, appeared in films and headlined at the National Arts Centre. – Vancouver Sun
No Sooner Does ‘The Great Gatsby’ Come Out Of Copyright Than —
— a prequel is hitting the shelves. Fitzgerald’s novel enters the public domain next New Year’s Day, and on January 5 Little, Brown is releasing Michael Farris Smith’s Nick. “The publishers say Nick Carraway will ‘step out of the shadows and into the spotlight’, with the story focusing on his life before his meeting with the enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby.” – The Guardian
Statues As Political Acts
If such monuments do have a connection to history, it is because they attempt to shape it, not reflect it. To believe we can learn history from them is like a judge choosing only to hear testimony from the defence. Public statues are political acts; when the politics change, so must the statues. – The Art Newspaper