Hello and welcome to a NEW YEAR from the news desk here at LHN. What’s been happening here lately? Not much. It’s obviously sort of a discouraging time to be “alive” at the moment, but I do want to express a sincere feeling that there are ways through this, and there always have been, and there always will be. The other night instead of sitting around scrolling and getting upset we headed over to the local food pantry and helped fold some instructional zines and assemble kits for observers and community members and the feeling of doing something is going to beat doing nothing forever. I know you probably knew that, but you know, this is permission to remember it. Fuck ICE, fuck borders, solidarity with everyone in Minneapolis.
Anyway, we got some new shelves for my office and I’m feeling pretty good about them. I’ve been listening to David Bowie’s BLACKSTAR a lot. Uhh. I got Regal Unlimited and have just been kind of wandering over to the movie theater and seeing whatever which is pretty nice. WHat else.
What else
If you are a subscriber to this newsletter and don’t know about my book, well!!! Do I have the book for you. It’s called SIMPLICITY and as of yesterday, she’s been out for 6 months! I was reading something that six months is the “buy the book” anniversary. Why would I make that up. HOW would I make that up.
My band FAITH/VOID (bandcamp) is playing a show in a couple weeks in Brooklyn! At a bowling alley! Will we have a bowling alley-appropriate cover? The answer is yes.
Frog and Peach Report
kind of thing that’s unbelievable to me!!!!
Recommendations Corner
Ok so I’ve been reading a little book called AKIRA lately…Pretty good. Heard of it? Wow.
Two movies to recommend, actually: TWICE in the last month I have watched The Testament of Ann Lee and I really really really connected with it. Obviously I’m primed for it, what with my pre-existing utopian communes/shaker obsessions. I can tell it’s going to be really polarizing and there’s an easy chance someone doesn’t ~vibe~ with it and then, well, I bet it’s pretty stupid, what with the anachronistic choreography and weird singing etc etc. BUT! If you can get on board, I found it a really, truly ecstatic experience. Beautifully shot, fascinatingly choreographed, and for the songs, the re-worked Shaker spirituals in particular are I think something special.
The other one, which might be tougher to see right now, is Magellan, Lav Diaz’s new slow-cinema telling of his fateful final act in the Philippines. Kind of thing you have to see on a big screen I think…It took me a while to lock into it, but it’s got this beautiful rhythm that just swept me away. Trippy AND matter-of-fact. Incredible boat creaking noises. Really blew me away.
December Comics, from my Patreon
PODCASTS!
No Gods No Mayors is on a real heater lately. Become a neo-Butlerist with us.
Temporal Culture War is BACK from hiatus!!!!
Odds and Ends
Went on Kill James Bond to serve as Sex and the City psychopomp for the first movie.
Made my triumphant return to What’s All This Then to chat about LORD MAYORS.
