David Hockney’s departure has drawn obituaries from across the art world and the popular press, which is testimony to his eminence whether his paintings and drawings are considered a simple pleasure to look at or regressive to contemplate. Whatever it comes down to, he loved to experiment.
When Gates Testifies About Epstein, Will the Mask Drop?
UPDATED
At Microsoft, Bill Gates was by many accounts a nightmare boss, ‘prone to expletive-laden fits of rage,” Anupta Das is quoted as reporting in her new book ‘Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King.’
Petit Cabinet #7: ‘Just Two More Times to Sleep’
A simple poem becomes an otherworldly love song with the collaboration of a singer and composer.
Can We Beat the Lies? All the Lies?
Our eyes tell us what is obvious, but what about our minds . . .
Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris
Retrospective Maps Brion Gysin’s Avant-Garde Canon
When Brion Gysin “let the mice in” — the title he gave his book about cutups — I don’t think he meant the many artists he influenced, among them William S. Burroughs, his most important associate, who once said Gysin “is the only man I have ever respected.” I believe Gysin meant that “any number can play.” His was a democratizing influence.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL is coming soon . . .
It Probes the Secret Prison History of American Music
Colin Asher, author of the critically acclaimed biography of Nelson Algren “Never a Lovely So Real,” now focuses on five emblematic figures — Huddle Ledbetter, Elmo Hope, Johnny Cash, Ike White, and Tupac Shakur — as he explores the influence of incarceration on blues artists, jazz musicians, country singers, rock’n’rollers, and hip-hop creators.
Mad Dog at the FBI
Fired FBI agents are suing the bureau and Kash Patel for dismissing them because they took part in an investigation of el presidente Trumpscheisse’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Baghdad Bob in Drag
When Sycophancy Is a Feature Not a Bug
‘President Trump has been right about everything.” — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. (This is old news by now, but the staff felt an obligation to memorialize it.)
Reboot Your Eyeballs
It’s food for the retina.
Unmasked
It’s Banksy’s World . . . But Not Officially
The museum in Lisbon, Portugal, showcases 100 reproductions of Banksy’s artwork through video, installations, graffiti, canvases, projections, and murals.
Visual Culture Taking a Break
Buster Keaton has an idea about that..
Bernie Sanders Has an AI Proposal
He’s been called a luddite. But he rejects that and says he is calling for a moratorium on building new AI data centers because he is concerned about an existential threat to humankind.
Looking Back at NYC with Nostalgia and Dismay
In a newly recorded video, three noted writers look back at their experience of New York City with nostalgic affection — and, it must be said, with considerable dismay — from their vantage points in Switzerland and Germany.
Swiss Composer-Musician-Videographer Takes a Bow
They’re celebrating Steff Signer’s 75th birthday at the Palace tonight in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
THE BLACK SCHOONER
Amistad Slave Rebellion Retold in New Graphic Novel
Before Black History Month runs out, let’s note that David Lester has a new graphic novel in the works: THE BLACK SCHOONER. “It tells the true story of the 1839 uprising aboard the Amistad,” Lester says, and is one of a “growing number of titles depicting history from below.”
AI Is Working on It
Do you remember January 6?
About Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Apostasy . . .
This is a curiosity.