BOOK "LONDONERS"

I discovered this wonderful book at the Tuscaloosa Public Library:


Londoners.  The Days and Nights of London Now—As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Left It, and Long for It.

LOUSE BOURGEOIS, "THE SPIDER, THE MISTRESS, AND THE TANGERINE"

I am rewatching the film "The Spider, the Mistress, and the Tangerine," about sculptor Louise Bourgeois.  A quote from the movie bears continual revisiting and consideration: "It is very difficult to be a woman and to be likeable.  This desire to be likeable—it is really a pain in the neck.  How are you going to be likeable and be yourself?

DEREK JARMAN'S "WITTENSTEIN"

I am enjoying Derek Jarman's 1993 stylized, theatrical film depicting the life and thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE

A colleague posted a link to Facebook about a documentary on the life and work of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the greatest rocker/gospel singer you've probably never heard of.  The documentary has been posted on YouTube.  This is very, very special. You've heard of Chuck Berry. You've heard of Jimmy Hendrix. Do yourself a favor and listen to Sister Rosetta.

"AMARGOSA"

I watched the astonishing documentary Amargosa some time ago when it was streaming on Netflix, It's the story of  dancer and artist Marta Becket who, at the age of 42, abandoned her conventional career to restore a dilapidated theatre in the Death Valley town of Amargosa.  What was (and is) most striking to me is Becket's ability to thrive creatively in an environment of relentless solitude.  She was known to mount performances for which there was no audience, later describing these as rehearsals for audiences to come.  And in the absence of a physical audience, she spent six years painting one: a fantastical depiction of Renaissance-era audience that covers the walls and ceiling of the Amargosa Opera House.  Her contentment with a deeply interior, solitary and self-possessed life is fascinating in the extreme.

KARL LAGERFELD AND ANDRE LEON TALLEY—THE CHARLIE ROSE INTERVIEW

Thanks to my good colleague Dr. Bob, who told me about this interview Charlie Rose conducted with Karl Lagerfeld and Andre Leon Talley. Andre Leon Talley has written an autobiography, by the way—ALT: A Memoir.

KEITH HARING

Today is the birthday of pop/street/graffiti artist Keith Haring, who died of AIDS in 1990 at the age of 31.  He is being celebrated with his own Google Doodle, which can be viewed in this article from the Christian Science Monitor.   The Huffington Post has also posted an article about Haring and included photos of his work.  I very much hope to get to the Brooklyn Museum to see the current Haring exhibit.