“You haven’t been antiquing, not really,” my mother told me recently, “until you’ve been to Anthony Scornavacco’s in St. Paul.” I had no earthly idea what she meant.
All that changed on Saturday.
Culture
What Are Humanity’s Top 10 Greatest Achievements?
I’m no professor of natural sciences or anything, but that’s not really the point. I think everyone will have different answers, and it’s a hell of a fun icebreaker.
My guesses are below. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Dragons And Jewels: The Kingdom of Lone
My first exposure to Lone was the refreshing and delightful (if slightly half-baked) Emerald Fantasy Tracks from 2010. Like so many of my electronic albums, I have absolutely no idea how I stumbled upon it. I’m so glad I did. Galaxy Garden, his follow up collaboration with Machinedrum, made it into my top 20 favorite albums of all time. I’ve been a devoted fan ever since.
No, Smartphones Haven’t Destroyed A Generation
Did you know that people who rely on food stamps are less likely to make six figure salaries than those who don’t? Or that people who don’t attend AA meetings are more likely to suffer from liver disease than those who do? It’s true. And you should be very concerned.
A Pile of D**ks: The Eleven Worst Things About Gay Social Media
I’m a single gay man who uses cruising apps to meet other gay men. For gay stuff. (Cooking classes, probably. Or maybe antiquing. Doesn’t matter.) I’ve met some amazing guys online over the last few years, but more often than not I find myself walking into the same dozen or so idiot land mines that threaten to dash my gay hopes forever.
Old Forms
The future of drum & bass is behind us. The biggest leaps in style and sensibility were pretty much all locked down by the late ’90s, and Roni Size / Reprazent was in on one of the biggest leaps of all.
Summer Music Roundup: An Ode To The LP
It’s been a truism for years now that playlists have supplanted albums in a serious way. Music comes to us in dribs and drabs, of varying genre, popularity, and sound quality. Our iPods are less like a well-organized bookshelf of CDs and more like a garage filled with worn boxes of 45’s and cassingles.
The Shining Codes: Utter Bulls**t, But Fun As Hell
I’m the first to admit that I adore conspiracy theories, even stupendously implausible ones. Actually, the more howl-at-the-moon ridiculous, the better. They are fascinating windows into our culture and our psyche. So here’s one about a movie that I’d memorized every frame of by the ag e of 12: The Shining.
