5AM StoryTalk Coffee Reading: Issue 6
A compilation of arts-related articles that you might've missed
On the first and third Wednesday of every month, I share a list of arts-related articles (and occasionally podcasts) I’ve recently read that I think you might find illuminating/challenging/inspiring, too. I don’t necessarily agree with everything in each article/episode, but I don’t need to entirely agree with something to think it’s worthy of my time - and, when it comes to art, I encourage you to embrace the same philosophy.
Today’s links come to you in three different sections: Screen & Page; Stage, Music & Fine Art; and Arts Industries & Fucking AI. It’s capped off with some recommendations about newsletters to read here on Substack.
Thanks for being part of this conversation!
Cole
SCREEN & PAGE
What to Stream: Sam Peckinpah’s Obscure Mini-Masterpiece
By Richard Brody; The New Yorker
Made for TV in 1963, “The Losers” is a thrillingly idiosyncratic display of cinematic artistry.
Their undersung art changed comics. Their marriage changed each other.
By Michael Cavna; The Washington Post
About the lives and marriage of comics creators Carol Tyler and the recently deceased Justin Green.
The Booker Prize 2023
The shortlist has been announced! It features six books by authors never previously shortlisted, including two debuts.
Martin Scorsese Says WB Execs Were ‘Very Sad’ He Refused to Make ‘The Departed’ a Franchise, Spent His Own $500K to Finish ‘Aviator’ After Studios Cut Funding: ‘Extremely Mean’
By Zack Sharf; Variety
Because of course they did.
REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida
By
;Florida’s love affair with banning books should terrify anyone who knows their history.
Hideo Kojima’s Closet Picks
By Hideo Kojima; Criterion Collection
The pioneering video game designer throws a spotlight on treasures of 1950s and ’60s Japanese cinema, including Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Twilight and Nobuo Nakagawa’s Jigoku.
STAGE, MUSIC & FINE ART
Hasan Minhaj’s “Emotional Truths”
By Clare Malone; The New Yorker
In his standup specials, the former “Patriot Act” host often recounts harrowing experiences he’s faced as an Asian American and Muslim American. Does it matter that much of it never happened to him?
Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Emotional Truths’ Are More Like Emotional Manipulation
By Ali M. Latifi; JoySauce for Everyone
A recent profile in the New Yorker uncovered the comedian's fabricated stories, but his lies are more than your typical comedic hyperbole.
Miami as Borderlands
By Emily Witt; The New Yorker
A photographer attunes herself to gentrification, spiritual seeking, and a holiness in the ordinary.
Troy Carter to Jann Wenner: “Your Views…Are Cancerous Seeds”
From Hits
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Board member Troy Carter’s scathing letter to the ejected Jann Wenner is worth a read. Damn.
ARTS INDUSTRIES & FUCKING AI
‘We Caused Them Pain’: The Inside Story of How the WGA and AMPTP Negotiated a ‘Great Deal’ to End the Writers Strike
By Cynthia Littleton, Matt Donnelly, Kate Aurthur; Variety
Hollywood Writers Reached an AI Deal That Will Rewrite History
By Will Bedingfield; Wired
A faction of scribes is putting guardrails around AI's encroachment on their work. The effects will echo in industries far beyond Hollywood.
The Case Against AI Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
By Judy Estrin; Time
Franzen, Grisham and Other Prominent Authors Sue OpenAI
By Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris; The New York Times
The suit, filed with the Authors Guild, accuses the A.I. company of infringing on authors’ copyrights, claiming it used their books to train its ChatGPT chatbot.
Old Daredevil showrunner is excited for new show, but not the “old Disney scam” that screws workers
By Sam Barsanti; AV Club
Steven DeKnight is looking forward to Daredevil: Born Again, but he says there's a crappy reason for its new title.
The Death of Netflix DVD Marks the Loss of Something Even Bigger
By Sam Adams; Slate
It’s the end of an era—and not just for plastic discs.
Stephen Fry ‘Shocked’ to Discover AI Stole His Voice From ‘Harry Potter’ Audiobooks and Replicated It Without Consent, Says His Agents ‘Went Ballistic’
By Zack Sharf; Variety
Anil Kapoor Wins Battle Against AI, Pledges Support to Hollywood Strikes: ‘Every Actor Has the Right to Protect Themselves’
By Naman Ramachandran; Variety
Walt Disney Pictures VFX Workers Vote to Unionize With IATSE
By Jazz Tangcay; Variety
Members of the AMPTP continue to find out what happens when you mess with labor. The Sleeper has awakened.
SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATIONS
I enjoy reading the following Substack newsletters about art. Maybe you will, too. I try to change these up every “reading list”, so there is always something new here.
Story Club with George Saunders fromGeorge Saunders
In the Writing Burrow from Margaret Atwood
Thin Ice from Christopher Derrick
Inkygirl from Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Sketchbooks & Scratchpads from Daniel José Older
Development Hell from Julian Simpson
Outatime - notizie fuori dal tempo e fuori tempo massimo by Valenti
(Don’t be intimidated by the Italian here. Google is happy to automatically translate for you.)
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Wow! I’m honored, Cole! Thanks for recommending my Substack!