In one of his very best early essays, David Lynch Keeps His Head (1996), the late novelist and essayist David Foster Wallace did his best to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes Lynch such an odd and wonderful director. The article is pure pleasure (and a reminder of just how fresh and original Wallace was, and how rarely his imitators ever do him justice). One line in particular stands out — the writer’s now-famous comparison between Lynch and Tarantino: “Quentin Tarantino,” wrote Wallace, “is interested in watching someone’s ear get cut off. David Lynch is interested in the ear.”
We’re not quite sure what that line has to do with the director’s latest production (a commercial advertising his new coffee line and starring a severed Barbie head) except that we couldn’t stop thinking of either the quote or the essay as we watched it — appalled, dismayed, perplexed, and, as always with the films of Mr. Lynch, completely incapable of looking away.
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
Three cheers for curation. Limelight, an Australian culture web site, has selected “40 of the most informative, representative and entertaining videos” available on YouTube. And they’ve strung them together in such a way that they offer a “chronological history of western classical music from the twelfth century to the modern age,” taking you from The Middle Ages and The Renaissance, through the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, and ending with The Birth of Modernism and Post-WWII innovations. The clip above comes from Anton van Munster’s film on Vivaldi, I Musici, which is available on Netflix. (If you’re not a subscriber, a one month free trial is available here.) Other clips put a spotlight on Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Verdi, Wagner and others.
French graphic artist Martin Woutisseth has put together this lovely filmography of Stanley Kubrick, based on animated posters of his own design, and set to a wonderful score by composer Romain Trouillet. Woutisseth’s visual interpretations of each film, from Killer’s Kiss (1955) to Eyes Wide Shut (1999) are works of art in their own right. We especially loved the details on the mask for Eyes Wide Shut at minute 3:00.
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
Clash frontman Joe Strummer wrote and directed this odd gangster parody in 1983, while the band was on a break from touring. He cast Mick Jones as a well-dressed crime boss, Paul Simonon as his Jimmy Cliff-channeling nemesis, and pretty much everyone the band had ever shared a pint with in supporting roles.
Hell W10is not exactly a masterpiece. The camera work is indifferent, each individual scene lasts longer than it needs to, and we’re not quite sure what the blonde was doing there. Still, it’s hard not to enjoy any movie with an all-Clash soundtrack, and we got a huge kick out of watching Jones scowl in his white tuxedo like a cartoon Scarface.
Other high points include the hybrid noir-punk stylings of the titles, and Strummer’s own cheeky turn as an aggressive cop.
If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, and Venmo (@openculture). Thanks!
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
On Monday, April 18th a 22-year old woman named Chrissy Lee Polis was severely beaten by two teenagers at a McDonald’s in Baltimore, while several bystanders watched and a McDonald’s employee videotaped the whole incident. Late last week, the video went viral, and now the employee has been fired, the two girls (one of whom is only 14) are in custody, and Polis is considering a civil suit. The victim, who is transgendered, told the Baltimore Sun this weekend that she considers the beating a hate crime.
Meanwhile, the incident has elicited several comparisons to the famous 1964 case of Kitty Genovese, a young woman who was stabbed to death in the courtyard of her New York City apartment building while 38 neighbors watched and did nothing to help her. The widespread coverage of her case had a huge impact on both policy and the field of psychology: The NYPD reformed its telephone reporting system; researchers began studying the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility; and the dead woman became a symbol of the dire consequences of inaction.
One of the most elegant uses of that symbolism is the chapter (above) from the online motion comic based on the graphic novel Watchmen. Genovese figures prominently in the origin story of the superhero/antihero Walter Joseph Kovacs, aka “Rorschach.” Rorschach constructs both his identity and his costume as a direct response to the passivity and even cynical voyeurism embodied by the neighbors who heard and watched her die.
But the actual reactions of the witnesses to Kitty Genovese’s murder were more complicated than originally reported. It’s unlikely, for example, that any of the infamous 38 bystanders heard the entire crime, or realized its severity in the moment. For a fascinating account of the discrepancies between the facts and myths of the case, you can listen to this 2009 story on NPR, or read this 2007 article from American Psychologist (the link is to a PDF from the author’s website).
The Kitty Genovese parable is no less morally instructive for being not quite accurate. The bystander effect is still real, the McDonald’s worker’s decision to tape the beating last week rather than stop it is still reprehensible. And of course, Rorschach is still one of the most righteous dark avengers in popular culture. But it’s worth remembering that we’re more likely to learn from our mistakes when we dig for the truth, even — and perhaps especially — when the truth isn’t so simple.
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
It’s tempting to dismiss Ikepod’s new Hourglass video as a sleek ad for an overpriced product, especially since that’s exactly what it is. But the video is also an elegant, visually striking tribute to a vanishing world, in which time (and timepieces) seemed to move more slowly.
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
Here’s a Friday treat: The Beatles’ 1965 concert at Shea Stadium. At the time, this was the biggest rock concert in history, with 12 cameras, a helicopter flyover, and 55,000 screaming fans. Best of all were the boys themselves, still giddy enough about their own fame that they were cracking up on stage.
You can find a full set list for the show, and don’t miss John Lennon’s terrific work on “Ticket to Ride,” starting at minute 10:45. Just the day before, the band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the fourth and final time, and we have the performance here in HD. Watched together, the two videos give a nice sense of how exhilarating Beatlemania must have been.
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
The result: A performance that is also the best possible argument for the cause it supports. We could say more, but again, the video speaks for itself.
If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, and Venmo (@openculture). Thanks!
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
We're hoping to rely on loyal readers, rather than erratic ads. Please click the Donate button and support Open Culture. You can use Paypal, Venmo, Patreon, even Crypto! We thank you!
Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.
