Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Kurt Cobain, 1994 And The Rise Of “Authenticity”
The embrace of Nirvana showed how the recording industry has changed tactics to embrace what was once underground culture. - 3 Quarks Daily
Marin Alsop In Search Of Her Next Act
At a time when orchestras are eager to connect with a broader swath of their communities, Alsop’s struggle to score a position at the...
Barenboim: What Beethoven’s 9th Means To Me (On The Piece’s 200th Anniversary)
"Music on its own does not stand for anything except itself. The greatness of music, and the Ninth Symphony, lies in the richness of...
Kennicott: When George Washington (The Statue) Is Repurposed For Political Protest
What is most striking is the symbolic incorporation of the statue into the wider messaging of the protest... The students have dressed up Washington...
So TikTok Might Be Banned In The US. But It’s Already Been In Decline
“It’s just not hitting like it used to.” I still find some joy on the app. The delight is just less abundant than it...
How Orchestra Conductors Have Changed
The reason conductors have changed is that the musicians they lead have changed. And the reason the musicians they lead have changed is that...
NextDoor: The Art Of Neighborhood Surveillance
Oh, no, there’s no butting out on Nextdoor, only butting in. Somebody posted the other day about the “slow moving vehicle following the school...
Wall Street’s “Fearless Girl” Sculpture Lawsuit Settles
The 250-pound bronze statue was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors to express its support for gender diversity in the corporate world. State Street...
ACT Seattle Loses Its Artistic Director
Throughout his time in Seattle, John Langs has become known as a champion of new work, an advocate for local artists, and a director...
The Atlantic Magazine Is Profitable And Gaining Readers. Here’s What’s Been Learned
“Our editorial model is to publish not nearly as many stories as many of our peers but to every now and then, as best...
Study: A Neuroscience Technique To Learn Choreography
The technique uses a wave-like visualization of model dancers, enabling learners to anticipate and execute dance moves without prior rehearsal. - Neuroscience News
Keith Haring And Defining Art And Artists
“I arrived in New York at a time when the most beautiful paintings being shown in the city were on wheels,” Haring wrote. This...
Eurovision, High Camp, And Opera
Opera, too, is no stranger to intersections of camp and politics, and some of Eurovision’s campest entries have been sung by opera singers. - Van
Universities’ Free Speech Crisis Is A Problem Of Their Own Making
The challenge universities are confronting is not just the law but also their own rhetoric. Many universities at the center of the ongoing police...
Why It’s Impossible To Get Restaurant Reservations In New York City
In New York, the neighborhood restaurant doesn’t have much room for neighbors anymore... Reservations are scooped up fourteen days in advance by residents of...
The Complications Of Collecting Rare Books
A book’s demand, condition, publishing history, whether it is signed or inscribed, and even the timing of when a book enters the market are...
LA Philharmonic Taps Dallas Symphony CEO As Its New Leader
Kim Noltemy’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for the L.A. Phil, which must find someone to take the reins as the organization’s music...
Has Taylor Swift Transcended Critics?
There has long been a disconnect between how music critics and Swifties consume Taylor Swift’s work, but never before has that split been so...
Rather Than Something To Be Avoided, Anxiety Helps Focus Our Creativity
Even if we are fated to anxiety by our very nature, we needn’t be anxious about being anxious. Contra those who would abolish every...
What Matters In The Age Of Distraction
For years, we have heard a litany of reasons why our capacity to pay attention is disturbingly on the wane. Technology hounds us. Modern...
What Does The Rise Of AI Writing Suggest About Human Creativity?
If a computer can write like a person, what does that say about the nature of our own creativity? What, if anything, sets us...
Astonishing Ancient Construction Found In France
Researchers from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) unearthed the monument while excavating a prehistoric site in the eastern commune of Marliens. - Smithsonian
Art Gallery Of Ontario Strike Revealed A Class Divide
If the union made scant material progress, the strike looks mainly like a huge strategic error on the AGO’s part. -- The Globe & Mail
How Daniel Radcliffe Got Past Harry Potter
When he’d auditioned for a British TV adaptation of David Copperfield, it was less out of great hope or ambition than because he’d been having...
What Scientists Are Telling Us About Our Relationship With Music
More and more, science is allowing us to understand our attraction to music and what it does for us — and consequently, what makes...