THIS week, British film composer George Fenton -- he wrote the scores to Gandhi, Groundhog Day, The History Boys, lots of Ken Loach films, and dozens more -- comes to the Hollywood Bowl to conduct Frozen Planet, a documentary that's shown on the BBC to much acclaim.I corresponded with him for my Influences column and he came up with some expected choices -- playwright Alan Bennett, who he's worked … [Read more...]
Archives for 2012
Glen Campbell’s Farewell
LAST night, several thousand of us said so long to Glen Campbell. His Hollywood Bowl concert was a kind of cross between a straightforward farewell concert and a posthumous tribute, since the entire first program was made up of other musicians paying homage to various aspects of his work. And the farewell part is not entirely conventional: Campbell is saying goodbye because of an Alzheimer's … [Read more...]
Musicians vs. the Internet
THIS week has seen an exchange between young music fan Emily White and indie rocker David Lowery about how fans consume music these days, and where that leaves the artists. So far, the argument between the two has remained civil – and Lowery refuses to condescend to White or her generational peers in his piece -- but the nasty tone of the Web all but guarantees that things will get ugly.HERE is my … [Read more...]
The Roots of a Theater Company
THIS week my Influences column looked at Ellen Geer, who runs the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. For those many miles from the wilds of Topanga Canyon: This is a theater company, in a very rustic setting, founded by her father, blacklisted actor Will Geer, known to many as Grandpa Walton.William Holman Hunt paintinginspired by "Measure for Measure"Ellen Geer spoke to me about her family's … [Read more...]
Playboy Jazz Festival
ONE of the best things about Los Angeles -- hands down -- is the Hollywood Bowl, and it's become a sign of the coming of summer for a lot of us.Today I wrote an advance on the 2012 Playboy Jazz Festival, including interviews with several of the musicians who'll play there.There's a range of good and bad here, as there always are at big jazz festivals. One thing that continues to confuse me, … [Read more...]
Christopher Buckley at Track 16 Gallery
FOLKS, this Thursday, I'll be interviewing novelist/satirist/National Review apostate Christopher Buckley at Track 16. He may be best known on these shores for his New Yorker humor columns and for writing the novel, Thank You For Smoking, that was adapted into a very good Jason Reitman movie.His new novel involves U.S. dealings with China and is called They Eat Puppies, Don't They?Here are the … [Read more...]
RIP Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012
TODAY The Misread City mourns the death of Ray Bradbury. He was the first science-fiction writer, and the first Los Angeles writer, many people read. I still remember devouring the stories from The October Country and The Martian Chronicles in elementary school.In a rush of emotion and recollection, I wrote my first piece for Zocalo Public Square on Bradbury's complicated relationship with Los … [Read more...]
Culture and Criticism
TWO of my favorite journalists, film critic A.O. Scott and media reporter David Carr, have gone back and forth about a number of important issues lately. Some of this is analog vs. digital, print vs. Internet stuff.Some of it has to do with the nature of the press, of DIY/artisanal culture, or the revival of vinyl records. And in this swirl of new and old, they ask, what is the role of the culture … [Read more...]
The Roots of Sandra Bernhard
MY Influences column in the LA Times always tries to be unpredictable, but this time I think we've really gotten there.This installment on Sandra Bernhard -- whose REDCAT show last year was one of the highlights of the season -- begins with John Updike, for instance. The singer/comedian/Letterman mainstay is working a new show at REDCAT this month.(By the way, in the last two nights I have seen … [Read more...]
"I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts"
EVER wondered what it would sound like if the British writer J.G. Ballard fronted an L.A. punk band? I hadn't either, frankly, but the question crossed my mind reading the new anthology of essays and articles by Mark Dery. Twisted, brilliant, overly ornate and penetrating, I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts brings him to Skylight Books on Tuesday. (I only regret there is no essay on the Bavarian … [Read more...]