“Rap is indeed “real” poetry. It rhymes, often even internally. Its authors work hard on the lyrics. The subject matter is certainly artistically heightened, occasioning long-standing debates over whether the depictions of violence and misogyny in some of it are sincere. Rap, considered as a literature rather than its top-selling hits, addresses a wide-range of topics, even including science fiction. Rap is now decades old, having evolved over time and being increasingly curated by experts. In what sense is this not a “real” anything?”
Bolshoi Ballet Director Back At Work Following Hospital Scare
“Artistic director Sergei Filin, 43, has recovered from an acute allergic reaction to an eye treatment that sent him to the hospital Friday … Filin, who was nearly blinded in a 2013 acid attack, wasted no time getting back to the theater for rehearsals.” Several Russian media reports over the weekend stated that he was in critical condition.
‘I Think It Would Be Fine If Major Orchestras Closed’ (S*** Nico Muhly Says)
“In a lot of cases the halls are too big. I went to see a huge orchestra concert at Avery Fisher Hall, which is an excrescence in New York … and it’s like, let it close. That’s fine; it’ll be fine. They’ll find somewhere else.”
Moscow’s Cultural QR Codes (They’re All Over)
The Russian capital’s myriad cultural and history sites – from the Taganka Theater5 to the Bolshoi to the writers’ union clubhouse in The Master and Margarita – have signs posted with codes that lead to a surprisingly rich web site (available to people at home, too) full of history, maps, biographies, and gossip.
Garrison Keillor On The Difference Between Novels And Radio Shows (And The Future Of His)
“A novel takes more than a week. … Novels tend to be too long, and they sink under their own weight – has anyone ever finished Moby-Dick? Anyone? They’re lying. A two-hour radio show is a hop, a skip, and a jump, with a bathroom break in the middle, and I am going to keep working on mine and maybe write one more Lake Wobegon novel, one with a dozen narrators.”
Shouldn’t Artists Benefit When Their Paintings Sell For Millions, Or Even Thousands? (In Favor Of Droit De Suite)
“U.S. copyright law protects ‘published’ works, and a work of art is not ‘published,’ simply made and sold – so once a work of art is out of an artist’s hands, the future profits, too, are gone. … In the music world, a minor scandal arose when Chuck Berry was cheated out of part of his royalty rights for ‘Maybellene.’ In the art world, everybody is Chuck Berry.”
That Time The English National Ballet Took The Stage Directly After Metallica
“It’s extremely exciting. This is really big for us. Really big. And fantastic for the company to be recognised as a company that is able to stand up next to the artists that are performing.”
Brazil Is Winning Social Media And The Internet – And You Probably Know Nothing About It
“Brazilians are arguably the most hyper-social people on the internet. They spend twice as much time using social media as the global average, and more time online than watching TV.”
The Painting That Inspired ‘Psycho’ – And 14 Other Artworks That Inspired Films
“Directors have frequently used imagery from painting and other art forms to shape the look and meaning of their works.”
Author Whose Novels Have Sold More Than 10 Million Copies Says She’d Be Considered A Failure If She Were Starting Now
Val McDermid: “Like most writers, you start off feeling your way. I don’t think many of us launched ourselves into the world of writing books fully formed.”
A Starchitect Comes In Third, And Wins The Competition To Build Iraq’s New Parliament
“There is now anger after it was revealed that Ms Hadid personally signed the contract to design the complex last month at the Iraqi embassy in London – with some in Iraq upset they have been unable to see the plans.”
Want To See The U.S. Change In Front Of Your Eyes? Watch Football
“America did experience a watershed moment of sorts. It wasn’t the election of Barack Obama. It wasn’t the U.S. birth rate hitting a record low in 2013. Instead, it was the Super Bowl. Specifically this year’s Super Bowl commercials.”
Green Bay Symphony Had ‘Fluke’ Profitable Years, Will Still Come To An End
“Westergan said this week he and other musicians have been meeting with organizers of a ‘Save the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra’ Facebook page, to determine whether any of the nearly 2,000 supporters of that site are willing to explore fundraising options.”
Top AJBlogs From 06.29.14
Dvorak’s “Hiawatha” Symphony
AJBlog: Unanswered Question | Published 2014-06-30
Act Now, If You Care About The Fate Of The Corcoran
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-06-29
Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Big Data
AJBlog: We The Audience | Published 2014-06-29
Summer books: Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley’s ‘The Metropolitan Revolution’
AJBlog: For What it’s Worth | Published 2014-06-29
Facebook To Freaked-Out Users: So We Manipulated Your Emotions. What’s The Big Deal?
“Facebook now knows it should subject you to emotional steroids to keep you coming back. It makes me wonder what other kind of psychological manipulation users are subjected to that they never learn about because it isn’t published in an academic journal.”
The Age Of The TV Antihero
“Fuck likability. I don’t give two shits if someone likes my characters. I do care whether they’re attracted to them.”
For The First Time, Britain Appoints A Woman To Be Master Of The Queen’s Music
“It has yet to be decided if she will use the title of master or mistress.”
The Musicians Of The Delaware Symphony Worry About Its Future
“Citing turnarounds at the Lancaster, Harrisburg and Reading symphonies, musicians wrote ‘the DSO remains mired in negative thinking and dangerous lack of growth.'”