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Out There

Jeff Weinstein's Cultural Mixology

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Archives for 2008

Name That Tuna

January 28, 2008 by Jeff Weinstein

Another cheap treat gone. Relatively cheap, relatively gone. You probably have read that you shouldn't eat top-of-the-line bluefin sushi and sashimi anymore. Too much mercury. (Yellowfin and albacore are still OK.) Maybe a single, heart-red piece on Valentine's Day. Love, even sushi love, always courts death. New York Times target readers, whose grandparents carried smelts and flukes wrapped in all the news that had been fit to print, are now seriously peeved at their lifestyle read, blaming the messenger for the mercury. (Yes, there's a Roman … [Read more...]

Unexpected Ode to Joan Blondell

January 21, 2008 by Jeff Weinstein

Remember my forgotten man You put a rifle in his hand You sent him far away You shouted, "Hip, hooray!" But look at him today. Nothing, I repeat, nothing in the cowardly realm of popular culture makes me weep the way the sinfully uncelebrated Joan Blondell does when she sings these lyrics in the final set-piece of Busby Berkeley's Gold Diggers of 1933. I happened to catch the genius Berkeley's Footlight Parade on Turner Classic Movies, and its irrepressible Depression bounce (how the boys and girls of the chorus drop everything and dash when … [Read more...]

Horatio Alger? Yes, Horatio Alger…

January 15, 2008 by Jeff Weinstein

When Idols Fall For those generous souls who were taken aback by the assertion in the last Out There posting that author Horatio Alger, Jr. was a pederast, you may wish to read this careful explanation of why the young Unitarian minister left his Brewster, Mass. parish so hastily. And on a More Cheerful Note... Have you heard about the fascinating blind study that demonstrates that drinkers prefer wine they think costs a lot more to the exact same vino at a giveaway price? ("Scientists prove that paint dries slowly.") Brain scans show that it's … [Read more...]

Burger Knave

January 12, 2008 by Jeff Weinstein

It is a rule universally acknowledged that when knocking out traditional newspaper obituaries, or even those obit hybrids called "appreciations," the dutiful scribe should do everything possible to avoid speaking ill of the dead. ("No one brought more pride to a disheartened nation in so short a time as did Mr. Hitler.") So, Out There is happy to note that its writer is under no such fusty obligation when drawing attention to the passing of Carl Nicholas Karcher, 90, founder and chairman emeritus of the Carl's Jr. restaurant chain. Mr. Karcher … [Read more...]

Handful of Clouds

January 3, 2008 by Jeff Weinstein

Don't scab! A 1934 San Francisco picket line. Who (or Whom) Do You Trust? Have you ever crossed a picket line? That uncommon test of one's character -- uncommon because there are fewer unions and fewer union actions -- is more likely to be faced vicariously and safely on the Sally Field platforms of narrative culture. But you probably know why I'm asking, because on the new year's first Wednesday night, a certain "populist" presidential candidate crossed the line, as it were, in Burbank, Calif., to appear with fellow gay-baiter Jay Leno. (The … [Read more...]

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Jeff Weinstein

Based in New York, I've been an editor of arts coverage at New York's "Soho Weekly News" (1977-79); of visual arts and architecture criticism and much else at the "Village Voice" (1981-95, with a stint as managing editor of "Artforum"); of the fine arts at the "Philadelphia Inquirer" (1997-2006); of arts and culture at "Bloomberg News" (2006-07). Until recently... Read More…

Out There

The media make a potentially fatal mistake by dividing arts coverage into high and low, old and young, and by trivializing our passionate attraction to things. In Out There I propose that all creative expression has the potential to be both … [Read More...]

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@JeffWeinstein

Tweets by @jeffweinstein

Recently & Elsewhere

I wrote and narrated a Daylight Magazine slideshow (click on "Read more" below to access it and the rest), an appreciation of the late photographer Milton Rogovin. Also one about the late photographer Helen Levitt. To go back in time, kindly click … [Read More...]

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Recent Comments

  • Jeff Weinstein on The Thursday Store, and a Dream: “And a happy one to you, Elizabeth. Funny that those Catskill eggs didn’t smash.” Dec 31, 14:28
  • Elizabeth Zimmer on The Thursday Store, and a Dream: “I love the tone of this. My grandmother was a farmer in the Catskills. She’ sold eggs, and would mail…” Dec 31, 08:26
  • Jeff Weinstein on The Thursday Store, and a Dream: “Hope I see you too. Thanks!” Dec 31, 02:46
  • Carol Felsenthal on The Thursday Store, and a Dream: “There’s something to be said for staying awhile; for watching the evolution of a neighborhood, from the same building, same…” Dec 30, 18:23
  • Meredith Brody on The Thursday Store, and a Dream: “Such a lovely piece, dear Jeff Weinstein. Such a great picture. I’m overwhelmed by memories. Hope that you and your…” Dec 30, 15:43
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