New York

Two and a half years ago, I came away from Kinference 2023 disappointed that more of my peers weren’t as put off as I was by the current state of tech’s dominant preoccupations. My experience wasn’t much different this time, except that in the intervening years, Web3 enthusiasm has fashionably given way to AI enthusiasm. This isn’t to say all the speakers were doing PR for LLMs, and among those intermittently expressing guarded misgivings, Frank… See more →

I was hopeful, if not naive enough to be confident, that enough people were sufficiently fed up with That Fucking Guy to keep him from returning to the White House. But he will, of course, be returning, and while this time his victory isn’t the shock to the system it was in 2016, his popular vote win, a hair shy of a mandate, still stings plenty. The Democratic Party’s subsequent soul-searching might be morbidly comical… See more →

I’ll begin by briefly weighing in on five of the most prominent pieces of the 2023 zeitgeist, at least from where I was sitting. Some cynical vibes ahead, so feel free to skip past this part if you’re not in the mood for negative energy:

• Taylor Swift: Gen Z’s version of Beatlemania is a bit of a head-scratcher for me, since I find Taylor Swift’s music to be entirely unremarkable, but that didn’t stop her… See more →

As I mentioned in my 2022 year in review, I’ve developed a new habit over the past year as part of my creative practice—something I call a “field day.” Ideally at least twice a month or so, I’ll get out of the house for the day and absorb things in the outside world. It most often takes the form of visiting museums, galleries, and cinemas, but virtually any activity qualifies, as long as I’m out… See more →

Maude

Leah and I became dog parents early in 2022, adopting a 15-pound, two-year-old Jack Russell / Chihuahua mix. Knowing Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned, we named her Maude, after the Bea Arthur character, who in 1972 was the first sitcom character to have an abortion. Living with Maude has been a big adjustment, but after getting over the initial hump, I’m not sure how we ever lived without her. She loves belly… See more →

I’m excited to be back in Brooklyn this weekend! @kellianderson is organizing what promises to be a delightful holiday art book fair, and I’ll be selling all issues of my algorithmic art zine, Plus Equals, and giving away stickers and postcards. Come say hello and get some gifts for people you want to impress and/or befuddle. ✨

Dec 3–4 (Sat and Sun), 1–5pm
366 Devoe St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(in E Williamsburg near the Grand… See more →

That night my two favorite former Sepultura dudes played all my favorite Sepultura songs.

Well, this was a learning experience. My previous experiment in seeing a show in NYC and sleeping in my own bed that same night was pretty successful. This time? Not so much. I got to see Greet Death play exactly one song before I turned into a pumpkin. Luckily it was the song I most wanted to hear, “You’re Gonna Hate What You’ve Done,” whose title was also very appropriate for the moment.

As it… See more →

Aaaaand we’re back!

This show was originally supposed to happen a year and a half ago, and it’s undoubtedly a different experience now than it would have been then. The last 19 months of COVID loomed large, sure, but for me personally, there was also the issue of my intervening relocation to Philadelphia. A night out in Brooklyn ain’t as convenient for me as it used to be, which, in a number of important ways,… See more →

In the spring of 2001, a friend and I drove up to New York on a Friday night and were waiting for Skeleton Key to take the stage at Brownies, a deliciously grimy rock club in the East Village, when we got into a conversation with some locals who were curious about our native Philadelphia. “I went down there to visit a friend, and, like, what is there to even do there?”

There’s actually plenty… See more →

@manorastroman_official still kicks ass, even if @market.hotel’s sightlines do not.

This movie is so goddamned good, I’m not even mad that it neglects to incorporate Van Halen’s “On Fire.”

Gentle but not slight. Didn’t know how much I needed that right now. Extra points for the quick hit of what is probably the best bookbinding porn ever to grace a major motion picture.

My immune system didn’t do me many favors in 2019. I was sick on five or six separate occasions in the first half of the year, including an obnoxious bout of bronchitis that lasted the entire month of February. Luckily that didn’t stop me from having an adventurous and fulfilling year, and for the first time in my four years at ProPublica, I used every single one of my vacation days.

Projects

My first three… See more →

Modern fandom is little more than ravenous consumerism, and more than any other Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker’s blockbuster maximalism is calibrated with this in mind. When I rewatched The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi the night before, it felt mostly like homework, and trying to summon anything else to say about The Rise of Skywalker feels about the same. Anyway, I’m done. Thanks for the memories, Star Wars, if not… See more →

I was feeling like a slug earlier and the devil on one shoulder told me to skip this show. But the angel an the other shoulder was like, “This excellent band traveled all the way from Busan to play their music for you. Are you really going to deprive them of even one smiling face to greet them?” Thanks, angel.

Previous legs of Slayer’s sprawling farewell tour included support from Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth, Testament, Napalm Death, Obituary, Amon Amarth, and Cannibal Corpse, none of whom could entice me to drag my ass into a cavernous arena or amphitheater. And the last time I saw Slayer turned out to be the last ever appearance of the original lineup, shortly before the untimely death of Jeff Hanneman and the departure of Dave Lombardo, which seemed… See more →

Great to catch up with some Kansas City @usairguitar buddies swinging through Brooklyn tonight!

For most of their existence, and especially since the market for recorded music collapsed, the Misfits have been more of a fashion brand than anything, their logo adorning virtually any object that could conceivably accessorize with a shade of Manic Panic or a pair of Doc Martens. The unlikelihood of a proper Misfits reunion stemmed from the decades-long feud between founding members Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only over how those sweet merch profits should be… See more →

Finally saw my first live performance of Steve Reich’s “Music for 18 Musicians”… in the middle of a shopping mall. Capitalism rubs it in.

This is about the zillionth time I’ve seen @lowtheband and I think the first time I’ve seen them play “Do You Know How to Waltz?” What a gift. My favorite moment of 2019 so far.

Bad script. Bad cast. Bad direction. Closing credits set in Arial.

When my friend Alex from my Harmonix days announced on Twitter that his first show playing drums for the NYHC band None Above All was coming up, I thought it would be fun to surprise him, see him do his thing, and catch up a bit. And it was! His band was on first and I figured I’d split when they were done. But as soon as I got there, the room’s overwhelming majority of… See more →

I know it’s punk rock and it’s the late show and everything, but this isn’t someone’s basement. A 30-minute set from the headliner? Weak.

Biggest difference between tonight’s @bssmusic show and when I last saw them in 2004 was the woman next to me doing a crossword on her phone

Teenagers have shown us on many occasions that they’re capable of making fresh, exhilarating music, but that music is usually rooted firmly in an existing paradigm: hip-hop, punk, etc. Teenagers are students and students are formalists. One of the most striking things about Black Midi’s fresh, exhilarating, teenage music is its lack of an obvious reference point. It is at times reminiscent of Slint and their math rock descendants, and the funk-tinged post punk of… See more →