Holy Man: Dennis Wilson Revived
Andy Beta07.30.08
It’s been about 25 years since Beach Boys member Dennis Wilson drowned in the waters of the Pacific – the muse for his masterful one solo record Pacific Ocean Blue. But Wilson, had he lived, had much more on the way, such as the legendary unfinished Bambu, now offered along with POB as a Sony double cd. Also now available is the Criterion DVD version of Two-Lane Blacktop, a classic road race movie which stars Wilson, James Taylor (yes the James Taylor) and Warren Oates in one of his most bizarre characterizations on film (which, as Andy Beta writes, "is really saying something.") Under the shadow of elder bro Brian critically for years, the young lost Dennis is finally getting his due.
And Where Might That Be Now, Tom?
Scott Bradfield07.12.08
Writer Thomas M. Disch died from his own hand last week in New York. Proudly obstreperous and uncouth towards his many (and unfortunately often he felt insipid) genre fans and critics of the SF and fantasy variety, Disch was misunderstood in his time. We’ll see how the bulk of history remembers him, while here friend and fellow novelist Scott Bradfield remembers Disch with admiration, sadness, and love.
The Zoo
Amy Gerstler05.19.08
Amy Gerstler takes us to the zoo. A strange temple to some, where the gaze is exchanged inconspicuously between one species of animal captivated in reposing gawks and a variety of others held in captivity. No tiger attacks here on this day, but, careful there, don’t lean too close… Art by Danny Jock.
Sarkozy’s Soap Operetta: Eight Months in Office With the French President
Devon Magee01.12.08
Nicolas Sarkozy has yet to complete a full year in office as French President, and yet he’s generated much media copy from French tabloids keeping tabs on his recent divorce and wooing of singer/songwriter, former model, and Italian, Carla Bruni, to The Economist watching his moves closely as he battles the intransigent poverty and rapidly approaching problem of Baby Boomer-age retirement. Devon Magee brings his insight back to Fanzine with his second piece on Sarkozy.
An Interview with Toure
Carla Murphy01.04.08
Carla Murphy caught up with journalist, author, and now reality television host (“I’ll Try Anything Once”) Touré over the holidays. Of course she’d have preferred to have challenged him to some mildly absurd athletic contest to throw him off the question game (like Touré did over hoops when he interviewed Prince), but alas had to match wits via email. Murphy and Touré discuss surviving prep school, the future of hip hop, and Presidential contender (and as of this posting Iowa caucus winner) Senator Barack Obama.
Silent Teacher Remembered: Hannah Weiner’s Open House
Thom Donovan12.20.07
It’s been ten years since poet, artist, and self-professed "clairvoyant" journalist Hannah Weiner died. This past month, people gathered at St. Mark’s Church in New York City’s Lower East Side to remember this unique individual, to share slides and stories, and perhaps act as she often did, as mediums, to recall her spirit to our present. Thom Donovan was there, and here is his account of the happening (which included a reading of Hannah Weiner’s Open House) and thoughts on the artist in general.
The Pugilist at Rest: Norman Mailer (1923-2007)
Andrew Lewis Conn11.13.07
Was Norman Mailer a "pampered superbrat" as Martin Amis put it, a chauvinist pig as Gore Vidal would have it, or America’s finest writer as pugilist – an activist, novelist and journalist who didn’t simply cover the story but was always, "indelibly, part of the story." "If American life" in our times, Andrew Lewis Conn writes, "was getting crazier all the time, filtering it through the prism of a crazy, and crazy-making, personality like Mailer’s made better sense than not." Mailer drawing by Danny Jock.
On the Lost Highway with Greil Marcus
Brian Howe10.04.07
We’re beaming proud to have this in depth interview with Greil Marcus conducted by FANZINE first timer Brian Howe. Marcus along with a sprinkling of other intellectual wild ones the likes of Lester Bangs invented a certain style of criticism years ago that young journalists on the culture beat today can only hope to aspire to. If you were ever curious what kind of writing FANZINE wants to publish more of, study some Greil Marcus. If you haven’t read Greil Marcus, start with this interview.
Interview with director Marco Williams
Benjamin Strong09.24.07
Benjamin Strong interviews director Marco Williams prior to the run of his documentary Banished at New York’s Film Forum. Banished tackles seriously the sensitive, often scoffed at, subject of literal reparations for stolen land in three communities in the South.
The Amazon Review Project
Dodie Bellamy's Writing Workshop07.22.07
Fanzine stalwart Kevin Killian has invented a new literary form for the online shopping age. Here come the acolytes.
