1. A Major Flex (Sorry, Not Sorry!)
I’m going to kick off this week’s 5 Things Right Now with a flex. A major flex. Thing is, no one likes a braggart…but that’s what I’m about to do. Because a few weeks ago, I sent a handful of 4 Minute Mile to people I consider heroes, and one of them was R. Crumb. Yesterday, I opened my mailbox to find The Kinda Girl I Like!—marked “one of two copies.” Inside, a long handwritten letter where he riffs (in classic Crumb fashion) on the women in my zine, his own preferences, and even a memory about our mutual friend, the photographer Eric Kroll. Crumb really has been a hero to me, and to receive anything directly from him—sparked by something I made—is about as surreal as it gets. Seriously, I ain’t braggin’; it’s about sharing a rare moment where the creative energy you throw into the world actually bounces back in the most unexpected, humbling…and inspiring way. Which I really needed, cause I’ve sold like 6 copies of Four Minute Mile, almost all to friends.
2. Stanley Turrentine & The Three Sounds’ Blue Hour.
This week, I’ve had Blue Hour on replay. Re-stream? Whether I’m reading, working, or about to fall asleep. If someone could create the perfect soundtrack to the Beat Generation, this is it. Ever hear something and wonder, why did it take me so long to discover this?! Turrentine and his three sounds — pianist Gene Harris, bassist Andrew Simpkins, and drummer Bill Dowdy — in a beautifully subdued session. If you’re a Blue Note nerd like me, it’s BLP 4057. It’s been reissued in their Classic Vinyl Series, remastered from the original tapes and pressed into that thick, glorious 180g vinyl—it’s sonic heaven for late-night spinning, Daddy-O. Or late night streaming. It’s so good, I’m ordering the record. Cause I’m buying records again. Albums. LP’s. EP’s. 45’s. Just whatever you do, please don’t call them “vinyls”.
3. Alien Earth (Hulu)
I’ve really been digging into Alien Earth. It’s basically the Alien franchise stirred up with some brand-new, gross, squirm-inducing-and-awesome little critters (the Octopus Eyeball is my current favorite—equal parts ridiculous and terrifying). The story is Philip K. Dick crash-landing into an H.R. Giger nightmare. Which isn’t that far off, cause there’s a terrific crash landing that kicked this season off. And there’s Sydney Chandler, too. She’s just terrific, carrying so much of the show’s strange humanity while dodging (and sometimes embracing) its nightmare. How about a little more Sydney from here on out? I don’t care if she’s a nepo baby; truth is, without Marcy / Wendy, I’m not sure I’d still be watching.
4. Wet Leg at the Tiny Desk
Everyone should know NPR’s Tiny Desk series by now — it’s practically a rite of passage for any band with buzz. What you might have missed is Wet Leg’s recent performance promoting their new record, Moisturizer. I’ve loved Wet Leg since first hearing the greatest song ever written about a chaise longue: they’ve got guitars, hooks, and a perfect mix of cheeky and dead-serious. But I’ve always been a sucker for fem-powered pop melodies built on loud guitars. Watching them cram their energy into a cozy NPR office just makes it better — that spirit in long hair and beards and a Holden-Caulfied hat, shoulder pads built for hockey players, a red phone and library chairs.
5. Steve Diet Goedde’s Little Edition Print Subscriptions
Every month a small brown envelope lands in my PO Box with a little magic inside. This month it’s Print SDG062—a superb image of burlesque model Lucy Fur. Goedde’s thing is elegant, low-key fetish in luminous black-and-white; he shoots only with available light, and the tonality is why these tiny prints feel so big. If you don’t know the subscription, it’s the best 10 bucks you’ll spend—all mailed in his brown craft envelopes I’ve come to look forward to. It’s intimate, affordable, and old-school in the very best way. If you don’t know Mr. Diet Goedde: a long-time LA fine-art erotic photographer (Beauty of Fetish, Extempore), with a style that reads as much fashion as fetish—precise, composed, and human. If you’re curious, his shop and books are an easy rabbit hole.
Camera note for the nerds: he regularly mentions the Mamiya 645 and T-Max 400 in posts/interviews — the recipe for his (now) not-so-secret sauce.
