Pullbox Issue 6

Listen:
J Rocc mixes are worth checking (Do Over set). He started a radio show, Adventures in Stereo, that’s required listening for hip-hop/beat/good music fans.

The Champs with Neal Brennan and Moshe Kasher podcast is always entertaining, however it’s inconsistent on its release dates. But since it’s free, really no complaints. And apparently, it’s coming back.

Meiko Kaji - no idea what the Japanese actor is singing about, but sounds just as comforting as French female vocals circa 60s-70s. She’s known for her Lady Snowblood movies, which Kill Bill fans should try to track down. Quentin Tarantino knows how to borrow from the overlooked classics.

Read:
The Innovators by Walter Isaccson kept me going on a recent roadtrip. Ex Machina and Blade Runner make a lot more sense once you know about Alan Turing. Will have to check out the Steve Jobs biography.
Plenty of good reads and video clips of Letterman out there. One of the gems is Daniel Kellison’s memories during his Letterman years. (hat tip from AK comic Matt Collins)

Great blog post about the final day of Letterman; 6 months of editing for the final montage, an intern scripts the final 2 of the final Top 10.

My own Letterman memories can be traced back to spending time in California with my cousins. For whatever reason, they always had Letterman on and I’m glad because even though it went over my head, it likely did plant some comedy seeds in my brain. Thanks Dave!

Whoa, Mark Twain’s uncovered San Francisco stories when he was a 29-year-old journalist.

Watch:
Again, Mad Max: Fury Road is a must watch in theaters. As chaotic as it seems, it’s actually straight-forward and follows lots of rules. Here’s a great mini-breakdown of crosshair framing.

Great Vimeo staff pick on the Art of the Black Panthers.

The Danny Way documentary Waiting for Lighting gives a great glimpse to one skater pushing the ledge. The timeline is a bit off for storyline purposes, but it’s still incredible to think about. There’s a terrifying fall at the X-Games that’s absolutely spine-tingling. It actually happened after the Great Wall of China and he finished that run with all those injuries - yikes! Thanks to Way, Bob Burnquist pushes big air even more - check out his Dreamland videos.

Silicon Valley (the pinnacle inappropriate math joke) - killer comedy. Season 2 is still stellar with a bunch of new writers.

Follow:
You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.

Pullbox Issue 5

Listen:
Catching up on Bandcamp Weekly - Sounds by South Bend music fest went on from May 7 - May 10 and had a trio of comps.

Always dig it when Chicago rappers drop Mixtapes because they’re basically free albums. See Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Alex Wiley. Now Towkio - .wav Theory - get that.

Read: Year of the Dunk by Asher Price - really quick but fun read on man’s journey to dunk.

Jeff Vandermeer - Annihilation - really, strong intro, looking forward to getting into the other parts of the Southern Reach trilogy.

Btw, kind of wish Goodreads had half-stars rating because both books would be a solid 3.75 instead of 3. But really, I’m just reading books based on word of mouth and flipping through them at the library.

Watch:

Coffee lovers, A Film about Coffee, is basically a documentary love letter.

Mad Max Fury Road (this Q&A session is a lot of inside baseball) and the movie is a must watch in theaters. You’re doing yourself a disservice watching it on anything but the big screen.

Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty goes on the hunt of El Chapo. Beyond Scarface, a real life Kingpin, some of those scenes can haunt you.
Follow:

You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.

Pullbox Issue 4

Listen:
Squarepusher’s Fact Mag mix feels like a good trip down memory lane had I lived in England in the early 90s.

Sketchbook Radio with Kutmah also on the que. Again, NTS Radio on point.

Read:
Finished my GoodReads book challenge of 36 books, so I re-uped to 50. My general realm is non-fiction, but some fiction work is sneaking into the reading list.

The Wave by Susan Casey - makes you appreciate wave hunters and you don’t have to be a surfer.

On the nightstand, The Sellout by Paul Beatty.

Say what!? “Characters “derived” from other characters are legally unique, and DC’s claim that “derivation” deprives creators of any equity participation rights in those characters is nothing more than an immoral, unethical, deceitful and despicable money grab.” Gerry Conway’s post.

Don’t get spend enough time listening to TED talks, but this book list looks like some quality picks.

On the comics list, reading The Fade Out, Southern Bastards, Rebels, and still catching up with Stray Bullets.

Journalists already knew about the death of the 40-hour work week, and now it’s spread to rest of America.

Watch:

Revolutions on Air - another great mini-doc by Red Bull Music.

Ex Machina might be the sleeper sci-fi movie of the summer. Intriguing and disturbing.

Showrunners - the Art of Running a TV show should really be called The Grind.

Montage of Heck gives you a glimpse into the soul of Kurt Cobain.

Misery Loves Company - despite mixed reviews, it’s a still a must for comedy nerds that may have taken a podcast break.
Follow:

You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.

Pullbox Issue 3

Listen:
Besides the usual suspects, trying out LeFtO’s mix series. Any time you get J Rocc doing a guest mix, it’s worth diving into. Plus, a Bobbito Garcia drop - say what!?

Read:
Atlantic’s By the Heart series is worth reviewing time to time. A decent primer is How to Write: A Year in Advice

Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is hilarious. Some libraries did ban the youth novel, but it’s absolutely hilarious.

DJ Neil Armstrong via The Hundreds interview.

Trying to do get into meditation, but Good Magazine’s story on when it goes bad is a good reminder that there is always yin and yang.

Watch:
The Last Man on Earth deserves all the praise it gets for being an original comedy. Bloopers are also fun.

Daredevil on Netflix and Powers on Sony Playstation - actually trying to watch each episode weekly, instead of a binge. It’s a weird discipline when you don’t have to, but I want to try it, so that I actually leave the house and get some cycling done as days get warmer in the Spring.

The Radavist has great cycling posts and the videos section will make you shut down the computer and go for a ride.

Inside Mayweather vs Pacquiao series is a must watch for fight fans.

Follow:

You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.

Pullbox Issue 3

Did a Chicago daytrip, so I forget to send this out.

Listen: Fact Magazine is one of my favorite mix series, and I recommend the Shit and Shine mix for those challenging tastes.

Read: Apparently,  The Vulture launched a series called “The Second Comedy Boom.” Not sure if boom is the right term because eventually there’s a bust. Also, it seems like many places are growing from a small scene, so there may never be a downfall as long kids creating space for the next wave. Maybe that’s the one good way to compare stand-up comedy, we’re all chasing good waves.

Listening to The Moment podcast, and Koppleman recommended Alan Lightman’s Einstein’s Dreams. However, it was not on the book shelves at the local library, but Lightman’s Mr. G was and it’s great. Here’s an interview with The Atlantic. Will have to check out his other works.

Watch:

Rise of Latino Comics via Stanford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMpRnwCPFbs

Follow:

You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.