Listen:
Eli Escobar does it again..and to hell with sound issues..the party’s still bumping in the Boiler Room.
Read:
Finally got around to David Simon’s Homicide - it’s a massive tomb that still holds up. Fans of The Wire will recognize it as the roots to the stories we’ve come to appreciate.
Watch:
Show Me a Hero is the evolution of The Wire. The mini-series is engrossing. It takes me back to watching city council meetings and how heated some issues can get. In hindsight and sometimes in the moment, you’re like “this is really an issue?” Next up on my reading is the book, the show is based on.
Dinosaur 13 - fascinating and upsetting documentary on the overreach of the government.
Follow:
You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.
Pullbox Issue 11
Listen:
Joe Goddard, member of Hot Chip, drops a solid mix on Beats in Space.
The Do-Over sets makes you wish had some shades and sangaria vibing out, listen before the Fall colors pop.
Read:
So glad the local library has a classics section because you’ll never reach a slump revisiting or in my case taking the plunge..Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying could easily be on a banned books list, but it’s so much more than just sex.
Advise and Consent - a beast of a book. Will have to dig into the backstory.
Watch:
Audrey Mestre - The Truth Behind the Deep - chilling TV documentary on free diving.
Binge watched American Crime after hearing John Ridley on WTF with Marc Maron. Depressing, addicting, and looking forward to Season 2. Hopefully, it doesn’t do what True Detective did for its second round.
Penn and Teller Fool Us - kind of a magic showcase, however the goal is to stun some legends, which is no easy task.
Follow:
You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.
Pullbox Issue 10
Listen:
Japan is still on my travel wish list, but the folks behind ExtraClassic have some excellent mixtape selections.
Will have to check out more Major Grave mixes after the Dublin Boiler Room mix.
Read:
The Tao Te Ching is one of those books, I’ll likely re-visit for the rest of my life.
Watch:
The Tig documentary and her Showtime special Knock Knock - great comedy insight.
That Nina Simone documentary, heartbreaking.
The other heartbreaking music documentary - Amy (Winehouse).
Follow:
You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.
Pullbox Issue 9
Listen:
Arabic Funk - Yes, more please - Habibi mix series
Always fire, Lucky Me fam S-Type drops a Fact Mag Mix.
Anything with Underground Resistance means you got to listen to it, even when UR Presents, again another killer Boiler Room set.
Read:
The book vs movie debate means nothing when you read Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief. When an New Yorker article gets a chance to sprawl into a book, then it’s going into the queue.
Steve Earle on In Cold Blood makes you appreciate Capote even more.
Watch:
My weak spot for docu-cooking shows continues with Mind of a Chef, binged on the Sean Brock and Ed Lee’s episodes. Makes you want to go a food journey through the South.
92 Y has some great talks and makes you really jealous that these talks don’t happen anywhere except New York. But thank goodness for the Internet. Malcolm Gladwell and Brian Grazer do some great name dropping, but breakdown why these people are worth name dropping. Gladwell drops some journalism gems that are worth re-visiting for folks in the throes of work.
The BAFTA Screenwriters Lecture series - heavyweights, like seeing a beautiful jab.
Pullbox Issue 8
Listen:
Waajeed Boiler Room set - Detroit in the House!
Another Boiler Room set worth checking - DJ Pone in Paris!
Joe DeFranco’s podcast will make you want pump iron.
Read:
Wow, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. A classic book, I should have read sooner.
Great profile on Nic Pizzolatto in Vanity Fair, True Detective fans attention.
Watch:
Chris Weidman - Singular Focus - on par with UFC’s Embedded and Countdown series.
Dope - fun summer coming of age movie. Like a mix of Better Luck Tomorrow and The Wackness.
Follow:
You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.