Listen:
RIP The Champs podcast - all good things do come to an end. Comedy fans will love it. Weirdly, Dave Chappelle remains an enigma. That question always lingered since Neal Brennan did co-create The Chappelle Show, but even without him..The Champs was great on its merits.
Read:
I dig it when authors read their own works..In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahari makes me feel like I need to step up my own language skills.
Watch:
Viceland launched..the one show that I can easily see myself binging on is F**k that's Delicious with Action Bronson. Reminds you of early Bourdain..food tourism and having fun.
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Pullbox Issue 28
Listen:
I should recommend more albums, but unfortunately very few new stuff excites me. Most be the old man syndrome. A guy who hasn't lost it is John Carpenter. THE John Carpenter. THE ONE that made They Live, Assault on Precinct 13 and Big in Little China. His Lost Themes album came last year, and the sequel will come out later this year. I love his description: “They’re little moments of score from movies made in our imaginations,” Carpenter says.“Now I hope it inspires people to create films that could be scored with this music.”
Read:
My favorite new technique to go sleep is listening to audio books. My local library has an app that a decent selection. The timer feature is actually called sleep timer. It can be set to 15 or 30 minute intervals, so it's less of a guessing game the next night. A short book that I'll have to revisit is Alan Lightman's Einstein Dreams.
Watch:
The first part of Cooked seems promising. Looking forward to finishing the four part series.
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You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.
Pullbox Issue 27
Listen:
Egon still cranking out funky mixes.
Read:
Not a runner, but Christopher McDougall's Born to Run makes me reconsider the possibilities.
Watch:
TV season is back. Better Call Saul returns for season 2. It's a slow-starter, but unlike other shows..it actually builds to something satisfying. That show deserves one of those video essays because the show has so many elements worth dissecting.
Vinyl has all the best ingredients, but it doesn't quite taste right..Richard Hell's review is spot on.
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Pullbox Issue 26
Listen:
If you're ever in a weird soundtrack mode, then Mondotees mixes has your name all over it.
Read:
The latest book list I'm trying out is David Bowie's top 100. Looking forward to reading more about The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels. Not sure about the target audience, but it does feel academic at times.
Watch:
I remember hearing from friends that Dana White made a pit stop in Alaska for his show. The episode is available online, not sure for how long, but it does make me homesick- a trip is in the works for this year.
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You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.
Pullbox Issue 25
Listen:
Mix Master Mike returns with another mixtape that makes you say "goddamn that DJ made my day."
Read:
Whenever I'm not sure what to read next, I'll check out other people's book lists. One of those lists that's worth browsing is Bill Gates' end-of-the year list. The Road to Character by David Brooks - I'm wrapping that up and will no doubt check out the other books on the list. Also, did Bill Gates get a Wes Anderson-imitator to direct his book recap video?
Watch:
One of my most favorite gifts EVER was a subscription to the New Yorker, thanks to a fellow journalist. It was during "the trenches," one of those periods that you can only appreciate afterwards. Yet, that subscription provided a bit of relief, escape and more importantly insight.
So I was more than thrilled about the New Yorker documentary: Very Semi-Serious: A Partially Thorough Portrait of New Yorker Cartoonists.
It's filled with relief, escape and more importantly insight.
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You can follow me on Twitter @ntorquiano or Instagram @ntorq. For even more random distractions, bookmark NTORQ Tumblr.