This is an exhibition of photographs of men in strikingly affectionate poses. Although it includes a wide variety of photographic formats - from early studio tableaux to later casual snapshots - one thing unites all these images of unknown men: the emotional bond shared between the sitters. Confronted by such demonstrative images of men posing arm in arm or gazing into each other’s eyes, the contemporary viewer is left to wonder about the affection they shared, and about the meaning and purpose of the photographs that survive. Were these long-dead sitters friends or relatives, colleagues or lovers? In all likelihood, we will never know. And perhaps that doesn’t matter. One aspect of photographs that makes them so compelling is that they can generate so many unpredictable meanings - this despite their capacity to record their subjects in vivid detail. Thus, the physical expression of love between the men in such pictures is bound to provoke profoundly different reactions, depending on the viewer’s gender, sexual orientation, race or class.

Dear Friends: American Photographs of Men Together

With all the name-brand dying going on these days, I thought I’d mention the passing of someone less well-known who probably touched many of us more deeply and intimately than, oh, Walter Cronkite.  Tom Wilkes, celebrated album cover designer for The Rolling Stones, George Harrison and The Who died recently, in, of all places, Pioneertown, California.  Beyond Beggars Banquet, though, Wilkes was wildly talented, wonderfully prolific.  For a good taste of it all, including his artwork for Monterey Pop, click the link below:

Tom Wilkes homepage

Holy Crap! Here’s an upsetting and disturbing collection of cartoon characters if they were real. Okay, I’m going to run and hide now!

(via The Presurfer)

From Cinefamily:

Come join Eric Wareheim (of “Tim & Eric”) and Doug Lussenhop (DJ Douggpound) for an evening of surprises: music videos, short films, video experiments and TV sneak peeks. Like a Gump-ian box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. Except you know you’re gonna get the world premiere of Eric’s new music video for Major Lazer/Diplo for “Pon De Floor”. You also know you’re gonna get free beer and hot dogs afterwards. And you know it’s not gonna suck, like Forrest Gump. It’s gonna be fun, awesome, cool, and neat! See ya there!

Surprises! (curated by Eric Wareheim & Doug Lussenhop)

Thanks Jesse Merlin!

Henry Lanz, Stanford professor, Nabokov’s colleague and chess partner who “married the 14-year-old daughter of a friend.” Was he Humbert Humbert?

Over the chessboard, Lanz confided a dark secret that Nabokov told biographer Field: the memorably dapper professor led a double life. On weekends, he drove to the country to participate in orgies with ?

Marc Campbell of New Wave group The Nails posted this on Facebook:

In the 30 years since 88 LINES ABOUT 44 WOMEN was first recorded there has never been a video version authorized by THE NAILS. Of the dozens of videos on youtube that pay homage to the song, this is the only version created by a member of the band, me. So, here’s the world premier of 88 LINES the video. Hope you enjoy it. I had fun making it.

(NSFW-ish)

Update: This is the infamous video of 88 LINES ABOUT 44 WOMEN that was banned by youtube.

After The Yardbirds in Blow-Up, my 2nd favorite band cameo has got to be from The Zombies in Skidoo-auteur Otto Preminger’s Bunny Lake Is Missing.  They’re seen only briefly (and on a pub TV at that), but their presence does wonders to anchor the film in a place and time.  And in a clear reaching out to, you know, “the kids,” they even cut a promo for Bunny—one that manages to mock, it seems, the very serious film they’re selling!

The New Republic’s always brilliant John B. Judis wrote an excellent short essay in last month’s Foreign Policy that everyone should read. I could not agree more with the sentiments here:

In 1995, a magazine published by a conservative Washington think tank brought together a group of writers and scholars to debate a question that seemed to have a foregone conclusion: ?

I like how he’s confused by the rules of American Football. I doesn’t make any sense to me, either, and I’m American… (HT Mikki Halpin)

I am really enjoying Psychoville the new seven part BBC2 comedy series from the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. I am an absolute League of Gentlemen fanatic (as anyone who knows me can tell you) and Psychoville’s seven episode run has me in TV heaven.

Attempting to make a comedic series as complex and multi-layered as, say, “24” or “Lost” and with distinctly Hitchcockian elements in abundance (ep #4 is one continuous shot!), Pemberton and Shearsmith’s script ties together several disparate characters: Maureen and David Sowerbutts, a mother-son serial killer duo; Mr. Jelly, a bitter one-armed alcoholic party clown for hire; Oscar Lomax, a blind millionaire who collects Beanie Babies; Joy Aston (played by Dawn French), a nurse who believe a doll is her real son and a dwarf actor with telekinesis trying to hide his “midget porn” past.

All six are connected by a mysterious letter they all receive that simply reads: “I know what you did.”

Welcome to Psychoville by co-creator Reece Shearsmith
Psychoville: the new home of horror comedy
Video interview with Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith