Farewell to a Poor Bastard Farewell to a Poor Bastard
Joe Matt (1963–2023) made hilarious comedy of his own misery.
The Indigenous Roots of Robbie Robertson’s Rock and Roll Revolution The Indigenous Roots of Robbie Robertson’s Rock and Roll Revolution
The music called Americana was created by a Jewish-Canadian-Cayuga-Mohawk.
Aug 14, 2023 / Jeet Heer
Sinéad O’Connor (1966–2023): Premature Anti-Fascist Sinéad O’Connor (1966–2023): Premature Anti-Fascist
For years, O’Connor had been raising an alarm about pedophile priests exploiting children with impunity while an enabling Vatican hierarchy looked the other way.
Aug 1, 2023 / Margaret Spillane
Fordism Comes to the Gallery—and AI Comes for the Artists Fordism Comes to the Gallery—and AI Comes for the Artists
Though hyped in the media as the latest thing, the images generated by AI art are actually old, trapping the viewer in a time loop of kitsch.
Jun 14, 2023 / Dwayne Monroe
Truth in the Age of the Deepfake Truth in the Age of the Deepfake
Could our interest in true-crime podcasts and celebrity biopics be telling us something about our collective discomfort with faking it?
Jun 2, 2023 / Highlights / Marianela D’Aprile
The Queen of Candor: Aline Kominsky-Crumb 1948–2022 The Queen of Candor: Aline Kominsky-Crumb 1948–2022
Her fearless autobiographical stories revolutionized cartooning.
Searching for Local Identity in “The Bear” and “Chicago Party Aunt” Searching for Local Identity in “The Bear” and “Chicago Party Aunt”
The FX drama and Netflix animation both attempt to embody the city of Chicago. That’s an increasingly difficult task when the city itself is a jumbled simulacrum of its own past.
Aug 25, 2022 / Ryan Zickgraf
When Sidney Poitier Picked Up the Gun When Sidney Poitier Picked Up the Gun
Notes on a couple of native sons.
Jan 10, 2022 / Gene Seymour
I Wish We Could Be Dancing to Sophie I Wish We Could Be Dancing to Sophie
It’s an added cruelty that we cannot mourn the loss of the avant-pop icon properly.
Feb 4, 2021 / Annie Howard
‘Christmas in My Soul’ ‘Christmas in My Soul’
Fifty years ago this season, Laura Nyro delivered a timeless rebuke to racism, militarism, and “the sins of politics.”
Dec 25, 2020 / John Nichols