The Goodness Vol. 8

October 9, 2019

Hey friends, The Goodness is back! Sorry for its absence of late. I’ve been busy getting really into restoring vintage furniture with authentic 18th-century upholstery. I kid. Work has been crushing me, but here are a few of my latest favorite good things. Let’s get to it, behold… (“Wrong” guitar intro by Archers of Loaf)… The Goodness Vol. 8!

Travel Man with Richard Ayoade

Hyperliterate British comedian and skeptical world traveler Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) visits tourist attractions in various cities in a 48-hour period with his celebrity friends. He “has selflessly forsaken home and hearth in an attempt to offer would-be holiday-makers a template for time maximization in some of the world’s most popular mini-break destinations.”

Website: www.travelman48hrs.com |  Watch: YouTube

‘The Sixth Sense’ Turns 20: M. Night Shyamalan and Haley Joel Osment Tell All

The Sixth Sense (On Set), Bruce Willis
Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock

Hey, cinephiles, one of Philly’s best-know films turned 20. Here’s an oral history (because that’s all that people write now) about the spooky flick.

“The most important moment in ‘The Sixth Sense’ involves a line of dialogue that played in the trailer. It’s of Cole in a freezing cold bed saying the line, “I see dead people.” Shyamalan decided not to use CGI to facilitate the image of his breath; instead, he put Osment in a real-life icebox.”

No one puts Haley in the icebox! Okay, okay, M. Night can.

Read the whole story at Variety >

“Frank Lloyd Wright: Timeless” Exhibition

LAURENT DURIEUX - "GUGGENHEIM"

Steve-Thomas

Go get yourself some very affordable limited-edition prints by various artists inspired by the work of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

View and Buy: spoke-art.com

Between Two Ferns: The Movie

I love Zach Galifianakis, I think he is my favorite comedian right now. I’ll check my current_favorite_comedians.xlsx spreadsheet to make sure and will get back to you, Anyway, his new movie (thin plot connecting hysterical celeb interviews) is so damn silly.

Watch: Netflix

Bonus! Full interviews:

New Team Dresch!

Two new songs (it’s been 19 years)! And they are killer.

Listen and buy at Bandcamp >

“Spread The Feeling” by Pernice Brothers

Man, Joe Pernice makes some beautiful music. His new record offers his patented sunny/sad pop gems with some serious New Order and Guided by Voices vibes.

Listen and buy at Bandcamp >

Brian Medlin & The Elk Band III

Do you enjoy good music like Matt Pond PA, Death Cab, and The Pale Pacific? Well then, you will love these hypnotic new jams from a Philly-based band featuring Brian Medlin and some very talented elks. Brian cohosts one of my favorite podcasts, Volcano Vinyl, check that out too.

Listen and buy at Bandcamp >

The Skilled Fabricators Who Realize Artists’ Ambitious Sculptures

The fine art foundry Polich Tallix working with artist Douglas Coupland and Anthony von Mandl to realize their sculpture Vincent van Gogh, a monumental bronze, for Martin’s Lane Winery in Okanagan Valley.

Not all artists have the tools or space necessary to create what they envision, especially when it is large or complex. That’s where an art foundry comes in handy. Casey Lesser at Artsy gives us a fascinating look into an art “factory” and the amazing artists who work there:

“Polich Tallix represents a side of the art world that the public never sees and rarely hears about. Yet we’re familiar with the work made here—public artworks and finely crafted sculptures that populate our favorite museums, parks, plazas, and other public spaces. This particular foundry is responsible for some artworks that are so famous, they’ve already entered the art-historical canon—like the silver bunny that made Jeff Koons the world’s most expensive living artist; Maman (2003), Louise Bourgeois’s iconic spider that’s over 30 feet tall; and Milan’s 24-foot-tall bronze horse designed by Leonardo da Vinci. We don’t typically question how these artworks come to be. The beating heart of these veritable art factories is their employees. Not just fabrication experts, many are artists in their own right, who take pride in working behind the scenes to execute wondrous creations.”

Read story on Artsy >

Least Popular Halloween Candy

  • Almond Soy
  • Buttertoe
  • Bit-O-Hummus
  • Milky Wayne
  • Mr. Badbar
  • 3 Muskox Tears
  • Diet Krackel
  • Sickers
  • Starborscht
  • Nestlé Conch
  • Senior Mints
  • Tootsie Nana
  • HairHeads
  • Grittles
  • York Peppermint Pâté

Really Dough? Lasagna Pie: Pizza or Lasagna?

“Scott and Mark head to Slab Sicilian Street Food in Portland to try their meat lasagna pie, which is lasagna built in to a Chicago-style pizza crust with crumbled meatballs, four cheeses, and layered pasta. Scott’s been eyeing this pizza for years and he can’t wait to see Mark’s reaction. Will Mark be convinced that the meat lasagna pie is pizza? Will Scott finally take Mark back to Brooklyn now?”

Watch: Really Dough?

Listen: Jeff and Jon Take Scott’s Pizza Tour

Who Let The Dogs Out? The Monster Milers Let The Dogs Out

Do you like to run? Do you also like to spend time with good dogs who love running and meeting people (who might give them a new home)? If so, lace ’em up and contact the very fine folks at The Monster Milers in Philly.

Who we are:  

We are Philly’s shelter dog running club and rescue org!

What we do:

We are a 400+ person run club that runs with adoptable dogs at our partner shelters, giving the dogs exposure to the community and easing shelter stress while they await adoption.

How we SAVE lives:

We rescue dogs directly from Philadelphia’s intake shelter and place them in Miler foster homes.  We also visit local races with adoptable dogs from our foster program (and partner shelters) to find homes for them and increase awareness about pet adoption and volunteering locally.

Visit: themonstermilers.org

Very Good Links

New Susanna Clarke Novel Coming in 2020

A big old HELL YES for a new novel by the author of the magically delicious Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. It is called Piranesi and here is a very intriguing synopsis:

“It has hundreds if not thousands of rooms and corridors, imprisoning an ocean. A watery labyrinth. Once in a while he sees his friend, The Other, who needs Piranesi for his scientific research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. Piranesi records his findings in his journal. Then messages begin to appear; all is not what it seems. A terrible truth unravels as evidence emerges of another person and perhaps even another world outside the House’s walls.”

Read about it here >

The Time Ric Ocasek Helped My Band Make Its First Record

Bob Berg/Getty Images
Ric Ocasek, photographed in New York in June, 1995 — the same year a young Matthew Caws handed him a demo recording of his band, Nada Surf. Shortly thereafter, Ocasek was producing the group’s debut album, High/Low. Bob Berg/Getty Images

This is a lovely Ric Ocasek story told by Matthew Caws of Nada Surf.

“While we were recording rhythm guitars, Ric paid particular attention to entrances. If, for example, an additional electric guitar track was being added to a chorus, it had to start at just the right nanosecond. This I was used to, and it’s what I wanted too. But when it came to doubling that part for thickness, Ric was listening for a level of precision that I hadn’t considered. I would do it again and again until he heard what he was looking for. When I got it, he’d turn up the speakers and play it for me. There it was, total fusion. Now the chorus hit like a ton of bricks.”

Ready full story on NPR >

Clairo – What’s In My Bag?

Singer-songwriter Clairo gives some top-notch music recommendations including Life Without Buildings, Broadcast, Madvillain, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, and Roberta Flack.

Watch: What’s in My Bag

Sound On Please

Unearthed Mix CDs

My water heater burst last week which caused a good amount of flooding in the basement so I had to do some cleaning. Only upside was finding some pretty awesome mix CDs I made in the 2000s. So, me being a very user-friendly content provider, I made Spotify playlists you can enjoy:

2001 Playlist on Spotify

2006 Playlist on Spotify

The Three Questions with Andy Richter: Baron Vaughn

Enjoy a good convo with Andy and comedian/actor Baron Vaughn.

Website: Earwolf

Essential Tremors Podcast with Guest Ian Williams (Battles)

Hosts Matt Byars and Lee Gardner talked to Ian Williams, of Battles and Don Caballero fame, about the music that shaped his own, including Virginia math-rock pioneer Breadwinner, free-jazz great Albert Ayler, and glitch maestro Oval.

Website: www.wypr.org

A Solid Replacement for Your Old Replacements CD

Listening to Dead Man’s Pop and wow, the Matt Wallace remix of Don’t Tell a Soul (which I love) is pretty incredible. Loose, raw, swirling, fun… and you hear so many instruments lost in the original mix. The little bit of piano on “We’ll Inherit the Earth” is a fleeting bit of beauty.

Buy: $79.98

Inside Now-Abandoned Legendary Jersey Punk Club City Gardens

I spent a lot of time here as a teen hanging in the very dangerous parking lot (avoiding skinheads) and seeing some of the best shows of my life. The abandoned city-owned property in Trenton just went up for auction. Hoping Randy Now put in a bid.

Video: Youtube | Photos: www.nj.com

You are probably thinking, “I wondered what old man Jeff looked like back then?” Wonder no more!

Shameless Podcast Plug!

Chip and I still put out some high-quality podcast episodes when we get the time. I recommend our two latest where we ventured into the Facebook Live realm. It was a lot of fun. Both episodes are also available in handy-dandy podcast form.

Episode 22 – Facebook Live Extreme Heat Advisory Show

Watch on Facebook: Junk Miles Facebook Live
Listen to Podcast: JunkMiles.com

Episode 23 – Hanging with Our Pal John

Watch on Facebook: Junk Miles Facebook Live
Listen to Podcast: JunkMiles.com

“Death Cab For Cutie Forest Hills, NY” print by Simon Marchner

Ain’s this a beauty!

5 colour screenprint
42 x 59,4cm
Printed by Lady Lazarus in Houston, TX
Limited Artist Proof Edition of 50 / signed & numbered

Buy: €35.00

Mail’s Here!

My daughter is a very talented and patient dog photographer.

My Best Friend Don

Lastly, it was just the birthday of my childhood buddy Don. He is no longer with us. I wrote about him here.

Stay positive. See you soon.

More Goodness…

Jeff Lyons

Author: Jeff Lyons

I am the proprietor of this dumb site and Philly Trail Runners. I also co-host Junk Miles with Chip & Jeff. You can follow my daily nonsense on Twitter and Bluesky .