Jesse Walker
@notjessewalker.bsky.social
2.5K followers 140 following 2.3K posts
I wrote THE UNITED STATES OF PARANOIA and REBELS ON THE AIR.
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notjessewalker.bsky.social
Apparently, there are people who hear the name "Diane Keaton" and think: "Ah, yes. From FATHER OF THE BRIDE."
Tweet from People magazine: "Diane Keaton, Famed for Roles in 'Father of the Bride,' 'First Wives Club' and More, Dies at 79 (Exclusive)"
notjessewalker.bsky.social
This seems like an appropriate moment to reiterate a recurring theme of my social-media feeds, namely: The '70s were a weird time, man.
Clark Olofsson, 78, Dies; Bank Robber Helped Inspire ‘Stockholm Syndrome’
www.nytimes.com
notjessewalker.bsky.social
…or maybe it's real after all. Roderick Long sends an alternate etymology (found in www.sfgate.com/entertainmen... and the paywalled www.kerouac.com/herb-caen-di...) where the word was coined a few years earlier. "Nudnik" precedes "Sputnik," so that certainly could be true.
LETTERS TO DATEBOOK
The term was actually coined by Mrs. Leonard "Etya" Gechtoff, owner of the East and West...
www.sfgate.com
notjessewalker.bsky.social
This is a good point! The story, dated 1957, includes the word "beatnik," but Herb Caen didn't coin that term til 1958. Which makes me think either the manuscript is misdated or it ain't authentic.
Someone on Twitter replied to me: "Why would Kerouac be using the term 'beatnik' in April 1957, 18 months before the launch of the Sputnik satellite that directly led to the word’s invention?" (And then followed up: "Sorry, 6 months before, but the point still stands - it makes no sense.")
notjessewalker.bsky.social
Even when Johnny Cash was parked semi-permanently at the Wayne Newton Theater in Branson, you'd have to search pretty far to find someone calling him "deeply uncool."
Wall Street Journal headline/subhed: "It’s Finally Time to Give Johnny Cash His Due
Compared to Dylan and Springsteen, the country-music legend can seem deeply uncool. It took years for me to appreciate his profound, plainspoken strength."
notjessewalker.bsky.social
Oh, I like SMALL CHANGE best of his jazz-era albums. Long before I had a copy, high-school me kept calling the college radio station to request "Step Right Up" and "The Piano Has Been Drinking."
notjessewalker.bsky.social
It's not a bad album at all, but it's scattershot and IMO the follow-up is much better. (Though HEART is also the first album of his that I ever owned, back in the days when we acquired albums one by one as our budgets allowed and then listened over & over, so I have a sentimental attachment to it.)
notjessewalker.bsky.social
My most notable disagreement (with the Waits discussion; I have bigger disagreements with NR) came in part 1, when multiple people asserted that HEART OF SATURDAY NIGHT was a step down from CLOSING TIME.
notjessewalker.bsky.social
They don't skip discussing it, but they all say it's a letdown after Rain Dogs. (I'm a fan of the album myself, though I agree with them that Rain Dogs is better.)
notjessewalker.bsky.social
"This might not sound all that notable. Americans support the 1st Amendment and the 6th Commandment: big whoop. That should be the bare minimum, right? But I do think these findings are noteworthy in light of the hordes of people who are telling us the opposite."
Two Things Americans Agree On
Murder bad. Speech good.
www.wakeuptopolitics.com
notjessewalker.bsky.social
hahahahahahaha (catches breath) hahahahahah...
On Twitter, Rand Paul criticizes the strike against alleged drug smugglers & someone replies, "Correct me if I'm wrong, were you in the Senate when Obama was droning everyone?"
notjessewalker.bsky.social
Nozick's framework for utopia (seniors edition): "niche retirement communities...for specific individuals and interests like horse lovers, film buffs and even retired postal workers"
Margs, Stars and Classic Cars: Surprising Retirement Communities
www.nytimes.com