John, this is fantastic. Thank you.

Thank you for this perfect post.

I saw them open for Rilo Kiley on a tour in 2005 after this album was released and their set remains a top life highlight for me. Everyone was dialed in and playing for their lives. Thanks for reminding me to re-visit it!

What do you think of Nicolas Roeg’s work?

This prospect brings to mind one of @mattseybold.bsky.social’s recent running arguments on “American Vandal,” thinking of print as a rent strike.

Another option would be to consider the inheritors of that tradition in the writings of/or about the American, French, and Haitian revolutions.

I know! I suppose I am thinking of Enlightenment era liberally aligned texts at least. Rereading Locke, Rousseau, and Kant for political theory to consider paths not taken or critiques of certain types of authority.

I’m curious to hear if you think that critical reading of the liberal canon (probably very broadly speaking) is a terrain of struggle and contention to combat the authoritarian ideology informing Trump and related populist movements.

Thanks!

What’s the source for this argument? I’ve been reading around these ideas a bit so this seems like a good bridge.

Do you have any favorite ghost stories (written or filmed)? What are they?