Culture Snaps - May 10th

by Jillian Butler, Ampersandology

A weekly rundown of what I'm into this week. 

WATCHING

Art & Copy (2009)

Directed by Doug Pray 

Finding myself jonesing for some mad ad men without my weekly Don Draper fix, I turned to Art & Copy, an illuminating look at the creative minds in the advertising industry. With all the lush eye for production and visuals you'd expect from a documentary aimed at the creative process. 

READING

The New Kings of Nonfiction

Edited by Ira Glass; Featuring Susan Orlean, 

David Foster Wallace, Chuck Klosterman & Malcolm Gladwell

I've been a heavy diet of nonfiction lately, and this book of essays--with subjects ranging from a teenage day trader to a right-wing radio host--hits the spot. Edited by This American Life host Ira Glass, This collection's strength isn't in its novelty -- almost every piece in the book is published elsewhere, sometimes twice. It's in the range of voices found in the pages, and the fact that it's a terrific introduction to "literary nonfiction" -- a term which Glass dislikes but I'm sneaking in anyway. The colors that these writers use to paint their subjects is nothing short of inspiring. Now, if only it had a few less kings to make way for a queen...

LISTENING

Dan Auerbach

Keep It Hid (2009)

The thick, dust-smothered rhythms from Black Keys guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach's solo debut are about as sexy, melancholy and run through the hard dirt as a rhinestone cowboy -- which is to say, very. 

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