CRYPTONYM

Of all the strange and wonderful things to come out of the sixties, the Beatles remain a fan favorite. And with the entire Beatles repertoire recently released on iTunes, a new John Lennon film, and yet another Paul McCartney biography on the shelves, there’s never been a more crucial time to ensure your collection of Beatles swag is complete by scoring a gratis copy of Astrid Kirchherr: A Retrospective. A close friend of the group (and love interest of fifth Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe), Astrid is the force behind many iconic shots of the band.

For your chance to win, follow Cryptonym on Tumblr today. Even if you're not a fan of the Fab Five, we promise plenty of fun facts to impress and annoy your friends!

Posted by MSK at 04:06 PM | Permalink
Posted to Art and Architecture | Liverpool University Press | Music

Image by Astrid Kirchherr, all rights reserved

All thirteen of the Fab Four’s studio albums are available on iTunes today, as well as a special digital “Beatles Box Set” featuring an exclusive of the band’s first US gig at the Washington Coliseum in 1964. The road to this agreement has been long and at times rocky—much to the dismay of the fans, who have been ceaselessly creative in coming up with new ways to convey their desire to buy the band’s work digitally.

Rest assured, these demands have not fallen on deaf ears. From the press release:

“I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes. At last, if you want it, you can get it—The Beatles from Liverpool to now! Peace and Love, Ringo.”

—Ringo Starr

This month similarly saw the long-awaited release of enigmatic photographer Astrid Kirchherr’s collection of photographs of the Beatles, included in the volume Astrid Kirchherr: A Retrospective published by Liverpool University Press. The book includes deeply personal shots of the band at a Hamburg fairground, on vacation in Tenerife, on a train while filming Hard Day’s Night, and more. Many of Kirchherr’s photos are previously unpublished and others have never been seen uncropped.

See some previous publicity for the book here and here.

Posted by MSK at 02:33 PM | Permalink
Posted to Art and Architecture | Liverpool University Press | Music

John Corbett, co-editor of the WhiteWalls Sun Ra titles The Wisdom of Sun Ra, Pathways to Unknown Worlds, and the forthcoming Traveling the Spaceways, recently wrote an article on Sun Ra for Design Observer. Corbett provides an eloquent introduction to Sun Ra and his Arkestra, mapping the Chicago spaces inhabited by Ra and his collaborators as they developed the El Saturn label and launched the Arkestra.

Visit Design Observer

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Posted to Art and Architecture | Author Events | Black Studies | Music | Whitewalls

Byron Coley recently praised Pathways to Unknown Worlds from WhiteWalls in the May issue of the Wire. Coley praises the visual work included in the volume, "It looks incredible. . . ." He praises the essays by Corbett and Adam Abraham for setting the scene. Finally, he exclaims of Ra's work, ". . . [I]ts visionary brilliance will become plain to anyone who takes the time to look at it with the wonder it deserves."

The Wire: Adventures in Modern Music (Review Unavailable Online)

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Posted by at 01:17 PM | Permalink
Posted to Art and Architecture | History | Music | Reviews | Whitewalls

Nina C. Ayoub recently reviewed Karaoke: The Global Phenomenon in the "Note Bene" section of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Ayoub discusses the spread of karaoke and its origins. She also credits Zhou Xun and Francesca Tarocco for providing a theoretical context for the discussion:

The two academics give a nod to theory at the beginning of their tour. Karaoke, they say, challenges easy equations of globalization with Americanization. "'Global traffic' goes in all directions." In this case, an Eastern creation has spread, incorporating local traditions in every new place.

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Posted by at 09:25 AM | Permalink
Posted to Cultural Studies | History | Music | Reaktion | Reviews

Scott Verrastro recently reviewed Pathways to Unknown Worlds from WhiteWalls in JazzTimes, calling it, ". . . a fascinating array of early Sun Ra and El Saturn artifacts. . . ." Verrastro contextualizes the collection within the universe of Sun Ra, reminding readers new to Sun Ra that his Afro-Futurist mythology is both serious and full of humor.

We agree with Verrastro: "To these eyes, too much Sun Ra epehemera is never enough. . . ."

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Posted by at 01:15 PM | Permalink
Posted to Art and Architecture | Black Studies | History | Music | Whitewalls

James Parker recently reviewed Zhou Xun and Francesca Tarocco's Karaoke: A Global Phenomenon in the Boston Globe. Parker uses the book to trace some of the highlights of Karaoke's history. In the end, he offers his article as a tribute to karaoke-lovers: "I dedicate this one to the karoke-lovers, who will make tonight their own."

In Karaoke, Zhou Xun and Tarocco reveal karaoke's surprisingly complex history and significant cultural impact around the world. Originating in postwar Japan, karaoke soon spread to Southeast Asia and the West. Karaoke traces how the practice became a wildly successful social phenomenon that constantly evolved to keep pace with changes in technology and culture. Drawing on extensive research and international travels, the authors chart the varied manifestations of karaoke, from karaoke taxis in Bangkok to nude karaoke in Toronto to the role of karaoke in prostitution. Extensive personal anecdotes reveal the dramatic range of social experiences made possible by karaoke and how the obsession with performance and song has touched politics, history, and pop culture throughout global society.

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Posted by at 08:37 AM | Permalink
Posted to Anthropology | Art and Architecture | Film and Media | Music | Reaktion | Reviews

In connection with The Wisdom of Sun Ra, WhiteWalls and John Corbett have teamed up with the Hyde Park Arts Center for an exhibition, Pathways to Unknown Worlds, and series of events, Travelling the Spaceways. The exhibition and events run until January 14th, 2007.

There is simply too much to list here: screenings, curator talks, a symposium, performances, musicians, artists, rock stars.

Learn about Pathways to Unknown Worlds and Traveling the Spaceways at the Hyde Park Arts Center

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Posted by at 09:33 AM | Permalink
Posted to Author Events | Black Studies | Chicago | Music | Whitewalls

Nancy C. Andreasen, author of The Creating Brain, was recently interviewed in USA Today by Kathleen Fackelmann. Andreasen discusses the brain and its relation to genius, madness, and creativity. The article concludes with suggestions for giving your mind a workout.

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Posted by at 02:02 PM | Permalink
Posted to Art and Architecture | Author Events | Music | Poetry | Psychology

The magisterial proclamations contained in Whitewalls' Wisdom of Sun Ra are garnering interest from Chicago, where the broadsheets were written, to the U.K. at the New Statesman.

Peter Margasak writes in the Chicago Reader:

The Wisdom of Sun Ra includes beautiful reproductions of the dog-eared broadsheets, with full transcriptions in the second half of book. As interesting as the writings are in their own right, they're also offer powerful insights into the personality and philosophy that was central to Ra's later work.

Rachel Aspden is less enthralled with the particularities of Ra's space-mythologies than Peter Margasak, but she still advocates the book as a "fascinating window" into Ra's views:

It's easy to overdose on Ra's liberal use of capitals and frequent invocations of Neptune, but for browsing, John Corbett's selection offers a fascinating window on to the weird world of one of the 20th century's most influential musicians.

Read Rachel Aspden's review in the New Statesman

Read Peter Margasak's Reader blog

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Posted by at 07:05 AM | Permalink
Posted to Art and Architecture | Chicago | History | Music | Politics and Current Events | Reviews | Whitewalls