Category Archives: On This Day

“Didacticism is the death of art.” — poet Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson

“In every race, in every nation, and in every clime in every period of history there is always an eager-eyed group of youthful patriots who seriously set themselves to right the wrongs done to their race or nation or… art … Continue reading

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“Free Enterprise. The American Dream. Horatio Alger gone mad on drugs in Las Vegas. Do it now. Pure Gonzo journalism.” — Hunter S. Thompson

One of my favorite writers of all time. It’s his birthday today. Here he is on his favorite meal of the day: “I like to eat breakfast alone, and almost never before noon; anybody with a terminally jangled lifestyle needs … Continue reading

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“Why can’t people take me as a regular singer without making a bogeyman out of me?” — Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

Jalacy J Hawkins was born on this day in 1929. If a Martian arrived on earth, and the first thing you showed him was a clip of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins performing “I Put a Spell on You” the Martian might … Continue reading

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“I have an idea that the Irish possess a built-in don’t-give-a-damn that helps them through all the stress.” — James Cagney

It’s his birthday today. One of my favorite actors. From Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors, by Peter Bogdanovich: He was different from most of the great stars of the golden age in that he often … Continue reading

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“I’m not a yesterday’s woman. I’m a tomorrow’s woman.” — Barbara Stanwyck

A real actor’s actor. She was great from the start. She was tough and practical. She didn’t have to act that. She also had deep wells of feeling, and she didn’t have to reach. She could break your heart and … Continue reading

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“I’m not saying I’m trying to create some revolutionary style, but each film has its own language – the movie tells you how it wants to be told.” — Apichatpong Weerasethakul

It’s Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s birthday today. This Thai director is doing some of the most challenging, provocative, and hard-to-classify work in contemporary cinema. He’s only 55 years old, and has already directed 9 feature films, and many short films. The first … Continue reading

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“Only for the sake of the hopeless ones have we been given hope.” — Walter Benjamin

“Often an era most closely brands with its seal those who have been least influenced by it, who have been most remote from it, and who therefore have suffered most. So it was with Proust, with Kafka, with Karl Kraus, … Continue reading

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“The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.” — Robert Conquest

“I think once you accept that you have the answer to everything, you can do anything to bring it about because your enemies are trying to stop you, are enemies of reason, of truth of everything – enemies of the … Continue reading

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“Reality is diabolical.” — Ingmar Bergman

It’s Ingmar Bergman’s birthday today. I saw Persona in college – while studying acting – and was so intimidated by it I thought, “Okay. I can’t ever watch this again.” I needed courage to feel like I still could give … Continue reading

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“He’s one of those actors who knows that his face IS the story.” – Sam Shepard on Harry Dean Stanton

It’s Harry Dean Stanton’s birthday today. I’m pretty sure my introduction to Harry Dean Stanton – whose birthday it is today – was as Molly Ringwald’s sad dad in Pretty in Pink (he made a huge impression on me). It … Continue reading

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