Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer

The tension between volatility and vulnerability runs throughout the album.. It is the sound of a man sweating out his demons and trying to contain, within a yogic frame of mind, the urge to throw rocks at cars. It is the sound of the lion endeavoring not to eat the lamb, and occasionally failing in that endeavor. It is the most thrilling release of the year so far.
Killian is a freelance journalist and screenwriter based in London.

The Great Absurdity of Melrose Place

Melrose Place is constantly bringing us there. It’s riveting and titillating magic. Euripides would have loved it. It’s absurdist literature for fans of Nip / Tuck and Desperate Housewives. It’s dark humor with a lurid a cover of glam and dazzling dynamics.

Christopher Lynsey is a thinker and conceptual writer living in New York City.

The Depressing Spirit of A Serious Man

What makes A Serious Man so much more despairing than the Coens’ No Country For Old Men is that its mortal coil is wound tighter. Where No Country had the luxury of retirement, of throwing in the towel by choice, our serious man can only hope things end before they get worse…

Ryland is a Californian who loves images and words and tries to play with both as often as possible.

Dear Xiu Xiu, I Like You

The new Xiu Xiu music video “Dear God, I Hate Myself” is kind of like the art-school version of David Letterman’s extramarital confession. Or Lady Gaga for real monsters… It unveils what the mainstream constantly tries to veil: vulnerability, imperfection, and the (often) filthy grit of reality.

Christopher Lynsey is a thinker and conceptual writer living in New York City.

Understanding Ashley Dupre

The question of who Dupre is and how she wound up a prostitute does not, in the end, seem difficult to answer: She was a resourceful babe who wanted money and was capable of making cruddy decisions. This describes a lot of people.

Molly Young is a writer and blogger based in Manhattan.

Edmund White: City Boy

[White] says that he had had sex with a couple of hundred people before he was 16…[T]here was only one brief period, that between 1960 with the introduction of the birth control pill, and 1981, with the advent of a disease not yet named AIDS, when people were completely free to have sex where and with whom they chose.
The Thoughtful Reader examines and absorbs music, art, and books.