I tend to read, watch, and listen to a lot of Oldster-adjacent content. Every other Friday I’ll pass some of it along to you in a Link Roundup like this one. If you like what you’re reading here, please hit the ❤️ button to give Oldster a boost in the algorithm.
One more day to take advantage of the Valentine’s Day special of 25% off annual subscriptions for life. Paid subscriptions keep Oldster going, and allow me to keep paying essayists and interviewers. Thanks to all who support my work here! 🙏
The Grim Reaper is on a tear. In the space of just a few weeks we lost: comedic genius Catherine O’Hara at 71 (I somehow forgot to include her last time), actor Robert DuVall at 95, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson at 84, Cake guitarist and songwriter Greg Brown at 56, and Television bassist Fred Smith at 77—a Kingston area local whom I new.
Left to right: Catherine O’Hara, Robert DuVall, Jesse Jackson, Greg Brown, Fred Smith. Wikimedia Commons. To cheer ourselves up after Catherine O’Hara’s untimely passing, my mom, Brian and I watched Christopher Guest’s A Mighty Wind and Best in Show back to back and it was an absolute joy to watch that whole ensemble alternately send up the worlds of folk music and competitive dog shows. Next up: community theater in Waiting for Guffman.
I love this Instagram post from Jamie Lee Curtis (Christopher Guest’s wife) with Joe Pugliese’s fake album covers for “Mitch & Mickey,” the fictional duo played by Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara in A Mighty Wind.
Why Stellan Skarsgard Wasn’t Sure He Could Handle ‘Sentimental Value’: After a stroke four years ago, the actor has changed how he approaches performances, including the one he’s become an awards favorite for. - Kyle Buchanan in The New York Times.
Larry David Agreed to Interview His Daughter Cazzie. She Had Other Ideas. - Interview.
Sandra Bernhard: The Mouth That Roared - at Town & Country, Mike Albo sits down with 70-year-old actress, who’ll be featured in the next season of White Lotus. (The very same Mike Albo who will perform at The Oldster Variety Hour at Joe’s Pub on March 4th!)
Tom Junod Finally Reckons with What It Means to Be a Man - John Hendrickson in Esquire.
How One Doctor Changed New York’s Right-to-Die Law: Jeremy Boal helped pass the bill. He may be one of the first to use it. - More from John Hendrickson, this time in NYMag/Intelligencer.
90 is Way Older than 89 - the latest from Oldster Questionnaire-taker Lloyd Kahn.
Congrats to Blair Glaser on the publication of her moving memoir, This Incredible Longing about her near-cult experience! Blair’s had a lot of careers, and she wrote about it for Memoir Land. Maybe you can relate…
Thanks to those who recommended Grantchester when I said I needed some new shows to watch. We are loving this “cozy” (per IMDB) British murder mystery series about a detective who gets help from local vicars with an uncanny knack for solving crimes. Good news: it’s getting an 11th season.
Writers Read is currently seeking submissions for its next live event in Kingston, NY. “Our upcoming theme is ‘Inheritance’—and we aren't just looking for stories about the china or the wedding rings. We’re interested in the invisible gifts (and burdens) that pulse through our veins and shape our days. Whether it’s a grandmother’s laugh, a father’s temper, or a family legacy of resilience or anxiety, we want to hear about the tangible or intangible things that have profoundly shaped who we are.” Submit your 650 word piece by March 1. Contributors will perform their pieces live on April 25th at St. John’s Church.
CoGenerate—an organization that fosters intergenerational collaboration for problem-solving—is accepting applications for the CoGen Voices Fellowship, which: “will bring together a multigenerational cohort of community change makers committed to honing their voices and elevating a much-needed vision of intergenerational collaboration.” Apply by March 12th.
Can’t attend The Oldster Variety Hour at Joe’s Pub on March 4th in person? You can attend virtually from anywhere, in real time, or for up to a week afterward.
Get your tickets! Poster by Katie Kosma.
How about you? Got any recs? Books? Shows? Movies? Music? Plays? Podcasts? Art shows? Places to travel to? Restaurants? What’s good?
I hope this is enough Oldster-adjacent content to keep us all mentally occupied through the weekend.
Thanks as always for reading, for commenting thoughtfully, and for all your support! I absolutely couldn’t keep Oldster going without you. 🙏 💝 -Sari
The memoir, “Bread of Heaven” by Patti Smith. Known to most (perhaps) as “The Grandmother of Punk Music” - I knew her before her musical entree, when she was (and remains) a wonderful poet. Now she is a National Book Award winner and NY Times best seller and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. - Dwight Lee Wolter.
That Larry David interview was awesome. thank you for sharing!