Links Aplenty

A Friday roundup, plus some new music for old ears, aka an Oldster Top 10 Playlist from Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld.

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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.

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• The good news: Linda Ronstadt turned 78 on July 15th, and San Francisco permanently made that date “Linda Ronstadt Day.” Happy birthday to one of my favorite singers! (“You’re No Good” and her version of Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” are two of my karaoke go-tos.) - at The San Francisco Chronicle, Aidin Vaziri reports.

  

  Ronstadt in the 1970s, and now. Photo at right by Sam Sargent.

• The bad news: The Grim Reaper has been on an absolute tear through the halls of fame this week. RIP: Shelly Duvall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Richard Simmons, Happy Traum, Shannen Doherty, and Bob Newhart.

  

  What a week… L to R: Shelly Duvall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Richard Simmons, Happy Traum, Shannen Doherty, and Bob Newhart. Getty Images.

• Old Men In America: On Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & the Outlaw Festival - Rock critic (and Oldster Magazine Questionnaire taker) Will Hermes, in his brand new newsletter, Will Hermes: New Music + Old Music.

• Sepia Model Murder 1969: The Slaying of Bani Yelverton - Oldster contributor Michael A. Gonzales on the unsolved murder of a trailblazing model and New York City fixture. - Crimereads.

  1972projects

  

  A post shared by @1972projects

• Amanda de Cadenet talks menopause, hormone replacement, and cognitive function with neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi. Check it out in Amanda’s newsletter/podcast, The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet .

  

  L to R: Dr. Lisa Mosconi, Amanda de Cadanet

• When You Know You Might Forget Everything: Living with the Alzheimer’s gene - Amelia Schonbek at NYMag/Intelligencer.

• “Looking back on my life as a woman in the music industry, I’m unsettled by the inescapable sexism perpetrated by Sean Combs and others.” - For The New York Times Magazine, SHINE BRIGHT HQ writer and veteran music journalist Danyel Smith writes: “I Knew Diddy for Years. What I Now Remember Haunts Me.” (Plus, an installment of her newsletter about the process of writing it.)

  danamo

  

  A post shared by @danamo

• “Research has long shown that health and longevity come down to five fundamental lifestyle behaviors: exercising regularly, eating a nutritious diet, eschewing cigarettes, limiting alcohol consumption and nurturing meaningful relationships.” - In NYT Opinion, Brad Stulberg writes “The Key to Longevity Is Boring.”

• I’m enjoying perusing author Nicholson Baker’s illustrations on his Instagram. This one he’s captioned “Drawing of my hand drawing a self portrait.” :

  nicholsonbaker

  

  A post shared by @nicholsonbaker

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• 🚨Time to put some new music into old ears. 👂 Here’s the monthly Oldster Top 10 by Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld:

  

  Check out Cliff Chenfeld’s show on WLIW/All Arts

  Welcome to the Oldster Top 10, where we listen to hundreds of new songs each month to find some wonderful new tracks from noteworthy artists who may not have caught your attention. It’s hard to find the great new music amongst the tonnage, but we are here to make music discovery much easier for you. You can find all of these songs on the Modern Sounds playlist on Spotify. Enjoy!

  1. Still Woozy – Again – Catchy semi-psychedelia from an artist with one of the best names out there.

  2. Jessica Pratt – The Last Year – Grown up, smart, serious songwriting from a modern writer who is contemporary but can at times evoke a mysterious 60s Laurel Canyon vibe.

  3. Angélica Garcia – Color De Dolor – Eclectic, adventurous, borderless song from exciting new artist who deserves a listen.

  4. Teddy Swims – The Door – Hopefully the huge success of this song suggests room in the pop world for unslick, soulful joy. 

  5. Clairo – Sexy To Someone – Unvarnished desire with a cool, subtle track underneath. Indie-pop at its best.

  6. Willow – Big Feelings – Vocal gymnastics, changing time signatures and expressive lyrics make this the offbeat song of the summer.

  7. Merce Lemon – Will You do Me a Kindness – New singer-songwriter asks an excellent question and builds to a perfect guitar solo.

  8. Zinadelphia – Love Over Glory – Evocative build that leads to a finish that you can dance to through the rest of the summer and beyond.

  9. Ghost – The Future is A Foreign Land – Semi-metal band Ghost sounds sort

     of like R.E.M with this provocative song imagining what 2024 would look like from the perspective of someone in 1969. 

  10. Fontaines D.C. – Starbuster – Irish rock band shows there is still room today for a passionate, slightly agitated, punkish band.

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• Hey, did you catch the first installment of my new advice column, Ask The East Village Yenta? I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time—I’ve had an “East Village Yenta” place-holder tab at the top of this newsletter for going on two years—and I’m very excited do finally jump in. I’m aiming for once a month, but if I get enough great letters, I’ll do it more frequently. Do you have a personal problem you could use help with? Ask The East Village Yenta about it. Send your questions about interactions with romantic partners, friends, coworkers, neighbors, or family members to eastvillageyenta@gmail.com (If I choose your letter, I’ll work with you on editing, and to blur identifying details. And we won’t use your real name.)

  Ask The East Village Yenta #1

• Tee shirt, anyone?

  

  Clockwise from top left: Beverly Donofrio; Roberta McDonald; Andy Romanoff; Sue Repko; Judy Bolton-Fasman; Jacinta Bunnell; Susan Weis-Bohlen; Sari Botton. Order shirts...

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Lots of new subscribers lately. Welcome! And some really sweet notes, like this one 😭:

Thanks, as always, to all of you, for reading and thoughtfully commenting, and for supporting Oldster. 🙏 Have a great weekend, everyone.

-Sari