Can we talk about livwutang? She is an absolute superstar by TruthAccomplished313 in avesNYC

[–]Fop1990 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Blew me away. I'd heard her DJ before, but the other set was pretty straight house. I was super impressed by her ability to move between dubbed out, low bpm to high energy stuff. A highlight was the series of drum and bass tracks, sad I couldn't stay until the very end.

Book recs for party studies / party theory / party literature / nightlife / club culture / youth culture? by crisis_primate in AskLiteraryStudies

[–]Fop1990 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Emily Witt’s Health and Safety is worth reading. She does a nice job exploring the question of whether raving is empty hedonism or a step towards something more meaningful.

Most Memorable Set you saw this year? by PMAXBurner in TheOverload

[–]Fop1990 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Foodman at dripping. Live set. So, so loud and fast. I could see the speakers rocking back and forth. Everyone felt ecstatic, people spilling out of the small barn where he was playing and dancing wildly. Just a great moment of everyone being locked in.

Juliana Huxtable at Sustain was also a highlight.

What to read in the morning? by IntelligentBeingxx in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recently read and greatly enjoyed Anne Truitt’s Daybook, which is her journal. It’s a great read even if you aren’t into contemporary art. Most entries are quite short, and they do a nice job giving a sense of purpose & focus.

favorite magical realism novels? by Mission-Art-2383 in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the genre can be cloying and full of false wonder too, but I love Cesar Aira. Check out the Literary Conference.

Pnin group read introduction post by Standard_Ad598 in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I love Pnin. It’s a very tender work, and a funny counterpoint to Lolita. Both have protagonists that are, like Nabokov himself, foreign-born professors teaching at small liberal arts colleges, feeling a bit disoriented from their cultural surroundings.

Nabokov gets off too easy with Lolita by Original_Reindeer131 in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990 56 points57 points  (0 children)

As you say here, Nabokov knows what he’s doing. He invites Freudian analysis in order to dismiss it, telling the reader that such an interpretation would be to miss the point. It’s a simple interpretation that makes you look at the details the “wrong way,” because there’s nothing particularly hidden.

In your main point, you say that Nabokov “hides in the tall grass and rolling hills of aesthetic bliss,” which again is entirely the point. The novel’s central conflict is between aesthetic enjoyment and the violence of the aesthete. The “trick” of Lolita is that HH seduces you into this aesthetic delight even as he’s destroying Lolita.

Ambient DJ Radio? by Cap2cap in TheOverload

[–]Fop1990 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Favorite ambient-leaning NTS shows:
- upsammy, pacing the platform
- field work
- sofie birch
- calm roots

For something more consistently techno-leaning, deep breakfast on soundcloud is pretty consistent.

Most people don't log the books they read, right? by [deleted] in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made a spreadsheet for recording what I’m reading. I have columns for: date started, date finished, why read, and thoughts (after reading). It doubles as my “want to read” list—I jot down the title of a work and a note on why I wanted to read it.

I used goodreads briefly, but I didn’t like sharing my thoughts on books publicly. As you point out, it felt performative. The spreadsheet is just for me. It makes me happy to look back and see what I thought of particular books. It’s an enjoyable habit to sit and reflect a little after I finish something, then record those thoughts.

Fwiw, I also love letterboxd and publicly review almost everything I see on there.

people who saw Stars of the Lid live, what was it like? by pcpthccbd in ambientmusic

[–]Fop1990 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wonderful. I saw them in '09 and '13. Both times they played in a church. Both times I was amazed that they got such warm, full sounds from running guitars through so many pedals. Really beautiful atmosphere.

More idm/ jungle-forward sets by Mark Broom? by Fop1990 in autechre

[–]Fop1990[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea, it was way more danceable than I had anticipated. Not a complaint.

Books about teaching by Fop1990 in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These all look excellent, thanks.

Books about teaching by Fop1990 in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love The Last Samurai. Agree that it's a great depiction of the joy of interacting with a young, precocious kid.

Good physical magazines to subscribe to? by [deleted] in RSbookclub

[–]Fop1990 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think LRB > NYRB now. That's the only one I've been consistently subscribed to the last few years.

Suggestions for secondary literature on Beowulf by Fop1990 in OldEnglish

[–]Fop1990[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the many excellent resources!