The New Yorker - Culture Desk

Joni Mitchell’s Youthful Artistry

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 20:37:59 GMT

A new release documents the musician’s early metamorphosis—unmoored, broke, living for a time in a Toronto attic—when her lodestar was her big, strange, unwieldy talent.

The Best Music of 2020

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 11:00:00 GMT

In my listening this year, I wanted only to be felled instantaneously—works by Dua Lipa, Adrianne Lenker, and eight more artists did so.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Mines the Paranoia of the Nineteen-Eighties and Today

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 18:19:10 GMT

If the prevailing bipartisan anxiety is the idea of America laid low from within, Cold War delivers an MK-ULTRA-calibre dose.

The State of Play for a Poker-Playing President

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 15:27:13 GMT

Not so much winning.

The Gut-Punch Humor of "I Hate Suzie”

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 15:00:00 GMT

The ingenious new comedy from Lucy Prebble and Billie Piper follows the unravelling of its main character’s life in eight sharply drawn episodes, each named after a stage of grief.

Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 20:05:28 GMT

Highly disturbing objects and scenarios to avoid.

Four Seasons Total Manscaping

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 19:52:50 GMT

A spa day for Rudy.

Two Thriving String Quartets

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:37:36 GMT

A pair of new recordings show how classical musicians are adapting to the lack of in-person concerts.

Taking Care of the Outgoing Administration

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 23:22:51 GMT

A palliative program for the soon-to-be unemployed.

How’s the Vote Count Going for Donald Trump?

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 19:45:56 GMT

He can’t wait to find out the result . . .

Ariana Grande Talks Dirty on "Positions”

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 20:29:12 GMT

Listeners may find it a relief to find an album that aspires to please and nothing more.

The Season’s Must-Have Accessory

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 20:23:40 GMT

Peeping some autumnal hues around town.

All the Wrong Reasons to Remake "Rebecca”

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 19:48:09 GMT

Daphne du Maurier’s story could have provided ground on which to explore issues of control, abuse, queer romance, and the terror of becoming a wife. But Netflix’s superficial, slapdash new adaptation isn’t interested.

David Byrne’s Gray Suits, from "Stop Making Sense” to "American Utopia”

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 18:42:55 GMT

Rachel Syme writes about David Byrne’s use of different types of suits, both in the Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense” and his latest production, “American Utopia.”

Biden’s Secret Debate-Prep Techniques

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 22:46:36 GMT

The cartoonist Barry Blitt illustrates the humorous ways that the former Vice-President Joe Biden is preparing for his upcoming debate against President Donald Trump.

Aaron Sorkin Puts America on Trial

Sat, 17 Oct 2020 19:30:00 GMT

Anthony Lane reviews Aaron Sorkin’s new movie “The Trial of Chicago 7” and Spike Lee’s “David Byrne’s American Utopia.”

How Should the Media Talk About Climate Change?

Sat, 17 Oct 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Lizzie Widdicombe writes about Genevieve Guenther, a Renaissance scholar turned climate-change activist, who studies how the media and the public discuss global warming.

The Rise of the Minimony and the Micro-Wedding

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 20:04:04 GMT

Anna Russell writes about the coronavirus-era trend of extremely small wedding ceremonies, called minimonies or micro-weddings, with guests lists that include only immediate family and a few close friends.

Trump Reassures His Fans

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 19:22:09 GMT

Barry Blitt’s Kvetchbook cartoon depicts President Donald Trump wearing a barrel while attempting to assuage his supporters’ concerns about the economic consequences of his Administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Milt Gross: A Cartoonist’s Cartoonist

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 18:18:09 GMT

Françoise Mouly and Genevieve Bormes on the enduring comic genius of Milt Gross, American cartoonist, illustrator, humor writer, and screenwriter.