Rick Rubin’s way of being and much moreΝβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 
James Pillion
 

MY FAVOURITE THINGS | Nothing Compares 2 U

β€œThe closer we get to the natural world, the sooner we start to realize we are not separate. And that when we create, we are not just expressing our unique individuality, but our seamless connection to an infinite oneness.”

β€” RICK RUBIN
 

I have the universe to thank for reconnecting me with Rod Stewart in the bargain bin of my local flea market. It was the cover art of Body Wishes that hooked me, the pop star preening in red leather suit. Yet it was only after I played the record through that it all became startlingly obvious. Stewart was helping me grapple with recent heartbreak. When we ask the universe for guidance, offering ourselves up as guinea pigs to a world we can’t conceivably comprehend, it’s amazing where we can wind up. In the case of Stewart’s 1983 LP, I found my answer in sweet surrender. As I let the good, the bad, and the discomforting wash over me, I slowly remembered what a privilege it is to taste the peaks and valleys of love, if only for a little while. 

My apologies for not making it to print last month. My trusty steed of a laptop kicked the bucket. As such please enjoy my 2-4-1 playlist special for July and August. 
 

The Creative Act: A Way of Being πŸ“š

I have Rick Rubin to thank for pummeling my bed pillows for five minutes straight before picking up a pen and free associating on a yellow legal pad. The exercise not only left my body tingling all over but reminded me that I contain multitudes. At heart, the acclaimed music producer (Rubin prefers music reducer) sees us as instruments of a universe beyond our comprehension, mediums capable of latching onto disparate dreams and loving them into being. My hardback copy has become a sanctuary, a place to turn when I’m feeling creatively stifled. The real vocation of the artist, according to the acclaimed producer, is how we move through the world. Not seeking to control but learning how to let go.

β€œArt has the power to snap us out of our transfixion, open our minds to what’s possible, and reconnect with the eternal energy that moves through all things.” β€” Rick Rubin
 

Barbenheimer πŸŽ₯ 

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon with my sister then watching Oppenheimer back to back with Barbie. The impulsive indulgence, inspired with a little help from Anthony Lane’s review, compelled me to jump on the hype train and review them as one. Both Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig had the unenviable task of making two 20th Century icons relevant for 21st Century audiences. Where Nolan’s three-hour non stop talkathon sets the mind spinning on the hamster wheel, Gerwig’s pastel funhouse sneaks gender politics into a self-referential meta burger. While both films are personal achievements, each are plagued with insurgent supporting characters; Robert Downey Jr’s Lewis Strauss and Ryan Gosling’s Ken both pulling the rug out from the top billing. 
 

Why Beauty Matters πŸ“Ή

My first visit to the Sistine Chapel last month left me emotional tizzy. Just how did Michelangelo conceive of such beauty on his back? Witnessing such a labour of love helped me contextualize Roger Scruton’s despair for modern art and architecture. While a skyline of glass towers can induce a sense of primal awe, it’s never consumed me quite like the Louvre in Paris, the Pantheon in Rome or SΓ£o Vicente de Fora in my new hometown. Beauty, according to the late English aesthetician, has no place in an age of utility. Such thinking, proudly touted by Silicon Valley and its acolytes, threatens to cut us off from the one thing that makes us truly human. Our ability to be moved to tears by the inexplicable. 

β€œWhen we find beauty in a youthful person, it is because we glimpse the light of eternity shining in those features from a heavenly source beyond this world.” β€” Roger Scruton
 

Genesis πŸ“Ή

A late night conversation with my boss left me wandering off the well-lit path in search of answers to the stoned ape hypothesis, the pineal glands likeness to the eye of Horus and the growth of slime mould that streamlines the Tokyo metro system in a matter of hours. Yet it was this 2004 nature documentary that refracted new shades of fascination. It’s not hard to conceive how this doco took six years to bring to life, especially when you witness the level of artistry and exacting detail in every single frame. I love the premise embedded in the title, one that reminds us of our shared genesis from the same bubbling mess of microbial larva. This truth stands in stark contrast to my daily news feed, a fact that helps me better understand why we continue to sow the seeds of self-destruction. 
 

A Bigger Splash πŸŽ₯ 

Name a better movie to serenade the hottest summer on record. Luca Guadagnino’s 2015 drama, set on the sun-bleached shores of Pantelleria, is a celebration of life (and death). Written by David Kajganich (Bones and All), the script is an adaptation of Jacques Deray’s CΓ΄te D’Azur cult classic La Piscine. Ralph Fiennes is the first and last reason to get your eyes on the indie drama, an alluring desperation oozing from his pores. A Bigger Splash is the second installment in his self-described Desire trilogy after I am Love (2009) and Call By Your Name (2017) and is my favourite to date. While I’m usually in her corner, Tilda Swinton’s turn as a muted pop star just doesn’t cut the mustard.

 

Destiny Disrupted πŸ“š 

A recent visit to La Galerie des Batailles in the palace of Versailles put Tamim Ansary’s highly compelling history of Islam into perspective, reminding how civilizations are born at the end of the sword. Reading of the rise and fall of the Muslim world recalls the childhood game of telephone, the original premise and promise corrupting beyond comprehension. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment when Ansary threads the connection between the origins of Islam and the ongoing Middle East crisis. But thanks to Louis C.K., Ansary’s surprising page turner has red-pilled me into bearing witness to the machiavellian machinations of the West and the endless turmoil that it has wrought by treating one of the oldest cultures on earth like a gadfly.
 

Wham! πŸ“Ή

I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that pure play was the secret sauce that catapulted George Michael and Andrew Ridgely to the big top. Spontaneity and youthful enthusiasm being the primary ingredients that gave way to a glossy collection of irresistible pop hits. It was inevitable that Chris Smith structured the story around Michael’s life in the closet. Yet the most exciting part of the doco was witnessing his continual reinvention in search of his true voice. That these London lads pulled the plug on their meteoric success before the age of 25 makes the quote below that much more remarkable. Michael’s 2007 Desert Island Discs is a joyous listen.

β€œWhen I write a melody in my head, something at the back of my neck just knows that I’ve hit it. It’s almost like it comes to you fully formed and you just pulled it out of nowhere and the feeling you have that makes you shiver is that you found it.” β€” George Michael
 

Nope πŸŽ₯ 

I’ve never been able to get it up for Jordan Peele’s zeitgeist horror spectacles. Until now. I can’t quite put my finger on why Get Out or Us left me cold. I just know that Nope is one of the most original and thought provoking films I’ve come across. What makes this alien blockbuster dramedy all the more satisfying are the easter eggs. As this episode of Still Processing reveals, Peele peers behind the glossy veneers of Hollywood history. Like this real sitcom animal blowout. Or naming the unassuming cowboy hero OJ (Daniel Kaluuya is sublime) in open defiance to Hollywood’s whitewashed history. I also loved Thomas Flight’s hot take on the real villain being show business itself, a place that commoditizes trauma to line other people’s pockets.     
 

Death On The Lot πŸ“»

Adam McKay is back in the driver’s seat with a second season focused on his own backyard. Or, rather, the lavish backyards of yesteryear. McKay zeroes in on the quirks of 1950s Hollywood, the stiff moral codes and the eye-raising excesses that abounded behind closed doors. I love the way McKay blurs the line with his irreverent dad jokes while serving up some juicy nuggets. Be it the rise of youth culture through the live fast, die young ethos of James Dean, the latent irony in Hollywood’s labour unions and the tragedy of red-baiting. Everywhere I turn, I seem to run into content mining the glory days of yesterday. I guess that’s what happens when tinseltown subsists on a steady diet of IP driven narratives and remakes.
 

Exodus the North Star 🎢 

When I’m in need of a pick me up, I like to tune into the feel-good sounds of Snoh Aalegra, Summer Walker and Tyson. Yet it’s Yaya Bey’s brand new EP that’s had me returning for more. There’s a propulsive throwback charm to this collection of summer anthems. I loved Bey’s video introduction in the Spotify sidebar, explaining that the EP was written from a place of joy and hope. Released in the wake of the recent passing of her father Grand Daddy I.U., the late American rapper hailing from 1980’s Juice Crew, Bey reminds that love still lives in the shadows. It’s always special when you find music that releases the right kind of serotonin with every single spin. 
 

Jane Birkin πŸ‘€

The muse of muses, who passed away last month at the age of 76, had a knack for turning a fork in the road into prophesy. While so many of these roads were shared with larger-than-life men, Jane Mallory Birkin knew how to carry her voice in the public forum. From her teen marriage to James Bond composer John Barry, her salacious bit part in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up, her star turn in Jacques Deray’s La Piscine and scandalous duet with Serge Gainsbourg (1969 was a helluva year) that left the Vatican and BBC apoplectic. After hunting down a second-hand copy of Birkin’s Munkey Diaries, I’m looking forward to getting the inside scoop on the skin she lived in.

 

Brand New Life 🎢

A few Friday’s back, I dropped into BomBomBom, a hip little wine bar in my old neighborhood, where I was serenaded by the delights of Brandee Younger’s new single. When my Shazam app failed to capture the magic, the DJ let me snap his signed LP copy of Brand New Life, intimating, with a wink, that this LP was the bee’s knees. Brand New Life lives up to the hype, a sultry collection of slow jams and luscious harp tracks. The 39 year-old talent cut her teeth with legends like the late Pharaoh Sanders and Bill Lee (Spike Lee’s pops!) and is often ascribed as an acolyte of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. After tucking into Somewhere Different and Soul Awakening I’m beginning to see why.
 

Thanks for reading. To show your support, forward it to someone who’d like it or treat yourself to one of my books.

If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can read previous issues and subscribe here.
 

WRITING | @jamespillion
FILM | @jamespillionfilm

Tv. dos Pescadores 6
Lisboa
Portugal

Unsubscribe