Just under the wire – my personal top 50 albums of the year. This is, of course, in no way an objective list. This is for two reasons: 1) I don’t think that’s possible and 2) I think that’s rather boring. The beauty of year end lists is to discover the music that moved other people and why, discovering not only new artists along the way but, ideally, new ways of looking at the world. That’s what music’s good for,... Read more
Tony Jones and Ryan Parker wrap up 2016 with a discussion of one of the year’s best series, TRANSPARENT. They talk about the brilliance of Judith Light, lament the absence of Rabbi Raquel, and speculate where the series might go in its upcoming fourth season. Take a listen after the jump. (more…) Read more
Tony Jones and Ryan Parker discuss the first five episodes of the third season of TRANSPARENT, streaming on Amazon, and the themes of religiosity, sexuality, classism, and narcissism. Take a listen after the jump. (more…) Read more
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the reboot of the Harry Potter series, takes viewers even further afield into the wizarding world–to the streets of Jazz Age New York. Based on a thin novelty book Rowling published in 2001, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander was supposed to be Harry Potter’s first textbook for Care of Magical Creatures class. For a summary review of the film, read here. The following are some thoughts on my... Read more
Tony Jones and Ryan Parker discuss the new Netflix documentary, Amanda Knox, and what it says about unjust legal systems, amoral media outlets, and the public’s obsession with crime stories. Take a listen after the jump. (more…) Read more
No matter how many think pieces have been written, we don’t quite know who Donald Glover is. And even with all of them waiting in the wings, I don’t think we’re going to get a clear answer. And, thank God, because it has been a joy watching him answer that question for himself. From his early success as a prototype-YouTube celebrity to his hard earned career as a musician, Donald Glover is, in many ways, the promise of the internet... Read more
John Grant has been gracing the covers of international magazines aimed at upscale gay men during the last several months. Long a player on the alternative music scene as a member of The Czars, he has been in the midst of a personal and musical revival for the last six years. Now, at age 48, it seems like we’re really getting to know him for the first time. Grant is nothing if not a lumbersexual—in the gay world, a... Read more
By the very nature of his musical stylings, Andrew Bird is obviously a tinkerer. From the beginning of his solo career, Bird has been known for a handful of undeniable traits: lush violin, other worldly whistling, obtuse (or is it abstruse?) lyrics, and his trusty loop pedal. With a seemingly endless imagination and with incredible precision, Bird has built his uniquely avant-folk career out of constantly evolving loops and intricate atmospherics. Because of these factors, it should come as no... Read more
Tony Jones and Ryan Parker wrap up their discussion of Marvel’s Luke Cage, streaming on Netflix. They lament a fading narrative, celebrate strong performances, and discuss the theological importance of setting a story such as this in a particular, real world time and place. Listen after the jump. (more…) Read more
Having moved back to Civilization, I now have access to an embarrassment of riches when it comes to gay cinema. In the past few weeks I was able to take in Spa Night, a Kickstarter masterpiece by indie director Andrew Ahn, and Being 17, the most recent release from revered French director André Téchiné. Both films place the drama of young gay men coming out within deeply embedded social and geographical contexts: in Being 17, a rugged mountain village in... Read more
Pop Theology
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In