Justin's Newsletter: April 2023
Vol. 3, Issue 4
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What’s Up With Me
Check out my new story in The Irish Post, about how journalist Fintan O’Toole’s book We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland explores the roots of the conflict in Northern Ireland as well as the anniversary of the Good Friday peace deal in the wake of President Biden’s visit to Ireland. And read a longer version of the article here.
Stay tuned for my story on the Bombay Beach Biennale, an annual Burning Man-esque art festival in a dilapidated former resort town by the Salton Sea. In recent years, it has expanded to be a season-long movement each year, rather than just a single weekend event. The Biennale is meant to call attention to the ecological disaster that is the Salton Sea and to revitalize the area. This year also had a Lit Fest in addition to the Biennale, so there were lots of events, readings, panels, performances, and talks on art/philosophy/poetry/etc., as well as really impressive art installations. I got to do a reading of my articles on Mad Mike Hughes and Slowjamastan as part of the Lit Fest, in the Temple of Scientific Method.
The latest episode of "Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman" features a discussion with M. G. Lord, author of the book Astro Turf: The Private Life of Rocket Science and host of the LAist Studios podcast “Blood, Sweat, & Rockets” about early JPL history. Watch the episode here, and catch future episodes every fourth Friday of the month at 5 p.m. PT on Pasadena Media’s cable channels, streaming apps, and YouTube.
Around Town
Stories to Keep an Eye On
International: The declining, working-class Welsh town of Wrexham had all its hopes pinned on the local football (soccer) team. A couple years ago, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” one of if not the best shows on television, and the longest-running scripted sitcom) purchased the team and started a TV show “Welcome to Wrexham” about it. After 15 years of being relegated to the lowest division, the Wrexham team finally pulled it off a few days ago and got promoted into the next tier, the English Football League, something even the townsfolk and die-hard fans never believed possible. The whole endeavor has rejuvenated the town and made for excellent TV—but at quite a steep price for Reynolds and McElhenney.
National: Are we really headed for a rematch between Biden and Trump? Even though the vast majority of Americans say they don’t want that? It certainly looks unavoidable right now. Anything can happen, but what a boring and existential election that will be if so. The possibility exists that a cascade of criminal charges could bring down Trump’s candidacy, and it looks like DeSantis’ star has already begun to fade. If not them, then who? On the Democratic side, there are very few rising stars who are ready for prime time. Time for the next generation of leaders to step up. Boomers’ve had their time.
California: It looks like we’re headed for a writers’ strike. This will have massive implications and reverberations for the entertainment industry, shutting down and delaying productions for an indeterminate amount of time. The core of the issue is that writers’ contracts are out of date in this constantly in flux streaming era; their compensation needs to be amended to be fair in this dynamic environment. No one wants a strike, but the solution here is pretty obvious.
Local: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens has commissioned legendary artist Betye Saar to create a large-scale, immersive installation called “Drifting Toward Twilight.” It will be a site-specific work featuring a 17-foot-long wooden canoe incorporating found objects, paint, neon, natural materials, and plant matter harvested by Saar from the Huntington grounds. The installation opens on November 11 and will remain on view for two years, then become a permanent part of The Huntington’s American art collection. Read my 2012 article on Saar here.
Great Reads
Here are some recommendations for great books I’ve read recently:
How to Rule Your Own Country: The Weird and Wonderful World of Micronations—George Williams and Harry Hobbs
Researching my Alta Journal article on Slowjamastan, one of the world’s newest micronations where Crocs are banned and Sultan Randy Williams, a slow jams radio DJ, rules with an iron fist out in the desert near the Salton Sea, got me very interested in micronations in general. There are hundreds around the world, with varying degrees of seriousness. This book explores many of their stories, especially groundbreaking micronations over the past half-century, including the Principality of Sealand, Rose Island, Rockall, the Principality of Hutt River, the Republic of Molossia, and many others.
The Islander: My Life In Music And Beyond—Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, led a charmed life, from hanging out with James Bond author Ian Fleming in Jamaica to discovering Bob Marley, U2, Tom Waits, Cat Stevens, and many other eclectic acts. This autobiography is a must for any music lover, as it gives an inside look at the music business as it changed over the decades. Blackwell now owns and rents out Goldeneye, the coastal home in northern Jamaica where Fleming wrote all 14 of the Bond books from 1952-64, and brews a mean, delicious, eponymous Jamaican rum.
Spotlight on My Past Stories
Since my guest on “Pasadena Monthly” this month was M. G. Lord, who wrote a book and hosted a podcast about early JPL history, check out my series on key figures in that history, Jack Parsons (parts One, Two, and Three) and Frank Malina (parts One and Two).
And read all of my journalism here.