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This is something the whole family can enjoy. While I’m not really a fan of Rob Smithson’s art (think the spiral jetty film is better than the actual thing, kind of a silly looking creation no?) his writing is really great, sort of reeks of auto-didact vibes but there’s a contagious curiosity to all the shit even if you’re not certain on what he’s talking about. A really fierce intelligence with regards to the imbrication of the anthropocentric landscape, language, and industrial conditions writ large. It’s also just fun. On a sappier level I like reading this stuff because it reminds me to approach everything as a novice. The phrase “ruins in reverse” from A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey (1967) has haunted me for a while now.
Aug 11, 2022
Related Recs
I recently read Vertigo and now I’m reading Rings of Saturn. They are part travelogue, part memoir and part history book. I find he is really easy to read because he speaks universal truths but with really unique and beautiful language and it feels like you are wandering around thinking about life with him. A big theme is decay. There is a part in Rings of Saturn where he talks about how the memory and expanse of a place turns into a single tiny spot in your mind and I can’t stop thinking about that.
Jan 7, 2025
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Spring snow …. That whole cycle of books is really sublime. He’s also so interesting, if you really want to be in contact with his weird brain his memoir about body building is crazy. his novella star is a good intro just cause it’s short and perverse.
Feb 20, 2024
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The thing on the book says essays in praise of excess which I thought idk would be like about kitsch John waters type shit which would have been tight but it’s about a lot of things?? it’s been very good summer reading and a lot of good things here besides being good and enjoyable it’s jump starting a lot of topics for my own writing
May 27, 2024
Top Recs from @laszlo-horvath
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This is a semi-secluded place in Prospect Park. Kind of like a secret garden energy. Very special place. I used to go here in high school with friends who lived in the area mostly to smoke weed. A lot of weed-smoking in the city has to do with trying to access some kind of pastoral fantasy in this wacky town. This is exactly that embodied. It’s like a pond overgrown with various plants, and then a strange little lawn adjacent to it, where a lot of dubious characters sort of skitter around in and out of view; it makes it all the more trippy. Still go here when I need a minute. I don’t smoke that much weed any more.
Aug 11, 2022
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Out of all the anonymous posters crawling around the internet I prefer my good friend @subwaysigns the most. All I’ll betray is his gender. I love his work very much. Following this page is not only a great opportunity to find and purchase some of the finest borrowed nostalgia; it’s also an invaluable archive of New York City’s transit design throughout the ages. Big ups to the homie for monetizing his passion.
Aug 11, 2022
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Whenever I tell my father that I’ve been running around the city he likes to ask me “what are you running from?” He’s totally right. One should consider the deeper implications of their chosen exercise. I’m prone to escapism, and flight from discomfort, and running is like a transfiguration of that impulse. The goal is to get to the point where you feel like you’re running at something or someone instead of from. Hear me out: it’s free, it promotes longevity, it rids one of the wiggles, and it’s like a tour of the city in 2x speed. I encourage running in the street and dodging people and cars.
Aug 11, 2022