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Read a historic newspaper for class that described midtown Manhattan as both "the great central ulcer of wretchedness" and "the very rotting skeleton of civilization, from which emanates an inexhaustible pestilence that spreads its poisonous influence through every vein and artery of the whole social system". Slay
Apr 3, 2024
Related Recs
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Shortly after moving to New York I read (and re-read) Rem Koolhaas’ Delirious New York. He wrote it as a retroactive manifesto for the city that needed one and didn’t have one, but to me it reads like this really poetic and at times existential critique of the absurdity of NYC. The scale, the numbers and statistics, the unprecedented “grid”, why the city is the way it is, what lie beneath, and so on. Dave and I work in historic building restoration and getting to see the intricate inner-workings of how these old wooden structures are built is both deeply fascinating and horrifying.
Dec 11, 2023
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buildings are sentient and evil MF, if ykyk. Associated by a tangent only but there’s a great essay by Kenneth Frampton (towards critical regionalism) about what postmodern architecture is reg. the flattening and fracturing of deconstructionism and monoculturalism.
Jan 16, 2025
Squatters have been in the headlines of late... But here (linked) is an 'oldie but goodie' -in yellow journalism. A hit piece on the 1980s squatter noise group MF by none other than Matt Taibbi's old man!
Apr 13, 2024
Top Recs from @marias888
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This a great book on many levels, it looks at the history of cigarettes in popular culture and society. Klein explores it on a deeper level, looking at the way humans love to dance on the edge of danger and how we process death as well as the association of danger with allure. An interesting mix of absurdism and nihilism. Pretty quick read, 8/10.
Apr 4, 2024
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I was born into an ingredient house and to an ingredient house I shall return
Apr 4, 2024
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Sinkhole filled with tar, good family fun
Apr 6, 2024