{"id":4307,"date":"2009-08-07T05:08:53","date_gmt":"2009-08-07T09:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=4307"},"modified":"2009-08-07T05:08:53","modified_gmt":"2009-08-07T09:08:53","slug":"unrequired-reading-aug-7-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/unrequired-reading-aug-7-2009","title":{"rendered":"Unrequired Reading: Aug. 7, 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking for links in all the wrong places? Just click “more”!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Eightiesologist eulogizes John Hughes<\/a>. (Note: I am the only American who was a teenager in the 1980s and who never saw The Breakfast Club<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

In yo’ FACE<\/a>, Hazlitt!<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Somewhat technical but very entertaining conversation about the use of four-color process in comic books<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin: shirtlessest former head of state ever<\/a>!<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Born to Run<\/span> Mall-Walk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Vincent Price as a gateway to geekery<\/a>? Just look at Bill Hader’s impression of him.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

“My vote cannot be bought! But it can be rented.” \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Billy Tauzin<\/a><\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

John Feinstein on the job he never wanted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Yes. Best book cover ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking for links in all the wrong places? Just click “more”!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[27,26,33,4,12,17,32],"tags":[802,192,800,786,803,799,801,755,798],"class_list":["post-4307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-big-business","category-comics","category-football","category-literature","category-pharmaceuticals","category-politics-explicit","category-sports","tag-billy-tauzin","tag-bruce-springsteen","tag-dave-sim","tag-john-feinstein","tag-john-hughes","tag-neal-adams","tag-vincent-price","tag-vladimir-putin","tag-william-hazlitt"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4C7K-17t","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15061,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-473-darryl-cunningham","url_meta":{"origin":4307,"position":0},"title":"Episode 473 – Darryl Cunningham","author":"Gil","date":"February 15, 2022","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 473: Darryl Cunningham With Putin's Russia: The Rise of a Dictator (Drawn & Quarterly), cartoonist Darryl Cunningham undertook the most intense and difficult process of all of his nonfiction books. We get into Putin's postwar upbringing in Leningrad, his KGB career and the fall of the USSR,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/art"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/cunningham2022comp.jpg?fit=1173%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/cunningham2022comp.jpg?fit=1173%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/cunningham2022comp.jpg?fit=1173%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/cunningham2022comp.jpg?fit=1173%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/cunningham2022comp.jpg?fit=1173%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14041,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-409-rian-hughes","url_meta":{"origin":4307,"position":1},"title":"Episode 409 – Rian Hughes","author":"Gil","date":"November 24, 2020","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 409: Rian Hughes \"In graphic design, if you define the problem clearly, the solution is almost immediately apparent. And if you can't find a solution, it's likely because you haven't defined the problem well.\" With his amazing new book XX (Overlook Press), Rian Hughes gets to add\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rianhughescomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C532&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rianhughescomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C532&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rianhughescomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C532&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rianhughescomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C532&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rianhughescomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C532&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16175,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-546-rian-hughes","url_meta":{"origin":4307,"position":2},"title":"Episode 546 – Rian Hughes","author":"Gil","date":"July 12, 2023","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 546: Rian Hughes \"The word 'graphic' means explicit, and graphic design at its best has that straightforward, punchy, explicit aspect to it. That's the kind of bold design that appeals to me.\" Writer, graphic designer, typographer, illustrator, comics writer\/artist, and photographer Rian Hughes rejoins the show to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2023.jpg?fit=1200%2C714&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2023.jpg?fit=1200%2C714&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2023.jpg?fit=1200%2C714&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2023.jpg?fit=1200%2C714&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2023.jpg?fit=1200%2C714&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14095,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-412-the-guest-list-2020","url_meta":{"origin":4307,"position":3},"title":"Episode 412 – The Guest List 2020","author":"Gil","date":"December 13, 2020","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show: The Guest List 2020 It's time for our year-end Virtual Memories Show tradition: The Guest List! 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I'm very lucky because I get up in the morning and I'm full of the possibilities of what I can do that day. And I'm very, very lucky because what I do seems to have some kind of audience.\" Multi-hyphenate Rian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/art"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/hughes2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7328,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/podcast-slipping-the-noose-of-the-topical","url_meta":{"origin":4307,"position":5},"title":"Podcast: Slipping the Noose of the Topical","author":"Gil","date":"September 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtual Memories \u2013 season 3 episode 20 - Slipping the Noose of the Topical \"When you start out writing, you think, 'Maybe I'll become one of the great writers, like Dostoevsky or Goethe, Tolstoy.' 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