Word on the Streets

 

Journalism. It's so hot right now. And it's everywhere, from depictions on television and movies from Riverdale to The French Dispatch. To be a journalist in this day and age is to report the truth, objectively and impartially. To honor and uphold the virtue of free speech...

We went to the Charles Theater with Jamie's grandmother to see The French Dispatch. The film is almost a parody of a few old articles of a fictionalized New Yorker magazine. 

Speaking of magazines and movies, my coworker Tom shared an interview of Wes Anderson with me that I read on my lunch break while eating lunch al fresco at Streets Plaza.

The French Dispatch

Come Monday morning, I'll be scouring the archives of the library's periodicals department to find the original articles such as Mavis Gallant's The Events in May or the obituaries of Harold Ross. Many of these original articles can be read in the companion book to the movie, An Editor's Burial. 

It was my week to search periodical requests at work in the library. I just love dashing down to the basements to find old articles from newspapers and journals. While I worked, I thought of some new songs to add to my 1960s/psychedelic-inspired periodicals playlist that I created a few years ago when I worked at Barnes & Noble Johns Hopkins. I used to bring in the newspapers every morning and would listen to this before work...

Periodicals Playlist

Yesterday's Papers - The Rolling Stones

Impostors of Life's Magazine - The Idle Race

Newspaper Blanket - The Cowsills

Five Foot One - Iggy Pop

Sunday Papers - Joe Jackson

 Cover of the Rolling Stone - Dr. Hook

Headlines - John Fogerty 

Did You See His Nam - The Kinks

Want Ads - Honey Cone

News of the World - The Jam

Voyager - Jenny Lewis

Want Ad Reader - The New Breed

PO Box 9837 - Boyce and Hart

Paperman- Bulldog Breed

I'm Not Your Stepping Stone - The Monkees

Genuine Imitation of Life Gazette - The Four Seasons

Good News - Randy Newman

I also found a bust of Gerald Johnson, an old editor of the Baltimore Sun on the 2nd floor in the Central Library.

Riverdale Season 5 Episode 19

"Whatever happens in our town, we're gonna be there to report on it, truthfully and without bias. And whoever is in charge, we will hold them accountable, even if they're our friends. Especially if they're our friends..."

The latest episode of Riverdale has Jughead taking over editorial duties as the head of the Blue and Gold. Unfortunately, rival newspaper the Lodge Ledger is trying to skew the point of view in their favor. Similarly,  here in Baltimore billionaire Stewart Banium Jr. tried to make a bid for The Sun and failed. So he wants to launch his own digital paper, The Baltimore Banner. Not to be confused with the 1965 strike paper of the same name.

Visited the Village Learning Place for the first time on Wednesday night. My colleague Chris Stadler joined me for a night of talking textbooks, going over the history of the building which was an original branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Riding the bus down St. Paul Street to work, I noticed a new stationary shop opening up in Mt. Vernon, The Paper Herald. Perfect for aspiring journalists and writers to frequent and buy supplies. Be sure to show up to their grand opening on November 6th 2021!