Author Archives: Joe Nolan
Art of Horror
If you read these blog posts for the druggy rockin’ weirdness I’m usually posting you might not know that I’m a film and art critic in real life. I love getting spooky on Insomnia in October, but the other night I found a great opportunity to fold in some of my critical writing as well. [...]
Halloween 40
John Carpenter’s original Halloween film splattered screens forty years ago, and I just got out of a preview screening for the new film with the same name. Carpenter’s original found the him co-writing the script, directing the picture, and writing and performing its iconic synthesizer score. In 1978, Halloween seemed wholly original with its fighting [...]
Demanding Poetry
I like to post about spooky stuff in October, and while this won’t count as a horror story I was more than a little anxious about my Poetry On Demand shift at the Southern Festival of Books on Saturday afternoon. The SFB is the premiere literary event of the year so it was THE place [...]
Indonesia’s Walking Dead
I’m still bummed-out over the passing of Anthony Bourdain. There are some Tony-was-murdered-conspiracy-theories floating around, and even though I love conspiracy theories, I haven’t been able to even look into those because I’m still wrapping my head around his suicide. CNN has been airing the last episodes of Parts Unknown Bourdain completed before his death, [...]
Ginsberg, 1968
Photo: Elsa Dorfman I haven’t got around to posting a lot about 1968, but we’re celebrating the anniversary of one of the craziest years ever, and it’s been helpful for me to look back on that yesteryear chaos to remind myself that these times are comparatively calm. Seriously. While everybody is uneasy about the Supreme [...]
LOTR: Bakshi VS Jackson
1978 was an amazing year for films — especially horror movies. I’m stoked about posting a whole plethora of monstrous missives in October’s lead-up to Halloween. But tonight I’m in the mood for fantasy and I wanted to share this kick ass mash-up I recently added to my YouTube channel. While you’re likely at least [...]
Page & Crowley
Original Photo: Dina Regine Over the weekend I was stoked to find out that a new biography of Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page, had recently hit the book shelves. According to a review in The London Times the book is a no-holds-barred excavation of Page’s debauchery and excess with a particular emphasis on the musician’s [...]
Hey Jude 50
Sunday, August 26, marked the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ biggest hit, “Hey Jude.” Here’s what Rolling Stone has to say about the song and it’s role as a high-water marker in The Beatles song catalog as well as their partnership as friends and as a band… “Hey Jude” sums up the [...]
Experimental Defiance
The Defy Film Festival returns to Studio 615 in East Nashville this weekend. With that in mind I wrote this primer on experimental film for this week’s The Contributor. Pick up a paper from your neighborhood vendor! What we talk about when we talk about experimental film In the most general sense the term “experimental [...]
Book of Bruce
2018 marks 45 years since the death of The Dragon, Bruce Lee. The filmmaker, dancer, philosopher and martial arts pioneer died mysteriously on July 20, 1973. Lee’s death has long been the subject of conspiracy theories ranging from a poisoning by a jealous lover to a mob hit by the Chinese Tong, and the rest [...]
