Paste was too good to be true. Except that it was true.

Passion blazed in every issue.

If you needed signs of life in music, film, and culture, you didn’t need to do anything but hold a copy of Paste in your hands.

The writing was filled with heart, smarts, wit, character, and love

It looked great.

Every other arts magazine going paled by comparison. (I would make one exception – No Depression – but they disappeared a while ago, they focused on a much narrower slice of art and culture, and they never provided the aesthetic thrills of Paste.)

They were more Rolling Stone than Rolling Stone.

They weren’t afraid to let writers explore the spiritual aspects of music.

They knew good music.

And I will miss them.

Thanks, Josh Jackson, Nick Purdy, and the gang. If anybody in the business knows what they’re doing, they’ll hire you and give you all kinds of resources and freedom.

You know… I’m even going to forgive you all for publishing that Coldplay review.

With love and admiration,

Jeffrey Overstreet

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Auralia’s eReaders… and a contest!

In a few hours, the Auralia’s Colors eBook bargain will be over.

Act fast.

And here’s your chance to win a book …

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Gimme some truth.

In memory of a great speech, from a great man, that occurred on this day in 1963…

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TWO new albums by Sufjan Stevens, and one by Sam Phillips

Sam Phillips just tweeted this news for subscribers to her Long Play music club:

Long Play EP #5, Days of the One Night Stands”, will be released tomorrow, August 27th exclusively to Long Play… http://fb.me/GpGPjaLF

I love that title.

It’ll be a good Friday.

Subscribers can now listen to a long conversation between Sam Phillips and Eric Gorfain at The Long Play’s “Phone Booth,” as they talk about their year of collaborations, and the future.

But wait, there’s more…

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Cover Story

Kristopher Orr’s cover art for The Auralia Thread has been nothing short of inspiring for me.

And this morning, I revealed the book cover for The Ale Boy’s Feast, the final chapter in the series. (Unfinished versions have been floating around on various bookseller sites, but the real cover is here now.)

Want to see it?

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Oh, Danny Boyyyyyyle…

Danny Boyle, director of Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, and my favorite… Millions… has a new film, and here’s the trailer…

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Ask Me Anything – 8/24/2010

On my new Tumblr site, there’s a feature called “Ask Me Anything.”

Nobody ever uses it.

And yet here at LookingCloser.org, people ask me things all the time.

So, I figure I’d better answer the questions where they’re being asked.

And in this new, recurring “Ask Me Anything” series, I’ll often consolidate questions for the sake of convenience.

Like this question, which has come up frequently both here and on Facebook:

Q: When will you review Toy Story 3?

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A great loss: Michael Been of The Call, one of the great rock singers, has died.

A site called Buddyhead is reporting that Michael Been has died.

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The Naked Now

I heard Richard Rohr speak at The Glen Workshop, and in ten minutes he challenged me more profoundly than most of the great speakers I’ve ever heard can achieve in hour-long lectures. …

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It’s happening again: Join me for a week of movies and discussion.

What happened when the lights went out in Room 105?

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