Author and pop-culture humorist
Author and pop-culture humorist specializing in Americana
PROFILE
Charles Phoenix
Guest
FROM Charles Phoenix
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Clifton’s Cafeteria Set to Reopen An indoor redwood forest. Animatronic wildlife. More Jello than you could possibly imagine, and space for 600 diners. Clifton’s downtown cafeteria opened near the corner of Broadway and 7th street in 1935. It was family owned until 2010, when nightlife impresario Andrew Meieran bought the property. He closed Clifton’s in 2012 to revamp and remodel the interior. And the brand new Clifton’s is set to open on September 17 .
Design and Architecture
What Does the Instagram Sale Mean for Retro Culture? Last week saw an astounding billion dollars being paid for an app that can give a retro look to camera-phone photos. Instagram , a small startup, was bought by tech behemoth Facebook . Charles Phoenix, a cult figure who collects and builds performances around actual retro photos of Americana, helps to process the cultural significance of the Instagram deal. Charles has a few shows coming up next month like his Big Retro Slide Show at MOCA Grand Avenue and his Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles , and he gives his thoughts on Instagram and how the trend for retrofying snapshots compares with what he does. Frances' vintage Bugs Bunny sweater from a flea market photographed by Charles Phoenix with Instagram "Earlybird" filter. Top image: Photograph of Charles Phoenix by Chris Haston with Instagram "Nashville" filter.
Recommended
The Treatment
Lucia Micarelli: An Evening with Lucia Micarelli Violinist and actress Lucia Micarelli visits The Treatment to discuss her emotive performances as she prepares for PBS' An Evening with Lucia Micarelli.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?