John Williams
@johnwilliams.bsky.social
Books editor at Washington Post. Apollonian/Order Muppet. Highly sociable misanthrope.
Pinned
Do reviews draw readers? Boost subscriptions? Sell ads? And if the answer is ‘no,’ what then? Charlotte Klein explores the precarious state of cultural criticism.
Do Media Organizations Even Want Cultural Criticism?
Do reviews draw readers? Boost subscriptions? Sell ads? And if the answer is ‘no,’ what then? Charlotte Klein explores the precarious state of cultural criticism.
nymag.com
The answer to the first two questions below is yes if certain conditions are met: Putting reviews in front of online readers; not expecting/caring that every review do equally "well," traffic-wise; and caring about subscribers' desires/behaviors beyond clicks. Etc.
Reposted by John Williams
Just another morning in the Twin Cities, keeping my eyes on the preschool parent signal chat to make sure none of my child’s classmates, their parents, or their teachers were kidnapped by the federal government in front of the school.
January 14, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Just another morning in the Twin Cities, keeping my eyes on the preschool parent signal chat to make sure none of my child’s classmates, their parents, or their teachers were kidnapped by the federal government in front of the school.
Starting next year, these three should be allowed to skip the regular season and just show up in mid-April for the play-in.
January 14, 2026 at 5:39 AM
Starting next year, these three should be allowed to skip the regular season and just show up in mid-April for the play-in.
In September I saw them in Houston and then, the next night, in Austin.
The monster tour kicked off in Perth, Australia 🇦🇺 on this day in 1995. Where did you see the band that year?
January 13, 2026 at 8:11 PM
In September I saw them in Houston and then, the next night, in Austin.
Saw Mr. Supreme. There's a great sports movie in it. And a great mid-century Jewish movie in it. And a great self-discovery movie in it. But alas, it's not really any of those movies. And like nearly everything, it's 25 minutes too long. Still, enjoyed it more than I thought I would. TLDR: B-.
January 12, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Saw Mr. Supreme. There's a great sports movie in it. And a great mid-century Jewish movie in it. And a great self-discovery movie in it. But alas, it's not really any of those movies. And like nearly everything, it's 25 minutes too long. Still, enjoyed it more than I thought I would. TLDR: B-.
I often have reason (always hilariously) to think of these lines by Sasha Frere-Jones from 2006. In a reverse-construction way, RFK Jr. "ending the war on protein" is the latest reason.
January 12, 2026 at 5:56 PM
I often have reason (always hilariously) to think of these lines by Sasha Frere-Jones from 2006. In a reverse-construction way, RFK Jr. "ending the war on protein" is the latest reason.
*You* might be behind on pop culture, but *I* just finished the first season of Homeland.
January 11, 2026 at 5:14 AM
*You* might be behind on pop culture, but *I* just finished the first season of Homeland.
Strange to be reading this at a time when one is *slightly* jealous of the protagonist.
January 10, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Strange to be reading this at a time when one is *slightly* jealous of the protagonist.
There are still people who believe chronic ouchiness in certain pro athletes isn't a real thing. As my dad once said about Jay Buhner: "His only problem is that he walks around with a piano over his head."
January 10, 2026 at 1:49 AM
There are still people who believe chronic ouchiness in certain pro athletes isn't a real thing. As my dad once said about Jay Buhner: "His only problem is that he walks around with a piano over his head."
To intentionally pivot to something dumb for a moment, I've been unduly annoyed lately by something I would put this way: If the *first time* you hear of someone, they are more famous to you than their parents, they are not a nepo baby.
January 9, 2026 at 2:12 AM
To intentionally pivot to something dumb for a moment, I've been unduly annoyed lately by something I would put this way: If the *first time* you hear of someone, they are more famous to you than their parents, they are not a nepo baby.
Reposted by John Williams
New by me —>
Will Pittsburgh become America’s most important city without a newspaper? Or will the @post-gazette.com shutting down in May spur some long-delayed action?
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/will...
Will Pittsburgh become America’s most important city without a newspaper? Or will the @post-gazette.com shutting down in May spur some long-delayed action?
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/will...
Will Pittsburgh become America’s most important city without a newspaper?
One of the country's oldest newspapers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, says it's shutting down in May. Not going digital-only — just closing. But the delayed closure could also spur some long-delayed ac...
www.niemanlab.org
January 7, 2026 at 10:00 PM
New by me —>
Will Pittsburgh become America’s most important city without a newspaper? Or will the @post-gazette.com shutting down in May spur some long-delayed action?
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/will...
Will Pittsburgh become America’s most important city without a newspaper? Or will the @post-gazette.com shutting down in May spur some long-delayed action?
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/will...
Nice of him to realize we could all use a good laugh.
January 7, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Nice of him to realize we could all use a good laugh.
Are the conservatives in the room with us, Mike? And is it 1953?
January 7, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Are the conservatives in the room with us, Mike? And is it 1953?
Reposted by John Williams
they’re abducting our neighbors and putting them in concentration camps and they’ll shoot you in the fucking face if you don’t cheer them on while they’re doing it.
January 7, 2026 at 6:08 PM
they’re abducting our neighbors and putting them in concentration camps and they’ll shoot you in the fucking face if you don’t cheer them on while they’re doing it.
Just picture the current DHS home page reproduced in eventual textbooks; it's quite easy to understand what the nature of the caption will be.
January 7, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Just picture the current DHS home page reproduced in eventual textbooks; it's quite easy to understand what the nature of the caption will be.
Very well and very efficiently said.
No, it was a successful coup. None of the people who led it were punished, and are in fact back in power, rewarded for their efforts to break the system by running it. Donald Trump is currently the dictator he attempted to become 5 years ago, and it’s because nobody treated trying as a crime.
We must speak plainly: January 6th was an attempted coup. It was an effort to nullify millions of lawful votes and subvert the will of the American people.
January 6, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Very well and very efficiently said.
Reposted by John Williams
"It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" was released as the second single from Document on this day in 1988. Here's the video for the single directed by James Herbert.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GF...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GF...
R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World
YouTube video by REMVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:57 PM
"It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" was released as the second single from Document on this day in 1988. Here's the video for the single directed by James Herbert.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GF...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GF...
One benefit of my last couple of years on Twitter is that I became a Wembanyama-level blocker. Look like a bot? Smell like a bot? Before you even get in the lane: blocked.
January 6, 2026 at 4:30 AM
One benefit of my last couple of years on Twitter is that I became a Wembanyama-level blocker. Look like a bot? Smell like a bot? Before you even get in the lane: blocked.
Belated (by a day) happy birthday to Michael Stipe and the Crutchfield twins, who have meant a lot to this fellow Capricorn.
January 6, 2026 at 2:42 AM
Belated (by a day) happy birthday to Michael Stipe and the Crutchfield twins, who have meant a lot to this fellow Capricorn.
Might just pin this for six or seven years and log off.
January 6, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Might just pin this for six or seven years and log off.
Metroid
Joust
River Raid
Dig Dug
R.B.I. Baseball
(I'm old.)
Joust
River Raid
Dig Dug
R.B.I. Baseball
(I'm old.)
What’s your favorite video game that’s at least 27 years old (so 1999 or earlier)? Let’s get a list of classics going.
January 5, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Metroid
Joust
River Raid
Dig Dug
R.B.I. Baseball
(I'm old.)
Joust
River Raid
Dig Dug
R.B.I. Baseball
(I'm old.)
Reposted by John Williams
Parachuting in on Bluesky to share a couple recent end-of-year projects I'm proud of — one something new, the other a bit of a throwback.
December 30, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Parachuting in on Bluesky to share a couple recent end-of-year projects I'm proud of — one something new, the other a bit of a throwback.
Reposted by John Williams
it gets darker by the hour
The Pentagon will cut the military retirement pay of Sen. Mark Kelly for what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the Arizona Democrat’s “seditious” statements on a video telling service members they have the right to refuse to execute illegal orders.
Read more: cnb.cx/495FHLo
Read more: cnb.cx/495FHLo
January 5, 2026 at 3:42 PM
it gets darker by the hour