Daniel Freed
@dan-occ-light.bsky.social
I write things and make pictures. Reformed 20th c. theorist splicing the 21st. Comp. Lit. / film history / translation. Pre-mill post-punk.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
New today on the site:
“Ivan Dixon’s THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (1973) is a pipe bomb on the video store shelf, a gasoline-filled wine bottle in your DVD cabinet, a vicious bit of malware streamed through hijacked plutocrat satellites.”
- Bryan Miller
“Ivan Dixon’s THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (1973) is a pipe bomb on the video store shelf, a gasoline-filled wine bottle in your DVD cabinet, a vicious bit of malware streamed through hijacked plutocrat satellites.”
- Bryan Miller
The Spook Who Sat By the Door (1973): Weaponized Expectations
Ivan Dixon's The Spook Who Sat By the Door is a pipe bomb on the video store shelf, a gasoline-filled wine bottle in your DVD cabinet.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:46 PM
New today on the site:
“Ivan Dixon’s THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (1973) is a pipe bomb on the video store shelf, a gasoline-filled wine bottle in your DVD cabinet, a vicious bit of malware streamed through hijacked plutocrat satellites.”
- Bryan Miller
“Ivan Dixon’s THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (1973) is a pipe bomb on the video store shelf, a gasoline-filled wine bottle in your DVD cabinet, a vicious bit of malware streamed through hijacked plutocrat satellites.”
- Bryan Miller
Reposted by Daniel Freed
A century ago, the traditionally educated cultural elites saw the newspaper and its reading public as a symptom of the decline of the written word. In our new issue, Noah McCormack describes the interwoven histories of literacy and class.
We Used to Read Things in This Country | Noah McCormack
Technology changes us—and it is currently changing us for the worse.
thebaffler.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:01 PM
A century ago, the traditionally educated cultural elites saw the newspaper and its reading public as a symptom of the decline of the written word. In our new issue, Noah McCormack describes the interwoven histories of literacy and class.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
What a terrible day to know how to read
November 14, 2025 at 6:21 PM
What a terrible day to know how to read
Reposted by Daniel Freed
The Democrats negotiating strategy, summarized in cartoon form.
November 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The Democrats negotiating strategy, summarized in cartoon form.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
And thou mayest aske thyself, 'How do Ich werke thys?'
And thou mayest aske thyself, 'Wher ys that large destrier?'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my beautiful castle!'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my swift goshawk!'
And thou mayest aske thyself, 'Wher ys that large destrier?'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my beautiful castle!'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my swift goshawk!'
November 8, 2025 at 2:36 AM
And thou mayest aske thyself, 'How do Ich werke thys?'
And thou mayest aske thyself, 'Wher ys that large destrier?'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my beautiful castle!'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my swift goshawk!'
And thou mayest aske thyself, 'Wher ys that large destrier?'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my beautiful castle!'
And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my swift goshawk!'
Reposted by Daniel Freed
If sandwich shops don’t start offering a sandwich named “the acquittal” then what are we even doing
November 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
If sandwich shops don’t start offering a sandwich named “the acquittal” then what are we even doing
Reposted by Daniel Freed
Here's another bit of conventional wisdom Zohran completely blew away: His speech was at well above a 10th-grade level. It was complex, erudite, punctuated by deep and fluent references. You don't have to condescend to voters with baby talk! Part of re-establishing norms is speaking like an adult.
November 5, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Here's another bit of conventional wisdom Zohran completely blew away: His speech was at well above a 10th-grade level. It was complex, erudite, punctuated by deep and fluent references. You don't have to condescend to voters with baby talk! Part of re-establishing norms is speaking like an adult.
An excellent primer on how to think with clarity — through a morass of half-truths, stale bromides and toxic punditry — after today’s elections.
So, is there an antidote to the blather of the mainstream commentariat? I think there may be and so I try to provide it in my latest post.
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...
Duck! Dumbass Political Punditry Incoming!
Elections allow the voters to express their views and commentators to misinterpret them
open.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:14 AM
An excellent primer on how to think with clarity — through a morass of half-truths, stale bromides and toxic punditry — after today’s elections.
For the great director Peter Watkins, 1935-2025. His run of films in the '70s, like _Punishment Park_ (1971), _Edvard Munch_ (1974) and _Aftenlandet (Evening Land)_ (1977), were extraordinary, powerful windows.
Peter Watkins obituary: radical British filmmaker behind The War Game and Punishment Park
The maverick filmmaker and pioneer of the docudrama, whose anti-establishment works redefined political cinema and challenged the very language of mass media, has died aged 90.
www.bfi.org.uk
November 2, 2025 at 2:51 AM
For the great director Peter Watkins, 1935-2025. His run of films in the '70s, like _Punishment Park_ (1971), _Edvard Munch_ (1974) and _Aftenlandet (Evening Land)_ (1977), were extraordinary, powerful windows.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
honestly the only piece worth reading on the platner situation. @tressiemcphd.bsky.social is absolutely cooking here. (gift link)
Opinion | A Nazi Tattoo Exposes Democrats’ Greatest Weakness
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:36 PM
honestly the only piece worth reading on the platner situation. @tressiemcphd.bsky.social is absolutely cooking here. (gift link)
Reposted by Daniel Freed
"The best gift that I have is the ability to #listen," #DeJohnette said in a video profile produced for his 2012 induction as an NEA Jazz Master. "Not only listen audibly but also listen with my heart." www.npr.org/2025/10/27/n...
#RIP #JackDeJohnette #music #MusicSky #jazz #JazzSky
#RIP #JackDeJohnette #music #MusicSky #jazz #JazzSky
Jack DeJohnette, dynamic and instantly recognizable jazz drummer, dies at 83
Jack DeJohnette, of the most daring and singular jazz drummers of the last 60 years, died on Sunday.
www.npr.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM
"The best gift that I have is the ability to #listen," #DeJohnette said in a video profile produced for his 2012 induction as an NEA Jazz Master. "Not only listen audibly but also listen with my heart." www.npr.org/2025/10/27/n...
#RIP #JackDeJohnette #music #MusicSky #jazz #JazzSky
#RIP #JackDeJohnette #music #MusicSky #jazz #JazzSky
Political Science v.2025.
October 23, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Political Science v.2025.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
American Airlines To Phase Out Complimentary Cabin Pressurization https://theonion.com/american-airlines-to-phase-out-complimentary-cabin-pres-1819576190/
October 21, 2025 at 4:00 PM
American Airlines To Phase Out Complimentary Cabin Pressurization https://theonion.com/american-airlines-to-phase-out-complimentary-cabin-pres-1819576190/
Reposted by Daniel Freed
What a great site!
Tremendous station diagrams for host of metro stations around the world.
Tremendous station diagrams for host of metro stations around the world.
October 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
What a great site!
Tremendous station diagrams for host of metro stations around the world.
Tremendous station diagrams for host of metro stations around the world.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
Max Ernst :
When Reason Sleeps, Sirens Sing, 1960
When Reason Sleeps, Sirens Sing, 1960
October 20, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Max Ernst :
When Reason Sleeps, Sirens Sing, 1960
When Reason Sleeps, Sirens Sing, 1960
Reposted by Daniel Freed
“A diorama of power dynamics”?
The New York Times headline writers need to stop dropping acid during the workweek.
The New York Times headline writers need to stop dropping acid during the workweek.
October 16, 2025 at 1:39 AM
“A diorama of power dynamics”?
The New York Times headline writers need to stop dropping acid during the workweek.
The New York Times headline writers need to stop dropping acid during the workweek.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
Reposted by Daniel Freed
‘When Asa Briggs left school, there were only fifty thousand university students in the whole of Britain. Today, to a substantial degree because of Briggs’s campaigns and ideas, there are more than three million in higher education.’
Neal Ascherson on the historian: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Neal Ascherson on the historian: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Neal Ascherson · Professor Heathrow: Asa Briggs says yes
Asa Briggs used sweeping educational change to increase equality in England. He helped to make history, as well as...
www.lrb.co.uk
October 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
‘When Asa Briggs left school, there were only fifty thousand university students in the whole of Britain. Today, to a substantial degree because of Briggs’s campaigns and ideas, there are more than three million in higher education.’
Neal Ascherson on the historian: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Neal Ascherson on the historian: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Daniel Freed
10/9/71: Jacques Rivette's monumental Out 1
w/Michael Lonsdale 🙏, Jean-Pierre Léaud 🙏 ++
More
Jordan Hoffman: www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oc...
@tnyfrontrow.bsky.social: www.newyorker.com/culture/rich...
@samadams.bsky.social: www.indiewire.com/criticism/cu...
w/Michael Lonsdale 🙏, Jean-Pierre Léaud 🙏 ++
More
Jordan Hoffman: www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oc...
@tnyfrontrow.bsky.social: www.newyorker.com/culture/rich...
@samadams.bsky.social: www.indiewire.com/criticism/cu...
Review: Jacques Rivette’s Newly Restored Masterpiece ‘Out 1’
Review: Jacques Rivette's Newly Restored Masterpiece 'Out 1'
www.indiewire.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM
10/9/71: Jacques Rivette's monumental Out 1
w/Michael Lonsdale 🙏, Jean-Pierre Léaud 🙏 ++
More
Jordan Hoffman: www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oc...
@tnyfrontrow.bsky.social: www.newyorker.com/culture/rich...
@samadams.bsky.social: www.indiewire.com/criticism/cu...
w/Michael Lonsdale 🙏, Jean-Pierre Léaud 🙏 ++
More
Jordan Hoffman: www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oc...
@tnyfrontrow.bsky.social: www.newyorker.com/culture/rich...
@samadams.bsky.social: www.indiewire.com/criticism/cu...
Reposted by Daniel Freed
Super minor issue of timing.
In the Comey hearing, Pat Fitz said, Hey, can we have basis for Lindsey the Insurance lawyer's appointment stat?
He is submitting that challenge by October 20, before Tish James' arraignment.
In the Comey hearing, Pat Fitz said, Hey, can we have basis for Lindsey the Insurance lawyer's appointment stat?
He is submitting that challenge by October 20, before Tish James' arraignment.
October 9, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Super minor issue of timing.
In the Comey hearing, Pat Fitz said, Hey, can we have basis for Lindsey the Insurance lawyer's appointment stat?
He is submitting that challenge by October 20, before Tish James' arraignment.
In the Comey hearing, Pat Fitz said, Hey, can we have basis for Lindsey the Insurance lawyer's appointment stat?
He is submitting that challenge by October 20, before Tish James' arraignment.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
OH WOW! Congratulations to our contributor, László Krasznahorkai, for winning the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature!!! 😍🥳
wordswithoutborders.org/.../view/lsz...
wordswithoutborders.org/.../view/lsz...
László Krasznahorkai - Words Without Borders
László Krasznahorkai is the recipient of the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Literature, the 2015 Man Booker International Prize, and the 2013 Best Translated Book Award in Fiction.
wordswithoutborders.org
October 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM
OH WOW! Congratulations to our contributor, László Krasznahorkai, for winning the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature!!! 😍🥳
wordswithoutborders.org/.../view/lsz...
wordswithoutborders.org/.../view/lsz...
Reposted by Daniel Freed
For 26 but especially 2028 it's time for Democrats to make clear that the current Supreme Court will have to be reformed (expanded in number, reformed in structure) to allow popular govt to continue in the United States. Not so much a litmus test as precondition for any other promise to be credible.
September 27, 2025 at 3:38 PM
For 26 but especially 2028 it's time for Democrats to make clear that the current Supreme Court will have to be reformed (expanded in number, reformed in structure) to allow popular govt to continue in the United States. Not so much a litmus test as precondition for any other promise to be credible.
Reposted by Daniel Freed
John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina on this day in 1926.
📸 Roy DeCarava, 1963
📸 Roy DeCarava, 1963
September 23, 2025 at 4:00 AM
John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina on this day in 1926.
📸 Roy DeCarava, 1963
📸 Roy DeCarava, 1963
Reposted by Daniel Freed
Live-tweeting my nightly 8 hours of sleep
September 22, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Live-tweeting my nightly 8 hours of sleep
Reposted by Daniel Freed
Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away https://theonion.com/fearful-americans-stockpiling-facts-before-federal-gove-1819579589/
September 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away https://theonion.com/fearful-americans-stockpiling-facts-before-federal-gove-1819579589/