The Filtered Excellence: January 18, 2020
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this week’s picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more.
WATCH THIS
Crack, Cocaine, Corruption And Conspiracy. The crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s destroyed families, quadrupled our prison population and exposed high levels corruption in every branch of government. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson talks with former dealers, users, law enforcement officials, politicians, sociologists and historians to tell how crack and coke went from an exclusive drug for the wealthy, to being widely available in every city in America. Nelson also dives into how the allure of quick cash from selling the drug built a dark, new economic base, but also led to a spike in crime that paralyzed communities of color. What is most damming is how the U.S. government played a key role in getting the drugs into the country, even while it was pushing across policies enacting extended jail time for both users and dealers.
King In The Wilderness. While there has been an array of films and specials devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King Day Jr, Peter Kunhardt’s 2019 documentary covering the final 18 months of the civil rights icon’s life ranks as one of the best. It shows how King made a dramatic shift from civil rights issues to economic justice, which culminated his speech, ‘Beyond Vietnam’, a stinging critique of the war in Southeast Asia. The show displays in unflinching terms how King, despite blistering criticism and wavering support, remained devoted to his vision of global peace and justice. Family members, friends and key allies discuss the intense pressure that Dr King had to endure during his final days and how it built up into his final, iconic speech, ‘I’ve Been To The Mountaintop’. Hearing the words and wisdom of Dr. King drive home the importance of battling poverty, racism and other social inequalities are as powerful today as they were back in 1967 and 1968. It’s a must see film that gives a comprehensive look at an American icon. King In The Wilderness is available now on HBO Max.
LISTEN TO THIS
J.T by Steve Earle & The Dukes. Last year, Steve Earle had to confront every parent’s nightmare when his son Justin Townes Earle passed away from an accidental drug overdose. Earle turned his pain into art, booked his band The Dukes into New York’s Electric Lady Studios and recorded an album of some of his favorite Justin Townes Earle songs. While the raw emotion of loss runs throughout, the album is far from a somber outing. ‘I Don’t Care’, ‘They Killed John Henry’ and ‘The Saint Of Lost Causes’ shows that the spirit of defiance is generational, while two of Justin’s signature songs, ‘Champagne Corolla’ and ‘Harlem River Blues’ are more celebratory than bittersweet. Earle’s heartache is on full display with ‘Turn Out My Lights’ and ‘Far Away In Another Town’, new country classics that capture the dynamic between the pull of the road and the pain attached to being away from the one you love. ‘Last Words’ is the only Steve Earle original on the album, and it’s the most heartbreaking. Tracing the moment of Justin’s birth to the last conversation between father and son, it’s a raw, confessional, emotional and absolutely brilliant song that will reduce you to mist. With love, empathy and compassion, Earle and the Dukes have put together powerful requiem to an artist who left us much too soon. One of the year’s best. J.T by Steve Earle & The Dukes is available now through Amazon, Apple Music and all major streaming services. All proceeds from the album will go into a trust for Justin Townes Earle’s daughter Etta St. James Earle.
STREAM THIS
The 35th Annual Brooklyn Tribute To Martin Luther King, Jr. The Brooklyn Academy Of Music celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr with its annual tribute presentation. This free, virtual program will feature activists, public figures, civic leaders, musicians and others paying their respects to the man who devoted his life to peace, justice and equality for all. It’s a New York City showing the love for one of America’s greatest citizens on display for the world to see. The 35th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr will take place on Monday, January 18th.
DO THIS
Gordon Parks: Half And The Whole. The Jack Shainman Gallery looks back at the best works of Gordon Parks with this new retrospective at both of its New York City locations. It will feature photographs that capture the day to day activities of African-Americans from throughout the 20th Century, along with portraits of civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Eldridge and Kathleen Cleaver and Ella Watson. It will also feature an essay by Pulitzer Prize-nominee and Columbia University Professor Jelani Cobb. Parks’ takes on poverty, segregation and police brutality really strike home given how these topics are as important today as they were back in the 1960s. It’s an dynamic look back at one of the 20th Century’s greatest artists. Gordon Parks: Half And The Whole will be at the Jack Shainman Gallery through February 20th. You can also go to www.jackshainman.com for more information.
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