One Big Happy

Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, and Bill Griffith — the three leading names in what used to be called Underground Cartooning — each had a difficult childhood in dysfunctional families, with Griffith’s being the closest to normal.

I can state this with some confidence, because they have been unflinchingly autobiographical in their work. It’s perhaps no surprise that Griffith achieved the most conventional level of success, in the form of a syndicated comic strip.

I’m starting to watch last night’s American Masters. In an early scene, Robert Crumb appears with his wife Aline, who died in November, 2022.

This song seems appropriate here.

Revolutionary Tests

I have read many varying opinions of original Thorens turntable belts vs. Thakker belts. Using an RPM phone app, I made my own comparison.

The Thorens belt in my TD-166 MKII has been installed for about six months. It spins 0.49% fast above 33.33 rpm.

The new Thakker runs 0.73% slow, while the graph appears to show less flutter than the Thorens belt. Running slightly fast is generally considered to be preferable to slow on a belt drive turntable. The reason why would take too long to explain.

My direct drive Technics table doesn’t have a quartz-locked motor to guarantee speed accuracy. It spins just a tiny bit slow, with noticeably less flutter than either of the belt measurements.

Turntable belts always stretch with use. I’ll leave the Thakker installed in the Thorens table and check the speed periodically.

Those graphs are reminding me to make one of my occasional Kardia heart checks. No flutter here!

Krugman Unleashed

Former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman says, “I had always been lightly edited at the Times, until the last year. And then the editing became extremely intrusive.” That is very disappointing to hear.

Krugman is now very actively self-publishing, unfettered on Substack.

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/

So far, I’m a freebie subscriber. Krugman undoubtedly has incidental costs, but I have yet to fully embrace the idea of paying a Nobel Prize winner $5/month. I assure you that Prattling Before the Pratfall will always cost you exactly what it’s worth — nothing! 😉

Correction: It’s $7/month to be a paid subscriber, or $70/year.

Getting an Earful

Rod Serling introducing the Night Gallery episode, “The Caterpillar”

For the past several months, before going to bed I have been watching my way through the DVD set, Night Gallery: The Complete Series.

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Gallery-Complete-Rod-Serling/dp/B073CY8HYG/

One of the two stories that I remember best from the series when it originally aired is “The Caterpillar.” (The other is “The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes,” available here.)

 
The DVD includes several commentaries by Guillermo del Toro. It seems that I am far from the only one who remembers seeing “The Caterpillar.”