Ashley Naftule

7/8/21

<i>The A.V. Club</i>’s favorite books of 2021 so far

The A.V. Club’s favorite books of 2021 so far

Two novels in translation and two Rachels (Cusk and Kushner) crack our top 10

6/14/21

Genesis P-Orridge’s <i>Nonbinary</i> chronicles a singular life and counterculture

Genesis P-Orridge’s Nonbinary chronicles a singular life and counterculture

The memoir arrives one year after the Throbbing Gristle lead singer's death

5/4/21

If emo can be rehabbed, why not ska?

Ska and punk are tangled together like grapevines. While both genres originated elsewhere—punk in the U.S. and ska…

3/15/21

<i>Fulfillment</i> takes readers on a dark tour of Amazon’s America

Fulfillment takes readers on a dark tour of Amazon’s America

The mega-corp future that cyberpunk predicted is already here, but instead of fiber-optic mohawks and cybernetic eye…

2/19/21

On <i>Open Door Policy</i>, The Hold Steady evolve from bar hounds into lounge lizards

On Open Door Policy, The Hold Steady evolve from bar hounds into lounge lizards

Early on in the 2020 sort-of documentary Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, an old man coins a rallying cry for generations…

1/11/21

Both the living and the dead haunt the unsettling stories of <i>The Dangers Of Smoking In Bed</i>

Both the living and the dead haunt the unsettling stories of The Dangers Of Smoking In Bed

The late Roger Ebert once wrote that “the movies are like a machine that generates empathy.” Great fiction comes off…

12/16/20

<i>The A.V. Club</i>’s 15 favorite books of 2020

The A.V. Club’s 15 favorite books of 2020

A certain amount of escapism through books would have been more than understandable in 2020. (And by “a certain…

11/9/20

Jonathan Lethem’s <i>The Arrest </i>asks: What happens to a life built around cinema and sushi after society collapses?

Jonathan Lethem’s The Arrest asks: What happens to a life built around cinema and sushi after society collapses?

Apocalypses in fiction tend to be geographically egalitarian. It doesn’t matter if it’s a zombie uprising, an alien…

10/5/20

A family’s vacation is cut short by crisis in Rumaan Alam’s <i>Leave The World Behind</i>

A family’s vacation is cut short by crisis in Rumaan Alam’s Leave The World Behind

It’s funny how the time of day can change the meaning of a knock. An unexpected rapping on the door during daylight…

9/14/20

With <i>Wagnerism</i>,<i> </i>Alex Ross complicates the image of fascism’s favorite composer

With Wagnerism, Alex Ross complicates the image of fascism’s favorite composer

“Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit…” For a certain generation of pop culture junkies, the first image that springs to…

8/17/20

Toxic fanboy culture could learn a thing or two from Hannah Ewens’ <i>Fangirls</i>

Toxic fanboy culture could learn a thing or two from Hannah Ewens’ Fangirls

The Maenads were the original fans. The followers of Dionysus in Greek mythology, they were the “raving ones”—a…

8/11/20

Deftones’ <i>White Pony</i> is the only nu-metal record you don’t have to be ashamed of owning

Deftones’ White Pony is the only nu-metal record you don’t have to be ashamed of owning

It seems every few months on Twitter another “four high school albums” prompt makes the rounds, inspiring…

4/2/20

Sasha Geffen’s <em>Glitter Up The Dark </em>shines a light on pop music’s queer history

Sasha Geffen’s Glitter Up The Dark shines a light on pop music’s queer history

While her biggest claim to fame remains her colorful fruit headpiece, camp icon Carmen Miranda deserves respect as…

3/24/20

With <i>Histoire De Melody Nelson</i>, Serge Gainsbourg composed a French sex god’s teenage symphony

With Histoire De Melody Nelson, Serge Gainsbourg composed a French sex god’s teenage symphony

On April 5, 1986, French singer Serge Gainsbourg told Whitney Houston on live TV that he wanted to fuck her. Looking…

2/12/19

The slow and steady perfection of Galaxie 500’s On Fire

One of the best things about old records is the liner notes. Pick up a jazz or pop LP of a certain vintage and…

Ashley Naftule's posts