Five Bullets 12.20.24
Zakir Hussain, Van Gogh, Humpback Whales & more.
Good Morning and Happy Friday.
It’s a cloudy and cool morning here in New York City. I have time off from work next week and am looking forward to wrapping up writing projects, reading a few books and catching up on some R&R. Only 11 days remain in 2024 and tomorrow is the first day of winter!
In true Circles In Space form, I’m returning to things I was working on and thinking about this time last year, like letting go of unused possessions. I find I’m focused on wiping the slate clean for a fresh start in January.
Before the new year subscribers can expect something special to hit their inboxes in appreciation for your support over the past year. (Hint: It’s a zine!)
In the meantime, here’s five bullets which captured my attention this week:
Art: The Search for Van Gogh’s Lost Masterpiece. Where is Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Dr. Gachet”? No one knows for sure. Two versions exist - the artist’s version and another gifted to Gachet which is currently displayed in Paris. The former was held privately until it was sold in 1990, then again in 1998 - it has not been seen since. Van Gogh completed the work months before his death in 1890, painting Dr. Paul Gachet in his garden outside Paris.
Books: This week I’m about halfway through Ling Ma’s 2018 fictional novel Severance, a creative take on the post-apocalypse. Candace Chen moves to New York City after college and begins a job publishing Bibles manufactured in China. When a fever pandemic grips the world, turning the population into ‘zombies’ who endlessly repeat an action or routine until their slow death, Candace somehow survives and joins a group heading to Chicago. As Candace recalls the events before the outbreak, a commentary on immigration, family, relationships, coming-of-age, and capitalism comes into view.
Movies: Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown comes out next week. The film is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric. covered Dylan’s songwriting notes and creative process, discussing Dylan’s ‘telescoping’ technique and how the musician was never without a pen and pad to jot down ideas, sometimes writing multiple songs simultaneously.
Music: Master tabla drummer and composer Zakir Hussain, 73, passed away earlier this week. Hussain bridged North Indian classical music with rock and jazz performing with musicians including John McLaughlin, George Harrison, the Grateful Dead, Bela Fleck and Herbie Hancock. Hussain was the son of Alla Rakha Qureshi who played tabla for sitar player Ravi Shankar. Check out this 4-hour epic with flutist Rakesh Chaurasia. Hussain said:
“Music is a conversation that happens amongst people…And it happens to be a process or an exercise which transcends all borders and all fences, all religions, all other ways of life, and it’s a living process unto itself. If people all over the world would consider interacting with each other the way the musicians and the artists all over the world interact with each other…we would have a much more peaceful planet.”
Science: A humpback whale travelled over 8,000 miles from South America to Africa, the longest known migration of the species. Researchers first identified the whale in 2013 off the coast of Columbia through happywhale.com, which records and identifies whale flukes, and then in 2022 near Zanzibar on the African coast. Humpbacks can travel up to 5,000 miles from warm breeding waters to cooler waters looking for food but researchers aren’t exactly sure what caused the whale to travel such a long distance. The whale may have been searching for food or a mate.
That’s all for this week! I really enjoy getting this weekly newsletter together. It gives me a reason to explore my interests, learn more, and share it with you. Get five bullets of stuff I’m hearing, reading and seeing in your inbox every Friday.
Have a great weekend,
Keith.