Justin Porter Stephens
Hello. My name is Justin and I'm a writer living in Boston. Currently, I'm enrolled in the MFA program at Lesley University. My thesis is a novel about two members of an indie rock band trying to write the greatest love song ever written for the same girl. You can read some of my short stories here and here.
Posts
Watching Girls has made me realize that Mad Men is totally underusing Zosia Mamet.
The Brave And The Bold #25, September 1959, cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
Greetings!
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P&N
One of these hands is mine.
Help us get to 6,000 views of the “Danger City, Population: ME” video!
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DO IT.
My dorm was in Back Bay a few blocks away. Before the 2003 season, my roommate and I walked down Boylston to bowl a frame. It was late on a Saturday and the curmudgeon behind the counter said they were closing. I told myself I’d go later but by the time I returned for the fall semester, the new owners turned it into a giant sports bar called Game On! (The exclamation point is theirs, not mine.)
I ate there once, before a game, with my dad. He said he saw Ernie Boch Jr. in the restroom. This probably won’t make sense to most but I like to think of this as a metaphor for the entire organization now.
Strike!
Today in 1947, the White House Bowling Alley opened during the Truman administration. Here are photos of the original alley, featuring two automatic lanes.
Another neat find from the archives is this photo of Walter Reed patients visiting the White House Bowling Alley in 1952.
Interested in White House architecture? The Truman Library is posting weekly photos of White House renovations here. Fascinating to see photos of a gutted White House during construction.
Peggy says she read one of Ken’s stories in Galaxy.
Galaxy Science Fiction was published from 1950 to 1980. It was the leading Sci-Fi magazine during its time. The magazine published many notable stories including including Ray Bradbury’s “The Fireman”, later expanded as Fahrenheit 451. The magazine was noted for its ‘intellectual subtlety’ and was considered to be one of the leaders in new wave of science fiction literature during the 1960’s. You can scroll through archives here and check out a luscious cover gallery here.
Thanks to Ben Hargrove aka Dave Algonquin aka Ken Cosgrove, there’s finally a reason to post one of the most enchanting pieces of animation I’ve ever seen. Walt Disney had a six part show in 1957 that was ‘Science Factual’. The show explored the solar system, atoms, rockets, etc. The fifth episode, Life on Mars, is the most darring. Disney asked his ace team of animators to imagine what plant and animal life would be like on Mars. There are crystals spires, mysterious under ground animals, fantastic martian sculptures and spOoOky music. A real beautiful, triumph of imagination.
Cosgrove is now officially my favorite Mad Men character.
In later years, holding forth to an interviewer or to an audience of aging fans at a comic book convention, Sam Clay liked to declare, apropos of his and Joe Kavalier’s greatest creation, that back when he was a boy, sealed and hog-tied inside the airtight vessel known as Brooklyn, New York, he had been haunted by dreams of Harry Houdini.
Ed Valigursky: To the Tombaugh Station. Ace Double D-479 paperback cover, 1960.
Iron Chic - Every Town Has an Elm Street
From the short lived Fortress of Solidudes. Watching Huts chant along is the funniest thing ever. He’s perfectly centered in the shot for first minute.
Audio
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Sufjan Stevens - Come on! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!0 plays
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iamtherog: The Thermoses - Christmas in Allston (click here to download from soundcloud.) A few years ago, Justin, Kevin and I made a christmas album. Here’s the original song we recorded. We didn’t have any girls for the “group” vocals, so I was forced to sing in falsetto on multiple tracks.20 plays
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yalemassachusetts: Yale, Massachusetts - “Keep it Shitty” from Act Like You’ve Been There I’ve already pre-ordered ten copies so I can sell them on ebay when they sign to Epitaph this time next year.40 plays
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Promise Ring - Is This Thing On?0 plays
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Planets West - Summer Campaign This time last year, Kev and I drove to Olecito. We were listening to WMBR and, as we crossed over the river into Cambridge, this song came on. Neither of us had ever heard it before. We had the windows down. The summer was just beginning.0 plays
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Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To See also, the SECOND greatest scene in the history of movies.0 plays
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Promise Ring - Why Did We Ever Meet? This was my favorite song and favorite album freshman year of college. I had a class on the other side of campus and on the 20 minute walk I’d eat bagels and listen to this on my discman. RIP CDs.0 plays
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John Linnell - The Second Longest Night0 plays
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The Walkmen - Christmas Party0 plays
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Miniature Tigers - Rock n’ Roll Mountain Troll Prettiest song with the silliest name.0 plays
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The Morning Benders - “Promises” I think that the 1:11-1:36 part is my favorite moment on any record so far in 2010.0 plays
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Los Campesinos - You! Me! Dancing!10 plays
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A Boy Named Thor - Shrug My Soul10 plays
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Jonathan Richman - Parties in the USA28 plays
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American Analog Set - Punk as Fuck Maybe my favorite song ever. Maybe the most misleading song title, too.20 plays
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John Linnell - The Second Longest Night Written by Jonathan Lethem. I like to pretend it’s a Monster Eyes b-side.26 plays
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Of Montreal - Disconnect the Dots I love how this is played at the end of The Puffy Chair.11 plays
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Broken Social Scene - Texico Bitches A week ago I had never heard this band. Then Kevin left their new record at my apartment and I’ve been listening to it non-stop.7 plays
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A Boy Named Thor - Dance Party USA15 plays
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The Anniversary - All Things Ordinary This song still rules.12 plays
