Our buddy Alexandra Sheehan was raving about the show so we asked her to organize some thoughts and share them more official-like. Here they are:
A lazy media snob’s wet dream: Go sit in the Brava Theater for an hour and a half and walk out with interesting anecdotes on subjects varying from the architectural origins of Chinatown’s iconic pagoda topped United Commercial Bank to how to disinfect water with a high powered UV light! Yes please! Forget reading let alone buying magazines. Pay the meager ticket price and get all the party fodder you need for months.
Pop-Up Magazine’s second installment followed its original formula inviting speakers from a wide range of literary and artistic backgrounds to wow with 2-5 minute snippets. Highlights included Joshuah Bearman’s yet-to-be-published piece for Wired about a socially awkward, tech savvy, mastermind thief who parachutes into private estates, disables high-tech security systems, and makes off with large, cursed diamond broaches. Eat your heart out, Hollywood. Bearman himself said the only part missing was an elaborate capoeira dance sequence over a field of lasers. Bonus: We got to see photos of the criminal! Think a red-headed Rick Moranis. So great.
Another gem was Pop-Up co-creator Derek Fagerstrom’s Q & A with Wayne White of Pee-wee’s Playhouse set design and puppetry fame. You remember him as Mr. Kite, now do yourself a favor and check out his art. Think a cheesy Thomas Kincaid painting with the phrase “FANFUCKINGTASTIC” in a candy-colored modern font running prominently through the middle. Pure genius. I lust for an original.
Sure a few segments were a snore but all in all Pop-Up Magazine is tops. Keep your eyes peeled for Issue 3. Wouldn’t want ya to miss a chance to soak up well-curated cultural clout.
Thanks, Alex! Wayne White rules!
Sample photo of a sample Wayne White piece by sparkleneely.
Previously:
Pop-Up Magazine: Like a Magazine but Without All the Reading
