Me again. How are you?
So I sent the link out for the WTFPFH? 7”s the other day and got more people responding to let me know they just missed them than there were actual copies available. So I thought I’d send this follow up to let you know that our friends over at Midtown Comics have them for sale now too. They got 200 copies on Coke Bottle Clear vinyl, so those should look pretty cool. If you want them you can grab them here. They also still have a bunch of the variants and a few copies signed by Tyler and I. We’re not doing any more signings for a while so if you want signed books, this might be one of your best shots.
Also I see they have the WE CAN NEVER GO HOME / YOUNG TERRORISTS Free Comic Book Day issue that people ask me for all the time. I don’t have any so if you want it, go get it.
And since I feel weird just sending an email that says “go buy my stuff” even though, in a way, that is the subtext of all of these, I thought I’d share some music.
Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of holiday traditions. By heritage I’m half Jewish and half Christian, but the child of two atheists. The grandson or great grandson of immigrants to America, but the child of two immigrants to the island of Manhattan. Most of the traditions we had we made ourselves. To me the holidays is long walks on Broadway to smell the Christmas trees, drinking cocoa with fluff on Christmas eve, family trips to the local bookshop to get presents for each other, Peking Duck for Christmas dinner, and this record. DUKE ELLINGTON & JOHN COLTRANE.
My dad would put on this record only in the holidays. It’s truly an astounding work of beauty. Two pioneers of different eras, coming together. Two of the best to ever do it. Two of the coolest to ever live. I could make all sorts of guesses as to why we only listened to this record in the holidays, but honestly I don’t want to think about it. We made our own traditions and the why matters so little compared to the what. So I put this on in late December and immediately I find myself in that sentimental mood. I think about my family and the things that matter to me. I think about the things behind me, the traditions, and the path carved for me and the opportunities given to me by the people I love. But just as importantly it makes me think about the wide open world in front of me, and the traditions I can hold onto or the new ones I can create for myself and the people I care about. Our pasts will always offer to guide us, but we get to build our own futures. And knowing that is a gift I am always thankful for this time of year.
Happy holidays.
Stay warm. Stay safe. Drink cocoa with marshmallow fluff.
-Matthew Rosenberg
NYC 12/22/21 (What a good looking date!)