TV | Maybe Robert Durst is just a hard-luck guy cursed with demonic eyes, but it seems more likely with every episode of THE JINX that his eyes are so creepy because they're those of a stone cold killer. The six-part HBO documentary series tells of how Durst, a mega-millionaire from birth, saw his wife disappear, and then his friend, and the person who probably knew the most about that disappearance murdered before he wound up in Galveston, Texas, dressed as a woman and accused of yet another murder. The thing to know is that Durst is a free man, and for reasons that make no legal or practical sense, he sits down for a series of unremorseful, unemotional interviews with director Andrew Jarecki. There are a couple of episodes left, so catch up on the creepiness.
ARTICLE | Find a comfortable chair before you let your eyes grace the poetic wonder of J.R. Moehringer's "THE EDUCATION OF ALEX RODRIGUEZ" in this month's ESPN The Magazine, because the thing is 12,000 words long. If you hated Rodriguez and can't remember quite why, the article, which details the disgraced slugger's year exiled from the major leagues, likely won't cure you of your disdain, but it just might soften it. Moehringer, a Pulitzer Prize winner, spent more than 100 hours with the famously reserved Yankee (and former Mariner, remember that?), becoming a fly on the wall, accompanying Rodriguez to doctor's appointments, lunches with friends and dance parties with his kids. And through the whole damn thing, Moehringer never quotes Rodriguez. The piece is better because of that.
ALBUM | It's now March and coming up on SXSW time, so perhaps it's fitting that I've fallen in love with a band from Austin. Later this month, CARRY ILLINOIS (yes, the geography is confusing) drops its debut full-length record, Alabaster, a collection of excellently melodic and slightly nostalgic indie folk tunes powered by the voice of Lizzy Lehman. There's a bit of Neko Case in there; maybe you'll pick up a hint of Stevie Nicks, too, as Lehman leads an at-times poppy and occasionally twangy band that will continue to pull you in, track by track. Here's hoping they hit the Northwest sometime soon. ♦
