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Filed under: Looked Into Tagged: banjo, Ben Bass, dogs, film, movies, music, New Yorker Festival, Steve Martin
Martin Schneider writes:
This is great. When our friend Ben Bass was in New York for the most recent New Yorker Festival, he told me about Michelle, this good friend of his who is...pretty much the biggest Steve Martin fan in the world, in the sweetest possible way. Even our own Emily must take a back seat to Michelle when it comes to Steve Martin adulation. And Emily really likes Steve Martin a lot.
So a while back Steve announced a fun little fan contest, to create a video for a jaunty piece of banjo music he had written, "Wally on the Run," inspired by the frolics of his own dog Wally. The only constraint Steve imposed was that the video ought to involve a dog frolicking in some way. And...well, just go to Ben's smile-eliciting post at Ben Bass and Beyond for the fuller story (and all relevant videos), and then come back here.
(Back? OK. Two things I feel the need to say. First, I love how Steve—perhaps the most polished TV performer of all time—even he comes off just a little dorky and wooden when he's just shooting a quick little video for the internet. And second, I think I liked Michelle's video better than the "Laika" one.)
I love this story. I love the internet. Good day to you.
About us
Hello! We're a small band of media enthusiasts, culture addicts, and journalists based in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Emdashes, formerly a New Yorker fan site, is our collection of conversations—mostly civilized—about magazines, movies, politics, design, punctuation, and other things that stir us.
You'd like to know more about the writers and artists and what our column titles mean? We live to serve!
We welcome tips, questions, comments, and corrections, and are always on the lookout for ardent, obsessive new contributors. Click here to email us.
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Tell me more
Dashes, some say, “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like an em dash itself—provides a thoughtful pause amid the hubbub.
Emdashes, founded in 2004, is written and drawn by Emily Gordon, Martin Schneider, Pollux, Jonathan Taylor, and Benjamin Chambers, as well as occasional guest contributors. All posts before October 2008 are by Emily Gordon.
The site was designed by House of Pretty with illustrations by Jesse R. Ewing.
Additional drawings are by Carolita Johnson and Pollux (author of our web comic, "The Wavy Rule"). The Emdashes pencil logo is by Jennifer Hadley, based on a 1943 Dorothy Gray ad.
Other writing by Emily Gordon
- Writing on theater: reviews (for Time Out Chicago; imperfect but workable search results)
- Profile: Valerie Casey, Designers Accord founder, is spearheading the design of sustainability (for SXSW World)
- Feature: Rea Irvin: visionary art director, bon vivant, New Yorker founding father (for Print)
- Slide show: the Coney Island Mermaid Parade (for NYCgo.com)
- Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands, and an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (for Print)
- Review: King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman (for Newsday)
- Homage: Celebrating lindy-hop legend Frankie Manning (for NYCgo.com)
- Inquiry: Does a New Republic redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
- Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
- Interviews: four up-and-coming designers under 30 (for Print)
- Profile: novelist and dance critic Laura Jacobs (for Newsday)
Blogroll highlights
- Box Office Boffo
- World of Pollux
- Jonathan Taylor
- Carolita Johnson
- Songs for blogroll lovers (more links)
- Follow us on Twitter
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- Get a t-shirt at the Emdashes store
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Comments
Elegantly summed up as usual!