French's Kitchen and Kitschy Frankenstein

For "Three From Me," our weekly WFUV feature, DJs and staffers choose a trio of things that are worth discovering yourself. Our Director of Technical Operations and on-air fill-in host George Evans turns us on to a loopy monster flick, a perfect Tame Impala track, and a wonderful cookbook with a compelling backstory.

Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein
Like many, I’m a fan of "Stranger Things," the Netflix original. Something about David Harbour, who plays police chief "Jim Hopper," intrigued me. Maybe it’s because he grew up near where I grew up. Or maybe it’s because he plays a great character. My oldest daughter discovered another Harbour oddity: this offbeat, bizarre comedy on Netflix called "Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein," released this summer and written by John Levenstein. He's written some episodes of "Arrested Development," among many other things. I watched the movie and found it funny, but I also asked myself, what the heck did I just watch? Oh, and often looking for a reason to work in one of the movie's catchphrases: “And that's how I got into Juilliard!”

The Lost Kitchen: Receipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine: A Cookbook by Erin French
I occasionally read cookbooks — usually what my wife brings home. My intention is to make some of the recipes I read about, but you know about best intentions! I like cookbooks with lots of pictures and good stories to inspire me. One book that is different from any I’ve read is The Lost Kitchen by Erin French. It’s more a story about her life than cookbook. French went from cooking “secret dinners” in her apartment to using an Airstream trailer as a kitchen on the road. Eventually opening a small farm-to-table restaurant in her Maine hometown, French describes the trials and tribulations along the way.

Tame Impala, "Patience"
Kevin Parker released this song this past spring, along with "Borderline." (Tame Impala's fourth album, The Slow Rush, isn't out until February 2020.) Parker's releases are wonderful to listen to. I really took to the layers of sounds that make up this piece of music. The opening chords of that piano are infectious — the whole song is! The soft, laidback synths mixed with a kind of disco beat of congas; all of the other effects are nicely placed too. I loved playing this when I was on the air late at night on the weekends. It makes for a nice after-midnight groove.