Caleb's podcast: The Natural State of Wine

Film Discussed: Velvet Buzzsaw (2019), directed by Dan Gilroy

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom Sturridge

Wines Featured:

• Lovehammer Cabernet 2020, Pine Mountain, Slow Jam's Vineyard
• Dominique Renard Rosé Champagne
• Jordan Chardonnay 2022

Key Discussion Topics:

• The pretension and exploitation in the contemporary art world
• Authenticity vs. hype in wine, art, and culture
• Haunted/cursed art as a horror subgenre (references to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Pickman's Model)
• Why visual art gets more latitude for bullshit than other art forms
• The film's morality play about respecting an artist's final wishes
• Memorable deaths: the sphere, Hobo Man, paintings that literally kill

References: HP Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model," The Devil's Candy, Candyman (2021), Nightcrawler, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Ongo Gablogian