Oscilloscope Gets Scholastic, Set to Release Three
New, Limited-Edition Books
Oscilloscope Laboratories will expand into the
publishing realm with the release of three new titles: MUSINGS (Volumes 1 &
2) and Jason Tippet’s HEADING TO BILL’S FOR CIGARETTES. The books will be
released by O-Scope ahead of the upcoming holiday season.
MUSINGS features original, independent, quality film
writing from esteemed journalists such as Scott Tobias (NPR, The Dissolve, The
Onion), Alison Nastasi (Flavorwire, MTV, Pitchfork), Judy Berman (Time, New
York Times, Washington Post), Mike D’Angelo (The A.V. Club, Nerve), Keith
Phipps (Slate, The Atlantic, Vulture), and Bilge Ebiri (New York Times, New
York Magazine, Village Voice) just to name a few.
Writers who contributed to MUSINGS were tasked with
delving into neglected corners of cinema they were eager to illuminate,
highlighting the films, filmmakers, and movements that don't always get much
attention in mainstream publications. The pieces sampled in the MUSINGS anthologies
are full of insight and scholarship, ranging from pocket histories to artist
profiles to deep dives into particular films. It’s that kind of
writing—thoughtful, evocative, and, most of all, full of passion—that brings
this collection to life.
Says MUSINGS editor Scott Tobias, "MUSINGS has
given me an opportunity to reach out to some of the best film writers around.
This anthology reflects their individual passions and obsessions, and I'm proud
to have given them the space to do their best work."
O-Scope is also pleased to simultaneously release
HEADING TO BILL’S FOR CIGARETTES, the first book from the award-winning
filmmaker Jason Tippet. O-Scope previously released Tippet’s feature film ONLY
THE YOUNG (co-directed with Elizabeth Mims). HEADING TO BILL’S is a beautiful
collection of Tippet’s 35mm photographs; an ode to the quirky characters of
Atwater Village in East Los Angeles. (Not coincidentally, O-Scope is the
company founded by Adam Yauch, MCA of Beastie Boys, who as a group were early
adopters of the Atwater neighborhood.
It’s there that they first met their long time
collaborator Mark “Money Mark” Nishita, who provides the book’s introduction
here.) Tippet could accurately be described as a sort of William Eggleston for
the Instagram generation: from a fed-up dude hurling a Big Gulp at a Tesla
parked on Glendale Boulevard to the unique soul playing the melodica in his
driver’s-seat-cum-rehearsal-space, Tippet’s photos document the surreal,
everyday happenings that permeate the neighborhood he calls home.
“I always get caught up with unique situations, and
I’m attracted to them, I have such a strong love for underdogs,” says Tippet.
"I appreciate people that struggle, they’re more interesting to me, and
it’s a type of person I’m drawn to photograph. Most of the subjects here are
people I see all the time around the neighborhood. They’re like local
celebrities to me. I hope when readers flip through the book they have a
connection to these people and the neighborhood and get a feeling of what it’s
like to spend a day here.”
About the releases, O-Scope president Dan Berger
said, “As anyone in the independent film business knows, we’re operating in a
time of constant change and uncertainty and it felt like an opportune moment
for us to shore up our financials with a tried-and-true cash windfall, so we
published a few physical books.”
MUSINGS VOLUMES 1 & 2 and HEADING TO BILL’S FOR
CIGARETTES will be available in limited edition starting in November via
Oscilloscope’s online store as well as at select bookstores nationwide. The
releases will also be supported by events in local markets. For more
information please reach out to O-Scope’s books publicist, Liz Lagno
(liz@oscilloscope.net).
