Vulture’s 2015 Pop-Culture Gift Guide
Here, our annual compendium of the best new gifts for the culture obsessives in your life, whether they’re comedy nerds, audiophiles, or Twin Peaks fans. Go retro and buy a Walkman (and cassette tapes) or a 1937 Hollywood star map. Or help someone get a good night’s sleep by picking up Jeff Bridges’s album of lullabies. Or, for the aspiring Marc Maron, go for the podcast microphone (and promise to listen). Find these and 16 more recommendations in the slideshow ahead.
*This article appears in the November 23, 2015 issue of New York Magazine.
A 25th-anniversary collection that includes the two classics, plus the more niche, Culkin-less follow-ups.
Photo: Courtesy of the Vendor
The 50th-anniversary edition of A Love Supreme has the only live recording of the title suite.
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Paul Levitz’s Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel chronicles Eisner’s journey to international renown, but the real treat is the book’s never-b...
Paul Levitz’s Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel chronicles Eisner’s journey to international renown, but the real treat is the book’s never-before-seen work-in-progress sketches.
Photo: Courtesy of the Vendor
The Twin Peaks reboot isn’t until 2017, but you’ll need the extra year to figure out its enigmatic creator.
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A limited-edition hardcover catalogue containing a decade’s worth of trippy zines by the New England–based Paper Rad art collective.
Photo: Courtesy ...A limited-edition hardcover catalogue containing a decade’s worth of trippy zines by the New England–based Paper Rad art collective.
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Shea Serrano’s deep-diving debate on the best rap song every year since 1979.
Photo: elephant
An English professor came up with this Cards Against Humanity–style game based on the Melville classic.
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Intimate and never-before-seen photos of Bowie courtesy of Mick Rock, the singer’s personal photographer during his Ziggy Stardust phase, from 1972 to...
Intimate and never-before-seen photos of Bowie courtesy of Mick Rock, the singer’s personal photographer during his Ziggy Stardust phase, from 1972 to 1973. Each edition of The Rise of David Bowie is numbered and signed by Bowie and Rock.
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For staking out Mary Pickford, Buddy Rogers, and Carole Lombard.
Photo: Library of Congress
A restored version of D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 gold-standard rock doc from Criterion.
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Now that new musicians like Mac Demarco release albums on cassette, it’s prime time to get back into making mix tapes. Pair a cassette tape with a cla...
Now that new musicians like Mac Demarco release albums on cassette, it’s prime time to get back into making mix tapes. Pair a cassette tape with a classic yellow Sony Walkman for good measure.
Photo: Bobby Doherty
A comprehensive collection of the artist’s pieces includes an essay by Salman Rushdie.
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Now that he’s off the air, he belongs on your cousin’s wall. The print is signed by Al Hirschfeld.
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43 minutes of the Dude soothing you to sleep. Pitchfork gave the record a 7.8.
The Neat Widget is a serious upgrade for the Marc Maron wannabe: a sleek microphone that plugs directly into a computer’s USB port.
Photo: Courtesy o...The Neat Widget is a serious upgrade for the Marc Maron wannabe: a sleek microphone that plugs directly into a computer’s USB port.
Photo: Courtesy of the Vendor
This poster outlines the history of computer-made music from Kraftwerk to Daft Punk.
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Limited-edition and Bluetooth-enabled, this speaker comes preloaded with a never-before-released ODB original, “Obey Me,” produced by RZA.
Photo: Cou...Limited-edition and Bluetooth-enabled, this speaker comes preloaded with a never-before-released ODB original, “Obey Me,” produced by RZA.
Photo: Courtesy of the Vendor
The original 1970 poster for the Czech version of the Disney classic, by Karel Vaca.
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The 30 Trips Around the Sun boxed set sold out even before it was released, but a USB version is still available.
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In addition to being a real hoot, the late comedienne was a prolific (and quite wonderful) painter. This signed 11.5-by-10-inch piece is called Nan.
...In addition to being a real hoot, the late comedienne was a prolific (and quite wonderful) painter. This signed 11.5-by-10-inch piece is called Nan.
Photo: Courtesy of the Vendor