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Listen to Looch: spending quality time with John Lurie

John Lurie in an episode of 'Painting with John.'
John Lurie in an episode of 'Painting with John.'Courtesy of HBO

by Mary Lucia

February 03, 2021

Mary Lucia has a two-fer for you, thanks to musician, actor, painter and all-around interesting person John Lurie. HBO recently launched the series, Painting with John, and two episodes in, Mary Lucia is completely charmed by it.

The program reminds Mary of the earlier series from Lurie called Fishing with John, in which Lurie goes on fishing trips with his friends, who include Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch, Willem Dafoe and Tom Waits. "When somebody's that interesting and has a lot to say and offer, it's great," Mary says. "It's really charming."

Lurie, who was born in Minneapolis but grew up in New Orleans and Massachusetts, and later became a quintessential New Yorker, has worked in many creative fields. From 1979 to 2000, Lurie was the bandleader of The Lounge Lizards. He's acted in many films, and has composed music for film and television, including his Grammy-nominated score for the 1995 film Get Shorty.

Painting with John premiered on HBO Max on January 22. Its six episodes are written and directed by John Lurie and are photographed and edited by Erik Mockus.

Official Trailer

Painting with John - official HBO site

Fishing with John - the Criterion Collection

John Lurie Art - official site