Kyle Ryan
The AV Club
Chicago, IL, United States
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Past articles by Kyle:
20 years later, what was your first impression of Foo Fighters?
Twenty years ago today saw the release of the debut album from Foo Fighters, a name that began as a cover for the fact that Nirvana’s drummer had created the entire album by himself (a single guitar contribution from Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli notwithstanding). Drums, bass, guitar, vocals—it was a one-man Dave Grohl show all the way. Not only that, it was the first release of new music by a former… → Read More
British meme rap project: The year in band names 2018
They said it couldn’t be done. They said it wouldn’t be done. They said it shouldn’t be done. But the Year In Band Names is back, if a little belated and slightly different. This year, I cut way more bands from my master list than usual, in an effort to leave only the noteworthy groups (or ones that made for fun commentary). Don’t worry, the story is as long as usual, and compiling it more… → Read More
A “tragi-comic” memoir from comedian Adam Cayton-Holland is mostly tragedy
Although Adam Cayton-Holland’s first book is subtitled “A Tragi-Comic Memoir,” fans of his comedy and/or his TV show should expect little, if any, of the “comic” part. “A tragic memoir” doesn’t sound as zippy, but it better reflects the devastating story within Tragedy + Time: the suicide of Cayton-Holland’s younger sister and best friend, Lydia. → Read More
At long last, Ned Flanders has received his own rap song
What Are You Listening To? is a weekly run-down of what A.V. Club staffers are streaming. Listen to these songs and more on our Spotify playlist, updated weekly with new stuff. → Read More
Nine Inch Nails, Kamasi Washington, and more albums to know about this week
Bad Witch is a thin, if rewarding, listen from Nine Inch Nails; while Kamasi Washington’s cinematic soul-jazz is more ambitious than ever on the awe-inspiring Heaven And Earth; and Gang Gang Dance turn in a somewhat too-impeccable sixth LP with Kazuashita. These, plus Martyn and The Orb in this week’s notable new releases. → Read More
The original Super Fly is more than a blaxploitation time capsule with a killer soundtrack
Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases or premieres, or occasionally our own inscrutable whims. With the remake of the blaxploitation classic Super Fly opening in theaters this week, we’re looking back on the genre’s 1970s heyday. → Read More
A life writing for The Simpsons fails to embiggen an insider’s book about the show
As much as the introduction of DVD commentaries promised revelations inside the creative process, plenty of times they offered more insight into the banter of the people involved, as seemingly important scenes sail by unexplained. Longtime Simpsons producer-writer Mike Reiss, a frequent presence on the hours and hours of commentary tracks for the show, offers a sort of corrective for that in his… → Read More
R.I.P. Anthony Bourdain
Multiple sources confirm that chef, author, and TV host Anthony Bourdain has died from an apparent suicide. He was 61. CNN, which aired Bourdain’s series Parts Unknown, has a statement: → Read More
Here's what you missed at this year's Onion Comedy & Arts Festival
The inaugural Onion Comedy & Arts Festival (or what would’ve been the fifth annual 26th Annual Comedy Festival, if you’re keeping track) arrived in Chicago last week, with thousands of fans packing auditoriums and clubs to see the likes of How Did This Get Made? (four shows!), David Cross, Hollywood Handbook, Bitch Sesh, Chris Gethard, Bob Odenkirk, Judge John Hodgman, and more. (Special… → Read More
David Lynch dreams up his own biography, and 4 other books to read in June
Every month, a deluge of new books comes flooding out from big publishers, indie houses, and self-publishing platforms. So every month, The A.V. Club narrows down the endless options to five of the books we’re most excited about. → Read More
Chvrches, Wooden Shjips, and more albums to know about this week
Chvrches get a production boost on the overlong Love Is Dead, while fifth full-length V. erodes Wooden Shjips’ edge away for good, and post-punks Numb.er debut with all style and little substance. → Read More
Parliament's first album in almost 40 years is titanic and weird
Listen to these songs and more on The A.V. Club’s Spotify playlist, updated weekly with what we’re listening to. → Read More
“I didn’t do myself any favors”: David Cross talks racism and comedy
The A.V. Club David Cross interview is a tradition stretching back to the publication’s founding in the mid-’90s, and we’ve charted the course of his career from co-creator of a cult-favorite HBO show to prominent stand-up comedian to blockbuster Easter egg. As a comedian, Cross has always found comfort in discomfort, zealously diving into charged subject matter—most memorably doing 9/11… → Read More
Arrested Development feels like its old self again
Five years since Arrested Development made its improbable comeback—thanks to Netflix’s then-nascent foray into original content—the verdict on its fourth season, its mere existence miraculous, is a shrug. When Netflix announced Arrested Development as part of its first slate of original content back in 2011—which included House Of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, and Lilyhammer—Arrested… → Read More
What are you reading in May?
In our monthly book club, we discuss whatever we happen to be reading and ask everyone in the comments to do the same. What Are You Reading This Month? → Read More
Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison made anthems out of agony
“I guess that’s what life has come to mean to me: It’s not ever quite right, but that’s okay,” Scott Hutchison told us in 2016. Josh Modell, our devoted ambassador to Frightened Rabbit, had asked him what he liked best about his job. Scott (forget journalistic practice; “Hutchison” doesn’t feel right for someone who’s had such a close relationship with The A.V. Club over the years) described the… → Read More
Arctic Monkeys, Tee Grizzley, and more albums to know about this week
Arctic Monkeys’ sixth album feels unmoored, while Tee Grizzley’s Activated sounds like the work of a budding superstar, and La Luz explores the textures of its tiki-bar sound on Floating Features. These, plus The Body and Mark Kozelek in this week’s notable new releases. → Read More
What are you reading in April?
In our monthly book club, we discuss whatever we happen to be reading and ask everyone in the comments to do the same. What Are You Reading This Month? → Read More
Manic Street Preachers, A Place To Bury Strangers, and more albums to know about this week
Manic Street Preachers live up to lofty pop touchstones on Resistance Is Futile, while Pinned doesn’t quite pack the punch of prior A Place To Bury Strangers releases. These, plus Rival Consoles and the debut solo album of Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls in this week’s notable new releases. → Read More
Legion, The Good Place, S-Town among the 60 nominees for this year's Peabody Awards
If nothing else, this year’s Peabody Awards are bringing attention to dicks, both literal and figurative. Among the 60 nominees announced today are Netflix’s penis-obsessed American Vandal and Vice News Tonight’s “Charlottesville: Race & Terror,” which deals with other types of dicks. → Read More