February Grab Bag
Turns out there's some good art out there
Hello! I’m writing this as the people next to me in the coffee shop are having the most bananas conversation. Through eavesdropping, I’ve learned a lot about how to invest venture capital money and how to market protein powder. At my most charitable I’ll say that life is a rich tapestry and it takes all sorts etc. etc. At my most bitchy I want to throw my coffee on them.
Anyway, let’s get to this month’s recommendations!
Conclave – Despite my mixed feelings about the ultimate message of this, it was great to look at and I like watching things that are asking the audience to engage with them in a meaningful way.
Imaginal Disk by Magdelena Bay – let me be the latest music hipster to recommend this absolutely bonkers album. The music is trippy and psychedelic (I mean just look at the music videos!) and has so many interesting beepy crunchy sounds combined with some classic pop vocals that soothes my need for a catchy little choruses to hook onto
September House by Carissa Orlando – a haunted house book about a woman who has learned to live with the ghosts. I’m losing my mind about how compelling, gnarly and heartfelt this was. Extreme content warning for abuse and pretty intense gore for those who want to give this horror novel a shot.
I loved this ode to classic jukeboxes in NYC, complete with a little map of bars that have them, a fun excuse to explore some new places!
Companion – I am a Sophie Thatcher fan first and foremost, so I’m glad this movie gave her 90 minutes to shine
I Used to be Funny – ^ what I said above but about Rachel Sennott
You Didn’t Hear This From Me by Kelsey McKinney – I was absolutely riveted by this exploration of gossip from the original host of Normal Gossip. For anyone who listens to the podcast and wants a full episode about each person’s relationship to gossip, not just the actual story.
In general I recommend Haley Nahman’s newsletter Maybe Baby (I am totally mimicking her 15 Things I Consumed This Week series with these recommendations), I’ve been a paying subscriber for ages but only recently started listening to her subscriber only podcast and I’ve loved the advice shows, scratching that Dear Prudence itch I hadn’t realized I was missing.
Look, I too have been watching and loving the second season of Severance – who am I to deny that a thing that’s dominating the popular zeitgeist is actually worthy of the attention? Between Severance and the weekly release of Yellowjackets I’m having fun with the linear TV era conversation around television shows.
Whatever is happening with Chappell Roan’s promotion of The Giver with fake lawyer billboards around various cities. I’ve been blasting bootleg versions of her SNL performance since November (truly the last good thing to happen to this country) and pumped for its official release
Well, that’s all folks! Clearly I’ve been doing a lot of escapism through media recently and would be interested in recommendations that tie a little closer to the current moment. Send them my way!
Each month I will try to highlight an organization that’s important to me, in a small attempt to help out In These Trying Times. While financial donations are great, there’s also other ways to get involved in community building work — volunteering, building relationships with neighbors, offering up skills and services you might have.
This month I’m shouting out Transgender Law Center.