Hi friends:
Sorry it’s taken me so long to write, but I tried to space these things out and then the world decided to spin off its axis. How it going? Rather than talk about the only thing anyone is talking about these days — breadmaking — I’ve got some tunes and other randomness to share.
Chopped and Screwed
I’ve known about this genre of Houston-birthed rap for a long time. I had no idea people were using it to mix r&b tracks, as well as country songs. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard George Strait slowed. But this Ari Lennox track which has kind of my jam since it came out, is even better this way.
Virtual trivia night
I’m considering dusting off my trivia hosting skills to do a trivia night on my channel sometime soon. It’d be formatted like most bar trivia, so a wide range of relatively accessible topics though and structured like the show I used to host. (A few rounds, bonus points, etc.) Let me know if you want an invite, as I’ll keep the URL relatively close so we’re not inundated with interlopers (though it’s not a Zoom link, lol.)
Stuff to read
My pal (and Camp Awosting Cabin 16 alum) Jon Bernstein wrote a great remembrance of the great American troubadour John Prine, in Rolling Stone that’s worth your time
Futurist Cennydd Bowles talking about what’s next after the dread passes
Real Life mag (one of my favorites right now) did a retrospective on Vine
New Yorker had a feature on Fiona Apple, who apparently has a record coming out this year. (::screams in joy::)
Okay, where are the tunes damnit?
Turns this club joint on when you’re going to do some chores. It’s the closest thing you’ll have to a nightclub for a while. It’s a 2020 song, but it’s got early 90s club sound written all over it.
Also, if you need to feel like you’re in NYC in the summer, this playlist should help. I cribbed it from someone’s mix on a non-Spotify site. It’s unlike my normal fare — it’s way too upbeat and full of bops — so if you’re worried it’s gonna be three hours of sad boi tunes, you’re got nothing to worry about.
I’ve already tweeted about it, but Deerhunter’s most recent record which dropped over a year ago, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? is timely and prescient. I don’t remember listening to it at all last year, but I’m enjoying it mightily in 2020.
Watch This
Even if you’re not a jazz enthusiast, the documentary The Birth of Cool that profiles John Coltrane is something to add to your list. There are some great interviews, lots of found footage and just hearing his story — not always a great one — is super interesting. His influence can’t be overstated, so check it out.
I don’t expect any of you to actually do this, but a Finnish buddy of mine - who also runs social media for their baseball league — is doing watch parties of old Finnish baseball games on Twitch. You won’t understand any of it, but it’s still fun.
Until next time…
That’s about it. I’ve been scheduling virtual hangouts with folks during this time, so consider this your invite if you’d like to catch up. I spend all day at work on video anyway, so it’s something I’m used to, but I hadn’t done it much with IRL pals before all this went down.
I’ll probably write another one of these sooner than six months from now given the pace of the world’s change right now, but as usual, feel free to say hi, I’m the only one who gets the replies.
-Ron