Another month, another Five Things to rescue me from the trap of criticism. You might not know it from reading this month's pieces, but I really did enjoy many books and movies and events in the last few weeks.
Not one of the aforementioned Things, but regardless a crucial reminder: it is almost CENTER STAGE (2000) season. Petty rivalries, gauzy skirts, Elvis Crespo, confusing relationships, Jamiroquai. We're nearly there! Thank you to Emmy Potter for this important tweet about CHALLENGERS (2024), which apparently everyone in my feed has seen except for me.
And now, for The Things!
Listen. This is going to sound soooo pretentious and we'll simply have to be okay with that, because: I've been really into Rachmaninoff lately. I listen to classical music in the mornings while writing and reading, but good ole Sergei delivers a punch that certain composers lack (just had a visceral vision of writing my snarky little newsletter sometime in the late nineteenth century — With Tchaikovsky dead, is Rachmaninoff now the most depressed girlie in Russia?). I'll read a proper biography at some point, but his Wiki page alone is fascinating and reads exactly as you'd expect it to:
Following the reaction to his first symphony, Rachmaninoff wrote in May 1897 that "I'm not at all affected" by its lack of success or critical reaction, but felt "deeply distressed and heavily depressed by the fact that my Symphony ... did not please me at all after its first rehearsal".
I'm not at all affected by my public failure. Really, I'm fine. I’m disappointed in myself more than anything. Sergei!!! One of us. He also married his first cousin just fyi.
The first 44 seconds of "Tyrant" from COWBOY CARTER have become very important to me. "II Hands II Heaven" is still my favorite track from the album, but those 44 seconds? They transcend.
I've been reading. I'll do a longer recap in the coming weeks, but one I want to call out now is ANNIE BOT by Sierra Greer. Just over 200 pages of efficient and enjoyable prose that discusses technology, feminism, and AI in a way that feels fresh, which feels more difficult every day as we all talk about the same thing in similar voices. As a sneak peek, I'll let you know that Clare and I are planning an episode on this book for our books podcast, which just returned from its long hiatus last week.
And on the reading front, some of the newsletters I've most enjoyed lately: from
, "Please Stop Bashing Book Publishing"; from laleh, "Can the tenured speak?"; from , "Being afraid does not mean you're under attack"; from , "Spaghetti: A Love Story"; from , "My Internet: Lauren Oyler"; and from , "We're Following Social Conventions Too Well."Have I mentioned yet how I've been going through a[nother] X-Files phase? I have. It's streaming on some app or another, and if I'm having lunch at home, I'll put on an episode and marvel at the historic, iconic chemistry between Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. A perfect show.
Thank you for reading! As always, you can find me on twitter, instagram, and tiktok. This newsletter is my pride and joy, with issues on topics like the celebrity apology industrial complex, Barbie’s Oscar noms, debriefing the Bezos’ fake normalcy, the week when everyone was deranged, and Stanley cups and hyperconsumerism.
P.S. If you share the post or a snippet on social media (thank you!), please tag me (I love to see it!), and include a link if possible. x
If it’s Center Stage season, may I offer Chloe Angyal’s two (with a third likely next year) ballet adjacent romance novels for your reading pleasure? Pas de Don’t came out last year and Pointe of Pride is out in a few weeks (and comes with an explicit ref to Center Stage and Jamiroquai 🤪)
1. Center Stage Supremacy
2. I'm a TV writer who would willing take a time machine back to the 22 episode season life. I miss it so much.