Hi! I am not writing as regularly because the world and life but wanted to share some cultural favorites from the last two months for you that will hopefully take your mind elsewhere if you’re not outside enjoying gorgeous NYC fall weather and need an escape.
A few highlights from the last couple months include a day attending both a magpie and miniature themed party, finding out I had a remaining baby tooth- and then having to say goodbye to tooth, performing back with the Susana crew as Rachel Gunn- the Australian Olympian Hip Hop dancer and HOT! Queer Festival and learning that the design of the character Shrek was inspired by Maurice Tillet, a Russian-French wrestler. And going to All Things Go! sans Chappell Roan. But at least we always have Muna.
Performances
La Vie Secrète Des Vieux by Mohamed El Khatib- I got to catch this incredible show while in Paris for 48h at the Festival D’Automne and it was one of the most meaningful performances I’ve ever experienced. Mohamed created this work with first time actors and residents of senior homes around the sexual desires of elderly people. One of the actors in the process had passed away so they brought his ashes on stage. It was devastatingly beautiful, tragic, and the first time I’d ever encountered these conversations.
Woof by Hannah Gadsby- Hannah Gadsby is back on their own, specifically walking away from the support of Netflix, in their sharpest and most controversial set to date- with takes against Baby Reindeer and Taylor Swift among others- but really making a show about grief that isn’t a show about grief. The thing about Gadsby is that you always think you’re keeping up, laughing along and are always in awe of the fact that everything comes back in the set in the most unexpected ways. Long live Hannah Gadsby.
TV/Film
Monsters- At this point everyone and their third cousin is probably watching the Ryan Murphy Menendez inspired series- but if you aren’t and are not afraid of the darkness of the story- you will come accross some of the best acting you’ve seen in ages. Cooper Koch and Javier Bardem in particular gave me chills/Emmy bait.
The Substance- Back on the gross train and not taking responsibility if you get ill or pass out from this film- I had a blast watching The Substance. In this movie about the dark side of a pill to keep our hero forever young is the best/worst body horror I’ve ever seen and Demi shines as a one woman playing 5 versions of a worsening monster.
Dakar Surf City- I love a surf documentary (and Blue Crush- which is not a surf documentary) and this beautiful surf doc follows the birth of the surfing movement in Dakar, Senegal. Similarly to the Gaza Surf Club documentary, it follows the ingenuity of people in lower income areas to build a following and platform for an expensive sport that for so long was overpowered by white athletes. The generosity of the founders of the sport in Dakar to share with their community, while pushing for the creation of a national team to compete on a world stage is so inspiring.
Handle with Care- This documentary covers the Notic underground Canadian basketball club- a hugely influential group in the world of street basketball. Street basketball takes out the formalities and rules of basketball- allowing each player to use more acrobatic moves without a referee. An artistry came out of the movement and players found themselves basically having breakdance battles on a basketball court with ball tricks never seen before. The Notic basketball club created mixtapes out of those games that got the attention of the NBA and influenced the birth of the sport around the world- including Japan. Unfortunately none of them made any money on the mixtapes and had to go back to being regular citizens aside from the rare few that ended up playing professionally. Similarly to Sixto Rodriguez in Searching for Sugar Man, this documentary is a chance for them to finally earn what they are do as athletes behind a movement.
Mama’s Boy- Another doc! This film centers around the upbringing of Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter of Milk, queer activist and husband to Tom Daley- but is really about his mom and their lives in and out of the evangelical community. It’s in a way connecting so many aspects of the American experience- Southern poverty, religious communities, growing up disabled in the 50’s/60’s (his mom) and coming out. Though Dustin has certainly made a career for himself and had his own impact- his mom’s story is one of unrelenting hope.
Sound
Shell Game: I am becoming AI curious and this podcast is the perfect companion to the humor, dread and curiosity around it all. Journalist Evan Ratliff takes us on an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole exploring the possibilities with his newly acquired AI voice. From conversations with his wife to therapy and talking back to scammers- it’s impossible to not laugh and find your mind explose seeing how far he goes.
Lettres à Giselle Pelicot: The Pelicot trial is completely rocking France right now- one of the most horrible cases I’ve ever heard of (read more about it on the trial link). Authors, celebrities and intellectuals have written her a letter- read on the radio station France Inter.
The Voyager Golden Album playlist: I was reminded by Sarah that in 1977, we sent records out into space featuring music and images to show Aliens what life on earth looked like. The playlist from the record is linked and is supposed to encapsulate our history of culture through music featuring Bach, Louis Armstrong and world music among others- and the images including images of human things including how we lick, eat and drink as modes of consumption.
Visual Art
Surréalisme at Pompidou: In those 48 hours in Paris, I also caught the labyrinth shaped retrospective of the surrealism movement. It’s a massive show structured thematically around poetry, dreams, mother figures and the fascinations around Alice in Wonderland.
Mater Earth: Prune Nourry one of my absolute favorite sculptors since her Terracotta Daughters and she recently did an installation for a hotel in France that I have only seen online but am in love with. Built of natural materials, it represents a pregnant woman lying on her back, with parts of her body emerging from the ground. The idea came for her when she was asking a pregnant model to pose for her in an inflatable pool with milk and could only see certain parts emerging.
Alvin Ailey Legacy show at The Whitney: I have a special place for Ailey in my heart since it brought me to New York after graduation. My first adult job was in the marketing department of Ailey and though it was not easy- it gave me such an expansive understanding of a different and more profound dance history than the Paris Opera “little rats” (we call them this) I only knew beforehand. Though it was again- not easy- the dancers are what kept us all working, through the Christmas season I was in charge of selling- because we were all so aware of the astonishing beauty of their artistry. The show at the Whitney celebrates Black artistry and the Ailey legacy in a way that is accurate and joyful and looking to the future. The multi-screen video installation by Josh Begley and Kya Lou kept me in the exhibit for much longer than I planned- I could have watched it forever. A special person from my Ailey journey, their incredible producer Calvin Hunt, who knew Ailey and actually led me to WNYC and my career in podcast indirectly- is no longer with us but his spirit spread all over this show.
Be well- I love you.