Rec. #582: Revisiting Quote from a Fictional Character #90

[Originally posted July 6, 2016.]

"Smells fishy to me."

"Well, even fish smells good when you're starving to death."

--- George Lumley and Blanche Tyler,

Family Plot, 1976

(Rec. #120)

Rec. #581: Quote for These Times #13

"The funeral itself was one of those unbelievable pieces of picturesque nightmare which sometimes slip into real life to remind one that there is nothing so painfully absurd that it cannot happen."

--- Black Plumes,

Margery Allingham, 1940

(Rec. #156) 

Rec. #580: Only Connect

What: Only Connect is a BBC Two game show that's all about lateral thinking. It's presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell and one day, maybe soon, I will do a post just on her amazing opening monologues.

The show has four rounds:

1. Connections: Clues are revealed one at a time and teams have to guess what connects them. Buzzing in sooner gets you more points.

2. Sequences: Similar to Connections, but the clues are in a particular order and you have to fill in the last blank.

3. Connecting Wall: Pure madness.

4. Missing Vowels: Word puzzles with the vowels removed. A lightning round!


Comparable to: It is the game show equivalent of The Great British Bake Off, full of earnest, nice people doing very clever things. Plus a snarky host!

How to get it: Currently airing on BBC Two, but episodes from all 13 (!) seasons [series] are pretty discoverable on YouTube.

Rec. #579: Invisible Ink

What: Aimee Mann's "Invisible Ink" is a pretty spot-on song for when you feel like you've been screaming into the void.

As the kids say, #mood.

Representative lyrics:
But another illustration is wasted
'Cause the results are the same
I feel like a ghost who's trying to move your hands
Over some Ouija board in the hopes I can spell out my name

Connections to previous Wreckage: Aimee Mann's "Labrador" (Rec. #414) is also brilliant.

Rec. #578: Dog on the Deckchair - Sussex in the '70s

What: Photographer Dorothy Bohm's work spans 75 years. This gallery from The Guardian spotlights some of it and also includes fascinating nuggets about Bohm's life (e.g., after fleeing the Nazis, she apparently learned English within the first year of her arrival in England).

Where to get it: If you happen to be in Chichester, you can see a Bohm exhibition. For the rest of us, The Guardian published this gallery in May.

Connections to previous Wreckage: See more posts on photography here.

Rec. #577: Why Even Viral-Fundraising Skeptics Can Feel Good About Donating to RAICES

What: The world is so broken right now across so many vectors that you're desperate to use whatever privilege you have. The amount of work to be done can be paralyzing --- and so can the fear that you will choose to do something that ... doesn't actually help those who need it.

That's why this article from Slate is so reassuring. It lays out exactly how the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) is set up to use incoming funds effectively.

Basically, both their LEAF Project and Bond Fund can scale quickly and easily, but I would encourage you to read the whole (quite short!) Slate article. And then donate (again).

How to get it: "Why Even Viral-Fundraising Skeptics Can Feel Good About Donating to RAICES" was published on Slate last week.

Rec. #576: Revisiting List #63: People in the Media I Actually Liked in 2016, Part Two

[Originally posted January 11, 2017. I still feel pretty good about these people.]

See Part One here for #1-5.

6. Nadiya Hussain

Who: Baker, columnist, author, television presenter

Two of the whats: The Great British Bake Off (tv), Nadiya's Kitchen (book)

Where:
For The Great British Bake Off (series 6) - YouTube, intermittently
For Nadiya's Kitchen - library or bookseller of your choosing

Now also co-hosting The Big Family Cooking Showdown (Rec. #411), on Netflix

7. Daniel Levy

Who: Actor, writer, producer

One of the whats: Schitt's Creek (tv show) (List #59), (List #65)

Where: Amazon Prime, Netflix

8. Kate McKinnon

Who: Comedian, actor

Two of the whats: Singing "Hallelujah" on SNL as Hillary Clinton (tv), Ghostbusters (movie)

Where:
For "Hallelujah" performance - Hulu
For Ghostbusters - rent, buy, or borrow from the source of your choosing

9. Michael Schur

Who: Producer, writer

Three of the whats: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (List #37) (Rec. #537), The Good Place (Rec. #401), an A+++ Twitter

Where:
For Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Hulu
For The Good Place - Netflix, Hulu
For his Twitter - @KenTremendous

10. Ngozi Ukazu

Who: Web comic author/artist

One of the whats: Check, Please!
[you might think you don't care about fictional college hockey players ... you are so, so, so wrong]

Where: Start the comic here

Soon to be also a book! Pre-order here

Rec. #575: Revisiting List #63: People in the Media I Actually Liked in 2016, Part One

[Originally posted January 4, 2017. I still feel pretty good about these people.]

1. Richard Ayoade

Who: Writer, director, actor (of the British variety)

One of the whats: Travel Man (tv show) (Rec. #396)

Where:
Channel 4 if you're in the U.K.; otherwise, YouTube

2. Samantha Bee

Who: Late-night host, author

Two of the whats: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (tv show) (Rec. #417, Rec. #494, Rec. #510), I Know I Am, But What Are You? (book) (Rec. #285)

Where:
For Full Frontal - TBS or, you guessed it, YouTube
For I Know I Am, But What Are You? - buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able

3. Carrie Brownstein

Who: Musician, writer, actor

Two of the whats: Portlandia (tv show) (SSOW #6), The Realest Real (short film)

Where:
For Portlandia - IFC, or stream on Netflix
For The Realest Real - YouTube

4. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins

Who: Comedians, hosts

One of the whats: The Great British Bake Off (tv show)

Where: Was on the BBC in the U.K.; PBS in the U.S.; sporadically findable on YouTube

5. Adam Goldman

Who: Writer, director, actor

Two of the whats: The Outs (web series) (Rec. #280), Whatever This Is (web series) (Rec. #484)

Where:
For The Outs - season one at TheOuts.com, season two on Vimeo
For Whatever This Is - at WhateverThisIs.com
(also, his twitter is really great)



Continue with Part Two here

Rec. #574: Quote for These Times #12

"What we remember can be changed. What we forget we are always. We live the stories we tell; the stories we don't tell live us."

--- Firebird: A Memoir, 

Mark Doty, 1999

Rec. #573: DecaDance

What: Like all great art, the right dance performance can feed your soul. I really need my soul fed right now, and the choreography of Ohad Naharin has helped. I was lucky enough to see a Hubbard Street performance of DecaDance/Chicago recently, and oh my gosh, I said. This.

How to get it: Of course, if it's at all possible, seek this work out in person. Until then, YouTube is your friend.

Also! Mr. Gaga, a documentary about choreographer Ohad Naharin, is available now on Netflix.

Rec. #572: Coughing on the F Train

What: Bop through some city living with "Coughing on the F train," from indie folk-pop band Bombadil.

Representative lyrics:
Now I'm standing here before you
What would you say if I still adored you

I told myself I would never-never, never, never talk to you
I told myself I would never-never, never, never reach out to you
Falling asleep on the subway
Coughing on the F train out to Brooklyn

Rec. #571: Linda Holmes as Host of Pop Culture Happy Hour

What: The podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour is pretty much exactly what it sounds like --- a small group of people get together and chat about a given pop culture topic. Now twice a week, the show is masterfully facilitated by Linda Holmes, a pop culture writer/editor for NPR.

It wasn't until I started noticing how many people are bad at hosting that I truly appreciated how good Holmes is in the role. As a host, she's generous, collegial, self-deprecating, and smart. (Also, as I tweeted in April, she is often the most right.)

How to get it: PCHH releases episodes twice a week, once early in the week and once on Fridays. The Friday episodes include the "What's Making Us Happy" segment, which, let's face it, we all need.

Rec. #570: Revisiting Quote from a Fictional Character #88

[Originally posted June 13, 2016.]

"American millionaires must all be quite mad. Perhaps it's something they put in the ink when they print the money."

--- Charles Bonnet,

How to Steal a Million, 1966

(Rec. #205)

(List #28)

(List #41)

(SSoW #19)

Rec. #569: Revisiting Quote for These Times #5

[Originally posted February 24, 2017]

"There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness or death. Any attempt to prove otherwise constitutes unacceptable behavior."

--- Fran Lebowitz,

Metropolitan Life, 1978

(Rec. #188)

Rec. #568: Friendly Ghost

What: The band Eels is mainly Mark Oliver Everett ("E") and the song "Friendly Ghost" is off their album Souljacker.

I would also appreciate a friendly ghost, please. If anyone's offering.

Representative lyrics:
Last night I heard footsteps walking
On the attic floor
I got up and I opened up the door

A friendly ghost is all I need
A friendly ghost is all I need

Rec. #567: Quote from a Fictional Character #100

"More people listen to the radio than go to the theatre. And no one listens to the radio."

---Darren Nichols,

Slings and Arrows, 2003

(Rec. #127)

Rec. #566: Dylan DiMeo in Speechless

What: Speechless is a gem of a show, and the character of Dylan is a fine example of how the show does right by its female characters.

Dylan is the youngest member of the DiMeo family. She is a tiny, blonde preteen girl, but more importantly she is an ultra-competitive jock with boundless self-confidence. As played by Kyla Kenedy, Dylan gets to subvert stereotypes about teenage girls that are often boring, inaccurate, and damaging.

For example, when preparing to join the wrestling team, Dylan develops a crush on a potential teammate. She's concerned about her weight --- because she doesn't want to have to compete against him in the same weight class --- so she sets her mind to gaining weight. (Spoiler: the object of her affections does the same thing, so they do have to compete each other. She wins.)

Representative quote: "Stupid leg! After all the cool things I've let you kick?!"

Connections to previous Wreckage: Speechless is part of List #65.

How to get it: Season 2 is streaming on Hulu.

Rec. #565: Joseph's Machines

What: The YouTube channel Joseph's Machines is full of videos showing Rube Goldberg machines in action. Their creator, Joseph Herscher, is from New Zealand, so you also get a Kiwi accent as a bonus.

How to get it: There's the aforementioned YouTube channel and also the Joseph's Machines website.

Rec. #564: What's on the Menu?

What: The New York Public Library is transcribing their collection of 45,000 historical restaurant menus to make them searchable. You can help!

No need to register or create an account or anything -- just jump in. While you're there, browse around by dish or decade, or check out some of the cool visualizations that have come from the data already captured (e.g., "sanka").

How to get it: Transcribe, review, and geotag as part of the What's on the Menu? project.

Rec. #563: Revisiting Quote for These Times #3

[Originally posted January 28, 2017.]

"Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone."

--- Czesław Miłosz

Rec. #562: Revisiting List #6: A Few Seasonally Inappropriate Options for the Northern Hemisphere

[Originally posted July 31, 2011]



1. Last Night at the Lobster (Rec. #8), book by Stewart O'Nan: It's late December, and employees at a Connecticut Red Lobster are working their last shift.

2. A Midwinter's Tale (Rec. #11), movie: An out-of-work actor stages a holiday production of Hamlet in a small village.

3. Northern Exposure (Rec. #35 and Rec. #161), TV series: In Cicely, Alaska, reluctant town doctor Joel Fleischman rails against rampant eccentricity.

4. Paris to the Moon (Rec. #39), book by Adam Gopnik: Read about the Winter Circus, French Christmas trees, and the Palais Royal in December.

5. Moominvalley in November (Rec. #109), book by Tove Jansson: Mymble, Toft, Fillyjonk, Snufkin, and others settle down to wait for the return of the Moomin family.

6. Death of an Englishman (Rec. #144), book by Magdalen Nabb: Marshal Guarnaccia can't join his family in Sicily for the holidays because there's been a murder, and everyone in his police department has the flu. Including him.

7. The Trouble with Harry (Rec. #145), movie: Nothing screams "autumn" quite like this deadpan Hitchcock comedy.

8. Smilla's Sense of Snow (Rec. #150), book by Peter Høeg: Copenhagen, snow, young boy's death, snow, amateur investigation, snow, conspiracy, snow, snow, snow.

Rec. #561: Who Does She Think She Is?

What: It's time for another dive into righteous fury, this time with Laurie Penny. "Who Does She Think She Is?" faces the culture of online abuse head-on, including where it's coming from and where it's taking us.

Representative quote: "The internet does not hate women. People hate women, and the internet allows them to do it faster, harder, and with impunity."

How to get it: Longreads published "Who Does She Think She Is?" at the end of March. You can follow writer Laurie Penny on Twitter (@PennyRed).

Rec. #560: Alligator and Pumpkin

I love this cartoon so much that I'm just going to give you the whole thing. See the end for source info.

 

Rec. #559: On + Off

What: Musical wunderkind Maggie Rogers gives us layered, dreamy downtempo pop with "On + Off." The accompanying video gives us a dorky-coolness that brings to mind Christine and the Queens, grooving backup dancers and all, albeit with more costume changes.

Representative lyrics:
Take me to that place where you always go
When you're sleeping or your day takes you low, so low
When I'm on and off again
On and off again
On and off again, oh

Connection to previous Wreckage: "Tilted," by Christine and the Queens, was Rec. #449.

Rec. #558: Quote from a Fictional Character #99

"I could never be a heroine, as far as one knows of heroines from history. I'm capable of a great jerk, an effort, and then a relaxation—but steady every-day goodness is beyond me. I must be a moral kangaroo!"

― Cynthia Kirkpatrick,

Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell, 1864

(miniseries adaptation was Rec. #354)

Rec. #557: Sondheim Lyrics on Twitter

What:  Stephen Sondheim is widely accepted as one of theater's greatest lyricists, and there's a Sondheim lyric for most things. With @sondheimlyrics, you can have them doled out to you in one place, funny and sad and arch and poignant all together.

Representative tweets:

"A gun kills many men before it's done."

"To wish and wait from day to day will never keep the wolves away."


Connections to previous Wreckage: One of my person favorite Sondheim shows is Company (Rec. #99). For a behind-the-scenes view of the creative process, see The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened (Rec. #511). Sondheim also co-wrote The Last of Sheila (Rec. #215).

Rec. #556: Revisiting List #22: A Few of the Best Books I Read in 2012

[Originally posted January 1, 2013.]

The Beginning of Spring, Penelope Fitzgerald: "With the ruthlessness of the timid, Miss Kinsman was coming after him now to suggest that she would be suitable for the post of governess at 22 Lipka Street." (Rec. #342)

Fadeaway Girl, Martha Grimes: "I cleared my throat, which at least showed I could make a sound, balled up my fist in front of my mouth as if I were about to cough, rehearsed the word 'hello' in my head to see if it was a real word, then blurted out: 'My name is Emma Graham.'" (Rec. #317)

The Red House, Mark Haddon: "Behind everything there is a house. Behind everything there is always a house, compared to which every other house is larger or colder or more luxurious." (Rec. #333)

Random Harvest, James Hilton: "This idea of unsameness as the pattern of life meant that (as Blampied put it) they didn't think there was anything very odd in anyone being a little odd." (Rec. #363)

Bel Canto, Ann Patchett: "It makes you wonder. All the brilliant things we might have done with our lives if we only suspected we knew how." (Rec. #337)

The Happy Exiles, Felicity Shaw: "The only things he was afraid of were boredom and blackmail."

Rec. #555: Revisiting List #65: "S" Is for ... Socially Aware Sitcoms?

[Originally posted July 22, 2017.]


These three shows seem to be flying under the critical radar, but they deserve some attention and kudos for their matter-of-fact approaches to being socially progressive.

Schitt's Creek

• Solid on: Sexuality. One of the main characters is pansexual -- this is not treated as a big deal, but he also gets to have sex without anyone being tragically killed off.
• Bonus points for: Having a mayor named Roland Schitt, but still not making all of the townspeople idiots.
• Notable scene: David explains his ... wine preferences.
• Where to stream: Seasons 1-3 are on Netflix.

Speechless

• Solid on: Disability rights
• Bonus points for: The younger sister is a supercompetitive jock, but there are no tomboy jokes.
• Notable scene: Explaining inspiration porn.
• Where to stream: Season 2 is on Hulu.

Superstore

• Solid on: Blue collar workers, immigration issues, unionization
• Bonus points for: Having a truly diverse ensemble cast that's not led by a white dude.
• Notable scene: The employees strike for workers' rights.
• Where to stream: Seasons 1-3 are on NBC.com and Hulu.

Rec. #554: Basket Case

What: Join me in a brief bout of '90s nostalgia. Green Day filmed the video for "Basket Case" in black and white (color added later) at an abandoned mental institution. Seems like a good time to revisit it. Anxiety! Queerness! Weed! Therapy! You may be surprised by what resonates.

Representative lyrics:
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid or am I just stoned?