Rec. #834: Don't Take the Money / I Wanna Get Better

What: I really do like Lena Dunham's direction of music videos for the band Bleachers.

The video for "Don't Take the Money" features --- Alia Shawkat as a marriage officiant; glitz; formal shorts; crowns; leather shorts; a fight scene; the spoken dialogue "is it difficult to make lunch plans?" "no, we eat at home."

The video for "I Wanna Get Better" features --- pool floats; a birdcage; Retta in a power turtleneck; Mary Kay Place as a backup singer; the spoken line "waiting until I get dressed and then putting on the same thing is not 'fixing yourself.'"

Rec. #833: Trust No Aunty

What: Artist Maria Qamar, of the popular Instagram account @Hatecopy, has created a tongue-in-cheek survival guide for desi girls in the diaspora. Includes some rad pop art!

How to get it: In addition to the book and her Instagram account (both of which are to be found in the expected places), also check out Qamar's website (https://hatecopy.com/). Very cool merch, including this seasonally appropriate print.

Rec. #832: Come From Away

What: Here's what I knew about Come From Away before I saw the show -- it's a musical about flights that were diverted to a small town in Canada on September 11; it won the Best Musical Tony; one character is a female pilot.

Here's what I didn't realize until I saw it -- it handles tone perfectly (appropriately empathetic but with pockets of very Canadian humor); stories and dialogue were drawn directly from interviews with passengers and locals; with only one act and no pauses for applause until the end, it moves fast.

It will make you feel better about humanity in general (but also probably worse about how much the U.S. in particular is failing right now when it comes to the basic human decency of helping people in distress).

How to get it: Of course, the best option is to see a live production if you can. Failing that, the original cast recording is still stirring, gorgeous, and powerful.

Rec. #831: This Way Up

What: Aine (played by creator Aisling Bea) folds back into her life after a breakdown. This Way Up, which also features Sharon Horgan and Aasif Mandvi, is largely about using humor as a coping mechanism for bone-deep loneliness, and it has the tone to match.

Representative quote: "A man goes mental, and all of a sudden he's Bob Dylan with a fucking guitar. But a woman has one more emotion than she should, and all of a sudden, I'm Lindsay fucking Lohan."

Comparable to: I've seen several people compare This Way Up to Fleabag. While I know it's meant to be complimentary, it's actually kinda sexist -- the shows aren't very similar beyond "female creator/star in a comedy/drama about a woman."

The plot and themes did remind me of a grown-up version of my beloved My Mad Fat Diary.

How to get it: This Way Up (needs a better title! I am always double-checking this one!) is streaming now on Hulu.

Connections to previous Wreckage: My Mad Fat Diary* is Rec. #283 and SSoW #25. It's on List #26 and List #37. It is also streaming on Hulu.




* Also, now's as good a time as any to point out that MMFD was one of the first jobs for Jodie Comer, who's now - ahem - killing it on Killing Eve.

Rec. #830: Your Ex-Lover Is Dead

What: Do you feel a chill in the air coming? Are you feeling melancholy yet determined? "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead," from indie pop band Stars, might be just the song for you right now.

First line: "When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire."

Representative lyric: "Live through this, and you won't look back."

How to get it: The song is off the 2004 album Set Yourself on Fire. You can watch this video on YouTube. The band is Canadian. The video is very Canadian.

Rec. #829: Three Identical Strangers

What: The story of the documentary Three Identical Strangers is of both the ripped-from-the-headlines and truth-is-stranger-than-fiction varieties. 

Long-lost triplets discover one another, and while the boys insta-bond, their adoptive parents start to wonder how (and why) they were separated in the first place. Then things get strange and murky and ... chilling.

[This is the part where I note the immorality of treating children as objects to separate and relocate at your whim.]

Representative quote: "I believe nature and nurture both matter. But I think nurture can overcome nearly everything." (from Hedy Page, David's aunt, who is a treasure)

How to get it: Three Identical Strangers is streaming now on Hulu.

Rec. #828: Echad Mi Yodea by Ohad Naharin performed by Batsheva

What: During the summer of 2018, I saw work by choreographer Ohad Naharin performed by Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago. (See Rec. #573.)

At the time, I described it as "exquisite and powerful and maybe even life-changing?" This particular piece, Echad Mi Yodea, is the one that's stuck with me the most. In this clip, it's performed by Naharin's own Batsheva Dance Company. Just wait until they start throwing shoes.

How to get it: You can watch the piece on YouTube, and you might be interested in Batsheva's YouTube channel in general. Or you might want to watch performances from other companies, such as the Opéra national de Paris.

Connection to previous Wreckage: More on DecaDance/Chicago is at Rec. 573.

Rec. #827: All Your Faves in United States of Tara

What: Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who remembers United States of Tara (2009-2011) and Toni Collette's tour de force performance.

Lots of other amazing people were on this show, too! Just a sampling: Brie Larson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Patton Oswalt, Nate Corddry, Zosia Mamet, Viola Davis, Eddie Izzard, Frances Conroy.

Comparable to: The show is similar to Speechless in its focus on how a whole family deals with one member's health issue.

Seeing baby Brie Larson in this reminds me of watching baby Elisabeth Moss and baby Zooey Deschanel in Mumford (Rec. #92), which is another excellent thing seemingly forgotten by the larger culture.

How to get it: It's streaming on Hulu, and -- crucially -- the episodes are only half an hour.

Connection to previous Wreckage: The first season of United States of Tara was Rec. #351. Mumford was Rec. #92. Speechless was featured in List #65 and Rec. #566.

Rec. #826: Be Prepared

What: The mostly autobiographical graphic novel Be Prepared is all about summer camp, but the tone might be different than you'd expect. It's funny, but not goofy. It's emotional coming-of-age, but not wistful or saccharine. It's painfully realistic about how monstrous preteens can be, but it doesn't revel in the cringe.

There's also a great real-life reveal at the end that tilts the full experience a bit.

Comparable to: Vera Brosgol is also the author of the award-winning graphic novel Anya's Ghost.

Representative page:

Rec. #825: Hope to Die

What: What is this glorious nonsense? What is this glorious, fringed-face-cowboy, slow-bone-ready, Elvis-Presley-sounding nonsense? And why can't I stop listening to it?

Representative lyrics:
I'm still undone, not quite young
But I, I still try
Cross my heart, now I hope to die

How to get it: "Hope to Die" is one of the fantastic songs off of pseudonymous artist Orville Peck's debut album, Pony. Watch it --- and more! --- on YouTube. 

Friday Flashback: Rec. #756: Women & Children First

Chicago Series

What the organization does: Chicago's Women & Children First is one of the largest feminist bookstores in the country. The store's mission is to promote the writing of women and other marginalized voices and to offer a place where everyone can find books reflecting their lives and interests in an atmosphere in which they are respected, valued, and well-served.

Where to learn more: https://www.womenandchildrenfirst.com/wcf-history-and-purpose

How to help: https://crossroadsfund.org/content/womens-voices-fund


Find more independent local bookstores at IndieBound.org.

Rec. #824: The Field Museum

Chicago Series

What: The Field Museum in Chicago is one of the world's largest natural history museums. Permanent exhibitions include animal halls, Underground Adventure, and the much beloved SUE the T. Rex.

How to get it: If you can't make it to the Field Museum itself anytime soon, you can at least follow SUE on Twitter (@SUEtheTrex). Bio: "Legendary Fossil. Apex Predator. National Treasure. New Suite Getter. All Caps Name Haver. "They/Them" Pronoun User. LARGE M U R D E R B I R D."

Rec. #823: Merz Apothecary

Chicago Series

What: Merz Apothecary, an institution of Chicago's Lincoln Square, is the place for all the personal care and healthcare products you didn't know you needed. It's particularly strong in homeopathic and international options.

How to get it: Nothing is quite like the reassuring, European-style pharmacy atmosphere of the actual store, but you can also order from Merz's significant selection of brands online at SmallFlower.com.

Rec. #822: Noon O Kabab

Chicago Series

What: Noon O Kabab is a Persian/Iranian restaurant in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. It's very, very good, with plenty of options for both vegetarians and meat-consumers. 

How to get it: The large portions and generally level of busyness make it ideal for takeout/delivery. And don't be a chump --- get the dill rice whenever it's an option.

Rec. #821: Art on theMART

Chicago Series

What: Art on theMART is a new public art installation along the river in downtown Chicago. A rotating selection of digital art (no branding!) is projected onto Merchandise Mart for two hours every night May-September. It's glorious, and also much more dynamic than I was anticipating.

How to get it: Grab some food and walk along the river as the sun sets to grab your spot. Projections start about half an hour after sunset.

Rec. #820: Music Box Theatre

Chicago Series

What: The Music Box Theatre in Chicago is celebrating its 90th anniversary. For the last couple of those nine decades, it has focused on independent, foreign, cult, and classic films.

It also regularly hosts sing-along Rocky Horror Picture Show / Mary Poppins / The Sound of Music (etc.) events. (I once went to a sing-along Little Mermaid and discovered that, yes, my brain had indeed held onto all of those lyrics for more than twenty years without any help from me.)

How to get it: The Music Box Theatre is just up the street from Southport Grocery & Café (Rec. #819). It's entirely possible that all movies are better when you have a stomach full of bread pudding pancake goodness.

Rec. #819: Southport Grocery & Café

Chicago Series

What: I guess the main thing I want you to know is that Southport Grocery & Café has bread pudding pancakes on their brunch menu, and these are fantastically delicious. 

If you, like me, tend more toward savory than sweet at breakfast, you should still have a bread pudding pancake --- just pair it with the red potato mash (also delish).

How to get it: Good luck getting in on the weekend. Gooooood luuuuuck.

Rec. #818: Myopic Books

Chicago Series

What: Myopic Books is a used bookstore in Chicago's Wicker Park. It's often voted to "Best of Chicago" lists, but here are some specific aspects I really like:

• The interior is based on half-floors and short, labyrinthine aisles. Very pleasing aesthetic for a used bookstore.
• A robust fiction selection that is co-located, skipping over the trap of making (usually questionable) genre distinctions.
• A robust book-buying program!
• Very accessible hours! (9 a.m.-11 p.m., seven days a week)
• Close to public transit! (Damen, Blue Line)

Myopic also hosts regularly scheduled live music and poetry readings, but these can easily be avoided if they're not your cup of tea.

Rec. #817: Devon Avenue

Chicago Series

What: Devon Avenue is home to Chicago's Little India -- go here for your Bollywood music, your saris, your dosai.

Pretty much all the food is good, whether it's northern Indian, southern Indian, Pakistani, at a bakery, in a restaurant, or at a market. You can just wander through a door, point at anything edible, and it will be delicious.

(You might start at Udupi Palace or Mysore Woodlands, though.) 

How to get there: The stars have to align in a very specific way for driving to be the best method (unless you prepare yourself to circle out into the surrounding residential streets for awhile to look for parking). Just go ahead and take a bus. It won't bite.

Rec. #816: The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago Series

What: The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the largest museums in the United States, and one of the best art museums in the world. The collection includes iconic works from Seurat and Hopper, but perhaps you know the museum best from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

And let's not forget the gorgeous and huge Modern Wing, which is celebrating its ten anniversary this year, or the visitor-favorite Thorne Miniature Rooms, which Wes Anderson praised during an interview with Terry Gross (very on-brand for all parties involved).

How to get it: Be sure to see if you qualify for free admission. If you can't get there in person, you can also explore the collection via Google Arts & Culture.