📚 Books
Me, Elton John: Elton John has such a natural, comfortable writing style, so reading his memoir feels like sitting down with him for an open and honest a chat about his life, even though so much of it is totally over the top and outrageous. Some of the main takeaways are how important it is to trust your gut, that the world works in mysterious ways indeed, things happen for a reason, and the combination of fate and intuition can produce some fantastic results. Elton has led an extremely charmed life, but he isn't smug about it and he takes nothing for granted. The book builds on Rocketman in a very nice way, fleshing out Elton's story and filling in details and holes that the movie didn't have time to cover.
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng: This book has a throwback feel to it – not only because it gets its late 1990s suburban America setting absolutely pitch perfect #millennialnostalgia, but also because its drama is precipitated by class differences, which is much more 1890s. It's a fun, fizzy read with some nice little mysteries to be solved and well-depicted teen characters. I read it in three days, which is typically the sign of a good book for me.
Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie, Carly Simon: This book made me remember why I love Martha's Vineyard, and what a magical special place it used to be back in the day. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this book is a lot more about Carly than it is about Jackie, which meant I enjoyed it a lot more than I had been expecting to. Only for Carly Simon and/or Martha's Vineyard die-hards, but worthwhile for some sweet nostalgia. Bonus: the cover photo was taken at the Bunch of Grapes.
The Call of the Wild, Jack London: A masterfully written, highly evocative story whose status as a classic of American literature is well deserved. It's only 80 pages long, so there's no reason not to read it. Plus Harrison Ford is in a movie version of it coming out in February.
🎶 Music
"Eye 2 Eye," Sam Sparro: Sam Sparro has dropped another track that could be straight out of the early-90s. The man has a masterful understanding of how to build a flawless R&B jam, and his voice never loses the honeyed smoothness that helped him burst onto the scene with "Black & Gold" over a decade ago.
Love Regenerator 1- EP, Calvin Harris: Both of the tracks on this EP – "Hypnagogic (I Can't Wait)" and "CP-1" – would be right at home on the 24 Hour Party People soundtrack. They are both pure House bangers that sound like they are directly from that golden clubbing era of the late-80s to early-90s. After feeling a bit meh about some of Calvin's more recent releases, I'm super excited about his music again and can't wait to hear what's next.
"M.O.", Mayer Hawthorne: This bop makes me swoon so hard. Like the best Mayer tracks, it recalls the classic blue-eyed soul of his first two albums, but it also mixes in some of the same vibes from Man About Town and continues to innovate and push his sound in new directions. Plus the lyrics are fantastic.
🎤 🎠Performance
Orfeh & Andy Karl at 54 Below: Seeing Orfeh and Andy Karl's Legally Bound cabaret show was everything I hoped for and more! These two possess such amazing talent and fit more hits into 90 minutes than should be *legally* allowable. Songs from their set included: "Hotel California," "If I Can't Have You," and "Piece of My Heart" (Orfeh); "Smooth" and "Seeing You" (Andy); duets of "Freedom," "Kiss," "If I Could Change the World;" a mash-up of "Yesterday," "Time After Time," and "The Shallow," and so much more. To top it all off, the bits and banter between the songs were pure gold. Even though the set was jam-packed, it still felt way too short, and I hated to leave when it was over.
Jagged Little Pill: Every single performer in this show has an amazing voice, especially the actor who sings "Hand In My Pocket" and “You Oughta Know,” the latter of which nearly brought the house down. The original story (i.e. not an Alanis bio) is creative and meaningful. Even though it is set in the preset-day and incorporates a ton of hot-button issues (opioid addiction, queer identity, racial identity, rape culture), the thoughtfulness with which the songs are integrated into the narrative make Jagged Little Pill much better than most musicals on Broadway that are designed around existing IP. Worth seeing if the Jagged Little Pill CD holds a significant place in your youth (or even just your memories of the 90s – the 90s nostalgia is strong this month).
🎬 Film
Just Mercy: I admire this film's choice to move at a slow and measured pace in order to reflect how long it can take for a lawsuit to free a wrongfully convicted man. Michael B. Jordan has enough charisma and screen presence to keep the movie afloat and moving forward, even at its slowest moments. The racism and corruption in a small southern town reminded me quite a bit of John Grisham's latest novel, The Guardians, but of course Just Mercy's story is a true one, rather than fiction, making it all the more compelling. (Though Grisham's non-fiction The Innocent Man is well worth reading and equally as compelling!)
The Last Full Measure: This is such a touching film about sacrifice and love, and I totally cried at the end. Mainly the film shows how useless the Washington bureaucracy is because our officials, elected or otherwise, are too busy worrying about what's best for them, rather than worrying about what's best for their constituents and appreciating those who have sacrificed their lives for our country. Indeed, the film does a great job showing what a huge sacrifice fighting in a war truly is – for those who survive it, just as much as for those who don't. The cast is incredible (Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer), and the performances are pitch perfect. The Last Full Measure is a wonderful tribute to veterans and the sacrifices that they make for our country.
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