April roundup
MAY the rest of the year be fruitful, fun, flirty etc.
With elections approaching, disinformation seemingly always disseminating online, I’ve been thinking a lot about truth. My concerns were validated when I read this piece by Armando Iannucci for the New Statesman, on our culture’s descent into the unreal, and how it is spreading exponentially, most notably through what he calls Wishful Verbiage.
“What we’re witnessing is the rise of Wishful Verbiage, a use of language which is replacing the old-fashioned lie. A lie was something someone said which they knew wasn’t true. Wishful Verbiage is something someone says because it sounds better than what’s true, even if it’s the opposite of truth, and that’s OK because it conveys aspirations that are more valid than accuracy”
“Conveys aspirations that are more valid than accuracy” MR ARMANDO SAID NO CRUMBS!!! Truth is important and this tendency to not be invested in it (especially in the news/politics) is something to be deeply concerned about. When we talk about mental health, we often will hear the adage “Feelings aren’t facts”. We this can apply this here, and more broadly, in situations from the micro to the macro. We see this in stan culture, where criticism (a valid friend of art, as I mentioned last month) is framed as an attack. Just because you feel that “your fave” is being attacked, it doesn’t mean that they are: being an artist of any kind means that people will have opinions on your work…just because you don’t like them doesn’t make it evil. This, of course, should go without saying, but that doesn’t condone bad faith criticism! On a socio-political level, this wishful verbiage can be more dangerous than frivolous pop culture beef. Frank Hester, who was alleged to have said that seeing Diane Abbott on TV makes him “want to hate all black women”, had a response from a spokesperson saying “his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour skin”. This is insulting, manipulative, and of course, egregiously untrue. I believe it is vital for us to challenge this kind of behaviour - both the vile hatred that is spewed and the absolute lack of accountability - especially in POLITICS fs.
The closing paragraph of the article was incredibly powerful, and executes a point better than I could, so I’d like to leave it here as well:
“We need to call out this tendency whenever we detect it, since its influence is destructive. Unchecked, it allows opponents to be categorised as “enemies”, and an alternative point of view relabelled “unpatriotic”. When the argument that the vaccines caused more deaths than saved lives is left uncorrected, and when climate change is dismissed as merely “one theory”, truth itself is downgraded to just another meaningful fiction, no more valid than “gut feeling” or “stuff that’s just obvious”. And when that happens, Reality is in very real trouble.”
I’ve been reading a lot this month (London girlies, do we need a book club though? I actually think that could be amazing…sound off in the comments if you are keen). I devoured these two novels:
Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley was a delightful read, a witty and relatable meditation on dating, fate, psychology and how we live our lives. It had a mystical twist which isn’t normally my thing but it worked so well and had such a satisfying pay off. It left me thinking deeply and profoundly about life and love and made me want to write (which is always a good sign of good writing!!). Close to Home by Michael Magee is a book of the moment and from page one, it’s evident why. Sean returns to Belfast after studying Literature in Liverpool. He’d hoped that would be the beginning of a new start for him. But when he returns to the city, tensions are high, job prospects are low, his brother’s drinking is out of control and he quickly gets himself into trouble by punching someone at a party. The chaos and fallout that ensues lead Sean to really contemplate his life and himself as well as reflect on the past and consider the future. What kind of man does he want to be? What kind of life does he want? Is it possible for him? A moving and sharp debut, exploring complex themes with real care - most poignantly masculinity and working class struggles in post-Troubles Ireland. The trauma, pain, and anger embedded in communities, families and in the bodies of those who lived through the Troubles is a huge feature which was particularly haunting but skillfully done. A brilliant book which I know will stay with me for a long time. Would love to chat about it if you read/have read.
Chris Murphy’s piece for Vanity Fair about the upcoming Wicked movie really hit the spot in a special, stagey way. Baby, you had me at the opening sentence: “Never underestimate the power of divas working in tandem.” Now that is what I call journalism. I AM SO GAGGED THINKING ABOUT THIS MOVIE OMGGGGGGG FUCKKKKKKKKK. Cynthia Erivo singing No Good Deed…mama I am going to absolutely lose my mind. The internet’s baby sis Ariana singing Thank Goodness? God is real. Defying Gravity….I’m not ready. I will be screaming crying throwing UP and I am not ashamed. (I wrote about how I am working towards not caring about being embarrassed in February 2023 so, yes, I will say with my chest I love musical theatre despite the fact training in the industry was psychologically damaging!)
Jason Okundaye’s profile of Bowen Yang (Also in the Wicked movie) for Cultured Mag was also a delightful read. I’ve been a Bowen Yang stan since I first discovered and became obsessed with the NYC alt comedy multiverse in 2017. I genuinely have always loved Bowen in that very particular parasocial way podcasts encourage! This conversation with Jason comes at a complex and compelling point in his career, as he continues to evolve in new heights: A-List definitely isn’t too far away. You may have seen the clip of Tina Fey, a recent guest on his podcast Las Culturistas (with Matt Rogers), reminding Bowen he is now too famous to be so honest on his podcast. Jason’s interview captures his thoughts on this tricky transition. I am unapologetically team Bowen. Only the best for him. He’s everything I want in a celebrity - smart, funny, gay and truly cares about culture. PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS!!! Let it be known I will ride at dawn for the cause.
If you’ve been online in the last few months, there’s a high chance you’ve seen clips of the iconic Jungle - Back on 74 video, choreographed by the sensational Shay Latukolan. You can catch some clips on Shay’s instagram here, or watch the whole thing here. It’s so worth watching whether you’ve seen it or not - the movement is so hypnotic and addictive. True genius at work. You may also have seen the Brit Performance or the Gap ad recreating the choreo with Tyla, which I must say I thought was pretty boots the house down slay.
Steven Vargas from the LA times talked to Shay about his work and this video. I loved hearing Shay talk about his multi-disciplinary approach, and how that organically lead him to choreographing:
“I was a creator and also created art and paintings and DJ and made music, all kinds of different things that I was into. But I think it was never in my mind to actually choreograph or film. I just rolled into it because somebody trusted me.”
The article also led me to discover some of Shay’s other work, including the slick, sublime video for Vossi Bop by Stormzy - who, I think we can all agree, is a national treasure.
This video is SO good!
It’s been quite a huge month, frankly, for the girls who exist at various points on or travel along the acoustic-folk-country-soul spectrum and their fans. New albums from Kacey Musgraves (Deeper Well), Lizzy McAlpine (Older), Maggie Rogers (Don’t Forget Me) and Waxahatchee (Tigers Blood). I guess you could say our mothers are feeding us well this Spring/Summer!
I suppose you could include Taylor’s Tortured Poets Department in this list, but she feels more a pop star to me than anything else due to her insane global popularity. I haven’t listened to the album yet so have no thoughts on it. There’s a lot to be said about Taylor and the truly gargantuan fame and wealth she has cultivated. I can’t be bothered to say it today, but what I will say is I do enjoy some of her music, after years of resisting it, mainly to be contrarian. However, I think the way in which a lot of people seem to believe she is beyond critique is worrying (no one is). And on a lighter but bitchier note, the lyric "I scratch your head, you fall asleep/Like a tattooed golden retriever." really made me laugh out loud. In regards to the other albums which I am very excited about, I haven’t listened properly, but from a first play through, I think they’re all going to be beautiful soundtracks to a beautiful summer.
This meme account is medicine and should be treated as such.
Considering it’s going to be May in a matter of days, many of us are feeling the pace of the year picking up. Blink and you might see a carved pumpkin. At the start of this year I was struggling a lot with a sense of knowing things needed to change, but not knowing how to make it happen or where to begin. It is at once overwhelming and exciting to not know what is next, to have a blank page in front of you. Two pieces of advice that I’ve found incredibly helpful and have come back to again and again in those moments are: do the next right thing and more will be revealed. This framing landed so well in my brain, and I hope it might help you too if you’re feeling a little lost, a little unsure. Keep doing the next right thing until you have more information. Trust it will appear eventually. Until then - keep going!
Love,
David x