#66 - Sick Links, Bro

I'm not great at being sick. I think it ties into my ~competetive nature because it feels like I'm admitting defeat to my immune system or something. But it happens—thankfully this time it was a head cold and not «looks around and whispers» covid. I got two guilt-free days off of work to recover, set my humidifier to full blast, took a whole bunch of DayQuil, and rested as hard as I could. Thankfully the weather was crisp but not cold—the ultimate week of fall TBH. So anyway, here are all of the media things that I consumed and loved!

1. Fran Lebowitz interviews

Not all interviews are created equal and nowhere is that more evident than when the subject stays consistent. Why would you be sycophantic about Fran in front of Fran? I can't think of anything more embarrassing. I love the way she speaks about her friendship with Toni Morrison and reveals the hard truth about going to writing school—it can't teach talent. Anyway, the best ones are these:

Public Speaking (2010, film by Martin Scorsese) (The HBO doc far surpasses the Netflix series in my opinion!)

Bullseye interview done by Julie Klausner, who is everything I want other interviewers to be, I love this combo a whole lot.

And this almost 2-hour interview/Q&A where Fran talks about her relationship to the New York City Ballet in its heyday, the work of geniuses, and a passionate argument about smokers’ rights. I want to go smoke in museums after they’re closed too, Fran!! (It’s okay that I’m a sycophant, she doesn’t know I exist!)

2. K-pop stuff

BTS had their concert to date Saturday morning 40 million people tuned, into the livestream just absolutely bonkers numbers. They finally performed Run BTS the best new song on their recent anthology album. The dance is so good please note how Jimin’s body literally pulses to every single possible beat—this choreo runs such a risk of looking lame without full commitment and I just once again am so SO impressed with their overall capabilities.

Would give anything for a dance practice video for Run a la the way Seventeen releases videos showing them actually learning the choreo for the first time. Seventeen are so beyond coordinated and there are so many of them and watching them memorize and practice is hypnotizing. (Plus they have that same appeal of really seeming to love and respect each other that BTS do and they’re all under the same umbrella parent company but started from tiny companies with no money blah blah blah. The playfulness during their world_ video is so cute but now I can't see the lean forward head nod move that Woozi makes fun of without laughing.)

They have a much more musical theater vibe than other K-pop acts which I, for one, love (no surprise there!!) Anyway here are some Seventeen vids:

Snap Shoot (it’s like an instant mood boost idk what to tell you it’s pure controlled chaos in a dance and I love it.)

Home;Run (if you love the homoerotic baseball dance in HSM2, this is for you)

And just because I don’t think I’ve ever properly fangirled over Hoshi on the newsletter, please observe him being one of the most talented dancers I’ve ever seen and a v v cute drunk on this YouTube show.

3. Company OBC documentary

I love watching musicals when I'm sick. Grease was and always will be the ultimate sick movie, I will accept no other arguments. Anyway, when saw the long-lost company doc was on HBO I jumped at the dance to watch it in one go rather than through a ten-part YouTube bootleg in 144p.

Sondheim speaking somewhat defensively about how he’s always been a composer and only took West Side Story to get the resume stamp and didn’t get to on Gypsy because the producer was too afraid to take a risk like…Stevie, buddy, you simply have NO IDEA what’s to come and how you will truly never have to defend your genius in the future. I love seeing The Greats before they’re recognized for it!! Also he’s suuuuuch a good smoker, they all are. Elaine Stritch breaks my heart and then puts it right back together. The talent! The accuracy of the Documentary Now parody!!! (They took Doc Now off Netflix which ruined my plan to watch them back-to-back but alas.)

Shoutout to the Spring Awakening documentary I watched immediately after (idk why I had put it off, Spring Awakening was probably the single most important piece of media to my teenage self…oh actually yeah that’s exactly why) that made me cryyyy. Look, Lea Michele is not a nice person but fuck is she talented. Her and Jonathan Groff’s relationship is very sweet and uhhh I had definitely never considered how intense it must have been for those actors to get through that script every single night.

And just because we’re already here, chit chattin’ about musical theatre, here’s one of my all-time favorite performances of my all-time favorite musical song: Suddenly Seymour. (I had to recently try and explain the plot of Little Shop and uhhh, it’s a toughie! Tougher than Urinetown, which I always thought was the toughest but honestly the camp elements of both are near-impossible to really describe. Anywaaaay here’s the video!)

4. Rachel Bloom

This is kind of a cheat since technically saw her live on Monday but wowie zowie she was incredible. She put on the hind of show that so clearly demonstrated the difference between a professional and amateur approach to the craft of being funny on stage. Love when people who clearly understand a genre fuck around with the conventions of it!! (A very different crowd for The Bell House though I tell ya that much.)

When I got sick I did watch a bunch of songs from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend though so I’ll link those and if you've never tried the show because the title turned you off, I beg you to give it a chance! And if you just want to watch cast interviews, they've got some of the best panels in the biz!

I Gave You A UTI (this song is so fucking catchy, he’s so charming 10/10)

The Math Of Love Triangles (who needs Blonde when we’ve got Rachel doing a perfect blend of Marylin meets Carol Channing?!?)

Look there’s too many to link but just TRUST ME.

I’ll leave it on the best bisexual anthem of all time — Gettin’ Bi

5. Walkin’ & talkin’

Love a good stroll. Love it even more when I get to sip tea and have great conversation while walking! Nothing to link, just want to hat tip Marel for living so close are can have brief and wonderful random plans that brighten my whole day. Love talking to someone who gets what I'm saying with ease and has her own opinions to add back. (As one of her dates famously said to her, completely seriously, "I love that you're a women who has opinions.”) (Like, I get it, I love her opinions too, she’s got some of the best ones out there!! But I’ll forever be blown away by the notion that the general concept of women having opinions was new to that man.)

Fresh air is great, low stakes movement is wonderful, love love love living in Ridgewood where walking is easy and the sights are plentiful! I love you trees, I love you full use of both nostrils, I love you random ice cream windows serving Salt & Straw-ass flavors!

I also played a good amount of Stardew Valley in bed and finished the book I’ve been reading about breath, which I recommend but also like a warning that you will not be able to stop thinking about breathing after reading it and the irony of not having my nostrils available was almost too much while finishing it.

Shoutout to my gua sha stone for all the relief and help draining my lymph nodes and making it possible for me to breathe at night and thank you past me for learning how to blow your nose properly. Also Cerave Healing Ointment for keeping my nose from chapping/chafing!

Writing two newsletters was also a solid chunk of time, and a very sincere thank you to everyone who reads these—it’s truly lovely whenever I remember I’m not just sending things out into the void and it means a lot to have you here!

Okay, well hopefully my voice can stand to record a podcast this week where I’ll be talking shit about sketch comedy and SNL! Catch ya Wednesday ✌️😎