I love end of year lists. I’ve mentioned this before and won’t retread that ground. I also love stories of increased rights for workers, organization paying off, and workplace democracy. If I possessed the confidence, I would have spent some ink running down the rosier-than-usual labor news from this year. We have a long way to go, but undeniably better than it has been in decades. As it is, we can look to, and be thankful for, Labor Notes for that.
I tend to feel more comfortable talking about culture. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a lot more adversarial in my approach to cultural cycles. This is not to say I don’t still get pulled into them. I certainly do. But I don’t care for it and I try to pull myself out once my head’s on a bit straighter. I try, to what extent is actually possible, to let these cycles pass over me, acknowledging that when we become blind to dominant narratives and norms, that is precisely when we are most governed by them.
Have I lost you? Grand. Here’s some of my favorite lil bits of entertainment/other cultural artifacts that tickled my fancy me this year.
Books
I read a lot of Leftist non-fiction and Stephen King on top of my standard fare this year. Plus I joined a book group which has been a treat. I’ve not had the time to finish what is likely to be my favorite book of 2021: The Dawn of Everything: a New History of Humanity, a anthro/archaeologically informed treatise challenging the dueling Western conceptions of a “natural state” of humankind (those of Rousseau and Hobbes), and indeed the narrow view often taken of how humans existed in pre-history. David Graeber, a personal hero of mine and and finished co-authoring the book with David Wengrow just weeks before he passed in 2020.
Among those I did finish, and loved, are:
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
In 2013, King released a sequel to his 1977 novel The Shining. Stephen King famously dislikes Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of his novel. At the risk of oversimplifying, King considers the heart of the novel to be Jack’s alcoholism and the chasm it opens between him and his family, and he disapproves of Nicholson’s portrayal as unhinged from the jump. Doctor Sleep picks up with Danny (now ‘Dan’) Torrence as an adult with his own substance abuse problems as well as literal and figurative demons, staring down all the harm he’s caused. Maybe he had it comparatively easy at the Stanley Hotel.
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
I’ve long wanted to find my way into Pratchett’s work. At 20 or so, I tried to read Hogfather, but between it’s connections to other works and my then too self-serious attitudes about literature, I found it uninteresting. I do love Good Omens, but that is the melding of two great comic writers. Small Gods is an excellent entry into Pratchett’s Discworld novels because it is (1) early in the series, (2) standalone, (3) a fantastic send up of dogmatic religion and philosophy, and (4) absolutely hilarious. I consider myself hooked and look forward to finishing the series around age 70.
Testimony by Peter & Sarah Lazare
Written in draft form by Peter and finished years later by his daughter Sarah, Testimony is a novel about a Gen X activist, disillusioned by the 1999 Seattle WTO protests and outcomes, taking a seemingly non-harmful job in energy regulation post-9/11. It’s a story about regulatory capture, the mire of public-private partnerships, and the weaponization of the War on Terror.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Friere
Earlier this year, I shared my intention to change careers and become a teacher, a path I’ve put on hold for the time being (‘Rona ain’t going anywhere fast). In the lead up to summer classes, I decided to do a bit of preliminary reading in my new discipline and read Friere’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a treatise on the power dynamics of the teacher-pupil relationship and how to apply anti-colonial, historical materialist, and decentralized organizational thinking to education. I’m not sure I can read it in the same way as those who’ve been teachers but it’s a phenomenal view of how to build real resilience and reciprocity into education.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
I absolutely loved The Gameshouse, a collection of ever more intricate novellas, when I read it a year or so back. I’ve been meaning to get back to her work ever sense. Where The Gameshouse is something of an urban fantasy mixed with realized conspiracy theories and a timeline that covered centuries, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is…well, actually it could fit the same bill, but it’s something else still. A man finds upon dying that his life starts right back over at birth with all of the knowledge of his prior life intact. He discovers a cabal of people just like him and learns the ropes just in time for some of those people to be wiped of their memories or outright killed. It’s a fantastic mystery and tense thriller. Can’t recommend enough.
Podcasts
I don’t necessarily add a lot of new podcasts year over year. I dabble in plenty, but hard subscribes….less so. These all made the regular rotation cut.
It Could Happen Here Daily
I may be listening to too many of Robert Evans’ podcasts. This one is the successor to the one that started it for me. The original It Could Happen Here was a limited series about how a 2nd American Civil War was/continues to be very possible and how it might unfold. Evans even followed this up by writing a post-Civil War part II novel called After the Revolution (which is also pretty good/strange). The successor podcast is more of a series of stories and topics aimed at helping people build resilience, preparedness, community, mutual aid, etc. The topics are all over the place, but the first 5 eps stand as an evergreen intro to the idea. I recommend you start there.
Mandatory Redistribution Party
My newsletter…muse? Inspiration? Hero? Whatever McKinley is, I am thankful to her again for turning me on to one of my favorite podcasts of the year: Mandatory Redistribution Party. Part semi-scripted repartee between two Lefty comedians from the north of England, part deep explication on topics of import for folks on the left, every episode is enlightening, hilarious, a delight. Still working my way through their backlog, and they’ve just entered lockdown circa late-March 2020. Hold tight, fellas.
bellwether
Sam Greenspan was a big part of what made 99 Percent Invisible amazing from the start. bellwether began as an incredible idea I backed on Kickstarter:
BELLWETHER, a podcast of speculative journalism—true stories of the world as it is through the lens of what it might become.
It takes the form of a radio serial from the future as a human and a non-bio AI (the story specific terms elude me at present) work to piece together artifacts from the old internet to better understand their history. The artifacts they research are based on things happening in our own world and tend towards the novel, such as the first instance of a self-driving car killing a person. I’m so thrilled to finally see this series out in the world and can’t wait for more.
Lolita Podcast
Jaime Loftus is an alt comedian and podcaster who’s interests are broad and eclectic. A few years back, she detailed her acceptance to, existence in, and eventual expulsion from, MENSA (an evidently problematic institution) in a limited series. Early in 2021, she embarked on another limited series detailing the origins of Nabokov’s Lolita, it’s various adaptations, and it’s ever more problematic legacy. I binged the series while working on a house project and it’s a must listen.
Music
I have an extraordinarily difficult time focusing on complex tasks while listening to unfamiliar lyrics. That’s my excuse for not listening to a ton of new music. What’s yours?
Lambert - literally everything
I seem to find 1-2 new (to me) neo-classical/compositional ambient/non-lyrical composers every year. They are invariably European. Last year I listened to a lot of Max Rickter and Ludovico Einaudi. This year, I found Lambert and have been listening to everything he’s released on repeat. I am just terrible at conveying what I love about this style of music, so please give it a listen and throw some suggestions this way.
Bobby Sessions - Manifest
In 2018, Bobby Sessions dropped 3 EPs in a series called RVLTN. They are incisive and a bit raw, lyrically complex and beautiful, and ultimately hard to listen to at times for the pain and truth that lay behind Session’s work. This year, he released his ‘debut’ LP, Manifest. It’s a fantastic album and included what has to be my song of 2021:
Glass Animals - Dreamland (2020) & How to Be a Human Being (2016)
When the titular single on Dreamland came out in 2019, I had it on repeat. When the full album came out in 2020, I somehow let it pass me by. No worries, though, I more than made up for that this year. Apologies to my wife for keeping Glass Animals on repeat all summer long. In my defense, the songs are deceptively intricate narratives and it’s so damn danceable.
Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide (2020)
Aesop Rock has long been my favorite rapper. Aside from a childhood dalliance with Eminem, Rock is the reason I explored the genre and found so many of my favorites today. He writes some of the most layered, complex raps I’ve ever heard, which makes for a new experience on every listen. Spirit World Field Guide was his first full release in 4 years and every song is excellent. Even if rap isn’t your thing, give “Marble Cake” a listen.
Lord Huron - Long Lost (2021)
Folk-Rockabilly-Psychedelic. I expect Lord Huron and Glass Animals are the best known of my 2021 favorites, so I’ll leave it at MUST LISTEN.
TV
Midnight Mass
Mike Flanagan makes excellent horror. His Stephen King adaptations are the equal Darabont’s, and his other series are intoxicating and so multi-faceted. Midnight Mass could be billed as vampire-ravages-small-community, but that would be an incredible disservice to the emotional resonance of the show. The final chapter was as exhilarating as it was contemplative and thought-provoking. And Kate Seigel has incredible horror chops and insight.
Can’t Get Your Out Of My Head (2021)
I find it incredibly difficult to summarize succinctly Adam Curtis’ work. Luckily for me, so does everyone else. A few years back, I watch Hypernormalisation under the worst possible circumstances (deeply hungover on a transatlantic flight) and couldn’t (1) lookaway or (2) fully comprehend half of what I was taking in. Can’t Get You Out of My Head is a 6-part documentary miniseries, covering events from the 1950s to the present day, attempting to tell an emotional history of modern life through the lens of the dissolution of our sociopolitical world. I don’t always agree with his findings, or underlying ideology, but I always find new and unusual perspective.
Squid Game
Listen, if you haven’t heard about Squid Game at this point, there’s a reason. I have no interest in convincing you to start watching TV. You do you. If you HAVE heard of it, but decided to pass it by for whatever reason, give it a look. It’s incredibly violent, but so too is the necessity that we justify our existence by earning and accumulating money.
Honorable Mentions
How the hell did we sleep on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? Dammit all is it funny and engaging.
Bake Off had another loverly season. We even played in a fantasy bake off league (I won!).
Ted Lasso built on a fantastic first season with a second that met and then exceeded expectations.
We finally binged Schitt’s Creek, and were not expecting how moving it was. Really looking forward to giving it a second go at some point.
Movies
I don’t watch as many films as I once did. Even so, I saw enough in 2021 that I can limit my list to those released this year. If I’m honest, I feel 2021 was a pretty blah year for movies but there were a few gems.
The Green Knight (2021)
I’ve been waiting for A24’s adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, with Dev Patel as the titular knight, for what feels like years. What made it to screen was nothing I could have anticipated. A fantastic retelling of the ancient tell, The Green Knight is fantastic and visually stunning, a movie that cannot be taken in in only one viewing. I’d have loved to see it in theaters, but alas it came out a bit too early for that to feel safe. A dark room film to be sure.
No Sudden Move (2021)
I love a good caper flick. Throw in a conspiracy and Benicio Del Toro? All the better. It’s honestly a great cast front to back, and as tense as they come.
I Care A Lot (2021)
Rosamund Pike is as engaging as she is terrifying, and this is no exception. In I Care A Lot, Pike plays a court-assigned legal guardian who takes retirees for all they are worth, with some help from similarly unscrupulous “care workers.” Until she picks someone with few qualms about fighting back. Peter Dinklage is delightful as ever.
Palmer (2021)
What a genuinely heartwarming film. This is the closest I get to the feel-good, Lifetime-esqe family drama, but I don’t mean to insult to Palmer with that comparison. Timberlake is a great lead, but the star Ryder Allen who plays Sam Burdette, a gender-nonconforming kiddo in a small rural town whose mother is stuck in a cycle of substance abuse. Real tear jerker of a flick, but ultimately hopeful.
Honorable Mentions / Released in Previous Years
The Guilty (2018) was remade into a Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle in 2021, but the original Dutch version is all you need. I’m very much not for movies that lionize the police, especially when they’ve committed violence on those they are tasked to protect. When I say this one is worth seeing, I hope you can trust where I’m coming from.
Come to Daddy (2019) is consistent with many films Elijah Wood does these days—if you’re easily off-put, it’s best to avoid. I went into this movie with no expectations, and that’s for the best. The trailer only prepares you for the first 30 minutes or so…
Nine Days (2020) is a fantasy film of sorts. A reclusive man is monitoring the lives of those he’s previously chosen for a chance at life in the “real world” when one of them meets a sudden, tragic end. Afterwards we watch as he interviews nascent souls to decide which will get a chance at life. It’s a beautiful, quiet film, evenly paced and rather moving.
Oxygen (2021) is of a class of films for which I do not know a good name. One actor, one location, all of the suspense and drive of impeccably cast films. Dr. Liz Hansen awakes in a cryo-unit with no knowledge of having gotten in and and little hope of getting out again. We experience her plight in real time, and it’s just remarkably done.