The Weekend Snack 6.16.24
I'm baaaaack!!!!
Welcome to the Weekend Snack - a quick roundup of my favorite bites from the past weekend.
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Happy Sunday!! And long time no talk. Iām back from an unplanned hiatus - which is a fancy way of saying that life got a little busy, and I couldnāt keep up with my regular cadence. But then, life got less busy, and I did the classic recovering perfectionist-induced procrastination dance where I built up artificial pressure in my head that returning from my unplanned hiatus meant I needed to create the BEST NEWSLETTER EVER. THE NEWSLETTER TO END ALL NEWSLETTERS. But then, the pressure to write a newsletter of that magnitude meant that my unplanned hiatus continued while I daydreamed about all the various quippy things I could write to distract you from the skipped weeks and broken posting promises. So, as Iāve oft had to do, I quieted those doubting voices in my head by playing one song incessantly (this go round, it was āRed Wine Supernovaā) and forcing myself to put some words down on paper. Because if thereās one thing my recovering perfectionist self loves more than picking apart work Iāve yet to write, itās picking apart work Iāve already written. And in a wild plot twist that no one saw coming, the person who finally got me to end my hiatus was Tom Brady. I could generally care less about Tom Brady, but I caught a quote from a recent speech he gave, and his words shone through to my dark procrastination cave: āThe truth is, you donāt have to be special. You just have to be what most people arenāt. Consistent, determined, and willing to work for it. No shortcuts.ā Apparently, he knows a thing or two.Ā
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I know Iām not alone in my elusive quest to find balance in all aspects of my life. Iāve heard so much about balance (work-life balance, balanced meals, balanced relationships), yet Iām still no closer to finding it. But then again, the people who told me about balance are the same people who sold me the dream that conjuring the perfect day-to-night outfit was the key to success and happiness. At thirteen, I was pretty convinced that being a working professional meant I would constantly be faced with the dilemma of how I would transition my serious daytime business lady outfit into my less serious, fun young city dweller outfit at night. But I digress, back to ābalance.ā As far as I can tell, thereās no such thing as balance. Instead, life is more of an exercise in juggling and figuring out which balls are glass and which are rubber, and thus knowing which ones you can and canāt drop. Thatās not to say my Substack is rubber. In fact, it feels like the most precious, pristine Waterford crystal ball because I started this newsletter as a promise to myself. A promise that I would make more time to write about the things Iām passionate about and that doing so would somehow magically make me motivated to finish my half-written novel. Itās sort of worked! But Iām still learning to juggle, so this post is me picking up the broken glass. And, if, like me, you are a recovering perfectionist procrastinator trying to keep all the various balls in the air, I hope my vulnerability here serves as a sign to do the thing and be okay if some of the balls drop. Even if itās not perfect, itās a starting point.Ā
And with that deep dive into the inner workings of my brain, here are a couple of bites that are top of mind for me this weekend:
š Stereophonic. The Tony Awards are tonight, so it only feels appropriate that I talk about my favorite show of the season (and the most Tony-nominated play of all time that will likely pick up a few awards). Set in a Sausalito recording studio in the 1970s, Stereophonic follows an unnamed band as they record an album that propels them into stardom while simultaneously unraveling their interpersonal relationships (yes - there are some obvious Fleetwood Mac making of Rumours parallels). Written by David Adjmi with music from Arcade Fireās Will Butler, this play is something special. Adjmi says he was inspired to write the show after being struck by the intensity of Led Zeppelinās cover of āBabe Iām Gonna Leave Youā and imagining what the recording process mightāve been like. That vision shows - the naturalistic dialogue gives you the distinct feeling that youāve stumbled upon a private moment and you canāt stop eavesdropping. Stereophonic is a meditation on the creative process and the tedium at the center of producing greatness. Thereās a scene towards the end where the central couple (the Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of this story) have their big, blowout disagreement after youāve watched the tension between them build the entire play. But itās the kind of complex disagreement that feels so true to life, and you so clearly understand where both people are coming from, itās not easy to pick a āwinner.ā And thatās how much of the play is - so delightfully authentic. Itās also just cool. Sarah Pidgeon (the Stevie Nicks figure) is THAT girl. But excitingly, you get to watch her evolve to become THAT girl and grow into her confidence. I particularly enjoyed this interview with Butler, in which he discusses the challenge of creating music for a successful fake band. And he did it so well (thereās now a cast recording I canāt stop listening to)! If you spend your money to see one show this year, this is it. See this one. Itās what Daisy Jones and the Six wanted to be. Trust me - see it.Ā Ā
š¬ Meet Joe Black. Today is also Fatherās Day! Besides being a day where Iām reminded that Iām in a stage of life where more people are posting pics of their OWN kids than posting the thirst traps disguised as father tributes of yesteryear, itās also a day to celebrate my own Dad. My Dad is pretty amazing, and he also happens to be responsible for a lot of my cultural sensibility. A true Renaissance man, my Dadās tastes are wide ranging. He was country before country was cool, but heās also a classic film scholar (heās been keeping TCM in business for years). From a young age, he taught me that my cultural interests didnāt need to fit into a prescribed box, and Iām grateful he gifted me with his encyclopedic knowledge of film, television, and music. To that end, it felt only appropriate to share one of his favorite movies that happens to have a father and daughter at its center. Meet Joe Black stars Anthony Hopkins as a successful family man about to celebrate his birthday when he is visited by Death, who has taken the human form of a very young and hot BRAD PITT (the titular Joe Black). To live a few more days, Hopkinsā character exchanges time for the promise of showing Death what it means to be human. Most criticisms of the movie are that itās too long, and while I hear that, each watch still never fails to make me think more deeply about life or cry like a baby at the ending scene. Itās that perfect late-nineties sentimentality heavily aided by a Thomas Newman score that they just donāt make anymore. Treat yourself to it! And soak in the Anthony Hopkins wisdom and perfect line reading.
And Iāll leave you with wise, fatherly words from Meet Joe Black.Ā
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Missed your posts. And youāre back with a bang. But your daddy tribute was ššš¼ Meet Joe Black is one of his all time favorites and you nailed the choice of scene to share. Plus itās after the Tonyās and you sure called it with regards to Stereophonics šš»šš»šš»šš»
It's so much fun to see you back here! I absolutely love your vulnerability and agree that it can seem daunting to 'pick up the broken' glass again but you did it! I think sometimes, we put pressure on ourselves to come up with the most amazing witty thing ever ever ever, and we end up taking the fun out of it. So I'm happy you just DID it, and with such a fun post! š Btw, I feel the same as you about Tom Brady - don't really care about him but WOW that is a GOOD quote! I also TOTALLY wanna see Stereophonic!