Dispatches from Arm's Length, Part 19

I assumed a while ago that mask mandates would be lifted on a gradual basis. For a certain part of the population, this is akin to liberation, a minor inconvenience interpreted as oppression. COVID cases are indeed tapering off after a volatile December and January, and as a result the mandates are beginning to waver. In my school districts, there were PTA and village council meetings where the hostility veered into the absurd, with anti-maskers coming out in full, buffoonish force. Some of the districts relented; masks have gone from mandatory to "highly encouraged." 

I subbed at Hinsdale Central High School on Monday, February 20th, the day their mandate was adjusted. I noticed about 70% of the faculty kept their masks on, but maybe 40% of the students the same. When I subbed again on Friday the 24th, the teachers were holding firm but about 25% of the student body had their noses and mouths covered. The mask mandate, as well as proof of vaccination in Chicago proper will be dropped Monday the 28th. 

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I don't think we're ready yet. For almost two years now, we've seen every optimistic prediction come and go, variants rise and fall, and fight between precaution and denial. I am concerned that another variant is around the corner. Even if Omicron wasn't as life-threatening as its predecessor strains, and respiratory viruses often mutate and become less virulent and less of a serious health issue... it only feels safe now. Of course, the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers are acting like they won the war. For them, I wish they would think about someone besides themselves. Somehow, serious illness won't get the point across. 

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That's Entertainment

 In the early days of the pandemic, I dreamed up a series of essays called Reading Periodically. Based on some past blog posts, plus new material, it would focus on my appreciation for magazines. Progress has been slow, but it's allowed me to broaden the scope to include my late father's shared love for magazines, as well as lament the death of print journalism.

I mention this as the news broke yesterday that Entertainment Weekly (among other periodicals) will cease publishing a print edition in late March. The April 2022 issue will mark the end of just over 32 years of covering movies, TV, music, literature and occasionally video games and Broadway. It cut a niche as the gap between vapid celebrity rags like People or US Weekly and trade mags like Variety as a source of entertainment news and editorials. 

I first discovered EW in early 1997. My grandmother fell for one of those Publisher's Clearinghouse-type scams, and suddenly had a plethora of magazine subscriptions. One of those was EW; I was instantly hooked by the listicles, witty commentary, and paragraph-length reviews. She realized it wasn't for cup of tea, so I ended up taking home her issues until the one-year subscription lapsed the following winter. After that, I bought issues at the newsstand or at Blockbuster Video until I couldn't afford the $2.99 a week. (Bear in mind, I was 13.)

After reading EW on and off at my local library for a few months, my father stumbled into a subscription in Spring 1999. The first issue had a cover story on Star Wars Episode I, the second had a list of the 100 most important moments in pop music 1950 to 1999. My father was as unfazed as his mother-in-law, and EW permanently joined my cache of regular must-reads. I don't think I ever tossed out a single issue; my whole collection is in storage.

Compared to other magazines that once had circulation in the high seven figures, EW was the baby of the family. It was launched in Winter 1990, decades after rivals like Time and Reader's Digest. Following in the tradition of e.e. cummings and bell hooks, entertainment Weekly was lower-case and diagonal until 1992. It was an early beneficiary of the "infotainment" movement of the era, offering stimulating and colorful images along shorter articles on a vast array of pop culture topics. Most crucial of all, it was the first mainstream magazine to address how AIDS/HIV affected Hollywood, and always kept an ear for LGBTQ+ culture. 

Print journalism isn't quite dead yet, but it's cornered. EW only faded out of relevance when everything else in print did. Time magazine is now bi-weekly, Sports Illustrated quietly became a monthly in early 2020, and other "heritage" weeklies ranging from People to The New Yorker will someday follow suit. I fear it's just a matter of time before they all go all online as well. EW, that subtly progressive stalwart, will be missed.

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Dispatches from Arm's Length, Part 18

 If 2020 was a upper right hook, then 2021 was a lower left cross. My optimism for 2022 is more guarded than ever before; things are not going to turn around immediately. The dread is vague yet palpable. 

I remain inconsistent about blogging if only because I'm still busy. I've barely commented on the Omicron variant, which eclipsed Delta in late November or early December. While not as brutal as Delta, it has noticeable symptoms and is far more contagious. I received my booster in mid-December, and even though I've been exposed on two occasions (mercifully, during winter break) I've tested negative twice since Christmas. The variant is subsiding somewhat, but I fear that it's a matter of time, though. 

It's astounding that this has now dragged on almost two years. We truly are a divided society, and a stubborn one at that. It opens up the possibility of an endless cycle of new variants and additional boosters, mostly because of misinformation and a distrust of science. The cracks are showing, and there's little any of us can do about it.

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That Wonderful Year in Music... 2021

  

Remember what I said last December about how arts and culture frequently mirrors its time and surroundings? 2021 was a slog, only marginally better than 2020, but not without its slow-burn trauma and various frustrations. Bands finally started performing live again, and festivals returned in a smaller, wonkier fashion. The true output of 2020’s duress blossomed in ‘21, not only in music but most forms of media. This was the strongest year for pop music in a good while, but indie rock and rap also had some highlights. For all my personal stuff this year, however, Spotify remained a refuge, and I’m glad I paid to listen to all of this without commercial interruption.

BEST POP/ROCK ALBUMS:

1. Jubilee, Japanese Breakfast. Don’t let radio overplay of “Be Sweet” perturb you. This throwback to early 2000s chamber-pop is a delightful mix of melodically immediate songs and gorgeous songwriting, with surprises at every turn. Between this and her well-received memoir, Michelle Zauner had an incomparable 2021. 

2. For The First Time, Black Country, New Road. 2021’s most fascinating debut album uses punk as a base for this British septet’s uncanny musicianship and myriad experiments. The leadoff track “Instrumental” is celebratory klezmer, which segues into “Athens, France,” a track that evokes late 80s indie rock heroes Slint. A second album is already in post-production and set for a February 2022 release, and I can’t wait.

3. SOUR, Olivia Rodrigo. If my #2 album was the most fascinating debut, then SOUR was the most revelatory. Without delving into the “voice of Gen Z” cliché that critics overused, this is a pop record as self-aware as any in recent memory, devoid of filler and a solid sampler of Rodrigo’s varying musical tastes. “Drivers License” is a gorgeous ballad, and “Good 4 U” is a deliriously brutal emo-punk breakup song.

4. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Little Simz

5. Any Shape You Take, Indigo De Souza

6. Collapsed in Sunbeams, Arlo Parks

7. Valentine, Snail Mail

8. Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler the Creator

9. Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, Marina

10. 30, Adele. After six years of relative silence –give or take an embarrassing Instagram post or left-field SNL hosting stint– the British singer’s fourth LP is her most intimate and unguarded work. Ms. Adkins is a divorced mom now, and she’s going through some stuff. “Easy on Me” breaks down the split, while “I Drink Wine” pairs well with early Elton John. 

Honorable Mentions: Conversation Peace, Damu The Fudgemunk; Cool Dry Place, Katy Kirby; Bless My Psyche, Sincere Engineer; Soursob [EP], Soursob; Ignorance, The Weather Station.

BEST JAZZ ALBUMS

1. Promises, Pharaoh Sanders & Floating Points. Even when an album is only jazz in the loosest sense –this could arguably be an electronica album, or classical, or as Yusef Lateef would call it, just music– this was an album about healing when we needed it most. The 80-something Sanders juts from one idea to another, with Floating Points (British composer Sam Shepherd) building a lush sonic playground that the sax great can bounce around on.

2. Sounds from the Ancestors, Kenny Garrett

3. Uneasy, Vijay Iyer/Linda May Han Oh/Tyshawn Sorey

4. Metamorphosis, John Moulder

5. Luna '68, The City Champs

Honorable Mention: Triangle (Formwela 1-3) [EP], Esperanza Spaulding.

BEST SONGS (outside of the albums previously mentioned)

"Girls & Boys," Viagra Boys

"Impostor," Miss Grit

"All You Ever Wanted," Rag n' Bone Man

"Fire for You," Cannons

"Pay Your Way In Pain," St. Vincent 

"Hey Michael," Wallice

"Remember That Night?" Sara Kays

"Rainforest," Noname

"Scratchcard Lanyard," Dry Cleaning

"Lilys," Warpaint

"City Wide," Sean Danger Smith

"Midnight Wine," Shannon & The Clams

"Folie a Deux," Mach-Hommy feat. Westside Gunn

"Freaks," Surf Curse

"Jeff Goldblum," Mattiel

"Telepath," Manchester Orchestra

"The Hardest Cut," Spoon

"Paranoia Party," Frances Forever 

"BFIOU," Birds of Maya

"Right on Time," Brandi Carlile

BEST VIDEOS

1. "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)," Lil Nas X. The devil made him do it.  

2. "If You Say The Word," Radiohead. You really can't expect any Radiohead clip to be happy-go-lucky. This satire of late-stage capitalism is somewhat ambiguous about who is the hunter, but there's little questioning who's the hunted.

3. "Delusions of Grandeur," Bad Waitress. Not *quite* a "Midsommar" pastiche, but damn, this Toronto quartet can hit the power chords.

4. "Arrows," Red Fang. Ooh, a sword! 

5. "Worry With You," Sleater-Kinney. The best video of 2021 clearly inspired by the early days of the 2020 pandemic.

Honorable Mentions: "Be Sweet," Japanese Breakfast (“Friday nights on UPN”) and "Chaise Lounge," Wet Leg (Is this considered cottage-core?)

Your thoughts?

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A High School Acquaintance, Part 2

 After that mysterious AIM flare-up in late 2005, I went cold turkey in communicating with "Daisy." Not long after I was dumped by Babs (click here for that story) in August 2006, almost by coincidence Daisy reached out on Yahoo Messenger. Daisy had now been seeing the divorced dad for almost a year, and living with him about nine months. I asked about what happened in late 2005, but she wouldn't give me a straight answer. We became Facebook friends and swapped recent photos. A day later, Daisy randomly asked if she could borrow 10 dollars for cigarettes. I explained that I was neither in the Chicago area nor did I have much cash. She thought that was a strange excuse. After three days of on/off small talk, she got upset again, for something else entirely. For a second time, I had to go through the archived conversation and figure what I said, and I could not figure out what I typed that triggered her. Again, I thought it was best to just leave her alone. 

We barely communicated over the decade or so. She got married to the divorced dad in May 2010,  and between that 2006 convo and 2011 Daisy and I had two, short nondescript Yahoo Messenger convos. In the interim, she deleted and rejoined Facebook at least twice, though only once did I send a friend request. For about four years after that, more radio silence. 

In September 2015, Daisy came up yet again as an FB friend suggestion. I hesistated for a couple weeks, but I sent a request. She approved it a day or two later, than followed me on Instagram as well. She had just finalized an ugly divorce with her husband, and asked if I was free to meet for coffee. I agreed, and after all this time we met up at a local Starbucks. I mentioned a social group I was part of, and she was interested in more information. She also made it clear she was seeing someone; this was just friends meeting. We agreed to meet up a few days later, but when I arrived at our meeting place, she didn't show.

I didn't hear anything for two days, then she texted to say she overslept. Then I tried to Skype her, but then she apparently blocked me there and on Facebook. About a month later, she texted to apologize, then asked if I was free for coffee again. I obliged, we hung out for a couple of hours, she unblocked me on social media, then agreed to meet again on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving that year was a cold, dreary day; I basically sat uncomfortably in my car in 35-degree sleet waiting for her to arrive. Over the next 45 minutes I left one Facebook message, one text, and one voice mail. I drove home to find I was blocked on FB again. 

I figured that was the end, but in Summer 2018 she texted out of the blue. Daisy finally apologized; she was in a tough place because of the divorce and was also battling severe anxiety. She was out in Plainfield, with a new job and a new live-in boyfriend. We texted on and off for the second half of that year, but never made any attempt at meeting up. Two messages I sent in late 2018 went without a response, then I just let her be until earlier this year. 

This all started with my sister, and Daisy sent an FB request to her. I wasn't sure if I had her current contact info, so I messaged Daisy on LinkedIn. We had a polite conversation that night and the next, then agreed to meet at the same Starbucks on the third day. It was like deja vu; I arrived right on time, and she flaked out. Again, I left a text and voice mail. That Saturday, I asked how she was doing, and this is how she replied:

If you've read all of this, you're probably wondering why I communicated with this woman like a moth to a light? In hindsight, I'm not sure; the 2004 me was probably thinking about sex, whereas the 2015 and 2021 me simply wanted to reconnect. I was also probably too patient with someone who (I'm speculating) has a history of mental illness. Anything beyond that and I'm probably letting my imagination run wild. This whole 17-year experience left me feeling gullible and a little used. I could have easily done some things differently. As much as I love the idea of reconnecting with people I haven't seen or heard from in years, Daisy demonstrated that sometimes the mystery isn't worth it. 

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Thanks/No Thanks, 2021 Edition

 2021 so far hasn't been much better than 2020. The struggles and challenges are the same, but they've evolved and in some ways mutated. It's becoming apparent that COVID-19 is something we might have to just live with, like the flu. Variants keep emerging, and it's likely contributed to the ongoing labor shortage. In times like these, we have to remember our blessings. 

For my 17th annual "thanks/no thanks" list, I say thank you to my Amazon Echo Dot for introducing me to radio stations all across the world. On the other hand, I say no thanks to... well, everything else Amazon. I am thankful for being able to see friends in person again. I am not as thankful to people who won't get the damn vaccine or still think this is all blown out of proportion. I am grateful for consistant work. I am not as grateful to businesses that keep underpaying or marginalizing their employees, then cry poor when they do raise salaries.

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone. 

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