Fall Frownies? Autumn Ouchies?
Currently Listening
Sad Girl Autumn - Attack of the PHOE-males
I already covered this in the last newsletter, but I’ll reiterate that fall is not my favorite time of year. Judging by all of the playlists on spotify entitled “Sad girl fall” or “fall vibes” it’s very clear that I am not the only one who gets the fall frownies? autumn ouchies? I don’t know what to call it, but the data (literally just spotify playlists) would suggest that MANY of us are feeling at least a little bit melancholy during this time of year, but as I search through these playlists looking for any trace of Solange or Sza, it’s starts to become very clear that Sad girl autumn and all of its accompanying aesthetics are reserved for pale, almost ghost-like white women and no one else. (Avid readers of the newsletter might remember that we refer to these pale songstresses as PHOE-Males) I like PHOEbe Bridgers and her white counterparts as much as the next girl-who-is-obviously-not-even-trying-to-have-a-good-day-because-why-is-she-starting-her-day-listening-to-motion-sickness???? But when it comes to who I’m grateful for, who when I’m crying and having the worst day I can just turn on and feel so seen and comforted; it’s Black women everyday of the week. I’m grateful for sad Black girl music, and the sad/healing/healed Black women who make it. I started writing this piece for next month’s Textured Heir newsletter and was prepared to express my gratitude for artists like Mereba, and Lianne La Havas whose lyrics have become mantras to me. I was ready to praise Noname for her seemingly effortless, smooth delivery of difficult truths. More than anything I was stoked to make a playlist that I knew would become a seasonal staple for me. A spotify gal true and true I open the app and entitle my new playlist “Sad Girl Autumn,” and I’m immediately annoyed at the song suggestions.
Before a single track has been added, just based on the playlist title alone, I’m shown song suggestions that consist of notable PHOE-MALES such as L*** D** R**, PHOEbe Bridgers herself, and Taylor Swift. I’m not naive, and I’m not unfamiliar with white people and the tunnel vision (implicit biases?) that they can have when it comes to consuming media. The erasure of Black artists and their contributions isn’t a new concept to me, but it’s certainly frustrating to scroll through several playlists with the same or similar titles and not see a single mention of songs like Cranes in the Sky (Solange), or Drew Barrymore (SZA). I don’t understand how a Taylor Swift fan doesn’t stumble upon a talented lyricist (and swiftie) like Jensen Mcrae. I don’t know how the Lana girls arent’t also SZA girls. I understand that there are a million different influences impacting how we interact with the world and the art all around us, but what does it really mean when hundreds of people attempt to simply create a vibe of melancholy and longing and wanting and feeling and none of them think to include Black women? What does that say about how people view a Black woman’s longing and wanting and feeling? Why does that brand of expression get ignored and overlooked, and others constantly celebrated and talked about? Ponder those questions while you listen to Sad Girl Autumn, a playlist featuring Black women artists only.
Currently Watching
I have a very short and exclusive list of comfort shows. This list is sacred and rarely does it change. New additions are not added willy-nilly, and they can never ever be forced. Most of these shows have been a part of my life for most of my life like Degrassi, One Tree Hill, and Gilmore Girls. Many of my most comforting comfort shows existed before I was born. When it comes to tv it has only just recently become cool again to be comforting. In fact I would say that it has actually been much more trendy in the last couple decades for tv to be discomforting. I have no issue with this and actually enjoy lots of uncomfortable television, but it certainly makes the idea of a comfort show feel like something of the past/changed our ideas of what even feels comforting to watch. This past year two shows that I really enjoy have propelled themselves to comfort show status despite being made after I could read chapter books, and despite being on Netflix, my least favorite streaming service at the moment. I’d like to formally congratulate both Never Have I Ever and Derry Girls on this auspicious achievement (Me liking them!)
Never Have I Ever - Netflix - Fave Episode
Season 2, Ep 2 - …thrown a rager
I have never known enough about Mindy Kailing to have a very strong opinion on her as a person. I never finished her first book, and I still have not watched the Mindy Project (if enough of you recommend I’ll give it a try!) What I’m saying is I don’t just run to a project because I see that Mindy Kailing is attached to it.
It was 2020, we were sheltering in place, and the only shows I was interested in were Dharma and Greg (again before I was born) and Teen Mom (a masterpiece). I decided to give it a try and I was an instant fan. I had never seen a main character like Devi who is driven and hurting and mean and messy and imperfect before, and certainly not in a high school setting. There’s something to celebrate about a messy teen girl doing messy teen girl things on a popular Netflix show. Sure there was Rory on Gilmore Girls constantly making mistakes, but no one would ever call her out on them. She was still perfect Rory. and even imperfect girls like Brooke Davis, were still unbelievably cool and constantly desired. If comparisons to iconic characters like Rory and B. Davis isn’t enough to prove how much I love this show, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s performance then I don’t know what else I could say, other than Never Have I Ever is funny, heartwarming, messy, and surprising, and any fan of teen dramas/comedies should give it a try!
Derry Girls - Netflix
Fave episodes; Season 2, Ep1 - Across the Barricade, Season 2 Ep 6 - The President
With my degree in play-pretend it’s safe to say that world history can sometimes feel like a blind spot for me. What I do know a lot about though is storytelling, and when it comes to that Derry Girls TAKES IT! Initially drawn to the show for its humor, I quickly began to notice how masterfully the historical elements were being peppered into each episode, and the brilliant storytelling going on within these 30min episodes (another plus!) I knew very little about the religious conflict between the Irish and the English before watching this show, and I’d be lying if I said that I was some sort of expert now, but what Derry Girls did teach me so cleverly with humor and great comedic performances is what people, specifically young people were feeling, not just the events of the moment, or the hard facts, but the ways that young people were feeling and navigating through a time of unrest. Those intangible things can be so hard to communicate and depict. I’ve made the show sound way more serious than it is, but I promise it’s funny and I’ll be re-watching it for years to come.
Reboot - Hulu Original
I’m 3 episodes into the Hulu original Reboot, and I’m having a great time so far. Let me just say that I didn’t have many doubts about this show going in. As someone with incredible taste, I know that Judy Greer could never, would never miss. As someone who watched both season of Friends From College in one night, I know that Keegan Michael Key has the range to do so much more than we’ve given him to do post Key and Peele. As someone whose formative years coincided with the Jackass era, I have a strong para-social relationship with Johnny Knoxville and his counterparts, and trust him more than most white men. I knew that something featuring these three people would not disappoint me. I’m happy to report that y’all are gonna like it too!
This half hour gem is about an emerging writer played by Rachel Bloom who pitches an edgy reboot of a Full-House/Growing Pains-esque sitcom called Step Right Up with the original cast! When they all reunite to make this show with Bloom’s character as showrunner, they run into some artistic disputes with the show’s original creator. There’s a level of 30 Rock-style parody as the streaming service that picked up the fictional show is in fact Hulu, which makes for some fun commentary on the streaming-era. Like I said I’m only 3 episodes in, but an exciting reveal at the end of the first episode, instantly gave me that “well now I HAVE TO watch the rest” feeling that every new show that comes out on streaming MUST have to stand-out in the sea of constant new releases.
Speaking of needing to watch the rest, can you guys let me know in the comments which one I should try to finish? I’ve started them all and abandoned each and every one of them…
A League of Their Own - Prime Video
The Summer I Turned Pretty - Prime Video (should I also just read this book???)
Atlanta S3 (don’t vote for this one I’m not watching anymore of that lol)
Only Murders in the Building - Hulu
Currently Reading
Oh yes we don’t just watch and listen over here, we also READ okay! If I want anyone to read this newsletter, I must lead by example and read literally anything. I mostly carry books around for a long long time with the intention to read and either get distracted or forget I’m carrying around another option for something to do! Lately after months of carrying it around everywhere I went, I finally cracked open my copy of Danyel Smith’s Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop Music.
I was already a fan of the former editor and chief of Vibe Magazine, her writing, and her podcast Black Girl Songbook. Danyel Smith has dedicated her entire career to praising Black women in the music industry, and her book is just another example of that. She effortlessly goes from Ma Rainey, to Leontyne Price, to Dionne Warwick and beyond in the span of a few pages, making sure you understand the impact that each woman has had on popular music and her own personal history. It’s impossible to hear her anecdotes and not start to examine the role that music, and most specifically the music of Black women has impacted and shaped your own life and experiences. Now with all of the Madonna discourse going on, Shine Bright feels extremely relevant. I highly recommend to any and all music lovers, and especially those who fail to see the erasure taking place in Madonna’s comments about her role as a pioneer. We have our own idols, and influencers and trailblazers, and it’s important to make sure we never stop talking about and celebrating them, because there’s always going to be an old white lady trying to take credit for something she didn’t do on her own.