#9 Read-Watch-Listen
Read
Six Things Millennials Have in Common with Dr. Frasier Crane
by Reuven Perlman, The New Yorker
I disliked Frasier growing up and it was always on. I didn’t understand why it was always on and I just assumed it was in the same wheel house as Cheers and Cheers was always on (because Frasier is a spin off of cheers and they were both always on, after one another or on the same channel). Frasier was one of those shows that I disliked but still watched it because it was always on. This show felt so foreign to me and I really couldn’t relate to it. So, I found this article incredibly amusing. I’m sure if I rewatched I could probably relate to it a lot more.
Did I mention how this show was on all the time?
What makes a millennial? The read for this week lists out things that most people enjoy (it reminds me of dating profiles “I like traveling, sports, and movies”). It’s like most other lists that describe millennials. Millennials want a stable wage, to be able to one day buy a house, to not have their rights infringed by big corporations, they also like nice tasting food, and living in cities that aren’t homogenous. I’m pretty sure this just describes anyone who at some point was in their 20s or 30s.
Read til the end because it’s not number 5 that is the killer, it’s number 6.
Watch
B.A.N, S1E7, Atlanta
By Donald Glover
I just finished rewatching season 2 of Atlanta. One of the best shows out there. To me it has the same kind of ‘sticky’ cultural references and commentary that The Chapelle Show did (still has?). Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) came up with Atlanta with his brother when they were young which is something I think is a bit overlooked. The show is boundless and operates in its own universe - its surrealism and social commentary are what make this show memorable. Plus the writing is just really good and I hate to use this word but, authentic (the majority of the writing staff is from Atlanta). I think it’s because of the idiosyncrasies of the characters and those niche “things” for lack of a better word, that make it. This became really clear to me in this episode because of the commercials. Maybe this is because I can remember when the Dodge Charger coming out and everyone talking about it, and buying a giant can of Arizona ice tea and having the same conversation with the corner store clerk, and even drinking Mickey’s and thinking that those beers were just a little bit more special than getting Kokanee.
The 7th episode B.A.N. ie. Black America Network - stands out because it doesn’t follow the same structure as any other episode. For the same reason, I feel I can add it as the watch for this week because you can watch it without having watched any other episodes (plus if you have Disney+ you can easily watch it there). The structure is as if you’re watching a show within a show. Which also means it has its own commercials which are just as significant to the conversation that they are having in the interview below. There are many moving parts to this episode and it’s packed with discussions around race, transgender identity, influence, gender, and pop culture.
What makes this below sketch both so funny and poignant is that this happens. There is a trend of white women taking on and believing that they are black, think Rachel Dolezal. I think this sketch takes this on in an amusing way… “Hey excuse me what IPA do you have on tap.. did you see Game of Thrones last night?” Maybe Donald Glover has read some Judith Butler?
---Listen
Come Down, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
by Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals and NPR
I realise this is on youtube but you don’t have to watch it - just Listen.
It’s just so catchy. Plus, anyone who can sing and play drums at the same time is immediately impressive. I watched a few other videos of Anderson .Paak and he is such an interesting guy. He grew up going to punk shows in and around LA (Oxnard) and it’s influence on his music to the point where some of his own shows break out into mosh pits/circle pits - something his fans both love and hate. In the same interview he talked about how the only other sense of community and energy he experienced in the punk scene was at church. If you’ve ever gone to a punk show, I think you’ll understand that, because everyone around you (if they’re not completely nuts) has your back, and you are safe. Like a lot of other artists he started out by doing covers of songs and they’re quite good and pretty different from their original versions - well worth a listen as well.
Beware, if you watch/listen to this on youtube, you may get caught in a Tiny Desk rabbit hole. If you do, be sure to listen to the best ones, which imho are: