This is an abridged version of the free newsletter that goes out on Friday mornings. If you’d like the whole thing, with paywall-free links, for free, we can help with that.
Corporate Update
As much as I try to limit my news intake, this week it has been impossible. It’s difficult to tell what’s real and what’s posturing. If there’s any seriousness behind the idea of Canada as the 51st state, I’m either enlisting or moving to Scandinavia or something.
I have good news though: There are lots of great things in this email. It was a big week for short stories, and the playlist is crazy good.
Find things that take you somewhere else, even if it’s temporary. Worry about things you can control. Hug your loved ones. Shop local.
Anyway, Here are a bunch of things that didn’t get on the blog yet, and down below are things that did:
Journalism!
A Sandwich Close to My Heart
Talia Lavin has been running The Sword and the Sandwich for a long time, and this weeks’ feature is an all-timer: the Montreal Smoked Meat. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Montreal, and after that piece, I think I’m gonna plan a trip this summer. Schwartz’s will be on the agenda.
Music Economics
I promise the title undersells this: The Duetti Music Economics Report for 2024. It’s definitely worth the click. Key takeaway:
Speaking of Spotify
I posted a (glowing) review on (the essential) Mood Machine by Liz Pelly recently. I have a couple of new pieces to share about it:
- First, if you’re still on the fence about the book, here’s an interview Pelly did with Anthony Fantano that covers a lot of what’s in the book and a lot more
- Second, a great article in FT about how randomness is achieved in the Spotify shuffle feature
- Bonus: a short video about how Cloudflare uses lava lamps to generate randomness, referenced in the article
Bandcamp to the Rescue
I was beginning to worry that Bandcamp’s sketchy owners would scuttle Bandcamp Fridays permanently, but on Wednesday night they announced this year’s dates.
Next Friday, all proceeds go to California wildfire relief, then regular Bandcamp Fridays run on these dates:
- March 7th
- May 2nd
- August 1st
- September 5th
- October 3rd
- December 5th
(for the new: Bandcamp Fridays = Bandcamp forgoes their take and the artists get 100% of sales)
More Beastie Boys content
Dan Ozzi (author of the excellent Sellout) is doing a series where he picks an album off the shelf for each letter of the alphabet and writes about it. This is a great piece on Ill Communication.
My Way or the Amway (sorry)
A memoir about a family destroyed by Amway. Someone I knew almost got pulled into this a long time ago. How is this legal?
The Cruel Kids Table
This almost made me physically ill: a piece in New York Magazine about the young people who think it’s rebellious and cool to act like garbage. I’m not sure how representative it is, but it’s hard to read anyway.
SNL in NYT, LOL
This article in the New York Times about SNL cast members breaking is a fucking delight.
Snapped Ankles: Let It Rot
A good interview in The Quietus with one of my favourite collections of weirdos, Snapped Ankles.
