Everything isn’t terrible after all!
TV: Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Anyone who enjoyed the grown up, middle class melodrama of Big Little Lies, will love this catty bitch fight between Kerry Washington’s struggling artist Mia and Reese Wetherspoon’s gloating control freak Elena. Both are terrible, terrible people, but it is fascinating to see them go head to head in this prestige drama from the Hulu network. Unfortunately, this isn’t officially available in the UK yet, but I found it easily enough in the murky world of torrents and streaming sites, so don’t let that stop you.
A word too for Netflix’s The Stranger. The reason I haven’t made this the main entry in this week is because I know I’m a little late to the party but if there is anyone out there that hasn’t seen it yet, I would highly recommend it. Particularly if you feel that shows like Line of Duty and Doctor Foster aren’t quite preposterous enough.
Song: The Strokes – Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus
Wow. After years of infighting, middling albums and questionable side projects are the Strokes properly back? Early signs look good and while fellow new tracks Bad Decisions and At The Door were a welcome return, Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus is something else. This latest glimpse of upcoming album The New Abnormal is the New York bands most insistent and melodic work in years. Imagine a beer garden in the August sunshine with football on the big screen and a glorious new Strokes record playing in the background…be still my beating heart.
Podcast: Joe Thomas on The Off Menu Podcast
For anyone not familiar with the Off Menu podcast, it follows comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster in their quest to discover the perfect menu. A different celebrity features each work as they pick their favourite starter, main course, side, dessert and drink in order to form their ideal dinner. While some episodes pass me by (not a criticism, sometimes all a podcast needs to be is background noise) this episode with Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas is a genuine whirlwind from start to finish. Thomas makes for a fascinating guest with some truly bizarre anecdotes from his surprisingly sketchy past. I laughed all the way through.
Article: Fifa – The Video Game That Changed Football
Published in: The Guardian – link here.
In light of large swathes of the population being under lockdown, The Guardian recently published a list of its top 25 best long read articles. I’m currently making my way through most of them, but this dissection of the phenomenon that is the FIFA gaming series (originally published in 2016) is a fascinating and essential deep dive into one of the most successful video game franchises ever conceived. Truly top notch journalism.
Film: Springsteen on Broadway (Netflix)
I never got round to writing a proper review for Bruce Springsteen‘s astonishing run on broadway, but rest assured it is three hours of utter musical genius. Even for casual fans of the Boss this is essential viewing, and it would also make a great entry point for anyone looking to make a start on Springsteen’s vast back catalogue during the lockdown period. Quite simply, one of the best musicians alive today.