Well hello there! I’m relieved to pull away from the mundanity of everyday tasks to share what I’ve been reading, listening, watching, enjoying, and basking in in over the last year.

Rather than organizing by genre I decided to curate a multi-genre, alphabetized list of the Best in Culture I’ve experienced recently. Unlike years past I’ve watched more television than I’ve listened to (newer) music and have divided my reading into completed and, on a separate list, in progress/very promising and plan to finish! Film-wise I’ve seen two films in theaters this year which is an all-time low, excepting 2020. No worries, come Oscar time 2023 I’ll share my highly opinionated prognoses of the shoulds, shouldn’ts, and will-likely-triumph so stay tuned. The list:

A League of Their Own (Season One) (Amazon) [TELEVISION DRAMA]: Executive Producers Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson revisit and expand the scope of the beloved 1992 film in the eight episodes of Season One. Set in 1943, the ensemble series shows us a wide range of (white) women seeking to play for the new Chicago based Rockford Peaches professional team. While they contend with the restrictive gender norms of the time, including tacit homophobia, we also witness the parallel struggles of an aspiring Black pitcher Maxine “Max” Chapman who is restricted from trying out for the team. Rather than settling for nostalgia or glossing over the era’s challenges the series delves into a range of thorny issues growing more complex and nuanced with each episode.

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black America (Hanif Abduraqqib) [CULTURAL CRITICISM]: Though I had seen Abduraqqib as a talking head in various pop culture docs previously I was less familiar with his writing which I’m glad to have encountered on this 2021 collection of essays. Sly, elliptical, personable, and uncommonly candid, Abduraqqib’s prose finds refreshing angles on oft-covered subjects, from minstrelsy to Aretha Franklin to “white savior” films, in a voice like no other.

Abbott Elementary (Seasons One and Two) (ABC) [TELEVISION COMEDY]: Fusing the faux-documentary style of The Office and Modern Family with insider knowledge of Philly culture and the struggles of urban public schools show creator Quinta Bronson reinvigorated the network sitcom on this 2021 Emmy winner. Topical, big-hearted, and relentlessly clever it reminds me of classic ensemble comedies like Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls, and Modern Family where every character is well-developed and each actor delivers a well-honed performance.

Atlanta (Seasons Three and Four) (FX) [TELEVISION COMEDY]: The unprecedented one-two punch of Seasons Three and Four of Atlanta stretched the conventions of comedy to the point of transcending genre. Season Three bounces between tackling subjects like reparations and racial passing with surrealistic comedic zeal and following Earn, Paper Boi, Darius and Van as they trek through Europe on a global tour. Season Four returns to Atlanta but is equally experimental infusing episodes with horror elements, and unnerving moments of narrative ambiguity that are its signature. What a way to go!

Barry (Season Three) (HBO) [TELEVISION DRAMA]: I avoided Barry’s first two seasons because the premise seemed too far-fetched: aspiring actor by day, hired assassin by night, come on! However, I casually watched the stunning “710N” motorcycle chase episode in a hotel this summer and realized I needed to catch up. Like Weeds and Shameless, the show has a both a smoldering intensity and absurdism that constantly teeters between comedy and drama. In Season three Barry’s (Bill Hader) existential crisis about his mortality is unusually daring and soulful; Gene’s (Henry Winkler) meeting with his dead lover’s father is stunningly tense and claustrophobic; and Sally’s rage at being scooped creatively and having her life threatened are blistering. Oh yeah, and the motorcycle sequence is technical and narrative feat.

The Bear (Season One) (Hulu) [TELEVISION COMEDY]: Yes, the first few episodes probably break some record for the loudest arguments heard on television but they simmer down (somewhat) as this intimate portrait of a Chicago based family restaurant takes shape. Carmen is an acclaimed, well-trained chef who returns home to run his deceased brother’s Italian beef restaurant and encounters serious attitude from the staff. Among them “cousin Richie” his brother’s best friend who expected to run the restaurant is most vocal about resenting Carmen. Unmoved by rote adherence to tradition Carmen pushes the staff to run their kitchen like professionals and mentors a promising young new hire Sydney who knows how great he is and seeks her own glory.

Big Mouth (Season Six) (Netflix) [TELEVISION CARTOON]: Season Six is doing the most and yet it’s all digestible and quite satisfying. The season is anchored by Nick discovering his father’s past, Missy testing the waters with an intriguing new boy at school, Lola possibly finding her father, Jessie handling the impending birth of her stepsister, Matthew and Jay dating, and Andrew dating his girlfriend Bernie long distance. Yet, it also sheds light on the marriages of The Gloubermans (Barbara is not happy!) and the Birches. In the tradition of special episodes like “My Furry Valentine” and “Avery Big Mouth Christmas” the seasons devotes an episode “Vagina Shame” to social pressures on adolescent women.  Honorable mention to Big Mouth’s enchanting spin-off Human Resources.

Black Diamond Queens: African American Women and Rock ‘n’ Roll (Maureen Mahon) [ACADEMIC]: Mahon’s scholarship on the African-Americans experience in rock ‘n’ roll and rock music has long challenged the whitewashing of rock history. In 2020’s Black Diamond Queens she focuses her attention on black women rockers including unfairly overlooked figures like LaVern Baker and Betty Davis, and adds layers to our understanding of more iconic figures like funk-soul group LaBelle and Tina Turner.

Constructing a Nervous System: A Memoir (Margo Jefferson) [MEMOIR]: In this fascinating follow-up to her first memoir Negroland (2015) Jefferson deconstructs the genre. If we can agree that writing a memoir typically entails becoming a version of ourselves to tell a select version of our story Jefferson’s daring adaptation of alter egos to tell her story is both logical and remarkable. For example, she meshes her adolescent desire to be beautiful with the complex way Ella Fitzgerald navigated her public image which involved an odd mix of adoration for her art and constant commentary on her size and appearance. She draws parallels with Willa Cather’s unfulfilled yearning noting, “Surely al this drove you to imagine and interpret what had not imagined you. I’ve had to do the same” (122). Constructing is better read than described; you must inhabit her world and stay in constant dialogue with her.

Didn’t We Almost Have it All: In defense of Whitney Houston (Gerrick Kennedy) [CULTURAL CRITICISM]: In this highly engaging work of cultural criticism Kennedy gives Whitney Houston a proper critical appreciation placing her life and career in the larger context of African-American culture and music, heteronormative gender expectations, and contentious music industry politics. Balancing both personal appreciation with historical context, and appraisal with accountability, he tempers tough love with grace allowing her triumphs to ascend higher than her flaws.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Hulu) (FILM]: What could have been a tawdry English version of Stella Got her Groove Back is a smart, tender, and sexy film for adults. Emma Thompson stars as a Nancy Stokes widow who has never experienced true intimacy who hires a sex worker to help her access her desires. Her companion in this journey is a warm, young and gorgeous young man, Leo Grande (played by Daryl McCormack) who is highly professional and establishes clear boundaries. Filmed in a hotel setting Nancy and Leo form an intense bond that threatens to unravel when the fantasy bleeds into real life. A superb showcase for its writer Katy Brand director Sophie Hyde, and the actors.

Hacks (Season Two) (HBO) [TELEVISION COMEDY]: The pairing of a seasoned comedy diva (Deborah Vance payed by Jean Smart) willing to do whatever she needs to do to build, and maintain, her loyal audience, with a jaded comedy writer (Ava Daniels played by Hannah Einbinder) who thinks she’s too cool for everything remains a sensation. Season Two’s road trip structure and tour settings welcomes in more voices (including Marcus played Emmy nominee Carl Clemons-Hopkins and Damien played by Mark Indelicato) but Deborah and Ava’s push-pull dynamic remains its center.

HBO MAX COMEDY SERIES: Minx (HBO Max); Sex Lives of College Girls (Seasons One and Two) (HBO Max); Sort Of (Seasons One and Two) (HBO Max) [TELEVISION]: These three streaming series from HBO Max tell very different stories we didn’t know we wanted, and now we know. An odd mix of fictionalized second wave feminism and adult magazine publishing Minx finds Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson wrestling for editorial control of an unusual venture. Interesting premise, great cast, and funky fashions…Girls really do just want to have fun: A generically scenic liberal arts college is the backdrop for Sex Live’s amorous foursome, Bela, Kimberly, Leighton, and Whitney. Diverse in cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds but united in their desire to enjoy boys (and/or girls) the series is refreshingly breezy yet grounded enough in the realities of real co-eds (e.g., financial strain, anxiety about sexual identity, getting accepted into sororities) to click…The Toronto based Sort Of centers on Sabi a non-binary Canadian of Pakistani descent who is literally figuring it all out in real time, as millennials do. In the meantime, they work as a nanny to the two kids of Paul and Bessy, and as a bartender in a local queer bar, serve as best friend and confidante to artist 7ven, and are doing their best to meet expectations of their mother Raffo. Aqsa resents the attention Raffo gives Sabi but loves them anyway. It’s a lot and Sabi is doing their best.

HULU MINI-SERIES: The Dropout; Pam & Tommy; Welcome to Chippendales [TELEVISION]: Amanda Seyfried dropping her voice a few octaves as Elizabeth Holmes, Seth Rogen sporting a mullet and acid washed jeans as Rand Gauthier, and Murray Bartlett, as Chippendales choreographer Nick De Noia, training a group of male dancers to “tell a story” through their gyrations, are some of the more memorable scenes in 2022’s landscape of TV movies and mini-series. Though the genre of “inspired by real life events,” stories are becoming a bit too common these three represent some of the more engrossing and surprising depictions of the genre.

If I Survive You (Jonathan Escoffery) [SHORT STORY COLLECTION]: In this assured debut Escoffery conveys the complex feelings of being the unorthodox youngest son of first-generation Jamaican immigrants growing up in Miami. Feeling insufficiently Jamaican, American, and African-American, we follow Trelawny through high school, college and early adulthood as he tries to make sense of who he is and what he could be. Escoffery is unafraid to depict Trelawny complexly through his erratic actions; he engenders empathy and frustration from readers who want him to learn from his mistakes without undue suffering. Escoffery’s vivid sketches of Trelawny’s interactions in a such a wide range of situations, from his home to a midwestern liberal arts college to the pool of a tony luxury apartment building, is impressive as is his daring chapter written largely in patois.

In These Silent Days (Brandi Carlile) [MUSIC]: Though several more high-profile artists released albums this year Carlile’s October 2021 release In These Silent Days, led by 2021’s soaring ballad “Right on Time,” remains relevant in 2022. Nominated for the 2022 Grammy for Album of the Year, along with multiple nominations for the lovely “You and Me on the Rock” and the rollicking “Broken Horses,” it’s a standout. Stylistically, Carlile evokes the melodicism and vulnerability of the best confessional pop, country, and rock of the late 1960s-early 1970s but adds a contemporary perspective to the tradition rather than a retread. Proving that less can be more she lets us into some of the most intimate aspects of her past and present in under 40 minutes of lovely no-nonsense music.

Katrina Babies (HBO) [DOCUMENTARY]: New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor Edward Buckles Jr. revisits the impact of Katrina’s desire on a whole generation of Black youth. Buckles reconstructs the events of the period beginning with his family’s experience fleeing their home for shelter and examining its personal aftermath, the fragmentation of his extended family, and more broadly its trauma on a whole generation. The decimation of communities, lack of infrastructural reform, and struggles of the education system, constitute ongoing vulnerabilities of these communities to crime and stagnation.

Live at the Bon Soir (Barbra Streisand) [ALBUM]: By the time Columbia Records recorded Barbra Streisand’s bravura live performances at the Greenwich Village nightclub the Bon Soir from November 5-7, 1962 she had already owned its stage on prior occasions. Streisand came up at a time when it was normal for budding pop stars to learn their chops in the world of nightclubs and cabarets, and you can hear that toughness and hunger in her voice. What’s so stunning about this recording, which was intended originally as her debut, is not just her vocal athleticism or her stagecraft or her taste for obscure gems; it’s her absolute mastery of her art. Even at 20 years old she knew who she was and what she had for us. A must-hear on the syllabus of Popular Diva Studies 101.

Mo (Season One) (Netflix) [TELEVISION COMEDY]: After starring in standup specials and appearing on Ramy, comedian Mohammed Amer translates aspects of his story—born in Kuwait to a Palestinian family that fled to the United States and struggled to obtain citizenship—into an endearing family comedy about the hustle. Mo does what he can, including hawking goods from his trunk, to support his mom and brother, as they strive to attain asylum. He is surrounded by an enterprising girlfriend, a charming cast of friends, and the dry, sunny landscape of working-class Houston.

Neal Brennan: Blocks (Netflix) [TELEVISION STANDUP COMEDY SPECIAL]: Brennan, who is best known as a writer for Chappelle’s Show, soars in his second Netflix special (2017’s superb 3 Mics). A kind of high concept “show and tell” the uncommonly candid Brennan stands in front of a custom designed board with symbols representing aspects of his life and uses them to delve into his personal struggles with mental health, heartbreak, and his dysfunctional family background, among other topics. Brennan has a with sly, off beat style of humor that is quietly arresting.

Nope (Directed by Jordan Peele) [FILM]: After writing and directing a bonafide classic (Get Out), and a popular and intriguing hit (Us), Peele gave audiences a reason to watch a film in a theater. A mix of sci-fi, western, mystery, and drama, Nope stars Daniel Kaluyua and Keke Palmer as the descendants of the Haywoods a horse training and handling family who make their living supplying animals to Hollywood film studies, and reside in the desert. They notice the peculiar behavior of a highly territorial UFO and embark in a complicated entanglement to figure out what it wants and how to stop it. They eventually enlist a grizzled electronics salesman (Brandon Perea) and a reclusive cinematographer (Michael Wincott) to solve the puzzle. Interesting, funny, scary, and smart Nope soars on the big screen.

Our Missing Hearts (Celeste Ng) [NOVEL]: Ng, the masterful author of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, places readers in an eerie contemporary U.S. oriented from the perspective of Bird, a teen living in extraordinary circumstances. Part family drama, coming of age novel, and dystopian thriller Missing is continually intriguing journey. The nation is reeling from “The Crisis” shorthand for an economic depression that spawned a new era of xenophobia, nationalism, and political surveillance, that has stagnated its citizenry, especially those of Asian descent. Bird has a complex backstory. He lives with his father, who is white, and advises him to keep a low profile. We soon learn that his mother Margaret, who is a poet of Asian descent, is not with the family as a result of her activism, and Bird feels compelled to locate her and get the full story.

Partition (Don Lee) [SHORT STORY COLLECTION]: Partition is an engrossing collection of short stories featuring an eclectic group of characters situated in fascinating scenarios written with Lee’s characteristic flair for vivid language and intricate character development. This is Lee’s second short story collection since 2001’s Yellow and his astute ear for dialogue and economical approach to plot remain as strong as ever. Divided into multiple stories, followed by a three-part section focused on the growth of a single character, called “Les hôtels d’Alain,” the collection has a cinematic scope. The title story, about an intense encounter in Texas between an earnest literary scholar and an eccentric author visiting from South Korea is an especially brilliant page turner. It’s worth noting Lee’s finesse in depicting characters of Asian descent, whose stories are laced with witty, informed observations about diasporic culture that never flattens out characters or lapses into didacticism.  

Ramy (Season 3) (Hulu) [TELEVISION COMEDY]: There’s never a dull moment in the universe of the Hassans. After ending his short-lived marriage Ramy’s got serious debts to repay, plus he’s trying to launch a jewelry business separate from his overbearing (and bigoted) Uncle Neseem which leads him to Israel, which does not endear him to his mother Maysa. She and Farouk, meanwhile, are trying to survive financially no matter what but his pride makes it hard for him to resist lying to friends about his next steps. Also, Dena, Ramy’s sister is over the whole lawyer thing and trying to have an intimate life. There’s so much more…just watch it.

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now (Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, Philip Wang; illustrations by Julia Kuo) [CULTURAL HISTORY]: In this vibrant graphic history Yang, Ku, and Wang chronicle the complexity of various strands of the Asian American diaspora with wit, insight, and an unapologetic confrontation with the particulars of Anti-Asian racism in America. Serving as editors and guides, the trio enlists a dazzling array of collaborators, including scholars, journalists, artists, and activists, to address food, film, music, fashion, visual art, politics and material culture, among other themes. Kuo’s illustrations, and a variety of comics and graphics by guest artists, contribute equally to Rise’s potency and richness.

Rothaniel (HBO) [TELEVISION STANDUP COMEDY SPECIAL]: Daring and pivotal in a manner akin to such comedy milestones as 1979’s Richard Pryor: Live in Concert and 2017’s Hannah Gadsby: Nanette, Jerrod Carmichael completely remixes what constitutes comedy in his deeply confessional largely improvised sit down special Rothaniel. Set in a darkly lit nightclub and directed with hawk eyed intimacy by Bo Burnham, Carmichael lets his audience into his newly public identity as an out gay man. He and his audience have remarkable back and forths as he (and they) process the ramifications of queerness for him as a Black man with working class southern roots whose life is was formed by familial beliefs about religion and masculinity that complicate his public and private self. 

Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop (Danyel Smith) [MEMOIR AND CULTURAL CRITICISM]: Fusing memoir with cultural criticism, veteran journalist Danyel Smith employs her own story as a gifted, talented and curious young Black girl seeking sublimity, amidst challenging socioeconomic and family dynamics, as a framework for appreciating Black female musicians. She consistently demonstrates how contemporary popular music is rife with artists whose fame overshadows their complexity (e.g., Janet Jackson) and/or whose obscurity (e.g., The Dixie Cups) downplays their importance. Smith does not merely reveal the historical gaps wrought by racism and sexism; she fills them with original insights in loving detail.

The Town of Babylon (Alejandro Varela) [NOVEL]: Andres—a gay, married public health professor raised alongside his now deceased brother by his Central American immigrant parents—thought he was just returning to the Long Island suburb of his childhood to help his mom support his ailing his father, briefly. Once he decided to also make an appearance at his class reunion at a cheesy franchise restaurant his trip became a journey. Reunited with former classmates, whose imprints he has yet to shake fully, despite his initial instinct, he revisits aspects of his former life that force him to revisit and reconsider the past and figure out the present. Varela is a skilled writer who lets us into Andres’s world through propulsive, highly readable episodic chapters. The novel’s meditations on family, love, race, and sex occasionally blur boundaries between literary fiction and sociological reality; the clarity of Varela’s voice jostles you and the effect sticks with you.

We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime) [DOCUMENTARY]: In this disturbing and illuminating four-part series comedian and host Kamau Bell takes on an investigative role. He juxtaposes the tension between the defamed comedian’s pioneering iconicity as a Black public figure with his largely clandestine history of sexual assault. Bell interviews survivors, who recount their harrowing experiences, cultural critics, who place Cosby in context, and various people in the entertainment industry who comment on Cosby’s reputation. The series also integrates a wide array of archival film and television footage, and comedy recordings, to unpack clues pointing to the gap between Cosby’s public and private persona. Bell captures the bittersweet tragedy of Cosby’s legacy.

New(ish) musical artists I was exposed to this year that I’m digging:

·         Samara Joy (Jazz)

·         Amythyst Kiah (Folk and Country)

·         Buffalo Nichols (Blues)

·         Fantastic Negrito (Blues)

Promising books I have begun and will continue reading in 2023:

·         Distortion and Subversion: Punk rock Music and the Protests for Free Public Transportation in Brazil (1996-211) (Rodrigo Lopes de Barrros)

·         Fatherhood in the Borderlands: A Daughter’s Slow Approach (Domino Perez)

·         Formidable: American Women and the Fight for Equality (1920-2020) (Elisabeth Griffith)

·         Liner Notes for the Revolution (Daphne Brooks)

·         Model Minority Masochism (Takeo Rivera)

·         Queer Country (Shana Golin-Perschbacher)

·         Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature (Farah Jasmine Griffin)

·         Sissy Insurgencies: A Racial Anatomy of Unfit Manliness (Marlon B. Ross)

·         White Evangelical Racism (Anthea Butler)

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Notable Musicians Who Have Died in 2022:

Barbara Morrison (1949-2022)

Betty Davis (1944-2022)

Christine McVie (1943-2022)

Coolio (1963-2022)

Ernie Andrews (1927-2022)

Gal Costa (1945-2022)

Irene Cara (1959-2022)

James Mtume (1946-2022)

Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022)

Lamont Dozier (1941-2022)

Loretta Lynn (1932-2022)

Mable John (1930-2022)

Marilyn Bergman (1929-2022)

Meatloaf (1947-2022)

Michael Henderson (1951-2022)

Naomi Judd (1946-2022)

Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)

Pharaoh Sanders (1940-2022)

Ramsey Lewis (1935-2022)

Ronnie Spector (1943-2022)

Vangelis (1943-2022)