Saturday Morning Brain Drain [5/9/20]

5/9/20 Hannibal 41

I watched the first two episodes of the HBO show everyone is talking about, Lovecraft Country. It’s creepy, fun, and unapologetically Black. Like, H.P. Lovecraft turning over in his grave Black. Misha Green, the creator and showrunner is Black, the producers, writers, and actors, are mostly Black. It is not written with the white gaze in mind, serving up the horrors inflicted on Black people for white pity, or enlightenment. Yes, there is pain, but also beauty, strength, resilience, love, and joy. I’m sure nobody involved in the making of Lovecraft Country begrudges white enjoyment of the show, but we are only passengers on this crazy road trip, we aren’t driving the car. And I, for one, am perfectly happy hitching a ride. The writing is sharp, the acting top notch, the monsters look amazing. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I read The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. It takes place prior to Station Eleven, and shares a couple of characters but is not a prequel or set up to the award winning novel from 2014. It’s the story of Vincent, a beautiful woman who goes missing from a ship, and her con artist husband Jonathan. It’s a ghost story but not in the traditional sense.

I listened to All These Perfect Crosses, reworking of solo material by Craig Finn, front man for The Hold Steady.

And Angel Olsen Whole New Mess, the stripped down version of last year’s All Mirrors.

What did you get up to this week?

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41 Comments

  1. Many, many thanks to @Hannibal for this week’s BrainDrain. It is delightful to hear from a different voice. 

    I’ve been reading Jaye Wells’ Sabina Kane series, I am on book 4 of 5. The series is about vampire and mage assassins, politics, almost Shakespearean relationship and familial complexities, and prophecy. It is no Rivers of London, but it is okay. We watched no television. And I have been listening to DUAN-recommended bands and bands featured on DOT, from last evening’s Floozies to CarterUSM to The Hu.

    Once we get Keitel home from the emergency room (bad allergic reaction to something, ongoing  for the past week), I am going to cook ahead for this week.

    Happy weekend everyone!

    • You’re welcome @Elliecoo! Maybe someone else out these would like to voice SMBD too. Don’t be shy, we love hearing from everyone.

      I’m sorry to hear Keitel is having an issue, I hope he’s home soon. It’s no fun hanging out in the ER.

      DUAN is great for music recs, I’m still working my way through a backlog myself. 

      • back when i worked the kitchen in a pub we had a customer come in and make a big fuss about his peanut alergy and made damn sure all his food was absolutely nut free…even came in to the kitchen…to check for errant nuts…i assume
        anyhoo…. fucker then ate a handfull of sahara nuts from the bar top and had to be ambulanced out
        it probably ranks in the top 10 of stupidest shit ive ever witnessed
         

  2. reading…well… re reading i guess… the lost fleet series by jack campbell
    what can i say…im a sucker for space opera shit…anyhoo.. its easy junk food reading.. wont win awards 
    watching..at mo im about 10 episodes into AJIN: demi human


    am not hugely impressed so far…the concept is interesting but the execution is lacking….and to me at least the story telling is jarring
    and listening to danny vera….hes rapidly becoming my favourite local

    that ones for his soon to be born kid

    • That’s a beautiful song. I love a guy who isn’t afraid to show his tender side. Great voice too.

      Ajin looks like it would be good, but I’ll take your word for it that the concept is better than the execution.

      • eh try it for yourself if you want to is what i’d say
        i mean shit…im 10 epsisodes in and i dont hate it enough to stop watching….that says something
        but….well…im not all that impressed either
        and on the song…danny is a really good lyric writer…right up there with the best of em me thinks

        • …there’s certainly something about manga/anime that seems to jink around with the narrative arcs as often as not?

          …there are a few I’ve watched in the past that seemed to develop in a way that “made sense” (to me) but there sure are a lot that skip suddenly from a promising premise to a lot of headscratching & wondering if I skipped an episode or something…sometimes it seems easier to roll with than others so if you’re still watching maybe it’s not too big of deal with that one?

          …there have been a few “westernised” ones here & there that are quite enjoyable, I think…Afro Samurai is pretty funny in places & has a great soundtrack (although it generally makes me want to re-watch The Boondocks which I think is pretty much fantastic but despite the style of the artwork I wouldn’t think of as manga in the same way) & there’s something called gen:lock with a voice cast including David Tennant, Michael B Jordan, Maisie Williams & Dakota Fanning

            • …Cowboy Bebop is indeed great…& also has an excellent soundtrack…although as the name implies it’s one that leans towards jazz where (I think) Afro Samurai is like the movie Ghost Dog in that I think most of the soundtrack is RZA from the Wu-Tang?

              …The Boondocks though…wish they were still making those…have only read some of the strips from when it was as print/newspaper thing but the animated show really is fantastic & I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all of that more than once?

  3. I haven’t been reading much besides online stories.
    I decided to spend most of yesterday listening to some electro-swing by Tape Five


    I’ve only been wanting to watch not too serious shows so I started watching Cobra Kai with low expectations.  It is actually pretty fun if you are a child of the 80s and miss cheesy 80s movies.  Fun fact, my girlfriend a few years out of high school was recruited along with her brother (both 3rd degree black belts) to be in Karate Kid 2.  It was mostly filmed in Hawaii.  She had NO interest being a very shy Japanese girl.
     

     and sorry to hear about Keitel!   I think he turned me onto this band long ago…so this one is for him!
     

     
     
     

  6. Work cancelled OT for the holiday weekend.  I had planned working it, but won’t. 

    I was thinking of painting my garage floor with epoxy paint, but that is not going to happen till next year.  Too much rain in the forecast, being too lazy/not motivated for reasons and spent a lot of money in house renos already (hence the need for OT.)

    So been mostly sleeping and barely making sense because of the damn time change (night shift sucks.)
     

  7. Watching:  Better Things.  I first discovered Pamela Adlon in Californication and thought she was hilarious in that show.  This show has her as the lead and is super funny.  Plenty of full blown guffaws.
    Read:  Black Troops Were Welcome in Britain, but Jim Crow Wasn’t: The Race Riot of One Night in June 1943.  Yet another in a long series of stories that most people have never heard of.
    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/black-troops-were-welcome-in-britain-but-jim-crow-wasn-t-the-race-riot-of-one-night-in-june-1943?utm_source=pocket-newtab
    Listened:  I’ve actually been listening to a podcast for the better part of a year called American Elections, Wicked Game.  It starts with the election of George Washington and is going to end with 2016.  This past week was the episode on Reagan’s election.  It demonstrates a lot of the parallels with Trump’s election.  Basically, you have a guy who is perfectly happy spewing bullshit and gets elected for it.  Also, I had forgotten that MAGA started with him.
    https://art19.com/shows/american-elections-wicked-game/episodes/972a49cb-6ae1-4ec5-b566-92a992940af7/
     
     
     

  8. I love Pamela Adlon, I first saw her in Louise CK’s HBO show, and then the one he did for FX. Better Things is so good and loosely based on her life. Most people don’t know but she did Bobby Hill’s voice for King of the Hill. 
    I listen to a lot of podcasts but hadn’t heard of that one. I will check it out. I love how all the old Reagan Republicans act outraged by trump but that’s where a lot of this shit started. I’m glad they’re fighting trump but let’s not pretend they aren’t partially responsible.

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