Songs (258)/Albums (83)
LGBT performers, country music & duets dominated my top 50 favorites playlist this year with only Billie Eilish (Hit Me Hard and Soft), Father John Misty (Mahashmashana) and Beyoncé (Cowboy Carter) releasing albums that encouraged sustained listening. Loren Kramer's aching vocals and yearning lyrics pushed Gay Angels to the top, although MJ Lenderman's guitar made She's Leaving You a close second, indicating the extreme catholicism of my taste. As usual, female vocalists supplied the comfort food, although Taylor Swift (like the incomparable Prince before her) served a little too much!
I’ve seen gay angels
Sleeping with eyes open
Staring right through the heart of dreams
Landing square on the face of God
Show me one difference between me and love
What’s the difference between me and love?
"Loved"by Four Tet
"Galaxy" by Stephan Moccio
"Dandelion" by SEUNGKWAN
"Te Maldigo" by Omar Apollo & Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (from Queer)
"Happy for You" by Dua Lipa
"Guilty as Sin" by Taylor Swift
"Don't Smile" by Sabrina Carpenter
"Decline" by Khalid
"Bodyguard" by Beyoncé
"Clams Casino" by Cassandra Jenkins
"She's Leaving You" by MJ Lenderman
"Prove It to You" by Brittany Howard
"Femininomenon" by Chappell Roan
"Good for Me"by Bishop Briggs
"Go Fast Go Slow" by Dolores Forever
"Beautiful Eyes" by Amy Shark
"A Night to Remember" by girl in red
"CHIHIRO" by Billie Eilish
"Sexy to Someone" by Clairo
"Bug Like an Angel"by Mitski
"Promises"by Luke Hemming
"Death Grips"by Etta Marcus
"The Line" by twenty one pilots (from Arcane Season 2)
"I Hope It Hurts" by Jessie Murph
"Gay Angels" by Loren Kramer
"Dancing in Babylon" (featuring Christine & the Queens) by MGMT
"Only Living Girl in LA" by Halsey
"All Right" by The Dare
"Afterimage" by Justice & RIMON
"Pink Skies" by Zach Bryan
"Too Good to Be True" by Kacey Musgraves
"How Far Will We Take It" by Orville Peck & Noah Cyrus
"II Most Wanted" by Beyoncé & Miley Cyrus
"Purple Irises" by Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton
"I Had Some Help" (featuring Morgan Wallen) by Post Malone
"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone) [BLOND:ish Remix]
"Midnight Ride" by Orville Peck, Kylie Minogue & Diplo
"Life" by Jamie XX & Robyn
"Compress/Repress" by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (from Challengers)
"Baddy on the Floor" (featuring Honey Dijon) by Jamie XX
"Brand New" (featuring A-Trak & James Vincent Morrow) by The Blessed Madonna
"Girl, So Confusing" (featuring Lorde) by Charli xcx
"Archangel" by Olly Alexander
"yes and ?" by Ariana Grande & Mariah Carey
"Dancing Star"(solomun extended remix) by Pet Shop Boys
"Lift You Up" by Jessie Ware & Romy
"L'AMOUR DE MA VIE" (OVER NOW EXTENDED EDIT) by Billie Eilish
"Until There's Nothing Left" by LP Giobbi & Alabama Shakes
"I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All" by Father John Misty
Books (25)
Rarely do novels influence my travel destinations, but I couldn't wait to go to Poland after reading a tragic gay romance set behind the Iron Curtain and championed by Dua Lipa, of all people. A first-person account of Auschwitz and a best-selling novel published during my childhood about the Warsaw ghetto made the contemporary state of the world seem tame by comparison but the books also offered a terrifying and resonant reminder of how bad things can get when authoritarian leaders scapegoat specific groups of people for society's inequities. And nobody, NOBODY has done social media or the pandemic better than Michael Cunningham. Day just barely edges out Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as my favorite book of the year.
Movies (84)
Several of the stars of Gladiator II filmed a clip thanking the audience for watching their movie in the theater (did we have a choice?) even as more than one member of the audience pretended they were at home, texting friends ("u won't believe this, sharks are circling ships in the arena, whatever it's called!"). At least nobody sang along to Wicked although I did make sure to go in the middle of the day when people were presumably in school or at work, and even this old curmudgeon could have forgiven them if they had jumped for joy during Jonathan Bailey's big number. Luca Guadagnino definitely has his finger on my nostalgic pulse: both Challenger and Queer recalled the adult themes explored during the golden ago of cinema in the 70s. But nothing I saw packed the pure emotional wallop of All of Us Strangers, which visits another dimension to explore coming out, and the tender, unexpected reactions it engenders. And if home movies of the Rolling Stones tickle your fancy, Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg is the doc for you.
Origin (T)
American Fiction (T)
Poor Things (T)
Zone of Interest (T)
Dune, Part 2 (T)
Challengers (T)
Queer (T)
Wicked (T)
Gladiator II (T)
Theater (13)
A chance encounter with Jonathan Groff when a red light on Fifth Avenue stopped us both on our bikes helped me overcome my reluctance to pay full price for a Broadway show even though we ended up talking about the Challengers soundtrack. Fortunately, Merrily We Roll Along was well worth it. Our Class rips the scab off Poland's complicity in the Holocaust better than any of the world-class museums I visited there, and Swept Away reaffirmed that low expectations can contribute almost as much to the theater-going experience as a superb performance and script (Michael Stuhlbarg in Peter Morgan's Patriots, which makes the ups and downs of a Russian oligarch as deliciously entertaining as The Crown).
Streaming (34)
If the "golden age" of streaming is over, I haven't noticed yet. Somebody Somewhere convincingly demonstrated how finding your community can foster a healing balm, even in flyover country, although you definitely want to steer clear of Jon Hamm's scary jurisdiction in Fargo. The superb cast of Pachinko left me sobbing after nearly every melodramatic episode did double duty as a history lesson in the decades-long conflict between Korea and Japan. Jerrod Carmichael brilliantly turned self-exposure into an art form that also ensnared his family and friends. Becoming Karl Lagerfeld dissected the power dynamics of a tortured gay relationship and the testosterone-deprived My Brilliant Friend proved a that a not-entirely-faithful television adaptation can be almost as cerebral as its four-volume source material. Heads up to fans of Veep: Hollywood provides an even juicier satiric target than the nation's capital. Wait until you see Daniel Brühl's comedic chops! If trauma floats your boat, look no further than the tragic Irish history depicted in both The Woman in the Wall and Say Nothing. Finally, have denizens ever been better cast than they are in Deadwood, a show that celebrated its 20th anniversary and could never be made today?
Max
Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show
Hacks (Season 3)
True Detective: Night Country
My Brilliant Friend (Season 4)
Deadwood (All Seasons + Movie)
Somebody Somewhere (Season 3)
The Franchise
The Alienist (Both Seasons)
Showtime
The Woman in the Wall
Netflix
One Day
Baby Reindeer
Hulu
Life & Beth (Season 2)
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld
Fargo (Season 5)
English Teacher
Say Nothing
Apple
Pachinko (Seasons 1 & 2)
Exhibitions (57)
Discovering the Bunker Artspace in West Palm Beach definitely improved my snowbird experience, but there's nothing quite like New York City's museums and art galleries. They sustain me more and more, particularly at a time of political upheaval.
Prior Five-Star Chiffon:
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