Welcome Distractions
New music, book reviews, short stories and more from blog this week
Plus lots of links to other good stuff that didn’t get there (yet)Is this a useful email? Forward it to a friend who might like it.
Happy Friday! You’re here! Thank you.
Last week I asked if anyone had some recommendations for how to be a good poetry reader, and three different people reached out with ideas and suggestions. I’m so grateful for that. Hearing from people means that people are reading what I’m writing! And thanks to those three, I might be turning into a poetry guy. I don’t know what that means, but it probably comes with some weird facial hair. Sorry in advance.
On Monday I posted the May Favourites: 5 books, 5 records, 10 songs and a couple bonus things.
I’m debating whether to do something with the website for Pride. If you’ve read this newsletter for long, you know that it’s a thing close to my heart. But I’m also loud and proud all year, and I’m aware of how performative and superficial the Pride month (or other cultural celebrations) content can be.
Dunno, I guess I should’ve thought about it before this week. Maybe I’ll take a cue from Dawn Steffler and write something personal.
Even before I had real skin in the game, Pride was the best time of year. I lived very close to Toronto’s gay village for more than a decade, and it was awesome. For more than a decade, and often my birthday fell right in the middle of Pride week.
I’m not sure if we’re headed to the festivities this year, but it feels like the stakes are higher than ever, so I imagine you’ll see some stuff here next week. In recent years we’ve skipped the main Pride parade (overwhelming crowds) but gone to the Trans March on the Friday before. We’ll probably do that again this year.
Also: Something magic happened today. An artist that I wrote about some months ago just sent me an email asking if I’d read their book of short stories for a review on the site. I know ‘never meet your heroes’ and all of that, but literally every person I’ve met through this project has been fully lovely. Can’t wait to read the short stories.
Got anything to share? Hit me.
On to the other stuff:
Off the blog: links you shouldn’t miss
Here are some of Liz Pelly’s favourite songs (she wrote the essential Spotify book). It’s a more indie-ish list than you might expect. Sleater-Kinney has been mentioned a lot in my circles lately.
Speaking of Spotify, here’s a piece about Spotify AI spam and the damage it’s doing to real artists, including someone who goes by the name “Naked and Baked” which I puzzled over for a very long time.
Thanks to indie punks Shaggo (who mentioned Sleater-Kinney in their Backstory), I found this article in the New Yorker about The Shaggs, a terrible band from the 60s with a story that’ll curl your hair.
Karen Hao’s Empire of AI is on my list of books to pick up on sight, and this My Internet interview with her is revealing and insightful:
The fact that the US doesn’t have a federal data privacy law makes all social media companies, regardless of ownership, a national security threat.
Here’s a short story about ChatGPT told in screenshots. These goddam chatbots, man.
Here’s another story about some AI jackasses sabotaging a magazine,
And a thoughtful piece by Charlie Jane Anders on Why the Worst People Are So Keen to Wreck Art and Culture:
Everything in the world is trying to keep us from getting lost in thought lately…All of our culture is demanding that things be clear-cut and simple, when messiness is beauty.
Seven Days at the Bin store: I’ve driven by the bin store near me a hundred times, never knew what it was. This story is worth a read, but it’ll probably leave you depressed.
And the antidote to that depression: the genius of RiotGirlErin on Bluesky. I’ve linked her here before, but she photoshopped my little guy Scooter and the results are perfect:
What got your attention this week? Got a hot take on something? Hit reply and let me know.
On the Blog
Reading:
Only Smoke by Juan José Millás is a very good, short adult fairy-tale. It’s weird and I can’t get it out of my head
Grendel by John Gardner is a classic, a retelling of Beowolf from the monster’s perspective. It’s great even if (like me) you don’t know the source material
Tuck Everlasting is a kids book that you should read if you haven’t, and you should read to a kid if you can.
The Shortlist: Six stories, three of them by Abbie Barker. I didn’t even know I was reading a bunch of Barker stories, I thought I was just on a roll. She’s great, you should check her out.
Got a short story? Send it my way
Listening:
I mighta bit off more than I could chew this week. Between 6pm Wednesday and the wee hours of Friday morning, I posted six music features, a book review and a Backstory. I didn’t realize that all these records came out the same day. That’s alright, they’re all great listens:
Yergurl’s new (short) EP builds nicely on her album from last year. It’s dark, weird hyperpop
German indie band Scott Evil’s new record is a bit of a grower, but if you like that 90s indie rock sound, it’ll scratch your itch
Yndling just released the first half of her new shoegaze/bedroom pop project, and it’s excellent.
Brooklyn DIY-punks SHAGGO released their debut record and sent us the Backstory. It’s fun, funny and memorable.
Toronto’s Kathy Katouzi finally released her debut album. She’s incredibly talented, and the record is smart, melancholy hyperpop.
Walter the Producer’s new EP Modern Rock is a banger. Like an indie-rock Jamiroquai.
Agora Sci-Fi is making nostalgic and super-warm grunge, with melodies that’ll stick in your head all day.
The Setlist: 33 tracks, about 100 minutes. Standout tracks by Cardboard, Ganser and annie hamilton.
Listen on Apple Music or Spotify
What’s on your playlist? Send me your faves
Next week: I won’t be stretched as thin. All non-fiction: my first Rebecca Solnit book, and an uplifting book about trans kids in America. Music from Apacalda and Lipsticism. Likely a new short story!
Thanks for being here.
-hugh
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