Dear Croissants,
I hope you all have been having a lovely week— how is it already June? I’m writing to you from St. James, MO where I have been playing John Hartford tunes at the Folky Fish Festival— all is right in the world!
Here’s some art that inspired me this month, hope you enjoy!
Book: All Fours by Miranda July
I heard about All Fours via a NYT book review which explains that the title refers to the most “stable” sexual position—“like a table”. It goes on to explain the plot of this novel; The narrator “blows her windfall to redo Room 321 in lavish and idiosyncratic style, carpeted in New Zealand wool and scented with tonka beans, then begins a torrid and all-consuming romance with the decorator’s husband, a hip-hop hobbyist named Davey who works at Hertz and resembles Gilbert Blythe from the “Anne of Green Gables” series. (Blythe and a Grand Parterre Sarouk carpet are the kinds of allusions July drops for her cultivated audience without explanation.”
After reading this review I thought, “interior design/hot romance/angst…is this book made for me???” The main character is bizarre and arty and self-indulgent, and the story is a fascinating exploration of desire, marriage, hormones, aging, and menopause. I learned and felt so much reading this novel. I am new to July’s work so I now need to watch her breakout film, You, Me, and Everyone We Know, which is vaguely referenced in this novel. Will report back!
Movie: The Lesson (purchase via Amazon or Apple TV)
On my flight home from London last month, I watched a movie “The Lesson”, which I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. The film follows a young writer who is hired to tutor the son of one of his writing heroes. Darkness shrouds the house following the death of the famous writer’s older son (the brother of the boy our hero is tutoring). This is worth a watch, even if only for the performance and beauty of Daryl McCormack, but it has many layers of interest and meaning beyond that.
TV: Ripley, limited series on Netflix
This show is in line with my international murder mystery addiction, but it’s a slightly different brand, and most importantly, EXTREMELY ART HOE. It’s shot entirely in black and white and takes place in 1960’s Italy, so it’s gorgeous to look at the whole way through. And it’s not exactly mystery, as the murder is laid out in gory detail right in front of us.
Perhaps most importantly, this series stars Andrew Scott, AKA hot priest from Fleabag, and hot sad boi from “All of Us Strangers”.
Music: Shaboozey, “Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going”
A few months ago I got a call from my friend Erin Rae to play some banjo on a track for "Boozey”, and I was like, “who is Boozey?”
Turns out he was one of the black country artists featured on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album, and his latest single “Bar Song” subsequently shot to the top of the charts. Shaboozey’s full-length album came out this past Friday, and I took a listen, mainly to see if my banjo part had made it (it did, but it’s very quiet! On the song “Finally Over”).
After listening through, I think this record is kind of amazing! I mean, it’s pop, I don’t know that it would qualify for Art Hoe status. But it’s interesting, well-made, and genre-defying pop/pop-country. “The Last of My Kind” harkens back to songs by Jason Isbell, and Paul Burch (covered by Viv and Riley and Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms). It feels like a new moment in music, and I’m stoked to have been a tiny little part of it.
That’s all for this week Croissants!
Hope you are all finding some delicious art to enjoy this week!
-Rachel
Thanks for all the tips Rachel. Cheers to stability!