S.N.O.T.: 7/13/2019

GOOD EVENING.

I hope your summer is sweltering, you have been living out of doors, you have melted and have been reborn, and your heart, oh your heart, is scorched and torn, because getting your feelings hurt is all the summertime is good for?

I’ve enjoyed mine so far, and here are somethings I’ve been enjoying lately. As the kids say, this stuff slaps.

MIDSOMMAR (2019)

I liked Hereditary the first time I saw it. I went into it newborn and bling, and spent the entire movie, confused and having no idea what in the world was happening, or what just happened. The second time I saw it, it was obvious what had happened. The movie was filled with little details. It was all spelled out. It was all out right there. That poor family man. They never had a chance.

I understand why you hate Midsommar if you do. I really liked it. It was fun to watch, seeing gore and pagan cult worship contrasted with beautiful blue skies, fields of flowers, linen robes stitched with runes, is lovely. It was just nice to watch. The movie is definitely a mood. Sure, it may not get to where you think it was going to get to, and it may be slow at times, but damn, is it pretty, and does it make you feel weird.

SILVER JEWS/PURPLE MOUNTAINS

I’ve never heard of David Berman. I guess he was some indie rock man from the 1990s who wrote clever stream of consciousness lyrics, but was too much of a coward to play out, and then went on a ten year hiatus until coming back with a new album with a new band called Purple Mountains. Musically it all kind of sounds the same big fuzzy sweater indie rock. There really aren’t any choruses. But the writing it is great. A lot of it is devastating. I can’t stop thinking about this song.

Also, he did an interview with The Washington Post while wearing a Tennessee Titans shirt. This man is my spirit animal. I’m mad nobody told me about him before.

VIRGINIA WOOLF NOVELS

In college I had to read Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? a play that isn’t about Virginia Woolf. I need to go back and watch that movie again. Elizabeth Taylor is horrifying. The play is about illusions or something, something I wish I never learned about, because once you do, it’s way too easy to zap yourself of all your self confidence while you drown in self doubt.

But, I had never read any of Woolf’s novels. Usually I’ll spend every summer going through and reading every novel I can by one author until football comes pulling me back in. Last summer was Gerald Murnane. So far I read Mrs. Dalloway, a perfect summertime novel, even if you are one month late, The Lighthouse, which is fine, it just has too much exposition, and now I’m reading The Waves, which is perfect if you love flowery stream of consciousness where you dream of being a tree and that sort of thing. I spent my Fourth of July gone off that Juul, getting my hamstrings sunburned, while reading this book six beers deep with some college friends, and it was beautiful and perfect, an experience I’ll never forget.

If you haven’t read anything by her give it a shot. I’d read Mrs. Dalloway first. It’s cool how human beings have been suffering for the same problems all of the time.

THIS ALBUM

I don’t want to type out the name of this band in big and bold. It may make someone mad. I don’t know. But if you love loud and fast and melodic music listen to this album. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and joyous. I can’t believe they pulled off a song that rivals Joyce Manor’s Falling in Love Again.

RED DEAD REDEMPTION II

I had some disposable income last year so I bought a XBOX. I haven’t had one since like 2010. I haven’t really played video games since I played MVP Baseball 2005 once a day in like 2012. So I bought this machine to watch movies on and whatever. And I bought this game and it sat still in its plastic shrink wrap from December until July and now it’s ruined my life. I just like riding my horse and shooting my gun and running errands. Even the forests filled with trees and singing birds is the best nature simulator of all time. The story is cool too. I feel so bad for Arthur. Everything becomes so suffocating and claustrophobic. I’m dying to finish this game so I can move on with my life, and like, you know, write about Martinas Rankin’s starts at left guard last season.

Anyways, that’s all I got for this evening. The rest is yours to discuss whatever: coming to grips with Russell Westbrook being on the Rockets have you have spent the past four years lambasting him, dealing with the Rangers’ walk off win last night and the fact that Joey Gallo is more fun than your favorite player, the resume you are putting together to interview to be the Texans’ newest general manager, or summer time vacation plans. Whatever it’s all up to you. Just remember the standard commenting rules apply.