The Grid - Vol. 3
SXSW, drinks, politics, music and mayhem
This week’s Spotify playlist covers most of the stylistic map, including 19 hours of indie rock, hiphop/R&B, classical, jazz, folk, and everything in-between that we could find. We’ll be adding to it throughout the week as we learn of more surprise releases.
Music & Film
That day that falls on the Fourteenth of February is coming up and Raye Zaragoza, a solo artist several of us had in our Top 5 albums of the year, will be live-streaming a concert of love songs on Thursday in celebration (or to lament V-Day.)
Photographer Mick Rock: Social Media Means We Won’t See Another Lou Reed
The legendary photographer points out something that we’ve all suspected: it’s impossible for someone to be a truly great “underground” artist in 2021. “Anything can go viral now and become successful immediately,” he tells the Guardian.
'Ya done messed up, A-A-Ron': An oral history of Key and Peele's 'Substitute Teacher'
One of our favorite TV comedy sketches of all-time gets the (thankfully brief) oral history treatment from Entertainment Weekly. Apologies to subscribers named Aaron.
Remembering Neal Cassady Through Music
“It was during these traversings of the country that Cassady became intimately familiar with its geography as well as the practice of train-hopping. Eventually, however, Cassady developed a taste for personal travel and became an avid car thief, which landed him in and out of reform schools throughout his adolescence.” [LiveForMusic]
Politics & History Longreads
What Glenn Greenwald Fears From Substack
Greenwald is a controversial figure among the followers of this list, to put it mildly, but this seemed worth including because, well, this mailing list is hosted by Substack. [Medium]
The Case For A Third Reconstruction
“The history of Reconstruction reveals that moments of crisis can also provide opportunities to strengthen our experiment in democracy. With a Democratic-controlled Congress, the new administration has just such a chance to inaugurate a much needed “third reconstruction” of American democracy.” [New York Review of Books]
Viral Longreads
The most compulsively readable was this NYC roommate nightmare saga clusterfuck court battle. After you finish it, you may want to contribute to this.
Comedy
Sorry we didn’t include about 70% of the links you guys sent this week. We’ll get to them next Friday!