Three recs, disappearing clouds edition
A brash Irish-language rap movie, a notorious madam's biography, a quirky docuseries
Some years ago, I spent about six months depressed over the apparently impending disappearance of clouds.
It was, of course, a climate change thing. Some scientists had posited that, for scientific reasons I don’t remember or understand, we could lose the kinds of clouds that one might see on a sunny day. As if that weren’t enough, my reading of this article happened to coincide with me reading a couple books that address post-apocalyptic societies and natural disasters. They were excellent books, so I insist that it wasn’t their fault that they plunged me into my worst-ever bout of climate depression.
I mean, can you imagine not having clouds? Not getting to look up and watch fluffy white pillows drift across a blue sky?
My latest bout of climate depression is a bit different. It’s June, and I can probably count on two hands the number of sunny days where the temperature in London has been over 68 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the entirety of 2024. We had one gorgeous day this last week. It was Sunday.
I just feel like I shouldn’t be able to identify nice days with such precision, you know? Not in June, at least.
My friends here say that this kind of complaining about the weather means that I have fully adapted and become British. After all, it seems to be a national sport here. Leaving aside the fact that I still don’t have my British passport, I think my cloud depression would suggest that this preoccupation has nothing to do with Britain and everything to do with how climate change affects my every day life.
This isn’t meant to be a climate change rant. Well, maybe it is, I’m not really sure. I just sometimes still think about the clouds and the possibility that they’ll disappear, and I wonder what other things we might lose, and only miss when it’s too late.
Also, it seems somehow terrible ironic that I now live in a country plagued by clouds. Apparently, we’re supposed to have 50 days of rain this summer. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.
On to the recs!
Rec 1
Kneecap (film)
These days, I feel like I’m drawn to stories that are a good time. The world is a dark place, and I want to have fun, even if just for the duration of a book, movie, or TV show. But when I stumble upon something that’s both a good time and, well, substantial, it kind of feels like I’ve hit the jackpot.
This hilariously entertaining and brashly irreverent film charts a somewhat fictionalized version of the creation and rise of the controversial, real-life Irish-language rap group Kneecap. It stars the real band members – alongside faves Michael Fassbender and Simone Kirby – as themselves: two working-class, drug-dealing kids from and one emotionally frustrated high school music teacher, all Catholics in Belfast, with all the trauma and conflict that go along with that.
I want to say this isn’t a film about the Troubles or the England/Ireland conflict, because the film makes it very clear that it wants to tell a personal story about these guys and not make you pity them. Except, the film is also so overtly political – just like Kneecap’s music – and it can’t not be, because life in Belfast is still inherently political. That’s one of the big cruxes of the film’s very existence: speaking the Irish language is a political act. (Yes, a lot of the film is in Irish! Even though it was written and directed by a non-Irish-speaking Englishman who now lives in Belfast!)
Not gonna lie, I went into this wondering if it was going to make me cringe at how militantly pro-Republican (in the Irish sense, not the American!) and anti-British it was. Instead, I came out surprised at how human the whole thing was. Yes, of course, two drug-dealing Catholic kids have some bad run-ins with the (historically Protestant) police – but it’s as much about their drug dealing as the rest of it. They also have some nasty run-ins with the IRA types, who don’t escape skewering in the story, either. And a lot of the shit they talk about the British, is, well, just shit they’re talking, like disenfranchised kids are wont to do.
When it comes down to it, they just want to make good music, have their voices be heard, and have a good time. Fortunately for us, they’ve imbued this film with all of that, too. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Where: Annoyingly, it’s not out yet. Mark your calendars for August, when it comes out in both the US and UK. I’ll try to remind you!
Rec 2
Madam (book)
Hats off to my sister, who recommended this highly entertaining 2021 biography of Jazz Age New York’s most (in)famous madam, Polly Adler. To my great embarrassment, I’d never even heard of Adler, despite having done an inordinate amount of research into the underworld of New York in the 1920s. Which just goes to show: much non-fiction history written by men ignores women as much as it can.
I’m not just being provocative; Debby Applegate’s book proves that Adler was practically a household name, especially in New York, for much of her life – and certainly for the last 30 years of it, ending with her death in 1962. She was (by their own admission!) friends with many of the biggest-name writers, artists, musicians, actors, politicos, and gangsters of the early/mid 20th century. She appears as a character (often under other names) in countless plays and books that you’ve read and seen. Her “houses” set the standard for for 1920s and 30s parties – yes, she sold sex, but she also sold booze, music, and salon-style intellectual conversation.
Even if we were to strip away all that cultural influence and just treat her like a criminal kingpin (queenpin?), Adler’s name at least belongs alongside that of Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, and other now-mythical crime bosses of the era. They were all her clients, colleagues, and, to some extent, friends – and they all spoke of her with a respect that history has lost.
But let’s forget the historical importance of Polly Adler for a moment. Instead, let me just tell you how fun this book is. Adler was a Russian Jew whose parents sent her to the US on her own at age 13, and she somehow built a whole life for herself in a new country. That’s a crazy tale in and of itself. Throw in story after entertaining story about this thoroughly New York character, in one of the wildest time periods in US history, and this book is as propulsive as any novel could be.
Also: I audiobooked this and highly recommend! The narrator is great, and the faster speed allowed me to devour it as quickly as I wanted to.
Where: Borrow it for free from your local library, or buy it from your non-Amazon bookseller of choice. (Here’s the Bookshop US link, though Bookshop UK doesn’t seem to have it, unfortunately.)
(In the name of full transparency: I’ve included affiliate links to Bookshop.org – if you’re going to order from them anyway, please use my link so I can make a little extra cash! If you want to see/order any/all of my book recs, I’ve made lists on Bookshop, too: US version, UK version.)
Rec 3
How To with John Wilson (TV)
My husband is going to skewer me for recommending this three-season HBO series, because I was initially reluctant to watch it. I also, full disclosure, haven’t watched every single episode. All of that said, each episode is very stand-alone, and every episode I have watched has blown me away. So, I hope both he and you can forgive me.
The deal: Documentary filmmaker (and covert comedian?) John Wilson sets out each episode to figure out “how to” do something in New York City. Through his constant first-person filming (as far as I can tell, he is a crew of one, and the camera is always in his POV), natural curiosity, and, one has to assume, his anxious charisma, these adventures take left turn after left turn, often landing him in places and subject matter very far from where he started.
In the hands of a less skilled filmmaker, these half-hour mini-docs would feel incoherent or meandering. But Wilson knows how to tell a story, and, between his wryly earnest narration and subtly hilarious camera work, he manages to maintain a through line for each episode and tie them up with real poignance. In fact, Wilson’s real genius seems to be his ability to walk the tightrope between humor and genuine pathos.
Well, and his other genius is ability to get people to open up to him about some very strange and personal things. You’re going to discover just how truly weird humans are.
The other thing I love about this series? It’s so New York. My husband describes it as a love letter to NYC, in all its weirdness, and I have to agree. I leave each episode feeling just a bit homesick – even if it’s for the city’s failing infrastructure and nonsensical systems.
Also: I didn’t watch The Rehearsal, but, if you’re a Nathan Fielder fan, you might appreciate that he’s an executive producer on this.
Where: BBC iPlayer (UK); HBO and whatever its streaming platform is called this week (US)
That’s all for this week! What are you reading/watching/listening to that I should be aware of? Drop me a line (or comment) to let me know if you check out any of my recs and what you think.
Please spread the word and I’ll see you in a couple weeks.
xo
Kate
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I loved How To with John Wilson. I went back and rewatched the last episode of the first season when the pandemic is just starting. I’m always wondering how he finds his subjects. And it makes me nostalgic for NY. I love your newsletter