Here we go again
Shiva Baby, Soft-launching your partner, Wholesome/lovey recommendations, Martha Stewart does not own a mug, Family lexicons and Music anecdotes.
Hello!
Welcome back to another newsletter of the highlights and happenings of the week. I was ready to get out and about post uni but it seems Melbourne has forgotten that we’re meant to be on the path to summer and its been bloody miserable (I feel the seasonal depression creeping back)
In saying that, boy have I been wined and dined and loving every second of it.
Currently writing this sitting having a pint by myself in Collingwood. Heads up, this week is a bit heavier on the reading and lighter on the memes. As always anything in pink is a hyperlink!
Sidenote: If you’re reading this in your email, its easier to read on website (click on the title) :)
Anyways, let’s begin!
Shiva Baby
Soft-launching your partner
Yes, I’ve stalked your Spotify
Modern Love
Letters of Note
Martha Stewart Does Not Own a Mug
Succession
Family Lexicon
Music Anecdotes
Shiva Baby:
Ooo! So my summer at Cinema Nova has begun. My true Carlton snobbery insists the Nova is the only cinema worth going to (dragging myself and who I went with from Southside to Northside for this very reason). Simultaneously, restoring my image of quirky cool girl I was back seeing independent films in the tiny lil cinemas.
We saw Shiva Baby, originally a short film, set at a Shiva (a Jewish occasion of mourning after a death) where Danielle encounters her ex girlfriend and sugar daddy. We were chuckling the whole time, a painfully awkward dark comedy, as tense as a thriller, which truly fits into my ‘bad feminist trope’ which I discussed the other week. Think Fleabag. Tempted?
Soft-launching your partner:
I read this article this week which I thought was quite funny and painfully…accurate? Here’s the first few lines to give you the idea:
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are two wine glasses on my dinner table. Then one day I’m taking selfies on a couch you’ve never seen before. Then, a few weeks later, half an unfamiliar face shows up on my Instagram Story. Hopefully, you will read into these images and ask: Does Kaitlyn have a new boyfriend?
The article describes the phenomenon of ‘soft-launching’ a partner on social media, hinting at the possibility of a new relationship until it seems it’ll last long enough to fully share/post.
Whilst I initially laughed at the theory, I did think that when I see an out of the blue partner reveal on instagram my initial reaction is usually “Yikes! Where did this come from? Far too soon. Not gonna last”.
Whilst I can’t say I’ve personally ever soft-launched a partner (that I know of? eek!) I have definitely engaged in some Midsomer Murder and Pirot-esq inquiries into people’s social media to gauge their relationship status. Not only is there the extensive and subtle soft-launching to look out for, there’s the comments on recent posts and spotify recently listened to (says more than you think).
Moreover, there’s the equally important soft-launch back to singledom. Maybe it’s a sexy pic, some selfies, bar pics or photos with mates, anything that subtly suggests you’re single and ready to mingle.
Buy into it or not, you can’t escape the performative nature of social media (whatever image you’re trying to present, conscious or not). Therefore, the introduction of marketing buzzwords really does solidify that we’re all trying to tell some narrative, yet another theory to originate from twitter…
Yes, I’ve stalked your Spotify
Following my previous comment, yes I have definitely looked at your Spotify for both new music, psychological, personality and childhood analysis, and just to see what’s going on in your life. In the words of Mark Ruffalo in Begin Again, you can tell a lot about a person from what’s on their playlist (yes I’ve carried around a splitter ever since). No further comments at this time.
Now for some wholesome recommendations:
Modern Love (the podcast)
No newsflash, I’m a bit of a romantic and an absolute sucker for a rom com or a wholesome story (in fact my yr 12 formal dress was inspired by this scene in About Time, here’s my dress, and my yr 6 graduation dress was inspired by the You Belong With Me music video prom scene).
I’m also a sucker for a good podcast. Therefore it’ll come as no surprise that I love the the New York Times podcast (more NYT promotion I know…) Modern Love podcast, stories of “love, loss, and redemption”. Starting as a weekly a column in the NYT, people write in little stories about their lives, relationships, losses and betrayals. It was then turned into a podcast in which famous actors/actresses read out the stories and recently turned into a TV show! Here’s a playlist of my favourite podcast episodes.
Letters of Note:
More than I love podcasts, I love letters. Writing them, receiving them, or reading them, they’re my most prized possessions. Some of you have probably even received a Rimini Letter, therefore I doubt it will come as a shock to hear that I have discovered a newsletter that sends me weekly letters famous people have written throughout history! Call me a nerd or middle aged but I love them. Here are some of my favourites since I’ve subscribed:
Grief is non-negotiable (Nick Cave to a fan)
I would like to retain ‘fart in your general direction’ (About the censoring Monty Python)
Best letter sign offs (feat. Ernest Hemingway, Aretha Franklin, and TS Elliot to name a few)
Never has any woman been so well and truly loved as I (Sylvia Townsend Warner and Valentine Ackland’s letters)
Nothing good ever gets away (John Steinbeck writes to his lovesick son)
Best memos (The Miles Davis one features above)
Martha Stewart Doesn’t Own a Mug:
As a long-time lover of Martha Stewart due to her friendship with Snoop Dogg.
I was shocked to learn Martha Stewart does not like mugs of any kind. I have recently converted my family to team mug from teacup and saucer after acquiring my personal collection (and having them steal them), why anyone would be anti-mug is beyond me. Anyways, here’s a clip of the besties cooking.
Succession update:
Still loving it and still recommending it. This week: Gregin Brockovich, girlboss, is making moves, uti representation and the quote “It would be great to get the body up there”. The fight for daddy’s kiss continues.
I’m also as fed up with Kendall’s ass as Jess
Family Lexicon:
Watching the Sopranos and Succession and all this family drama has reminded me of one of my favourite books Family Lexicon (not the drama, suspense or comedy of those shows) but about family.
A few years ago I read a short story by Natalia Ginzburg ‘Winter in Abruzzo’ about her time in exile in 1944 in Abruzzo. Love this para at the end: “Dreams never come true and no sooner do we see them shattered than we understand all of a sudden that the greatest joys of out life have no bearing on reality at all. No sooner do we see them shattered than we pine away with nostalgia for the time when they welled up rich within us.”
This then led me to her novel/memoir Family Lexicon. From a fascinating family, heavily involved in the anti-fascist movement during Mussolini’s Italy, Ginzburg tells the usually mundane stories behind her family rituals/phrases/jokes/ habits/ references. Reading it you feel like you’re becoming a part of the family, learning all these secret meanings.
I love old family sayings and stories which get passed down through the generations almost as much as my uncle. My uncle started a family google doc collecting all our family sayings and words and the stories/ meanings behind them, each family member has a section as well (pages and pages). Ikr the FitzGerald’s and their archiving, don’t get me started on the family tree haha.
Music Anecdotes:
My Great Uncle, Uncle Michael and his partner Peter taught me the importance of collecting good anecdotes (personal and literary) from a young age. I still remember Pete telling me the Oscar Wilde Wallpaper Story.
In the spirit of that here are a few of my favourite music artist ones:
Dr. Simone:
In 1999, Nick Cave hosted Meltdown Festival at which Nina Simone was performing. Warren Ellis (who also stole her gum on this night) tells the story of asking her if there was anything anyone could get her before she went on stage. To which she replied “I’d like some champagne, some cocaine, and some sausages”. One of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite artists and a wicked combo if you ask me.
Townes Van Zandt:
The story goes, Townes Van Zandt lent his guitar to Blaze Foley. Shortly after, Blaze Foley was shot and killed, and his casket was taped with duck tape (his favourite fashion accessory) before being buried. Townes later went to retrieve his guitar only to find that Blaze had sold it at a pawn shop. He went to the pawn shop but was told he needed the pawn ticket which Blaze was buried with. So Townes and his mates in the middle of the night, went and dug up Blaze’s grave to retrieve the ticket.
Carly O Simon:
Over the years there has been much speculation about who the song ‘You’re so vain’ was written about. In 2003 Carly O Simon agreed to reveal the name of the person at a secret auction. The name of the subject was sold for $50,000 on the condition it was never shared. Oh to have money.
Keith Jarrett:
I like this one because I love the album. Apparently, Keith Jarrett drove six hours in a thunderstorm to perform the Köln Concert. Hungry, with an arching back (from a back brace) he arrived only to find the Köln Opera house didn’t have a functioning grand piano. He sat down to play hungry, in pain and with a mediocre piano that barely worked. Yet the improvised concert became the best selling piano album in jazz history. A beautiful album and carries even more beauty knowing the story behind it.
Thank you for reading this week! I’ve had a mix of people who prefer more recommendations vs others who prefer the memes/pop culture takes of the week, so I’m trying to balance both.
Goodbye! Enjoy the rest of your week! Hope the sun comes out!
Love,
Rimini