Category Archives: art

Deconstructing Netflix’s ‘The Crown’

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Season six is good. Seasons 1-5 were great. This Jason Okundaye piece is a smart explanation of its meaning and appeal.

Paragraph to ponder:

“The show has never been about revealing anything new. Instead, it has resurfaced what the royal family would most like us to forget. “The Crown” has, over six seasons, spoken to several furtive British truths: the public perception of the monarchy, the self-preservation strategies of a family preoccupied with becoming irrelevant and the family’s rigorous quashing of internal dissent. The glossy dramatization of these truths is partly why the popularity of “The Crown” has endured, finding an audience in Britain even among people who want to end the monarchy or are indifferent to it.”

It’s nice knowing I’m not the only “end the monarchy” proponent who digs the show.  

‘Sleep til Eleven, You’ll Be In Heaven’

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Alternative title, “Where young people go to retire.”

One day last week, I spent 45 minutes sitting on a street corner in Portland. During my urban meditation, I marveled at three 20-something retirees, who weren’t in school or at work, as they waited forever for the light to change so they could cross the busy street where their gritty thrift store destination lied.

The first was a tall, rail thin young woman with a shaved head. Facial piercings galore, tats, cool sunglasses, and ten inch black platform shoes. Topped off with a cancer stick. A one-off if there ever was one.

Psych! Her shorter, less thin friend also had numerous facial piercings and tats, ten inch black platform shoes and a cigarette.

The third amigo, smoking like a chimney and the token male, had multitudinous facial piercings and tats, and can you guess, black ten inch platform shoes.

If spotted alone, you’d give any of them props for keeping the spirit of Portlandia alive. Aesthetic norms be damned and all.

But together?! Their funky ensembles devolved into uniforms that diluted whatever statement they were hoping to make about the more conventional ways most of us appear most of the time.

Podcasts to Ponder

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On my commute this morning I listened to this one, “Can Mike Johnson Survive As House Speaker?” One guest, with no sense of irony said, “Predictions are hard. Especially about the future.”

A week ago, I listened to this podcast, “Morikawa vs. Hovland, Grading LIV’s Season, Predicting the Future“. Love me some Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak, but Zak shanked it bigly when he said, “Furyk wasn’t as good as Tiger.” Bold. Astute.

And during yesterday’s run, I listened to this one, “Brian Koppelman on TV, Movies, and Appreciating Art“. Koppelman is a writer, director, and producer known for his work on films like Rounders and Solitary Man, the hit TV show Billions, and his podcast The Moment, which explores pivotal moments in creative careers. During the interview, he shared his two favorite t.v. shows currently airing. . . The Crown and The Bear. That brought a smile because that is the exact correct answer to the two best shows currently airing. You know what they say about “great minds”.

‘You Are Not Alone’

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Check out our YMCA’s “You Are Not Alone” mural. Because I’m so outgoing, I chatted up the artist while she was outlining it. Turns out, there’s a movement of “You Are Not Alone” artists who want to use wall murals to instill hope and connection while fostering more discussion of mental health.

I suspect their murals are more likely to accomplish the later than the former. I’m just not clear on how the murals might spark social connection which social science increasingly suggests is as close as there is to a loneliness panacea.

Do not mistake my lack of clarity, or even skepticism, as criticism. These are kind and caring people with the best of intentions.

Dear Taylor

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Dammit, I can’t take it any more. A few months ago the word on the street was Austin Reaves. Now it’s Travis Kelce.

Gerl, if you’re really interested in a long-term stable relationship, you gotta quit with the professional athletes, actors, and musicians.

Repeat after me, no public figures.

You need to find yourself a librarian who makes time for his grandmother on Sunday afternoons.

Granted, settling down with a normie may not be great for your art, but there are always trade-offs in life. If you want a family, find yourself a nice librarian and do your best to keep it on the down-low.

You’re welcome.

Ron