On the afternoon of April 21, Vice posted a picture of Prince. The lone text beneath: “F*ck.” Its headline: “Dear 2016, F*ck You.” There was nothing more to say.
There’s been Bowie and Merle Haggard and George Martin, Harper Lee and Alan Rickman and Zaha Hadid. There’s been Trump and Bernie Bros, North Carolina and Mississippi and God-knows-what ready to blow at this summer’s conventions. If that’s not depressing enough, guess what? The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is melting way faster than predicted. And it’s not even May, folks!
We’re going to need some time-outs—lots and lots of time-outs—in order to keep our heads straight this year. I suggest the following for solace, escapism and reassurance …
Dazed and Confused and Everybody Wants Some!! Set in 1976 and ’80, respectively, Richard Linklater’s twin love letters to simpler times aren’t your typical, dewy-eyed nostalgia trips—yesterday often feels just as boring as today—but they’re still tons of fun. Catch Everybody in the theater, then cozy up at home with the Criterion Blu-ray of Dazed, which will make you pine for both the ’70s and the ’90s.
Soul Train lines on YouTube. Whenever the sight of Mitch McConnell makes you want to hurt someone, watch the Soul Train dancers move to The O’Jays’ “Love Train” or Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” or The Emotions’ “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love.” A friend once referred to Soul Train lines as “nature’s anti-depressant.” Do not underestimate their power to turn your life around.
CNN’s The Seventies. They weren’t completely fabulous! This eight-part recap of the decade when “Americans began to expect the worst” recently landed on Netflix, and gosh, it’s gloomy. Vietnam. Watergate. Televised terrorism. Manson. Jonestown. The Son of Sam. And yet, it’s comforting to know the world has always been screwed.
American Psycho. Several weeks ago, I deleted Facebook from my phone in attempt to limit exposure to all the mood-altering Hillary vs. Bernie fights in my feed. Within hours, I’d read 100 pages of this dark and deeply funny novel. Patrick Bateman’s philosophy—brutally murder those who annoy you—packs more vicarious thrill than ever.
The Girlfriend Experience. This slick, spare, très trashy Starz series is about a law intern who becomes a high-price escort overnight. Yes, all those under-the-table transactions and all the sleeping around lead to high drama and spiritual malaise. But watching a very sexy human give a middle finger to civic duty is not without appeal.
Prince tribute mixes. Less than a week after his death, people stopped being polite again. Instead of engaging in a dumbass “Hendrix was better” thread, search for the many talented DJs who’ve posted musical thank-yous. (I won’t tell you where they are, for fear of the Prince police making them disappear.) Tune out all crusty talk about The Beatles and Stones and blah blah blah, and be proud of your ’80s heritage. You grew up to Prince!
Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth and the Hamilton cast recording. I hate Simpson’s cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” (his rendition of When in Rome’s “The Promise” is imminently preferable), and Hamilton is so good it’s kind of exhausting. Yet both are proof that great things are happening right now. One day, believe it or not, even 2016 will be viewed as a golden age by someone.
