Gaggle Vol. 5
Piña coladas, a soundtrack for main characters, Lorde lore...and more.
Reading
Starstruck: When a Fan Gets Close to Fame by Michael Joseph Gross – 2005 Michael Gross could not imagine the dark and exhausting turn that fandom has taken 20 years later. Gross was no stranger to seeking out recognition from the rich and famous, but he seems to lack the awareness that maybe this doesn’t exactly make him the best candidate to write a book such as this.
The Book of Ayn by Lexi Freiman – One of those books I just didn’t really get, and it wasn’t very long so I forced myself to finish it. Sometimes there’s satire we just don’t get (**Insert obligatory Sabrina Carpenter reference for the algorithm**), and you know what, I’m okay with that!
The Searcher by Tana French – I read The Hunter in May and really fell in love with French’s writing style. Although they are definitely slower paced books with a lot of exposition, the way French builds atmosphere and character relationships draws you in and creates a very comforting reading experience. While I am not really one for cop novels for obvious reasons, French writes her characters in a very honest and forthright manner, which makes them easy to root for and relate to.
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley – I don’t think this is considered young adult but reading it felt equivalent to listening to Olivia Rodrigo as a 28 year old. Not a bad thing, and I enjoyed it, but something felt just a hint juvenile to me in a way I couldn’t ignore.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar – I read this last year and wanted to give it another go as I still see it consistently mentioned. It really is a beautiful book that drums up so many questions: Why do some get to live and others don’t? What does it mean to “die for something” or nothing at all? It’s dark but funny, and the way Akbar guides you through these heady topics with beautiful prose that makes me want to be a better writer.
I'll Be You by Janelle Brown – This book has it all: childhood stardom! Twins! Cults! Kidnapping! A great vacation read.
Beyond Cop Cities: Dismantling State and Corporate-Funded Armies and Prisons by Joy James – I really enjoyed this 144 page compilation of various essays, letters, and interviews. Throughout, the contributors analyze and reflect on how the struggles of those battling the construction of Copy City in Atlanta, Georgia intersect with the ongoing horrors of imperialism, apartheid, and state sanctioned violence happening the world over. The more aware we can be about how all our struggles are interconnected, the better we can recognize the ways in which we’re complicit and understand how to show up for those who need our help.
Substack Reads
Out and About
I went to a wedding in Bellingham, WA and got to spend some time with my college friends—we had an excellent time and it was so fun to all be together again. I was really stoked about my wedding day look, I may or may not have picked it for it’s similarities to a certain Taylor Swift red carpet look (sans fuck ass bob iykyk).
I also went on vacation with my family to Cape May which is a quiet seaside town off the coast of New Jersey. I had piña coladas and snapped many pics on my digi camera which seem to only get blurrier but I love them anyway. Here’s some highlights:
Screentime
But I’m A Cheerleader (1999) – One of the earliest queer movies I ever saw as a kid which feels very full circle considering it inspired MUNA’s “Silk Chiffon” video which made me gay <3
America’s Sweethearts Season 2 on Netflix – I eat this shit up and I can’t tell you why because a lot of what the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders represent is repugnant to me in many, many ways. But the women that make up the DCC work SO hard (and it’s their SECOND job for a majority of the team), and it’s fun to watch women achieving their dreams and find friendship, belonging and self-worth along the way. To call them America’s Sweethearts feels insulting at this point considering all that America stands for…maybe I’ll send Charlotte Jones a letter suggesting a potential name change in addition to telling her to fuck off for severely underpaying the only redeeming factor of her loser ass organization for the last 40+ years.
Listening
Virgin by Lorde – I’ve been sucked back into the Lordesphere. Virgin feels like the proper follow up to 2013’s Pure Heroine. I didn’t really listen to Melodrama or Solar Power, sue me. This is the Lorde I fell in love with and I am glad to have her back. The lyrics are outrageous at points, sure: in Current Affairs she sings of all the ways she coalesces to this toxic person and then blames her misery on the news: lyrics; on “Broken Glass” she says: “I want to punch the mirror / to make her see that this won’t last.” Such plaintive self loathing is to be expected for us ‘96 babies who grew up in the advent and subsequent takeover of social media.
Some lore I can offer as a chronically online, unemployed person: If you’re not familiar with the drama surrounding Lorde and Jack Antonoff from the Melodrama era, there is a whole powerpoint breaking down the saga. TLDR: Jack Antonoff started seeing Lorde after he broke up with his longtime girlfriend Lena Dunham. After Virgin’s release this week, Kacy Hill (who I love, Bug was in my favorite albums of 2024) jumped on the recent TikTok trend featuring Lorde’s song “Man Of The Year” implying that her boyfriend of six and a half years who produced Virgin broke up with her and is now…seeing Lorde. As one commenter noted: “if I had a nickel for every time lorde started dating her producer after he broke up with his partner...I'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.” Kacy also took to the comments to clarify: “For the record I’m very happy and moved on but they just set this up too well for me not to partake.” And I am so glad she did because I love gossip.
Addison by Addison Rae – Addison girl…I underestimated you.
“Big Drops” by Avery Tucker – Formerly one half of LA duo Girlpool, Tucker’s first solo track is raw and down home in a way that’s very comforting to me—like divorced dad rock but actually good. I hope more releases are in the works because I really love this one and am anxious for more.
“My Baby (Got Nothing At All)” by Japanese Breakfast – I haven’t seen Materialists yet but listening to this feels like strolling through a metropolitan city on a sunny day doing various activities that’d make up a montage scene in a romance movie. Very main character energy (Yes I do have a playlist for that).
A few if you like this, then listen to this that struck me this month:
If you like Wet Leg, listen to Mhaol’s new EP I Miss My Dog
If you like MJ Lenderman, listen to Dutch Interior’s latest album Moneyball
If you like Phoebe Bridgers, listen to Darci Phoenix’s Sable
A bonus for you Pharbs, I did a five year retrospective on her 2020 album Punisher, an album that’s very special to me as a connoisseur of sad white girl music. Read it here:
I update my Gaggle playlist weekly with new songs from artists ranging from my all time favorites to folks just starting out.
I am considering alternatives to Spotify (gotta figure out how to export all my playlists first because they are some of the most important creations of my young life). If you feel particularly partial to one streaming or music hosting website, drop a comment and let me know what’s up.
Screenshot graveyard
Love that you’re also a DCC fan!! How have we never discussed the atrocity and mystery of that show?!