Whimsical ghost music, sharp comedy nostalgia, and Black horror
October has been a culturally rich month ~
Greetings, all! A bit of house-keeping for those of you who missed me last week: I will now be posting every other week to accommodate my intense teaching schedule (unless I am so moved by a piece of culture that I decide to dedicate an extra post to it).
October media faves:
1. Music. Has the soothing Ghost Duet ever made its way into your social media feed? If not, here is a recent, mesmerizing take on the frankly adorable ghosts by their creator, Louie Zong. Primarily an animator, Zong also composes whimsical, instrumental music. And who doesn't need some soothing fanciful tunes in their lives? May I present his piece "The Golden Hour." It's crunchy, but soft. It'll make you feel like you live with little, fluttering, invisible wings on your back.
2. Podcast. When I heard that the non-central cast of Buffy and Angel came together to create a podcast entitled Slayers: A Buffyverse Story (2023, co-penned and co-directed by Amber Benson) to give their characters (Giles, Tara, Anya, Spike, Dru, Jonathon, Clem) the stories beyond the allegedly punishing arcs of their creator, Joss Whedon, I was intrigued. Whedon, as you may know, has been laying low for quite some time, after Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia on both aforementioned shows) attested to his atrocious behavior on and off set. One of the points: the famed feminist show-runner punished one of his stars for her pregnancy?
While it turns out that Slayers lies behind an Audible paywall, I discovered another podcast on Spotify during my initial search. Buffy the Gilmore Slayer, one in which two comedians, Bryan Morris and Stacey Kulow—partners in comedy and in life—each share Buffy and Gilmore Girls with the other, respectively. I expected it to be funny, which it is. What I didn't expect was to enjoy their sharp analytic commentary on the writing, plot, and acting of each episode. If you've seen either show, you'll enjoy listening to their witty recaps. If you haven't, this is a good chance to watch and then listen, particularly to anyone interested in thinking through the elements of compelling plot points. I thoroughly enjoy the ways in which they point out misdirections and dissect how certain scenes work and how others do not. Maybe one day I'll listen to Slayers—it'll be an interesting thought experiment on what it means to separate the problematic artist from the art—but, meanwhile, I am content to listen through Buffy the Gilmore Slayer (2020-present, but wrapping up soon).
3. Short story collection. Jordan Peele is one of my favorite directors, so I was thrilled to see his (and, in much smaller print, John Joseph Adams') edited anthology, Out There Screaming (2023) with the subtitle "An Anthology of New Black Horror." Peele's short preface explores his interest in Black horror, as well as his central metaphor of the "Sunken Place" from Get Out. The anthology features stories by 19 Black authors where race anxiety manifests in horror and surreal tropes (monsters, Devils, bending of reality). I love that Peele is using his star power to draw attention to talented writers. Check it out on Libby, if you don't want to purchase it, and enjoy!
That's all for this month! Let's be good to one another, yes?
-N