Conor Culture Rundown #1
Some things I've enjoyed this week from an alternative Christmas classic, a hilarious one off podcast, a memorable memoir and a bop or two.
I’ve kicked off the newsletter with a big rundown of my fave songs of the year but one of the things I’m excited to do weekly is a rundown of stuff I’ve enjoyed in the previous 7 days. I’m sure the format will evolve over time but let’s give it a go! Given the time of the year this leans quite festive but I think it may give you a nice way to have a different approach to Christmas fare.
WATCH: Tokyo Godfathers
I had stumbled on a trailer for this movie months ago but didn’t know much about it so when Dublin’s Lighthouse Cinema said they were screening it for it’s 20th anniversary, I took it as a sign to go. It’s directed by Satoshi Kon who is best known for the cult classic Perfect Blue, an anime film that is dark, twisted and frequently referenced by other filmmakers. This was his third film (He died at just 46 years old in 2010) and follows 3 homeless people in Toyko who find an abandoned baby at Christmas. It’s a riff on the 3 Wise Men that is as times slapstick and silly and other times deeply moving. The 3 leads are fleshed out so well. There’s Gin the cynical “old man” (As the other two dub him) grappling with his guilt over his relationship with his daughter, teenage runaway Miyuki who slowly reveals what made her leave home and Hana a trans woman who is fleshed out and humanised in a way trans characters rarely are even now. I went in somewhat unsure of what to expect and found myself utterly charmed. You can rent it on iTunes / Apple Movies so if you wanted to watch something festive but not the usual fare this is a good shout. (I saw it in Japanese with English subtitles and that appears to the be the one available to rent. The English dub seems decent though!)
LISTEN: Holiday Hangout: Amy Sedaris and Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen has a new show called Andy Cohen’s Daddy Diaries which is taking highlights from his Sirius XM radio shows and ties them into the diary format of his recent book. I’ve been dipping in and out of the main podcast but as it’s based on his radio this week they uploaded a really fun Christmas one off. Andy is good friends with comedy icon Amy Sedaris and they do a yearly Christmas radio show where they take audience questions and just hang out for an hour basically. It’s silly and very entertaining with Amy straddling the line of good taste in a way only she can do with some truly unhinged tips on how to give gifts and get ready for the festive season. I listened on Apple but you can get it on all the usual places.
READ: Julia Fox “Down The Drain”
I’m thinking of doing a book rundown post on here or perhaps on Instagram story but I hit a big reading slump for a couple of months that I’ve only just gotten over. I finished a novel I’d been reading but couldn’t get back into (not the book’s fault at all honestly, I was just not in the headspace) but when I did I wanted to do a celeb memoir after as they are often a bit “easier” to read. I’d heard good things about Julia Fox’s book and enjoyed the many interviews from her press tour that YouTube had popped into my suggested section. The book itself is a dizzying and at times jaw dropping account of a childhood spent in Italy and New York City and a life marked with drug abuse, neglect and many many abusive men. The book strikes an interesting tone. It’s not self pitying or morbid but it doesn’t flinch from the times she let herself down or others. Her account of being blacklisted in NYC for speaking about an abusive ex is harrowing and later in the book as her career ascends into the mainstream she deals with crushing personal loss. The writing is good if a tad uneven but as a slab of raw, celeb storytelling this is worth a look.
LISTEN: Cher “Angels In The Snow”
Cher has been on the promo push for her new Christmas album including performances of her fun festive single “DJ Play A Christmas Song”. I’ve dipped into the album and I really love this original song. It has the same campy flair as “DJ Play..” and I wonder will there be a push on this as a single next year to make the album become a Christmas staple. The album has great takes on Christmas classics but the new songs give Christmas music a much needed gay disco energy. Cher isn’t just for Christmas but turns out she’s pretty great at it.
TOKYO GODFATHERS!!