We made it! Winter-term classes are officially over. Soon this whole year of Zoom University will seem like nothing but a bad dream … we hope.
While you’re waiting, The Charlatan’s staff and contributors have some impeccable media recommendations for you. Please enjoy the second installment of this budding Charlatan tradition.
Spencer Colby: Photo editor, Volume 51, 50
Growing up listening to some of hip hop’s most notorious artists, two songwriters stand out as I try to navigate the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is Houston, Texas-born rapper Maxo Kream, whose lyrical tongue-twisting raps on his latest album, Brandon Banks, explore his life growing up in Houston.
Closer to home, Toronto-born rapper Pressa’s album, Prestige, on life in north Toronto’s Jane and Finch neighbourhood has kept me motivated as I work to process many of the Charlatan’s photo requests.
Olivia Joerges: Editor-in-chief, Volume 50, features editor, Volume 48
In these dark and moody times I’ve been compelled, like many of us, to pull back and enjoy something I loved from when life was less complicated.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer fills my heart with childhood nostalgia. The campy ’90s teen vampire flick was one of the first of its kind. Although the acting is cringey at the best of times, it never fails to warm my cockles.
If you’re looking for some late ’90s mystery vibes filled with puns and bad vampire makeup, check it out on Amazon Prime!
I see people joke about their “comfort show,” a television program they return to over and over either because they love the characters, they think it’s funny, or they simply feel safe watching the same twists and turns over and over again.
For me, that comfort comes from Gilmore Girls—the original, not the reboot. I’ve watched all seven seasons at least five times (embarrassingly). The story of the quirky folks in Stars Hollow, the mother-daughter duo who remind me of my own family, the early 2000s fashion and steamy romances that will get you through any break up, remind me that life was normal once and it will be again.
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden is a fantastic read that will have you thinking about it even after you’re done. A fictional story about two Cree men who join the Canadian infantry during the First World War, the book is a story of friendship, drug addiction, growing up, family and death.
While it’s definitely not a light read, it is a very powerful novel and the ending will have you questioning everything you knew from the start.
Pippa Norman: Arts editor, Volume 51
Imagine living in a world where you don’t see yourself in anyone else.
Samra Habib’s first book, We Have Always Been Here, details this experience through the telling of her journey as an immigrant and a queer Muslim woman living in Canada after fleeing the Islamization of Pakistan under the rule of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the former president of Pakistan.
In this memoir, Habib finds her place in the world when she isn’t even sure that place exists. We Have Always Been Here is a book for everyone. It’s for queer people, Muslims, women, and anyone who cares about them.
It’s a bold statement of existence for queer Muslims and a step in the direction of better representation. In detailing her life and raising awareness for the communities she belongs to, Habib relies on three themes: her perception of faith, her struggle with her sexual identity, and her relationship with her mother.
Sophie Panton: Volunteer, Volume 50
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is a quirky, comedic novel that follows a person attempting to rob a bank, having it go terribly wrong and taking eight strangers hostage. Each hostage tells their own side of the story.
This is a fun, light read with a bit of dark twist. It takes some brain power to figure out the true story of how all these people wound up in this situation, but it is well worth it.
Jodie Applewaithe: Volunteer, Volume 50
If you’ve been feeling a little lost in life, Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha is the perfect Netflix pick. Set in New York City, the movie is navigated by Frances Halladay, a struggling 27-year-old who dreams of a career in dance.
It’s sure to be a comfort film during these times of isolation as it explores loneliness, friendship and aspirations with humour and an air of coolness inspired by the style of French New Wave cinema.
After a year of becoming best friends with Spotify and Netflix, I’ve grown very tired of the two of them. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy watching shows and listening to bops, but when I need something to comfort me now, I turn to something else.
I have become an airport vlog watcher. I love watching people pack for trips, go to airports and fly away. I’ve always loved airport vlogs, but I used to only watch them before trips to help me decide what to put in my carry-on, where to get the best coffee (almost always Starbucks), and of course, the Airport Outfit™. Now, these vlogs are more like comforting memories.
Instead of actually travelling, I pack bags and roam airports virtually through the pandemic. I can’t lie, vlogs also make me long for airport terminals and seeing family across the globe, but the joy I get from watching them is worth it.
Pascale Malenfant: Op/ed editor, Volume 50, production manager, Volume 49
Somehow, one year into the pandemic, I’ve managed to come full-circle and reignite my fiery passion for 30 Rock (yes, that’s an arson joke—if you know, you know). This show is everything one could ask for: shameless roasts of Republican capitalism, constant references to bowel movements, and early-2000s political incorrectness that makes you go, “Jeez, we really thought that was funny?”
Regardless, if you’re looking for an easy-to-watch comedy in which every single line is a zinger (and to see what Childish Gambino was up to before he was … well, Childish Gambino), then Tina Fey’s 30 Rock is for you.
I hate conflict, embarrassing moments and overly complicated stories, so my taste in media is typically pretty limited. I’m not even trying to be pretentious, I just really like watching anything that has really low stakes and virtually no plot.
To survive online school, I’ve been mostly re-watching shows I’ve already seen, but at the top of my rewatching list has been my all-time favourite comedy series, Derry Girls. Set against the backdrop of the three-decade-long conflict between Catholics and Protestants, Derry Girls follows a group of five best friends attending an all-girls (plus one unlucky British boy) high school.
Maybe it’s the ’90s outfits. Maybe it’s the accents. Or maybe it’s the closeness it makes me feel to my Irish roots—shoutout to my great-great-great-grandparents. But watching a show about a group of friends who are equal parts hilarious and horrible has been my saving grace over the past year.
It’s pretty rare to find a show that can make you scream with laughter and shed happy tears within the span of a 20-minute episode, but Derry Girls hits that sweet spot effortlessly, every time.
I’m counting down the days until the third season finally comes out. Until then, I’ll be eagerly waiting with a group of oddball Irish teens keeping me company.
I’m a devout fan of podcasts, so I’m taking this opportunity to shamelessly advertise my top pick. Normally I’d offer my top journalism podcast—This American Life—but I think the world has been so busy that a podcast that helps me unwind is a better option.
With that said, I’d absolutely pick My Brother, My Brother, and Me. It’s about three brothers from West Virginia offering their sage wisdom to all the pressing questions of Yahoo Answers. You can pick it up at any episode and lose yourself in laughter as the two hosts embark on countless tangents and construct insane solutions.
After a year of online classes and uncertainty, I think we all need a little laughter.
Mark Colley: Sports editor, Volume 51, news editor Volume 50
If you’re anything like me, podcasts are a great way to absorb information while doing literally anything else. But sometimes you need to take a break, and My Brother, My Brother and Me is the perfect way to do so. It’s funny, irreverent, absurd, and sometimes cringey, but that’s okay.
Jillian Piper: Editor-in-chief, Volume 51, features editor, Volume 50, news editor, Volume 49
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was turning to nostalgic media for comfort. Longing for the simpler days of my childhood, I was consuming television, movies and games that brought back feelings of familiarity, such as last year’s pick of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Now, just over a year into the pandemic, I want fast-paced distractions. I’m looking for media that can make me forget about the current situation of the world and prevent me from reminiscing about simpler times. I have found nothing that better serves this purpose than the Nintendo Switch game, Overcooked! 2.
Overcooked! 2 is a simple co-op cooking game complete with cute characters and fun levels. I have become obsessed with mastering its recipes and have encouraged (maybe forced…) my family, boyfriend and friends to play it with me. Since you can play it in person or online, it’s a safe way of connecting with people outside of your social bubble.
The game is a beautiful balance of being challenging enough that it requires focus (especially if you want to four-star every level like I do), but not too challenging that it is mentally taxing. If you enjoy Cooking Mama but want something a bit more high-stakes and collaborative, Overcooked! 2 is the game for you. Happy cooking!
A great watch right now is the Netflix exclusive Formula 1: Drive to Survive. The show is great for everyone, even people who aren’t fans of racing or sports. The behind-the-scenes drama and storylines are so captivating I guarantee you’ll be hooked. I highly recommend it.
Sometimes, against all odds, the Spotify algorithm is correct when recommending what you should listen to next. Nine times out of 10 it is wildly disappointing, but this feature is worth it for the one time you are introduced to an artist that will instantly become so precious to you.
For me, that is Arlo Parks, a 20-year-old spoken word poet and musician from England who has stolen my heart and been dominating all of my playlists since February.
Parks’s debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, was released at the end of January and explores heartbreak, mental health, and a splash of pettiness in one of my personal favourites, “Just Go.” Other songs on repeat are “Black Dog,” “For Violet,” and “Too Good.” An honourable mention goes to her cover of Frank Ocean’s “Ivy,” which she somehow was capable of making even more devastating.
She is the kind of artist that makes you feel physically pained by the fact you can’t see live music right now. She also makes me feel wildly cooler than I actually am because now, instead of my end-of-year Spotify Wrapped playlist solely consisting of ABBA and old Taylor Swift songs (not that I’m ashamed), my 2021 playlist might be more presentable.
If you have her music playing in another tab right now and aren’t already sold, her most popular song, “Eugene,” is insanely catchy and somehow manages to reference Taco Bell, unrequited love and Sylvia Plath—a flawless combination I didn’t know I needed until now.
Study jams:
Finally, if you’d like to take a look at the study tunes we’ve been listening to for the past year, take a look at our handy (if a little disjointed) playlist.
Featured image from IMDb.
