For a person who loves recommending things, I am notoriously bad at taking recommendations, which frustrates my friends to no end. It’s not that I don’t trust them—I trust that they liked something, but I need signs that I will before I actually try it. I don’t know what childhood trauma made me feel like my time is so precious, but I’m trying to be a better man, so for this edition, all recommendations come from readers! I’m glad you told me/forced me to try these.
A podcast: Smartless
The pitch: your run-of-the-mill celebrity podcast except it has three hosts and they basically just goof off the entire time.
Me gusta porque: My friend Christopher texted me DAILY about this one, saying it was hosted by people I like (Jason Bateman and Will Arnett from our beloved Arrested Development, and Sean Hayes from Will & Grace, which should really have been Jack & Karen) and insisting that the way they joke around would remind me of our friendship. And he was right! Listening to Smartless feels like being invited to a group hang with longtime friends who know just how to push each other’s buttons; I laugh out loud at running jokes about Sean Hayes’s need to explain everything for his sister “Tracy from Winscosin” who is listening, or the relentless teasing of Jason Bateman for however he has decided to style his hair. They also have some amazing guests (anyone from Maya Rudolph to Kamala Harris—nice bit of SNL symmetry there) and most of the time they don’t interview them as much as just invite them to join the party. It sparks a lot of joy, and has become my commute go-to.
Where: wherever you listen to podcasts (though apparently you can get new episodes early on something called Wondery+)
I already listen to it! Then check out My Dad Wrote a Porno (which will probably come up as its own recommendation eventually). It’s what the title promises—someone’s dad’s erotic novels read out loud—but the core is also the friendship between the hosts, who make the material ten times more hilarious by picking on each other.
A TV Show: Feel Good
The pitch: the ruthless self-centered comedy of Fleabag season one with the tenderness of Fleabag season two—but more lesbian (and Canadian).
Me gusta porque: lesbians famously only get one thing a year, and it’s usually not my cup of tea, so my friend Lilly (who, as a lesbian, has no option but to watch the one thing) had to sit down with me to make sure I watched this. It pretty much fits the definition of dramedy I gave in the last edition (“a show set in LA where someone’s trying to make it as an actor while navigating sobriety”) except it’s set in Manchester and Mae Martin plays themself trying to make it as a stand up comedian—while navigating sobriety. And that’s the part that really hooked me: Mae is sober from drugs and alcohol, but the (often hilarious) way they pursue doe-eyed school teacher George (Charlotte Ritchie) betrays an addictive behavior that often dehumanizes the object of their affection and gives a deeper meaning to the somewhat generic title. The first season takes this pursuit to its logical conclusion (watch out for a brilliant Lisa Kudrow playing Mae’s mom); the second season stumbles a bit, but its core remains intact. “Addicts are always looking for the next thrill,” says the leader of Mae’s AA group, reminding me of the not-poem I wrote at MacDowell—we’ll just do anything to feel good.
(Extra kudos to Adriana, who also recommended this show!)
Where: you can stream both season on Netflix.
I already watched it! If you’re not ready to leave England, you can go two ways: the aforementioned Fleabag, which is sharper and therefore more liable to hurt you, or Catastrophe, which is as snarky as they come yet ultimately believes in love (and so will you, after you watch it), though I can only vouch for its first two seasons.
A Book: The Woman from Uruguay
The pitch: The character study and flaneur energy of Before Sunrise but set in Argentina/Uruguay and structured as a mystery, which makes it quite gripping.
Me gusta porque: this Argentinian book was recommended to me by a book editor, Daniel, who was working on the English version. Upon Googling it, I found it’s somewhat of a literary sensation in the Spanish-speaking world, selling out in multiple countries and being turned into a movie. The set up is simple: trying to avoid getting screwed by the exchange rate, middle-aged middle-class writer Lucas makes a day trip from Buenos Aires to Montevideo, the Uruguayan city right across the River Plate, to pick up a big paycheck. The already dangerous mission of not getting robbed at any point is further complicated by a deeper desire—Lucas is hoping to meet up with the titular Uruguayan woman, with whom he cheated on his wife the last time he was in the country, and about whom he’s been fantasizing ever since (aided by frequent email exchanges). Is she even real anymore, or has Lucas, like most of us on the internet, been chatting with someone who mostly exists only in his mind? The book follows the 24 hours that it should take for him to make the return trip, and the tension of wondering if Lucas will make it back to his family (and with the money on him) is enough to keep you from putting this (blessedly short) book down until you’re done. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s one of the best novels I’ve read in recent memory, maybe ever (though I should disclaim I read it in the original Spanish, and I’m curious to hear how the translation holds up.)
Where: Bloomsbury (or, you know, Amazon, for the heartless like me)
I already read it! I feel like it pairs very well with an Argentinian Netflix production, Almost Happy, which deals with another middle-aged middle-class man in Buenos Aires, a famous radio host who pines for his ex-wife and is therefore hesitant to reap the rewards of his success. The series anticipates your groaning about weepy male stories and dedicates an outstanding episode to the ex, who could carry her own show. Get over the “one-inch-tall wall” of subtitles and queue this up!