The Expert with a PhD in something tries his hardest to be witty on subjects ranging from Bob Dylan's coming glorious death, American global power, film snobbery, and more!
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Put Robert Reich, Annie Applebaum and Matty Yglesias into your reading list to „reach a point where if you were to ever have an unconventional thought again, your head would literally explode like that dude in the movie Scanners.“ Sentence of the year.
You don't like jazz because your innate balkan contrarianism dismisses it as an elitist quirk, much like quinoa or pedophilia - something they probably do not like consuming, but nevertheless is necessary in order to distinguish their refined taste from that of the plebeian. I could nevertheless propose to you a Gen Z alternative, one of our generation's finest cultural contributions - listening to old songs in slowed and reverbed format. It's quite the genre, and it led to more intricate sub-genres like vaporwave or refurbished Japenese city-pop from the 80s, which I would also recommend(you'll discover them the more you go down the rabbit hole). Most of the songs are played on a melancholic anime background and the "aesthetic" is quite pleasing.
It's quite diverse, you literally can have things like Bobby Caldwell:
If you've tried Miles Davis and don't like his music, you probably listened to his work after he went over to Columbia Records. Try listening to his work when he was on the Prestige label as linked to above.
"That said, I really can’t think of better guides to becoming an informed consumer of political news and analysis than Smith and Yglesias. If I had any notes to give you here, it’s that you’d be a damn fool not to include Jeet Heer, Tom Nichols, Robert Reich, Max Boot, and Anne Applebaum in your daily readings. Alongside those, I’d throw in subscriptions to The Economist and The Atlantic...."
So, in terms of Smith and especially Yglesias, I know they are both considered super swami savants. And I use to read their substacks and wonder, What the hell. Yglesias's writing sprawls and yet, seems to be filled with cliche.......I felt like I was eating cheetos.
I used to be on Jeet Heer's free substack list, but got tired of his conspicuous curating of facts and details so that he could make a point. I subscribed to The Atlantic for 40 years and stopped my subscription this year after yet another inane article....
Gen X isn’t lost its simply waiting, biding its time, like King Charles and now Prince William (who is apparently Gen Y, I have just discovered this Genus).
We need more Truss, who met the Queen and the Queen passed the next day. Really this Truss PM should visit Biden next. Then King Charles. A Boomer King is just too much.
Super entertaining, as always. Also, a Wicker Man reference! One of the great moments in all of cinematic history is Edward Woodward's delivery of the line "Oh God! Oh JESUS CHRIST!"
Easing back into interview mode.
Hit the like button, use the share button to share this across social media, and leave a comment if the mood strikes you to do so. Please consider subscribing as well if you haven't already done so.
„Steve Windwood“ omg, just spilled my coffee
Put Robert Reich, Annie Applebaum and Matty Yglesias into your reading list to „reach a point where if you were to ever have an unconventional thought again, your head would literally explode like that dude in the movie Scanners.“ Sentence of the year.
Our most learned race scientists would tell you that “Judeo-Dago” is redundant.
I can't quite tell if this whole interview is parody, or an in-joke I'm not privy to.....?
Fuck jazz. I find it makes me strangely furious in a way I can't articulate.
Nic once again loose in the wild…careful ladies
You don't like jazz because your innate balkan contrarianism dismisses it as an elitist quirk, much like quinoa or pedophilia - something they probably do not like consuming, but nevertheless is necessary in order to distinguish their refined taste from that of the plebeian. I could nevertheless propose to you a Gen Z alternative, one of our generation's finest cultural contributions - listening to old songs in slowed and reverbed format. It's quite the genre, and it led to more intricate sub-genres like vaporwave or refurbished Japenese city-pop from the 80s, which I would also recommend(you'll discover them the more you go down the rabbit hole). Most of the songs are played on a melancholic anime background and the "aesthetic" is quite pleasing.
It's quite diverse, you literally can have things like Bobby Caldwell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BPVtw6oRno&ab_channel=NicolasTaiclet
Ice Cube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pzf5BypYSE&ab_channel=Hypnotoad
Grover Washington:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J-f8XPsHxE&ab_channel=HoundDog
Bee Gees:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evG4OZ3RzK8&ab_channel=TakumiKun
Here's some of the Japanese City-Pop, damn those mfs should have been the next Global Power:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNP5jNzPq98&ab_channel=Peroxide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhuNb0XtRhQ&ab_channel=syncretizz
Reviving the art of the Playboy interview.
edit: a song by that name by a Canadian
https://youtu.be/UDSajPIcPuE
So happy you're bringing back the interviews Nico. With twitter gone, the other articles don't always show your irreverent humour. More please
Wait a minute here Croatan - you just picked Don Henly's 2 worst songs;
The End of the Innocence and Dirty Laundry are the ones to defend.
Get out of airports they skew your judgement.
If you listen to the Miles Davis album, "Relaxin", listen to "If I Were a Bell". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqI6PJXEuls
If you've tried Miles Davis and don't like his music, you probably listened to his work after he went over to Columbia Records. Try listening to his work when he was on the Prestige label as linked to above.
What a list!
"That said, I really can’t think of better guides to becoming an informed consumer of political news and analysis than Smith and Yglesias. If I had any notes to give you here, it’s that you’d be a damn fool not to include Jeet Heer, Tom Nichols, Robert Reich, Max Boot, and Anne Applebaum in your daily readings. Alongside those, I’d throw in subscriptions to The Economist and The Atlantic...."
So, in terms of Smith and especially Yglesias, I know they are both considered super swami savants. And I use to read their substacks and wonder, What the hell. Yglesias's writing sprawls and yet, seems to be filled with cliche.......I felt like I was eating cheetos.
I used to be on Jeet Heer's free substack list, but got tired of his conspicuous curating of facts and details so that he could make a point. I subscribed to The Atlantic for 40 years and stopped my subscription this year after yet another inane article....
Oh well.
Gen X isn’t lost its simply waiting, biding its time, like King Charles and now Prince William (who is apparently Gen Y, I have just discovered this Genus).
We need more Truss, who met the Queen and the Queen passed the next day. Really this Truss PM should visit Biden next. Then King Charles. A Boomer King is just too much.
you had me at "I personally cannot wait for Bob Dylan to die."
I’ve got a funny Jaco Pastorius story, bit too lazy to type it right now. Suffice to stay he was a nut.
Super entertaining, as always. Also, a Wicker Man reference! One of the great moments in all of cinematic history is Edward Woodward's delivery of the line "Oh God! Oh JESUS CHRIST!"