#54: FRM editors recs
Our editor, Odwa Zamane, returns with a special mega-assortment of recs including NYC publications like Byline, Fontaines D.C., Monster energy drink blurbs, Bandsplain Podcast, and more!
It feels like life has been travelling exceedingly fast with two months since my last check-in with some editors recs. Do not fret though! Albeit being within the midst of busier times–I have been biding my attention throughout & harnessing different sources of inspiration–which I have assembled into a mega-pack of Tuesday FRM recs just for you.
So without further ado, here’s a snapshot of what’s been occupying my brain over the past few weeks & what I’ve been into recently.
📚🗽 Byline
One of my favourite publications currently. And yes, ofcourse they’re from New York. Byline–which is co-founded and co-edited by Gutes Guterman & Megan O’Sullivan–feels like the answer to the question: “What is the future of Magazines?”. Very experiential, tongue-in-cheek, community-based & narratively charged. I’ve never stayed in New York before but after reading this publication, I think I have a sense of what it may be like. Some of my favourite pieces include: “When Dating Feels Like A Game Of Where's Waldo, This Hack Helps” and “Men Need More Than Just Beer to Get Along”.
“We satiate this craving with monthly columns and special features, brought to you from New York City.”
🎙🍀 Fontaines D.C.
Probably my favourite band at the moment (and we all know this changes frequently lol). Fontaines D.C. are an Irish post-punk band formed in Dublin in 2014 and led by charismatic frontman, Grian Chatten. I love this band soo fucking much because of their stoic affinity towards poetry; citing that as a commonality and the core reason why they bonded whilst attending music college together. In an interview, Grian mentioned the 1950’s Beat Generation as a massive inspiration to the band–and I find their rejection of literary formalism within their music extremely compelling.
🍷🛒 Woolies wine
Discussed this rec with a chef recently and we are aligned. No other institution makes better everyday wine than Woolies.
Best bookshop ever. Seeing is believing and I strongly feel that everyone should visit Clarke’s atleast once in their lives. Nestled on Long Street in the centre of Cape Town since 1957, they specialise in Africana Literature, and so much more. I am obsessed with their bookshops vibe and store interior.
I cannot stop watching this series! I love these really random Scandinavian internet television shows; Skam is basically like the Norwegian version of Skins–or even sometimes the Nordic iteration of Gossip Girl! Really good television.
👽⚡ Monster energy drink blurbs
Next time you purchase a Monster energy drink–make it a point that you turn the can around and read the blurbs at the back. You will not regret it. Secret which I recently learnt? They’ve got different copy for different flavours. The gift which keeps on giving!
🍫🥜 Snickers 2-Pack chocolate bar
Best chocolate on the planet. One unfortunately isn’t enough per sitting (and they know this) so try out the 2-pack! Great snack to keep in your bag at all times.
🎧🎛 A snippet of what I’ve been listening to
Basically a whole lot of Fontaines D.C. (especially the Dogrel album), Tyler the Creator’s ‘Wolf’, The Drums’s ‘Jonny’, Ken Carson’s ‘A Great Chaos’, to mention a few!
🎬🤯 An assortment of films I’ve recently watched!
Okay so let me open up my Letterboxd! Here we’ve got: Aviator (2004), Never Let Me Go (2010), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Taxi Driver (1976), Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (Part 1 & 2), No Hard Feelings (2023) and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012).
🎸🎤 Bandsplain & Red Scare podcasts
Two podcasts I’ve been listening to recently. Funny enough–for opposite reasons. Bandsplain is a show hosted by Yasi Salek which invites different experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists & why people love them. But be careful; this one’s for the real music nerds. Like if you aren’t down to listen to a 4-hour episode on Morrissey being a Gemini & how Johnny Marr wrote The Smith’s hit “This Charming Man” in 20 minutes–then this one may not be for you.
Red Scare on the other hand is a cultural commentary podcast hosted by “bohemian layabouts” Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova. I’d personally describe their podcast as “somewhat nuanced leftist versus. right-wing cultural critique” yet media associates their podcast with the “dirtbag left”; perhaps best described by The Cut as “a critique of feminism, and capitalism, from deep inside the culture they’ve spawned.”
I think there is enough space for all of these interpretations to be true.
🚬👠 Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton (2007)
By now you should know that I a massive Marc Jacobs fan–so this documentary covering his tenure as creative director at Louis Vuitton is everything to me. The 2007 documentary was directed by Loïc Prigent and included cameos from some of Marc’s closest friends & acquaintances, including Sofia Coppola, Winona Ryder, Anna Wintour, and more. This was my favourite era of Louis Vuitton by the way.
🛍🎷 Stella McCartney’s episode on Amoeba’s What’s in My Bag?
In my FRM editor recs for newsletter #26, I mentioned my longstanding fascination with YouTube show ‘Amoeba What’s in my Bag?’ and one of my favourite episodes is Stella McCartney’s. Aside from finding out that she’s literally Paul McCartney’s daughter (gasps! I had no clue)–her music recs were incredible. They included The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’, Grimes ‘Art Angels’, Radiohead’s ‘Pablo Honey’, Blur’s ‘Parklife’ and ofcourse Paul McCartney & Wings ‘Band On The Run’–some gentle favouritism for daddy. Watch it for yourself if you don’t believe me.