Happy Friday, my fellow suffering beings. Each week, I share two things I’m digging right now (books, TV shows, movies, music, and the like) plus one online video of nearly zero cultural merit.
Pavements: This band was the soundtrack of the ‘90s for me. Back when I was a lonely cub reporter in Bangor, Maine, Pavement records were like transmissions from a cooler, more sophisticated universe. (Listening to the band now—which I still regularly do!—so many of the lyrics take on a Buddhist tone: “Don’t expect”; “No more absolutes”; “You can never quarantine the past.”) So when I heard there was a documentary about the band coming out, I was super excited. Turns out, this thing is way more ambitious than a plain old documentary. It incorporates aspects of a scripted feature film and even a musical. Personally, I don’t know if I needed the frills, but I respect the creativity.
A Complete Unknown: When I first heard there was a Bob Dylan biopic in the works, I had the opposite reaction to when I heard about the Pavement doc. Meaning, I assumed it would be crap. It was another example of my rampant judgmentalism and dismissiveness—thinking I know before I actually know. Timothée Chalomet impersonating Bob Dylan—oh, that will suck. But now I am a full-on Chalamaniac. He is awesome as Dylan. (Just as great as he is in Dune and courtside at the Knicks.) The movie is also terrific as a whole. I especially loved the cameos from my favorite NYC hotel, the Hotel Chelsea, and also Joe Tippett, husband of my friend, Sara Bareilles.
Watch Bob Dylan seem to admit that he made a deal with the devil.
Paid subscribers get the 10% Happier podcast ad-free, as well as:
A cheatsheet for each episode — with key takeaways, time-coded highlights, and a transcript
The ability to comment on posts and participate in subscriber chats
Access to our twice-monthly live video sessions, in which I guide a meditation and take questions
Tailor-made meditations every Monday and Wednesday, led by our meditation teacher of the month and designed to pair with the podcast episodes
Join the party.
Re: what books are you reading, Dan?
Reading in the summertime is extra special, eh Dan?
For me, it's like being back in the July after Grade 5. The bookmobile librarian had FINALLY had allowed me to (1) search for books in the "adult" section ( a completely different connotation in Toronto circa 1965), and (2) to sign out as many books as I wanted; no more "6 books per week" limit for me! My first book that summer was "Gone with the Wind."
My first reads this summer have been equally as enjoyable ( okay, maybe more enjoyable; Mitchell's novel WAS a bit heavy for an 11- year- old...).
First, "The Wager: A tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder", written by David Grann is a brilliant re-telling of the real-life journey of seamen on the British warship, the Wager. I am VERY glad not to have spent any time as a sailor in the 1700s, and that my chances of developing scurvy equal zero percent living in Calgary, Alberta. This story is superbly written, informative, and fascinating.
The second book that I've read so far this summer,while laying on the backyard swing, is Lisa Genova's "More or Less Maddy." Maddy is a young university student who, while struggling to find her way as a responsible grown-up, gets an unexpected diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
This is a compassionate and thoughtful write about the multitude of complex challenges faced by Maddy and all those who love her: it's illuminating and funny. It's a page turner. It has a happy ending.
So now, after I finish laughing my way through book #3, " The Road Years" by Canada's shining star comedian Rick Mercer, it would be super to have some suggestions for my August reading.
I appreciate hearing about the books that you're reading, Dan: often, they're about subjects that I might not think about, or by authors that are new to me. Ideas?
In the meantime, thanks for all that you're doing in your new quest/mission/path, Dan. You're truly making a difference in how I perceive the world and life, and how I'm now living in it. Thank you.
Sorry this is off topic, but couldn't figure out how to find an answer. Before I was a subscriber, I heard Dan rec a meditation app of a friend and a discount through Dan. What is the meditation app? thank you!