A very eclectic mix of cultural recommendations to get you through the coronavirus crisis, courtesy of Dazed’s fashion director Emma Wyman
We at AnOther believe that in this unprecedented time of isolation, economic uncertainty, and social distancing, culture is more important than ever. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing daily to do lists, curated by the teams behind AnOther Magazine, Another Man and Dazed, as they share things to look at, listen to, watch, read, or follow, to get you through. Here, Dazed’s fashion director Emma Wyman shares her recommendations.
Listen
I love Yves Tumor’s new album. It is wildly refreshing to hear something new! I have been listening to the Democracy Now! podcast everyday, the New York Times’ podcast The Daily every morning and then, when I can’t take the devastating news anymore, I turn on Patrik Sandberg and Paul Cupo’s podcast Not Really on Patreon. I highly recommend it. As Agata Belcen mentioned in her list of things to do, I also made a quarantine playlist called Bouncing in The Quarantini because I have a trampoline and do dancercise work-outs everyday. Lately, my nervous system has been craving Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Siouxsie, Gesaffelstein – anything with a dark beat that still is fun to bop along to on the trampoline. One of my all time favourite albums is Erotica by Madonna. And pretty much any album by Kate Bush. I’ve been listening to the song Suspended in Gaffa on repeat. I highly recommend dancing around the house to Kate Bush. P.S. My playlist is collaborative, please add songs!
Watch
I really wish I was telling you that I have been tearing through my Criterion Collection watch list. But, the truth is, I can’t focus on anything that isn’t a TV show. This includes such pop culture trash as Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I honestly loved watching Kim and Kourtney get in a physical fight. Sorry! This also might shamefully include getting stuck in YouTube celebrity interview black holes, Bill Hader SNL skits, Larry David interviews (also highly recommend Curb, and I am devastated that the new season is over – it would have been a true blessing to have a new episode every Sunday to look forward to). Bon Appétit YouTube cooking videos ... Brad Leone’s It’s Alive! is great, especially when he goes “noodling” with Matty Matheson. Any cooking show that involves Samin Nosrat is also a must-watch. I started re-watching one of my all-time favourite fashion docs, Unzipped – it’s so great. Isaac Mizrahi makes me laugh so much and somehow reminds me of my mom. I also want to watch Midsommar – I never saw it in theatres and feel like now is the perfect time to watch it. The Kehinde Wiley documentary is also on my list ... Any and every Alfred Hitchcock film – Rear Window is an all-time favourite and feels very timely. Imagine watching a murder mystery unfold while being stuck inside! If you haven’t seen Leilah Weinraub’s Shakedown, stop what you are doing and stream it on PornHub!
Read
I Am Not Ashamed, the autobiography of Barbara Payton is a fun read. I love anything themed around the dark side of Hollywood, it reminds me of home (LA). The Vanity Fair Diaries by the iconic Tina Brown is very inspiring. I keep trying to read Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino ... I love the first chapter. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson is one of my favourite books. I might re-read it – it’s a wild ride and very addicting. I just finished Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – I bought it ages ago, whenever it first came out, and finally finished it. It lives up to every ounce of hype. The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake is full of fashion gossip and a great read, if you are looking for something fun and escapist. Maybe I’ll start My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh ... for obvious reasons, the title is intriguing.
Follow
Miguel Adrover’s Instagram is a constant source of inspiration and currently has some great Kanye West drama/gossip content. I also love Marcus Cuffie’s Instagram – he posts amazing imagery and David Moses’ new Instagram, @ILoveResearch, is fab. Pre-quarantine you would probably find Marcus and David scanning and ravaging the shelves/magazine archive at the FIT library. I love that they are keeping their fashion fantasies alive. This might fall under the ‘Watch’ category, but I love artist Meriem Bennani’s episodic 2 Lizards animated series she has been posting on her Instagram – I have re-watched them all multiple times. The videos really reflect how most people are feeling in NYC (and probably globally) at the moment. I especially love the raindrop moment, in episode three. I relate so strongly to this. Stepping outside in NYC right now is wildly anxiety-inducing, that you might mistake a raindrop for some kind of toxic corona particle from a stranger. They make me laugh at myself, and smile. And lastly, I love Brianna Capozzi’s newfound TikTok addiction. She is really exploring a new medium! A must-see.