I’m a few days late, but here’s some of my February highlights.

Podcasts

The Blindboy podcast is a good place to start this month. This particular episode is about developing a mental health plan when you find the news too much. I like how he talks about the difference between sadness and depression. I’ve had to limit my news consumption this week, just to the main headlines a couple of times a day, otherwise I’ll be completely overwhelmed. It’s not avoidance, it’s taking care of your mental health, otherwise I’ll just be in a heap. I think it’s normal to be sad and we can continue to function with a certain level of sadness. I know he’s done this sort of podcast before but I still find it incredibly helpful and it’s timely.

The David McWilliams podcast is good at explaining the situation in Ukraine/Russia not just in economic terms but looking at the wider societal and historical context. Sometimes I just want to hear the facts, clearly spelt out, and McWilliams is great at doing this in layman’s terms, leaving you better informed.

Nerd alert, but as usual at times I like to disappear into Bob Dylans music. I find great comfort in his music and lyrics and for a deeper dive I enjoy Is it rolling Bob? where Lucas Hare and Kerry Shale interview fellow bobcats. I really enjoyed their talk with Laura Tenschert which led me on to her own Definitely Dylan.

Tv & Movies

I’d heard ‘Better call Saul’ will soon be returning (April?) and thought I’d have a little rewatch, just to remind myself of the storylines. Even though I know how it plays out, I still find it very satisfying and there’s so much to enjoy in the performances, especially that of Rhea Seahorn as Kim Wexler. Part of what I love about it is that it’s slow and requires patience, much like a novel. Even the costume designs, the colours (Jimmy’s Suits!!) the stunning desert backdrops….there’s so much to enjoy it. It’s obviously creeping towards Breaking Bad territory now and I’ll be sad when it’s gone but it’s been such an immersive and rich slice of television.

Movie wise, ‘The power of the Dog’ on Netflix was a proper menacing slow burner with great performances from Kirstin Dunst, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons, to continue with the Breaking bad link.

Olivia Coleman, Dakota Johnson and especially Jessie Buckley gave great performances in ‘The lost daughter’, an unsettling movie at times but what a directing debut from Maggie Gyllenhal. She learned all her directing chops in ‘The deuce’ as we know.

‘The hand of god’ by Paolo Sorrentino, based on his own life, also stood out, about a young fella growing up in 1980’s Naples. I found it vivid and fresh and obviously a personal project for the director, whose films I’ll now explore a bit more.

Not sure why I persevered with Harlan Coben’s ‘Stay close’ to the bitter end. I can understand why people enjoy the books and the series but for me it’s just too much story. Too many twists for the sake of twists, sort of like fast food, easy to consume but quickly forgotten.

Theatre

For my Mum’s birthday I thought it would be a nice treat to have a bit of food then follow it up with something different - ‘A Night at the Opera’ in the Marketplace theatre, courtesy of the Ulster touring Opera. Neither of us had been to an opera before so weren’t sure what to expect but we had a great night. With a Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Tenor and Baritone and a wonderful pianist, they performed some classics from the Barber of Seville, Tosca and La Boheme to name just a few. Reminded me that the human voice is the greatest instrument of all. Definitely want to try a full opera now. Most importantly of all, mum loved it.

Music

Still enjoying Floating points with Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra, three months since I got it on vinyl. A couple of times a week I need to put this on. It’s difficult to describe the affect this music has on me. It’s a mixture of Jazz, Orchestral, electronic, it weaves soundscapes, it soothes me, it’s minimalist beauty allows me to think of clouds or waves. See? I tried. I can’t. It’s just a masterpiece.

John Kelly of Lyric Fm continues to play a great selection of eclectic music, really been enjoying some of the Miles Davis and Charlie Parker works in the past week. He has a great way of mixing the old with the new, and I almost always come away from the show with a new artist to explore.

Of course I had to get some vinyl in this month - Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace’. Also received a couple in the post from a vinyl club that I’d forgotten about, and has subsequently folded - David Kitt’s ‘20’ which sees him reinterpreting his earlier works, and Tears for Fears ‘Songs from the big chair’ featuring ‘head over heels’ ‘shout’ and ‘Everybody wants to rule the world’ - can’t think why that’s stuck in my head this week. I also remember running to this song around the mall for charity - Everybody wants to RUN the world, it was imaginatively entitled. Here’s a great cover of head over heels by Japanese breakfast.

Books

Got plenty of reading in. ‘Dance Move’ by Wendy Erskine was a really strong collection of short stories and ‘The salt path’ by Raynor Winn was an uplifting travel/nature book of human strength and endurance. ‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley will no doubt shoot up the bestsellers lists and ‘The lonely century’ by Noreena Hertz was a sobering but fascinating account of how society is failing to deal with the problem of loneliness with disastrous consequences for the future. I hope to finish reading/listening to Paul McCartney’s book this month, I think part of me doesn’t want as I’ve been having such a good time with it.

Thanks for reading and keep ‘er between the ditches.