~notes~ (Vol. 1)

First Breath: Sexy Sadboy DJs and Endless Apps at TGI Friday’s

Mad’s Music Mix

“Pilgrims” by Johnny Lloyd: Shimmering guitar with a “Pumped up Kicks” chugging beat. Things this song evokes for me: Mark Knopfler(of Dire Straits) and the background music played in Freddi the Fish(of my childhood CD-ROM collection).

To my Brklyn peeps, a highlight off of Lana Del Rey’s newest album: Brooklyn Baby. I did a double take with this one, where surprisingly her opening line (“They say I’m too young to love you”) is in reference to a love of oldies a la Lou Reed and Beat poets/musicians, not her usual penchant for loving on old men. Also cuz Brooklyn bbs are way cooler than their boyfriends.

Killer remix: 2 On (TOKiMONSTA Remix)Tinashe and ScHoolBoy Q’s R&B banger gets even bangier with this rework.

“On an On” by Autre Ne Veut- Poppy and soulful, this guy is definitely an artist to watch. He just knows how to make a catchy song. I first heard this song last summer and it has been in constant rotation on my Favorites Playlist ever since. See also another of his gems: Counting.

Childish Gambino gets freaky on NASA song “Hide,” propositioning an intimate rendezvous in an aquarium. How could you say no? Plus a fun Tinder shoutout.

Music Vid Pick: Ryan Hemsworth ft. Tinashe: Just another day in the life of my favorite sexy sadboy DJ, Ryan Hemsworth.

Finally, introducing a special category of song that has me the most excited. For those of you who don’t know, I tend to express my music enthusiasm mainly and most distinctly though a specific body part: my wrists. If my wrists are a moving, then the music is a grooving.

This week, my wrists are feeling on Pell, a NOLA rapper with a flow like Chance and moon beats like Cudi. Pell yeah.

Jeff’s Journo Jems

The Sad, Strange, True Story of Sandy Allen, the Tallest Woman in the World [BuzzFeed]: My favorite profiles center on obscure characters and topics — blips on anyone’s historical radar. And this one more than delivers. I love the set up of this piece: the author shares the name with the tallest woman in the world, and decides to seek out her story. But it doesn’t just focus on her height. You learn so much about Sandy as a person and the many people she impacted along the way.

Sex Without Fear [New York Mag]: I first heard about Truvada — a drug used as a treatment for HIV-positive patients and as a way to prevent HIV infection in others — from my friend Meghan after she read “What is Safe Sex? The Raw and Uncomfortable Truth About Truvada” on Gawker last March. I was surprised, and a little bit embarrassed, that I had never heard of the drug before. A few months later, the topic has saturated conversation in gay circles, culminating in the publication of this cover story in last week’s New York magazine. Both the NYMag and Gawker stories are worth a read.
For Chloe [Frank Chimero Blog]: Frank Chimero is one of those writers who always gets me thinking. His perspective on the world, and the clarity with which he describes it, is incredible. Last week, he penned this obituary of a close friend. It follows few conventions and is so much the better for it.
My 14-Hour Search for the End of TGI Friday’s Endless Appetizers [Gawker]: There is one story each week that I inevitably feel the need to share with all of my friends. This week I couldn’t stop talking about Caity Weaver’s 14-hour stint at TGI Friday’s to test the limits of the restaurant chain’s endless appetizers deal. The premise is David Sedaris quirky and the writing is equally as funny. It’s long for this style of story, but you won’t find yourself wanting to come up for air.

Throwback: Blindsided: The Jerry Joseph Basketball Scandal [GQ]: I’m not going to pretend to know anything about sports, but there’s something about sports stories that keep me coming back. This piece follows the story of a Texas basketball superstar whose skills and aptitude on the court seem too good to be true. They are.