Content Consumed: Wind of Change, HBO Sundays, and Kindle samples

Happy Tuesday! In case you missed it, there’s been a bit of a rebrand here at Content Consumed with a new schedule. Check it out here.

In today’s edition, we’re chatting about…
📣 Follow Wind of Change down a CIA rabbit hole
🎬 HBO’s Sunday schedule is looking good
📚 On my Kindle sample list this week

Podcast recommendation: Wind of Change

I follow the Moskva down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night, soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change…

Recognize the song? No worries if not. This is “Wind of Change”, a song written by (supposedly) and performed by The Scorpions, an English-language-singing West German rock band, in the very early ‘90s.

But consider this: This revolutionary power ballad, beloved by millions, could have been produced by the CIA to culturally influence and possibly end the Cold War.

Patrick Radden Keefe, a brilliant reporter and author of one of my favorite books, Say Nothing, is eager to discover the truth in his podcast, Wind of Change.

There are bits of evidence here and there. Rumors from within the CIA itself. Questionable interview answers from shady figures. Soon, we’re winding down a path involving powerful managers with massive cocaine deals, Nina Simone’s government-sponsored trip to West Africa, a GI Joe convention in Ohio, and rocker Tommy Lee fighting Russians in the streets of Gorbachev’s Moscow.

So… did the CIA write “Wind of Change”, not frontman Klaus Meine? You’ll have to listen to find out.

P.S. I’m seeing Patrick Radden Keefe, who wrote and produced and hosted this heavily-researched podcast, tomorrow night at a literary event. Yes, I’m asking him for updates. Will let you know what he says.

HBO’s 2023 Sunday schedule is promising

With a new controversial Jeremy Strong piece comes another season of Succession and I could not be more excited.

But that’s not all that HBO is serving up to us on their silver platters this year.

After The Last of Us comes…

Succession, Season 4.
This could be the last season and it’s going to be quite the cultural event. Are Tom and Shiv over? Could Matsson have the last laugh, or will Logan? Are the siblings going to successfully work together?

THEN…

Winning Time, Season 2.
Oof, I really gotta finish Season 1. I only watched two episodes and got distracted. I remember it being great, if a little chaotic in its direction.

AFTER THAT…

The White House Plumbers, Season 1.
This new series is loosely based on the story of a couple of Watergate masterminds, with a fantastic cast: Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Lena Headey, and Judy Greer star.

THEN…

Righteous Gemstones, Season 3.
This sits with Succession at the top of my anticipation list. It’s a near-flawless show in terms of plot, cast, production, etc. in my eyes. I’m on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out where Danny McBride will take the show next.

LATER IN THE SUMMER…

Hard Knocks, Season 19
Not technically a Sunday night HBO show—I think it’s on Tuesdays?—but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited. The Bears, Saints, Jets, and Commanders are all eligible to host it this year.

THEN…

The Idol, Season 1.
The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp star in the semi-meta series about a Hollywood popstar trying to reclaim her career while going off the rails. The production of this kept getting delayed due to, ironically, creative differences.

DON’T FORGET…

True Detective: Night Country.
Will it be as good as the first season? No, but True Detective will keep trying. This season is set in Alaska and follows two (female!) detectives as they investigate the disappearance of six men from a research station.

FINALLY…

Barry, Season 4.
I’ve only seen the first season. I know, I know, stop yelling at me. Time to catch up!

There are a few shows that will probably (though unconfirmed!) skip this year too despite their renewal, like The Rehearsal.

Big shows you certainly won’t see in 2023: House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, and Euphoria. Let them cook!

On my Kindle sample list this week

When I’m having a hard time finding a good book, I praise the Kindle gods and order a few samples. Just to taste-test, you know? On my samples list this week…

• We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe, which literally just came out today and was on my February wanna-reads list. The premise: follow an improbable and life-changing college friendship over the course of forty years.
• A (Not So Lonely) Planet by Karina Kennedy. Don’t mock me! I want to explore more genres this year—and a light, fun, non-Colleen-Hoover romance like this happens to be one of them.
• Barbarian Days by William Finnegan, a memoir about his experiences surfing: “a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life.”
• The Lemon by S.E. Boyd. A murder mystery, but not really. Set in Belfast, a place I’m always fascinated by.

Thanks for reading. That’s all I’ve got for you today. Be sure to subscribe to this Medium column for more. See you tomorrow!

Cheers,
Casey

👉🏼 Get more content over on the Content Consumed Instagram.

👉🏼 Find out what else I’m reading at my Goodreads profile.