What Wednesday #35
Today look away and don’t read my opinion on Netflix’s Unfortunate show.
What Wednesday is where I talk about what I’m watching, reading, playing, etc, because for some reason I think you’ll find that interesting. If you have recommendations, I’d love to hear them :)
What I’m Watching: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix)
Disclaimer: I’ve never seen the Jim Carrey movie, or read the books, so I’m coming in blind. Like, I thought Lemony Snicket was the name of the main character, not the author. Whoops. Well, 3 episodes in, it’s been a good time so far. But I’m not sure I love it.
I’m probably at a disadvantage for having not read the books when I was younger, because on paper, it should be right up my alley: creepy but goofy, with a Tim Burton Big Fish crossed with Edward Scissorhands vibe, and a penchant for breaking the 4th wall and ridiculous word play. Neil Patrick Harris is great fun, Patrick Warburton nails his special brand of deadpan humor as Lemony Snicket (is this why he couldn’t do the new Tick?) and the kids are also nicely acted. But it all leaves me a little cold. I don’t know why exactly. It’s a tricky line to walk (disturbing without being too disturbing, weird without being too weird), and I’m not sure it nails it. Who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind by the end.
What I’m Also Watching: Batman: The Animated Series (Amazon Prime Video)
This show is basically the perfect animated comic book show. It’s the greatest. Period. Best music, best art style, best hero, best villains, best everything. It was one of the first animated shows to take kids seriously, and because of that it still stands up really well. If you’re looking to kill a Saturday morning, look no further than the ultimate Saturday morning cartoon.
What I’m Hearing: Hiss Golden Messenger (Neighborhood Theater)
Durham’s Hiss Golden Messenger sneaked into my list of Top 5 albums last year, and I was lucky enough this past Sunday to catch MC Taylor and his band perform down the road at Neighborhood Theatre (so awesome to be able to walk to a concert from my house…I love NoDa). They brought the perfect blend of soul, folk, and jam band. Lots of head bobbing, guitar solos, and fierce piano playing made for a great show.
(Side note: the drummer is in Bon Iver and the pianist also used to play with Justin Vernon before he formed Bon Iver, among other well regarded bands like Megafaun. Good pedigree there.)
After the concert, I decided to do a deep dive into his past work, where I came to find out that Taylor recorded the first Hiss Golden Messenger album on a cassette player in his kitchen while his newborn son slept in the other room. You can tell he’s basically whispering the lyrics so not to wake his son up. It’s cool to know that creativity continues into fatherhood. Although this most recent album is focused around his guilt of touring and traveling away from his family. I’ll know that feeling soon enough…
