#86: Take It or Leave It
A monthly-ish drop of things I love
Welcome to Take It or Leave It. Pretty much every month, Paid subscribers will receive a quick hit of things I’m loving.
Most of my writing is long-form and requires time for research between essays. Hopefully, this helps fill in the gaps for you with new finds (or things you want to revisit).
If not, all good. Take it or leave it ✌️
It’s been a minute since my last Take It or Leave It. I didn’t mean to go this long without a new installation, but such is life. Hopefully, you’ve been enjoying the essay drops and Album Club updates. As for what’s been going on with me personally, I turned 32. I saw Dijon open for Zach Bryan. A family of raccoons has been running across our fence. Sometimes, we get a visit from a groundhog. My siblings graduated from high school and college. I survived all three parts of the Summer House reunion and the surprise bonus episode. Also, I somehow survived the cousins group chat after the Knicks won—even though my Wemby glaze almost sent me packing. Either way, I’m happy for my family of Knicks diehards. And I’m just as happy that Love Island USA & UK are on at the same time, once again giving my evenings purpose.
Here are a few things I’ve written recently just in case you missed them:
My latest newsletter essay honors the life and artistic lineage of Tomás Miriti Pacheco, a poet from Columbus who recently passed:
For Tomás
What do I make of my living? My still being here. As a man, as a husband, as a writer. It often feels like we lose the ones who are larger than life, the lives mine could only hold for a time. But in those shared moments, I got to see them for the giants they are.…
For Taylor Lewis’s Luz Films Mag, I wrote about the Knicks’ championship watch parties and gathering around what we love:
For Janel’s Postcards & Playlist series, I wrote about the love language of music:
Thank you for believing in me and my work. There’s more on the way. Much love!
If you’re new to my newsletter and would like to get my essays and monthly obsessions sent directly to your email inbox, tap below to sign up for a Free or Paid subscription to Feels Like Home:
🎙️ My Favorite Lyrics Podcast
I’m loving discourse lately. Give me all the discourse. Elizabeth is confused how I can work with someone talking at me all day, but I like being a part of the conversation even if I can’t actually participate.
My Favorite Lyrics is a podcast hosted by comedian and SNL cast member Devon Walker. Julius Tunstall recently put me onto it, and I’ve been running through the archive ever since. The Drake conversation with Hunter Harris is well worth the listen, but I also enjoyed the Ovrkast. and Mandal episodes.
There are a lot of wild things said in songs that we just let pass, and I appreciate that someone is having these discussions. If I was ever a guest on My Favorite Lyrics, I’m trying to get into Justin Bieber’s fascination with Spider-Man.
There are a few different instances across the SWAG albums where Bieber invokes the masked superhero. On “405,” he sings, “You hit the gas / Spider-Man, Spider-Man on your ass.” Then, on “BETTER MAN,” he says he gets behind “it” like he’s Spider-Man.
I have to assume he’s once again talking about the booty, but how did Spider-Man get in this? And why is this image so poignant for him? Please weigh in if you have answers.
🎵 Music League
What’s a song so good you wish you could erase it from your memory only to hear it again for the first time with fresh ears? What would you choose if you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life? What’s the track you want to blast on the beach while hanging with your friends?
