Published inHuman Parts·PinnedMember-onlyI Am So Out of TuneA complicated love letter to music — This is a love letter. It’s also a story about depression and autism and music, but it’s still a love letter. Remember that as you are reading this. And if you know me or care about me a little, please know that I’m okay. I am. I’m not great, but…Music6 min readMusic6 min read
Aug 10Member-onlyOn Turning 40 and Not Fearing AgingThere was a TV show I used to watch called Eerie, Indiana. One of the characters was known as “the Kid with Gray Hair.” And I think ever since then I’ve wanted to go gray. …Aging4 min readAging4 min read
Aug 9Min Yoongi, Music, and the Power of VulnerabilityThis past Sunday morning, I livestreamed Min Yoongi’s (i.e., Suga/Agust D’s) final D-Day tour concert. Near the end of the concert, he performed the following songs in sequence: “Life Goes On,” “Snooze,” “Dear My Friend,” and “Amygdala.” “Life Goes On” is about the inevitable passage of time and the way…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Mar 29What RM’s Indigo Says About the Truth, the Self, and Being HumanThere’s a lot of lyric analysis one could do of RM’s Indigo (2022), of RM’s entire discography, really. But I want to follow three threads, because these threads are how I most relate to his music and to his words*. The first is seeking truth. The…Indigo11 min readIndigo11 min read
Jan 1Member-onlyOn Love and AngerA desperate plea for all of us to do better As 2022 comes to an end, I’ve been thinking about love. I’ve also been feeling anger. What do these things have to do with each other? A lot, as it turns out. I edited an article this year about love…New Year6 min readNew Year6 min read
Nov 20, 2022Member-onlyLosing Access to TruthWhat the fall of Twitter means and why we should call out naked emperors — If you aren’t on Twitter, you probably haven’t thought much of its ongoing drama and what may be its impending collapse. I am on Twitter. It’s where I go for news and real-time information and has been for years. It has changed the way media and advertising and marketing work…Twitter11 min readTwitter11 min read
Aug 11, 2022Member-onlyHow to Be Alone (on Your Birthday or Any Other Day)Today is my birthday. I’m not a big fan, not because I mind getting older so much as I’m just not a celebratory person. But a dear friend of mine once said she feels like it’s worthwhile to acknowledge her birthday with gratitude, because she knows enough people who haven’t…Personal4 min readPersonal4 min read
Aug 7, 2022Postlude: Tablo, “Getting Ahead,” and the Age of Anger(A follow up to my series on fame, but each part stands alone | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Interlude | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6) One of the reasons I’m interested in fame and why I think it’s a microcosm that demonstrates…Celebrity9 min readCelebrity9 min read
Jun 2, 2022Member-onlyWhen Queer Isn’t Queer EnoughI have mixed feelings every June. And at every pride parade I’ve ever attended. Because I don’t fit neatly into one of the first four letters. I can fit myself approximately into pre-existing microlabels — the ones that many people roll their eyes at (I’m approximately agender/aromantic/asexual, but not exactly…Pride4 min readPride4 min read
Feb 13, 2022Member-onlyA Pandemic Doesn’t End Just Because You Want It ToWhat they don’t tell you when you learn about the Plague or the 1918 influenza pandemic is how unfathomably annoying everyone will be. Set aside the politicization for a moment. There are people out here, nearly two years in, whining about wearing masks and restaurants closing and wanting to go…Pandemic9 min readPandemic9 min read
