In our November issue, we asked our staff: What are you obsessed with right now?
The LadyGang podcast, hosted by three women in L.A. who talk in a raw, shockingly honest manner. Celebrity guests contribute to the hilarious antics.
— Mandy Wood, advertising account executive
The Head and the Heart’s “All We Ever Knew.” And açaí bowls with loads of granola on top.
— Dahlen Mitzalis, editorial intern
Sufjan Stevens’ Call Me by Your Name soundtrack, which feels like every season. I am in my purest form when I listen to it. Give it a listen if you enjoy melancholic music.
— Maya O. McKenzie, editorial intern
Writer-artist-“martyr of the ’90s culture wars,” as art critic Jerry Saltz described him: The late David Wojnarowicz, whose searing political essays on queer life in a country hellbent on destroying queer life feel as timely now as ever, and whose oft-used collage image of several clocks now permanently adorns my arm.
— Dylon Jones, web editor
For a master class on opening up, watch comedian Neal Brennan’s Netflix special 3 Mics. He uses one microphone for one-liners and a second one for traditional stand-up comedy, but his real contribution is the third mic, the one in the middle, which is for “emotional stuff.” He goes back and forth between all three microphones, and each time he gets to the middle one he reveals more about his own suffering and struggles. The live connection is palpable, even through a screen. What if we asked our politicians to use three mics: one for speeches, one for talking points, one for “emotional stuff”? What if we forced ourselves to speak into the third mic more often?
— Matthew Barzun, publisher
I am way too obsessed these days with Nothing Bundt Cakes. (There’s one in Louisville on Shelbyville Road.) I first experienced this deliciousness at a tasting event a couple years ago and have been hooked ever since. They are beautiful and unbelievably moist (there, I said it), and the freshness lasts for days. All flavors are delicious, but red velvet and chocolate are my faves. They have large and small bundt cakes, a mid-sized “bundtlet” and little “bundtinis” that are similar in size to a cupcake. I’m not embarrassed to say I’ve been there twice in the past week.
— Stacey Hallahan, advertising director
Twitter, dreams, why people believe lies, privilege, strawberry ice cream, that musty smell in my basement, soup, pickled beets, erasers, and the super-creepy and brilliantly illustrated Rusty Lake mystery game apps.
—Suki Anderson, art director
The perfect channel names on SiriusXM: The Joint (reggae), Rock the Bells (hip-hop oldies), Lithium (grunge), BPM (as in “beats per minute” for EDM, as in “electronic dance music”). Liquid Metal scares me so much that I typically can’t stay tuned in for more than a second or two. Heard a band on there the other day called — well, how do I say this? Hint: Rhymes with Missing Blazers. Yep, you got it: Pissing Razors.
— Josh Moss, editor
The band the Front Bottoms, scoring baseball games, New Wave Burritos, the video game Hollow Knight, the show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Bosboo candles.
— Alexandra Winters, assistant web editor
I could write a monthly column about what I am obsessed with, but I will give you the short version: This month it would be I Am a Killer on Netflix and, when it comes to music, K.Flay, Billie Eilish and MISSIO.
— Lindsay Flint, advertising production coordinator
I recently drove across town during rush hour just to get this fig jam at Fresh Market that my mom got me hooked on. When paired with Brie, it causes blissful eye-rolls. Also: I’ve been feeding my nostalgia for elementary school with feel-good ’90s R&B slow jams, like Monica’s “For You I Will” (remember Space Jam!?) and Whitney Houston’s “My Love Is Your Love.” (Actually, everything off Whitney’s My Love Is Your Love album.) I had my girlfriends over last week, and, after enjoying a bit of the fig jam-Brie combo, we lounged around in the living room and sang along to “I Believe I Can Fly.” Also: karaoke.
— Mary Chellis Nelson, managing editor
