Happy Medium Club: Volume 6
"It makes me want to fall in love with someone who is nice."
Today, we’re talking about good television, history-making pop music, and other stuff. Which reminds me, you should check out the HMC: Volume 6 playlist on Spotify—it’s inspired by good television, history-making pop music, and other stuff.
Stream HMC: Volume 6
Taylor Swift’s Midnights: 3-Sentence Reviews of Each Track
(Including a few run-on sentences)
By Dom
On its release night, I listened to “Midnights” on repeat from 11 PM to 2 AM CST. Then I went to sleep for a few hours and then listened to it on repeat from 5 AM to 8 PM.
It’s a great album. As of now, my top three songs are Vigilante Shit, Snow on the Beach, and Sweet Nothing.
But I love each track for different reasons. Here’s what I mean.
Lavender Haze
This is a great choice for an album opener. The first words are literally, “meet me at Midnight,” and everyone knows I love an on-the-nose queen. I am obsessed with songs about being unbothered, so I don’t know which lyric I like better: “Get it off your chest, get it off my desk” or “I find it dizzying, they’re bringing up my history, but you weren’t even listening.”
Maroon
The hook, I love. The lyrics, I love. The instrumentals, however, are a little boring and remind me of the filler music Taylor played between songs on the Reputation tour.
Anti-hero
Good, great, and amazing. This song is the thesis of the album. And the cute little scene break in the music video featuring John Early (watch his Tonight Show segment with Kate Berlant immediately), Mike Birbiglia (watch all of his Netflix specials immediately), and Mary Elizabeth Ellis (watch “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Immediately [I haven’t seen it, TBH]).
Snow on the Beach
This is one of the most beautiful songs in the Milky Way Galaxy. Lana’s and Taylor’s voices mesh together so well, and the lyrics are so dreamy and good. It makes me want to fall in love with someone who is nice.
You’re On Your Own, Kid.
Reflecting on a heartbreak she experienced at age 19, this song comes after a decade of introspection. It shows. It’s equal parts despondent, optimistic, good, and sad.
Midnight Rain
It hasn’t made an impact on me yet. I’m sure I’ll love it in 5-6 weeks after I’ve over-played my current favorites. This album has no skips, and even its lower-points are still great songs.
Question…?
I love this song a lot, and it’s definitely in my top five. But I have no idea what is going on in the lyrics (is she reminiscing about her relationship with Fake Gyllenhall before it turned sour? Is it a follow-up to her rhetorical question in the 10-minute version of All Too Well: “Just between us, did the love affair maim you, too?”). It seems like there are a lot of inside jokes going on here, and I feel very left out.
Vigilante Shit
The first time I heard this song, I stopped in my tracks and immediately decided to change my entire personality to match its energy. I listen to it when I’m getting ready—every day. I love chaos, and this song is chaotic.
Bejeweled
Good, incredible, and great. And the MUSIC VIDEO. LAURA DERN?!
Labyrinth
This is a sleeper track. It kind of fades into the background since the album has so many masterpieces. But if you listen closely, this song is such a beautiful sentiment about unexpected love and a second chance at a fractured relationship, like “State of Grace” and “This Love,” respectively.
Karma
Some people say this song is cringe. They are wrong. This song is incredible.
Sweet Nothing
Definitely in my top three. It’s fun to listen to this song while doing boring or mundane stuff—washing dishes, walking around the grocery store, staring at the ceiling while eating Milk Duds from the front pocket of your shirt. It’s such a sweet song about the beauty of living a quiet life with someone you love.
Mastermind
Taylor “Raconteur” Swift gave us a song with a twist ending. In “Mastermind,” Swift walks us through the chain of events as she tries to orchestrate a perfect meet-cute and subsequent relationship with Joseph Alwyn, and she thinks she’s pulling the strings and staying several steps ahead of him. But little baby Joe knew what was going on the whole time.
Okay, no offense, but it is so late right now, and I’m tired of sitting at my computer. I’d rather go listen to “Sweet Nothing” while I stare at the ceiling and eat Milk Duds out of my front pocket. AKA, I’m not going to review the 3 AM tracks because I am prioritizing my mental health over content creation.
Okay, I’m sorry! If it helps, you can read this article I wrote, assigning an Enneagram number to each track on the album—including the 3 a.m. songs. 😅
You should watch “Ramy”
By Joel
In Vol. 5, I shared a list of shows I encouraged you to watch without any explanation.
In this volume, I'm highlighting Ramy, a comedy about Ramy, a thirty-something, Egyptian Muslim living in New Jersey.
I've enjoyed the humor in the show, but I've really connected with how Ramy navigates his family, religion, and culture.
It's beautiful to watch a show that isn't about a white 30-something-year-old looking for his wife in New York.
There's a lot of humor sandwiched in between the realness of his life. If you're looking for a show to watch, don't look past Ramy.
Meet Michael: Pop Music Enthusiast, Podcast Host, Menace to Society
By Dom
If you don’t know Michael Limentato (AKA MikeyXCX), you should! Alongside Andrew Ambrose Lee and Sean Wilkinson, he co-hosts I’ve Been Meaning to Listen to That, a podcast featuring an assortment of guests and wholesome conversations about various albums. It’s the perfect podcast to listen to if you want some company while you’re going about your day. And it is so funny.
But this blurb is not about funny. We are here for business. Specifically, we are here to address a serious issue we face as a society in 2022: We have too much pop music.
Hear me out. We have too much pop music and not enough time to listen to all of it.
WE ARE IN A RENAISSANCE. NO PUN INTENDED.
So if you’re overwhelmed by the options, Mr. XCX graciously curated a 2022 Pop Music Essentials Starter Pack for you. It contains five songs from the past year, hemmed by people at the “forefront of the pop music scene,” as Michael puts it.
We’ve got:
Talking to Yourself by Carly Rae Jepsen
Black Mascara. by RAYE
AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM by Beyoncé
Baby by Charli XCX
Send my Love to John by Rina Sawayama
Let’s dig in!
TALKING TO YOURSELF BY CARLY RAE JEPSEN
Dom: This song is incredible.
Michael: She’s probably one of my favorite personas in pop music. She’s very cutesy in the music she makes. I saw a tweet one time that said her music was like a little adult fairytale.
I saw her play at the House of Blues in Dallas, and she played literally every song you’d want her to play. I realize people see her as the “Call Me Maybe” girl, and she has fun with that too. She’ll perform it, but it’s kind of like, “okaaaay, if I gotta.”
But it seems like she likes that she had the big hit and she likes that now she has her little gay following that loves her. You know?
Dom: Yes. Little gay following resonates. Even separately from her music. Her music is great, but I also see her as a friend. Not just to me, but to the gays. I don’t know what it is.
Michael: I think she feels like your “Not Funny, But Sweet Friend.”
Dom: *Cackles*
Michael: I saw this clip of her playing at a show, and she said, “I hope you guys like my new album…which is apparently coming out the same day as Taylor Swift’s new album.” And then she kind of laughs. And I was like, are you mad? This is so cute that you’re mad.
Dom: omg.
Michael: Taylor Swift is the bully of Carly Rae Jepsen.
Dom: [redacted]
Michael: Remember when Katy Perry released her new album and Taylor Swift put all her music on Spotify that same day?
Dom: [REDACTED!!!]
Michael: Yeah, as a surprise.
BLACK MASCARA BY RAYE
Dom: *Listens to the song. Is speechless for a second*
Dom: *Immediately adds this song to four playlists*
Michael: So—
Dom: THIS SONG IS INCREDIBLE.
LET’S TAKE A QUICK BREAK TO TALK ABOUT THE STARS.
*This is not part of the Q&A with Mikey XCX. But the song Black Mascara reminded me about some celestial current events*
In case you missed it, Mars entered retrograde on October 31. It’ll be in retrograde for like 2.5 months. If you want to read about it, here’s a helpful article. But I really recommend the Something About Astrology podcast from Chris and Almie. It’s just a wonderfully made, charming podcast. So informative. So warm.
Gross Oversimplification: When Mars enters retrograde, our conflict barometer gets a little discombobulated. Mars is the planet of aggression and action. So when Mars is in retrograde, our drive to get things done or resolve conflict can feel a little out of whack.
But we can use this to our benefit. While we may not be as prone to action during this season, we can consider drawing the Mars Uno Reverse card when we want to revisit unresolved, internal conflicts from your past. Sit, reflect, process, breathe, eat Milk Duds from the front pocket of your shirt. But think twice before you snap on your friends in the group chat. Seriously. I did that a few weeks ago and I still feel bad. Sorry, Roger. And Steven. And Billy.
Anyways, Black Mascara reminds me of Mars in Retrograde because it follows Raye as she processes a heartbreak and decides to resolve her conflict by being so very hot.
Okay, back to our original programming.
Dom: THIS SONG IS INCREDIBLE.
Michael: I really like Raye. She’s part of the British Pop Invasion. I realized Beyonce is the only person on this playlist who’s American. Carly Rae is from Canada, and everyone else is from the UK.
But Raye notoriously has some issues with her label—she can’t release the music she wants to release. Which I find very funny because she releases probably 30 songs a year. She is extremely prolific at releasing singles. But I think she probably wants to release albums.
And I do think the music she gets to release is pretty manufactured, like (Black Mascara). She’s like the best spin class music you’ll ever hear.
Dom: [At this point, I accidentally stopped recording my audio, so I don’t know what I said in response to Mikey XCX].
Michael: Yes. It’s exactly four minutes long, so this song was invented for spin class.
Dom: [UNKNOWN]
Michael: It’s a hit. We’ve got a hit on our hands. A bonafide hit. It’s a Top 40 in gay music, which is a Top 500 song for the general public.
Dom: [UNKNOWN]
Okay, this segment is officially to-be-continued.
I will—somehow—secure the audio file. And in Volume 7, Mikey XCX and Dom Johnson will return to discuss America Has a Problem, Baby, and Send My Love to John.
In the meantime, check out I’ve Been Meaning to Listen to That. Or else!
It’s seriously so good. The last episode prompted me to listen to the Hadestown musical soundtrack. Even though I famously hate musicals. Except for Hairspray and the Lion King (1994). But I had so much FOMO hearing the hosts talk about each of the tracks on the album.
I also really like any of their episodes about the Beatles because Michael hates the Beatles. Check out: “The Beatles: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band w/ Grace Spellman.”
And stay tuned for more pop music musings and reflections from Mikey XCX.
8 movies you should revisit this fall
By Iyanu Reeves
i read joel’s television recap in volume 5, and it inspired me to share eight movies you should revisit this fall. (or watch for the first time idc).
rush hour 1, 2, and 3
it’s the best buddy cop movie franchise. it has it all: irreverent humor, a bit of romance (thanks to chris tucker’s character, carter, hitting on every woman that walks by him), and a lot of bromance. nothing’s better than lee, played by jackie chan, and carter’s disdain for each other turn into friendship and finally evolves into brotherhood. it’s the perfect movie marathon.
she’s all that
ok. this movie is the quintessential teen flick. it has a makeover, popular kid + geek romance, but it’s just so good. leading the cast is the PERFECT freddie prinze jr, but the movie also has a lot of recognizable stars like gabrielle union, usher, lil kim, and paul walker. plus, it has a cameo from sarah michelle geller.
hitch
when I was in high school, I went through a phase where I watched this movie AT LEAST once a month. years later, it’s still good. while i’m not saying take dating advice from this 2005 movie, i’d say it holds up better than a lot of movies from its time.
coming to america
eddie murphy and arsenio hall play like 10 characters each in this movie, and that’s what adds to its allure. they’re the perfect duo, and this movie gets funnier with each watch.
legally blonde
a lot of “feminist” movies fail, but legally blonde is not that. she goes to law school for a man, but she ended up staying true to herself the whole way through. her sorority sisters support her dreams, and in the end, her knowledge of “girly” things wins a murder case. and because of elle woods, we now have every other female law student posting “what, like it’s hard?” when they graduate :)
little miss sunshine
i. love. this. movie. everything about it is perfect. the cast is incomparable, and the script is brilliant. it’s an unconventional road trip movie, perfect for the unconventional pageant girl.
chef
speaking of unconventional road trip movies, chef is another great addition to this list. before he was directing avenger movies (or during idk man i’m not googling stuff), jon faverau starred in and directed this film about a chef launching a food truck. It’s heartwarming, and it motivated me to cook instead of ordering takeout. a win-win.
looper
honestly, i’m adding this, so I remember to rewatch this. it’s a time-traveling sci-fi flick, but not cliche at all. it features a cool twist with joseph gordon levitt being hired to kill his future self, played by bruce willis. (not a spoiler that’s literally the movie description).
bonus movie: slum dog millionaire. why? dev patel.
Fantasy Football Update: The Year of the Wide Receiver
What’s new with my Three-Wide-Receiver Fantasy Football League?
By Joel
This year has been an interesting one for fantasy football with the fall in running-back production. More passing and less rushing have cleared the path for a league dominated by high WR usage and scoring.
Random Disclaimer: this is coming from me, a guy who poorly photoshopped a picture of Devante, Kupp, and Jefferson on a dragon as my dream fantasy team.
How it's going for me:
I drafted Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, and Michael Pittman with my first three picks. I also drafted Jaylen Waddle, who has had a breakout season thanks in part to Tyreke Hill and Tua Tagovailoa.
Stefon Diggs is the number 2 WR in my league and has 168.8 points for an average of 28.10 points a week. He and Josh Allen look invincible and primed to win a super bowl together, barring any major injuries.
Davante Adams is the number 6 WR in my league, even after his bye week. Sadly his QB is Dereck Carr, so he isn't doing as well as he did last year - even though he's scored 114.40 points in 6 games. He is still one of my favorite players, and I am hoping that he keeps doing well. He had Micheal Pittman as my 3rd pick in this draft, but he has been struggling with a quad injury and the poor play of Matt Ryan, lol. He's ranked 14th in the league with a total of point 91.70 points in 5 games (he was ruled out in week 2 due to injury) this season.
My second-best player is Jaylen Waddle, who I traded away... But I got Tyreke Hill, so I've made a huge improvement by getting the number 1 guy on one of the best offenses in the league.
Conclusion
I am currently 1st in my league. It's a long season, but I hope I win it all. These numbers are going to be a little different when this is published, but I'm here to tell you that it's working out well for me.
UNHAPPY BITS
(Curated by Kyle)
I am in no way a picky or cynical person (which is exactly something a picky or cynical person would say), but random things seem to bother me every now and then. These are a few niche things that have bugged me in recent memory:
Bonfires
Bonfires should only fall on the days Friday & Saturday. The other week I went to a bonfire on a Monday night, and I left smelling like an ashtray. I had planned on wearing the jacket & jeans I wore to that bonfire throughout the week, but I couldn’t because I take pride in smelling good, so I had to throw the clothes in the hamper. I only do laundry on the weekends, so holding a bonfire on the weekend lines up perfectly with my laundry schedule.
Gatekeeping Sauce
I love dipping sauce, preferably ranch. When I go to a restaurant, and I ask for THREE ranches, I am sincerely asking for THREE ranches. When the waiter/waitress comes out with my food, and there’s only ONE side of ranch. Truly no worse feeling. I still make sure to tip my 15-20% tho.
Meals Before 11:59 AM
Any meal before 11:59 AM that is NOT breakfast is unacceptable. Last year one of my friends was in town (if you’re reading this, you know who you are), and it was 10:30 AM & this person suggested Mexican food. Chips & salsa and a carne asada quesadilla at that hour are insane!
The other month, I had suggested to my 16-year-old cousin we get breakfast. This guy suggests Chinese food. I had general tso’s chicken for breakfast that morning.
Dome Lids
My biggest fear is going on a coffee date with a girl, and I order a drink, and the barista tells me,
“We ran out of normal lids, but we have these dome ones if that's cool with you?”.
Imagine me sipping out of my dome lid drink after I say something serious.
Thanks for reading! It means a lot.
Happy Holidays. 😈
I took acid the other month and tried to watch Rush Hour 3 but I couldn't get passed the crazy fight scene at the dojo. 2007 was a different time for sure.
Nice.