No Tricks, All Treats
What to read, watch, and listen to this weekend. PLUS: "The Oldster Top 10," Cliff Chenfeld's monthly playlist of new songs for old ears.👂
I tend to read, watch, and listen to a lot of Oldster-adjacent content. Every other Friday I’ll pass some of it along to you in a Link Roundup like this one. If you like what you’re reading here, please hit the ❤️ button to give Oldster a boost in the algorithm.
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Jack DeJohnette, Jazz Drumming’s Surround-Sound of Thunder, Dies at 83 - A.D. Amorosi in Jazz Times.
Happy birthday this week to: Fran Lebowitz, 75; Henry Winkler, 80; and the New York City Subway system, 121.
Fran Lebowitz, an NYC Subway train, and Henry Winkler. Photos vie a Wikimedia Commons. Oh, and also Oldster contributor
. 🎂Hey, look what was an answer in the New York Times Sunday crossword on October 19th. (Is this Daniel Grinberg and Will Shortz fishing for an invitation to take the Oldster Magazine Questionnaire? Any time, guys.)
I really enjoyed Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost, Ben Stiller’s documentary about his parents and whole family, on Apple TV.
I also loved John Candy: I Like Me, another documentary, on Amazon Prime.
“This is my John Candy story. I only have one, but it’s a pretty good one.” - And it is. By Oldster Questionnaire-taker
.- Wants to Make Everybody Laugh - in The New York Times/Style.
A new Vince Gilligan show starring Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn? Sign me right up for Apple TV’s Pluribus, launching Friday, November 7th.
- , and interview the New Journalism icon, now 93.
Gen X is entering its grandparent era – and it’s hitting different - Louise Chunn in The Independent.
‘The Old Paul Was No Longer the New Paul’: McCartney looks back at how he found himself after the Beatles: “For the first time in years, I felt free.” - at Vulture/NYMag, an excerpt of Paul McCartney’s new book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, out next Tuesday, November 4th.
Uncle Hughie: Combat flashbacks, a stylish French girlfriend, and hot jazz were all part of living with my uncle. - Adventures in dementia, courtesy of
in I-D’s Confessional Zine.“Why Are More Retirees Going Back to College?: At Arizona State University, residents pay about $500,000 in entrance fees to live on campus and take classes alongside undergraduates.” - Sarah Bahr in The New York Times.
- ’s Monday essay, except he went back to school for free.
“Here’s why the shutdown has put food stamp benefits at risk” - Tami Luhby at CNN. The lingering U.S. Government shutdown means Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (S.N.A.P) benefits expire tomorrow for recipients who rely on them to eat, and to feed their families. This week I’ve made donations to the food pantry at People’s Place in Kingston, NY, the Kingston Farmer’s Market, and Hudson, NY’s Columbia Kitchen. If you want to help, too, search for your local food pantry at Feeding America, or donate directly to that organization.
- .
“I read recently that once your children turn 18, you’ve already spent 80% of the time you’ll ever spend with them. Ever. Gone, just like their childhoods.” - at Melt With Me,
writes “Walking With My Daughter.”- in The New York Times/Style.
- in The New York Times Magazine.
I’m digging Lily Allen’s new breakup record, West End Girl, not too secretly inspired by the bitter ending of her marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour. - Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter.
Got $8 mil? You can buy Lily Allen and David Harbour’s Cobble Hill home. - Adriane Quinlan at Curbed/NYMag.
“Does ‘Nebraska ’82’ Solve a Springsteen Mystery? Yes and No” - at Rolling Stone, friend of Oldster
reviews Springsteen’s new five-disk set.Congrats to
, this week’s Oldster Magazine Questionnaire subject, whose latest novel, Wreck, is the November pick for Good Morning America’s book club. In case you missed it:“Let’s talk about ageism (and sexism) at work” -
wants to hear from you.“But Who’s Going to Take Care of Me?” The Big, Unspoken Fear of Child-Free Aging -
at Since You Asked.
How about you? Got any recs? Books? Shows? Movies? Music? Plays? Podcasts? Art shows? Places to travel to? Restaurants? Remedies? What’s good?
🚨And now it’s time to put some new music into old ears. 👂 Here’s the monthly Oldster Top 10 by Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld: (PS Last August, at Oldster’s 3rd birthday party I played the Modern Sounds playlist and everyone loved it. Several guests asked me to share the Spotify link.)
Welcome to the Oldster Top 10, where we listen to hundreds of new songs each month to find some wonderful new tracks from noteworthy artists who may not have caught your attention. It’s hard to find the great new music amongst the tonnage, but we are here to make music discovery much easier for you. You can find all of these songs on the Modern Sounds playlist on Spotify. Enjoy!
Kashus Culpepper – Believe – Rising new countryish soul singer nails this heartfelt tune that already sounds like a classic.
Brandi Carlile – Returning To Myself – After spending the last few years helping Joni Mitchell return to the public, Brandi is back with her own new music and reminds us why she is so special.
Parcels – Yougotmefeeling – Ethereal singing, tight playing, Nile Rodgers sounding guitars and a touch of yacht rock has helped this Australian indie/electro pop group reach a larger audience.Lamont Landers – Lotta Love –Unashamedly retro Motown-ish soul that is hard to resist.
Tamino, Mitski – Sanctuary – Rich, hypnotic, intense duet from Tamino, a mesmerizing Belgian-Egyptian singer-songwriter and Mitski, one of the outstanding artists of recent years.
Madison Cunningham – My Full Name – She won the Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2023 and I wouldn’t be surprised if she wins again this year for her elegant new album “Ace.”
Alabama Shakes – Another Life – Brittany Howard sings like no one else, and she is in stellar form in her reunion with the Shakes.
Jeff Tweedy – Caught Up In The Past – New sprawling three-album solo project from the Wilco leader has lots of familiar sounding tracks including this one that may resonate with plenty of Oldsters.
Tame Impala – Dracula – Some of the songs on the new record are impressionistic dance exercises but “Dracula” connects more to the work that has made then so influential over the last 15 years.
Leon Thomas – Mutt – Leon Thomas is one of the breakout R+B stars of the last few years and “Mutt” is the song that has made him a star.
Izzy Escobar – Vendetta – Brand new artist taps into Adele, Amy Winehouse and Elle King with lot of attitude and chops.
Hopefully all of this is enough Oldster-adjacent content to keep us from doom-scrolling through the weekend. If you like what you’re reading here, please hit the ❤️ button to give Oldster a boost in the algorithm.
Thanks as always for reading, for commenting thoughtfully, and for all your support! I really couldn’t do this without you. 🙏 💝
-Sari
Oldster Magazine explores what it means to travel through time in a human body, at every phase of life. It’s a reader-supported publication that pays contributors. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. 🙏 Here’s a discount good through Saturday 11/1…
Thank you for shouting out my recent Substack about peering into the future and wondering aloud, “Who’s going to take care of me?” As our generation looks after aging parents it’s a natural query, especially for those of us without kiddos. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but I am glad to have opened up a dialogue on the topic. Appreciate your leadership in this space and your support!
Love these recommendations. I just did my Substack on film recommendations, ones most people haven’t seen but are too good to miss. Here are mine. https://open.substack.com/pub/bonniegarvin/p/under-your-radar?r=1lsqa7&utm_medium=ios