Soooo Many Links...
A roundup, plus: Introducing The Oldster Top 10, music recommendations from Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld.
I tend to read, watch, and listen to an awful lot of Oldster-adjacent content. Now and then I’ll pass some of it along to you in a link roundup like this one.
This week there’s a bonus at the bottom: The Oldster Top 10, a list of songs for those looking for new music, from Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld.
“At the ages of 68 and 66, respectively, Evert and Navratilova have found themselves more intertwined than ever, by an unwelcome factor. You want to meet an opponent who draws you nearer in mutual understanding? Try having cancer at the same time.” - in the Washington Post, Sally Jenkins writes about Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, once rivals on the tennis court, now helping each other through their battles with cancer.
- satirizes And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot, now in its second season on Max.
“Honoring each of the years ending in a five or zero — what I call the big ones — I challenged myself to do the ‘impossible.’” - in NextAvenue,
on walking the Camino de Santiago for her 75th birthday. (Nancy Jainchill also published “What I Learned from Doing Amateur Porn in My 20s” in Oldster.)“‘There is always two-way learning that can happen between folks of different age groups,’ says Steven Balbo, a 26-year-old data analyst living in Littleton, Colorado.” - also in NextAvenue, Sarah McKinney Gibson writes about Cliff Shaffran, 89, and Steven Balbo, 26, friends who met through Generation Exchange, a program that pairs old people with young people who can teach them the latest technologies.
I can’t stop reading this website about Vasomotor Symptoms (VMS), aka hot flashes and night sweats. (Related: I also can’t stop having them. 🔥)
“The average 80-year-old remembers half as much as they did when they were 50. But ‘SuperAgers’ experience no such decline. Their memory can actually improve in that 30 year span.” - at InsideHook, Tanner Garrity on The Best Practices of “Cognitive SuperAgers.”
“Seven book deals later, l can confidently say there’s plenty of room for late bloomers in the publishing industry.” - in Writer’s Digest, bestselling author
on getting her start as a published author at 48.“James M. Cain was an Annapolis, Maryland native who had worked several jobs before becoming a middle-aged novelist; he was forty-two when The Postman Always Rings Twice was published.” - at CrimeReads, Oldster Magazine contributor Michael A. Gonzales writes about the late James M. Cain, another author who got started in middle age, and who, Gonzales writes, became “the king of infidelity noir” before passing away at 85,in 1977.
Have read this week’s personal essay, an excerpt of
’s collection, The Mortality Shot?How about this week’s Questionnaire, featuring María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado?
Today is apparently National Day of Rock & Roll. It’s also the 46th birthday of Manic Panic, the iconic hair dye company owned by sister musicians Patrice "Tish" and Eileen "Snooky" Bellomo, which began as a punk rock store in the East Village on 7/7/77. - via Atlas Obscura.
🚨Bonus! Introducing The Oldster Top 10 by Cliff Chenfeld
(“National Day of Rock & Roll” seems like the perfect time to launch this…)Remember that open thread from last December asking how we find new music as older people relatively set in our listening ways? Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld is on the case! Here, he recommends 10 new songs—a new monthly feature. Cliff writes:
You want to discover new music and artists but finding new music these days is a challenge. Welcome to the debut of the Oldster Top 10, where we feature 10 new songs from mostly new artists who are making inspired, forward looking accessible contemporary music. Having millions of songs at your fingertips is one of the coolest things that has happened in the 21st century but it can be daunting to find the jewels amongst the tonnage. We are here to make that discovery much easier for you. You can find all of these songs on the Modern Sounds playlist on Spotify.
Boy Genius — “Not Strong Enough” — Indie supergroup of late 20s established female singer-songwriters have released one of the best albums of the year and killed it at Coachella.
Sault — “Wildfires” -Mysterious British soul collective throwing plenty of socially conscious funk out there.
The War On Drugs — “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” — Mesmerizing, epic band that has made some of the most compelling music of the last decade.
Caroline Polachek — “Welcome To My Island” — Ambitious, theatrical, multi-talented artist whose recent sold out Radio City show was a true event.
The National and Bon Iver — “Weird Goodbyes” — Indie stalwarts craft a poignant and unforgettable song about memory and loss.
Jesse Ware — “Pearls” — Undeniable disco-ish delight from fabulous Brit singer.
Weyes Blood — “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody” — Natalie Mering performs as Weyes Blood, one of the smartest songwriters out there with an ethereal voice that evokes Carole King and Karen Carpenter.
Gabriels — “Love and Hate In A Different Time” — Gospel tinged plea with a cant-miss video.
Sofi Tukker — “Summer In New York” — Infectious dance pop track from this irrepressible duo with a call out to “Tom’s Diner”
Neil Francis — “Can’t Stop The Rain” — Charismatic vocalist/pianist channels Leon Russell, Traffic and more but keeps it fresh.
That’s all I’ve got. Have a great weekend!
-Sari
WOW so much great stuff here! As far as music goes, I like some of the recs in Cliff's list, but I also want to plug some fantastic new music that's made by midlife women. Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan As Police Woman, Lucinda Williams (in her 70s!) and my dear friend Celia Chavez all released amazing records this year. Here's Celia's record: https://celiachavez.bandcamp.com/album/if-i-ever-think-to-double-back
Quick note from someone who works with these VMS drugs: some hot-flashers who don't want or can't use HRT have great results with off-label gabapentin or paroxetine. There's also a new drug called fezolinetant (brand name Veozah) that works well, and through an entirely different mechanism (https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-drug-treat-moderate-severe-hot-flashes-caused-menopause). I like to mention this when it seems appropriate because a lot of menopausal people haven't heard that these are even possibilities.