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.
A tremendous amount of work goes into publishing Oldster—mine, and that of my contributors. Paid subscriptions keep Oldster going, and allow me to keep paying essayists and interviewers. Through December 31st, save 20% on annual subscriptions.
Thanks to all of those who support my work here! 🙏 P.S. Typos happen. Please forgive me if you find any! - Sari Botton
RIP Jimmy Cliff, Reggae pioneer, who died this week at 81. - Isabella Gomez Sarmiento at NPR.
6 notable songs from Jimmy Cliff, the reggae star who has died at 81 - Hillel Italie at The Associated Press.
Also RIP Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, who died this week at 111. - Omar Jimenez at CNN.
One more—RIP psychiatrist Dr. Carrie Soloway, parent of Joey and Faith Soloway, ex-spouse of Oldster contributor Elaine Soloway, and inspiration for the “Moppa” character in Transparent, a show I absolutely loved. Soloway was 88. - Mitch Dudek, The Chicago Sun-Times.
Dr. Carrie Soloway “She’s My Ex-Spouse: The True Story Behind Transparent” - Elaine Soloway on her late ex, in a piece originally published in 2015 in Harper’s Bazaar.
Dick Van Dyke ‘Feels Pretty Good for 100.’ Here’s Why He’s Optimistic About His Centennial Birthday - Liz McNeil in People Magazine. He was one of my earliest crushes, beginning when he played “Caratacus Potts” in 1968’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Kurtis Blow, Still Blowing: After the rapper’s 1979 hit “Christmas Rappin’,” his song “The Breaks” was the first rap single to go gold. Now he’s embracing the good ole days with a “Legends of Hip-Hop” concert. - David Kamp in The New Yorker
At 95, David Amram Still Makes Music. And Nobody Can Put Him in a Box. - Jon Pareles in The New York Times.
The Midlife Divorce - a new series in NYMag/The Cut.
“Live so you don’t reach the end with regrets.” - Jane Fonda on “Aging & Wisdom: A Conversation on No Regrets | The Look,” a podcast episode with Michelle Obama, Jenna Lyons, and Bethann Hardison.
I really enjoyed Mr. Scorsese, Rebecca Miller’s star-studded five-part documentary about award-winning 83-year-old director Martin Scorsese on Apple TV.
A caregiver’s survival guide: Advice from people who’ve been there. - Kat McGowan and Connie Hanzhang Jin at NPR.
Aging Out of Fucks: The Neuroscience of Why You Suddenly Can’t Pretend Anymore - Ellen Scherr at Life Branches.
A Battle with My Blood: When I was diagnosed with leukemia, my first thought was that this couldn’t be happening to me, to my family. - Journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s daughter, with a devastating essay in The New Yorker about her acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis—and how her cousin is instituting policies at the Department of Health and Human Services that directly hurt her chances of survival.
Six women in their 70s, all married and all mothers and grandmothers, gather twice a month without fail. They credit their close-knit families to their longstanding friendships. - in The New Times, Katie Rosman writes, “Marriages, Kids, Careers: For 44 Years, They’ve Been Talking It Out”
Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody Enter an Elder Seinfeld Era: On their podcast about nothing, they argue, agree, cry, laugh, “and some people like it.” - RachelHandler in NYMag/Vulture. Check out their podcast, Don’t Listen to Us.
Speaking of Lemonada Studio podcasts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has launched a Wiser Than Me newsletter here on Substack.
Shocking Herself Awake: Gail Rice on Reinvention, Risk and Radical Acceptance at 70 - Gail Rice—who wrote “For My 70th Birthday I Hired an Escort” and “Happy Endings” for Oldster—makes an appearance on the We Ain’t Dead Yet podcast.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s Letter from the Editor, next week I’ll interview author John Irving about his new novel, Queen Esther (and much more), for a post that will run on December 10th. If you’re a paid subscriber, you can suggest a question for me to ask him in the paid subscriber chat, at this link.
The Sexting Seniors of Assisted Living: My mother was 83. Her boyfriend was 87. They were having the time of their lives. - Anne Glaser in The New York Times/Modern Love.
Remember listening to records with friends? “For over a decade, I’ve been involved in a devoted listening club with a group of brilliant friends who have great taste in music.” - Vanity Fair writer and Jann Wenner biographer Joe Hagan.
Did you catch my interview with Claudia Lonow about D(e)ad, the comedy she made with her daughter, Isabella Roland, that three generations of her family co-star in? Tomorrow night at 9pm you can catch its virtual red carpet premiere.
Could you use some new glasses? Eyebobs is offering Oldster subscribers 20% off their fun frames.
How about you? Got any recs? Books? Shows? Movies? Music? Plays? Podcasts? Art shows? Places to travel to? Restaurants? What’s good?
Hopefully this is enough Oldster-adjacent content to keep us all entertained and otherwise occupied through the holiday weekend. If you like what you’re reading here, please hit the ❤️ button to give Oldster a boost in the algorithm.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I’m grateful to all of you. Thanks as always for reading, for commenting thoughtfully, and for all your support! I absolutely couldn’t keep Oldster going without you. 🙏 💝 -Sari
It is already rare, and increasingly so, for someone to be egalitarian and generally generous in sharing light with others. This list of links to other sites reveals a genuine effort to help, heal, inspire and inform without the usual territorial and bombastic selfism prevalent on other Substack sites. Bravo! - Dwight Lee Wolter
So many good things to read and listen to this week again! Thank you so much! Happy weekend!