The Every-Other-Friday(ish) Link Roundup
Some Oldster-adjacent brain candy to occupy you this weekend, and maybe even beyond...
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. Thanks to all who support my work here! 🙏
**Click here to get more out of this post by reading it online instead of in your email…
"I love Oldster! It feels old school and new school at the same time." - Joelle Hann, paid subscriber.
RIP Clive Davis who died this week at 94: “One of the most powerful men in the American recording industry who promoted Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin and Barry Manilow” - Adam W Sweeting in The Guardian.
To be filed under gone way too young: Scary Mommy founder Jill Smokler dies of brain cancer at 48 - Rosie Colosi and Elise Solé at NBC.
With all eight episodes having dropped last night, it’s going to be very hard not to binge the entire final season of The Bear this weekend. (That said, it feels like it's time for this show to end.)
On July 3rd, Madonna will release Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II, and on July 10th, The Rolling Stones will release Foreign Tongues.
Art Garfunkel Feels ‘Great’ About Simon & Garfunkel as He Reflects on Dinner with Paul Simon: ‘There Were Tears’ - Rachel DeSantis in People.
Some time this summer I’d like to pay a visit to the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music in New Jersey.
Commenters on my swimsuit story for New York Magazine’s Secret Strategist wanted to know who cuts my hair, what styling products I use, and about my graying journey, so Arielle Avila interviewed me about it for their Beauty Brief newsletter.
Millions of Women Are Left Out of Menopause’s Moment - I have been saying this, and every time I do, people yell at me! - Liz Krieger in The New York Times.
Two NYC Cable TV Legends Finally Get Their Due: Get comfortable with Robin Byrd and George Whipple, in conversation at last. - Mark Yarm in Hell Gate.
A reminder that as I mentioned last week: Right now Tricycle is offering Oldster subscribers 25% off tuition, when you use this link and the code OLDSTER25.
He’s an ‘Old Gay.’ Gather Round: Telling tales from the ancient past of 1997, the comedian Guy Branum is teaching Gen Z what their forefathers knew. - jacob bernstein in The New York Times.
Not Your Grandma’s House: Meet the Senior Citizens Living in Cruise Ship Condos, Cohousing Communities, and Florida’s Retirement Wonderland - Frances Dodds in Architectural Digest.
How am I just first hearing about Alan Alda’s podcast, Clear + Vivid, when it’s been out for eight years?
A while ago I was interviewed for two podcast I really enjoy, and both episodes went live this week: I loved talking with Jonathan Fields on The Good Life Project Podcast, and maryam banikarim on The Messy Parts Podcast.
Roger Rosenblatt has just published More Rules for Aging, a follow-up to his 2001 title, Rules For Aging: A Wry and Witty Guide to Life.
May Day - I’m a fan of Tommy Swerdlow’s writing, so I’m sharing with you this beauty of an essay he wrote about his parents. (Don’t miss Tommy’s Oldster Questionnaire and his Sober Oldster Q&A.)
Congrats to Oldster Questionnaire-taker Jason Diamond on winning the 2026 Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) Jewish Fiction award for his novel, Kaplan’s Plot.
On Covering Biden’s and Trump’s Ages - cousin Seth Masket in his smart/funny newsletter, the @smotus report. In case you missed our Substack Live conversation about his new book, The Elephants in the Room: How Trump Voters Seized the Party from Republican Leaders, you can check it out here:
Americans Are in Denial About Elder Care: Many assume that if they can afford paid help in older age, they won’t need to rely on kin. They’re wrong. - Stephanie H. Murray in The Atlantic.
Polypharmacy in older adults: When too many medications cause harm - Mayo Clinic
How about you? Got any recs? Books? Shows? Movies? Music? Plays? Podcasts? Art shows? Places to travel to? Restaurants? Remedies? What’s good?
Hopefully that’s enough Oldster-adjacent content here to keep us all occupied 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 and commenting thoughtfully, and for all your support! I really couldn’t do this without you. 🙏 💝
-Sari
You're so prolific in your writing, posting, linking, PRing, viewing, reading... how are you so productive? Have you managed to find more time in a day than I have?
My day: Walking dog. Food. Thinking about writing. Cleaning. Laundry. Food. More thinking about writing. Driving to get food. Thinking about writing I didn't do.
Great to meet you in person last week at Left Bank Ciders in Catskill. Fun evening and I also got to meet and chat with author Isaac Fitzgerald, raconteur par excellence. As an added bonus, I also bumped into Nick Flynn, he of the memoir "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City." Just finished "What You Should Worry About" a new novel by my friend, Meryl Branch-McTiernan, and a great, raunchy beach read. And I am half-way through "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke, about a trad wife, a species much in the news right now. Next up, Isaac's American Rambler. So many books, so little time.