My Media Diet - Brain Snacks from May + June

The Matchbook | 7.3.25

I know it’s the 4th of July right now, but I’m just not feeling at all patriotic as of late, for a myriad of reasons. Some obvious, some probably not. So, let’s go another direction. It’s been a bit since I’ve dove head first into the strange swimming pool of crap that entertains my brain. Been a bit since I’ve invited you to join me, to cannonball into the chlorinated waters and splash around.

Media diet time folks. These are the little entertainment snacks that have been filling my brain anytime I’m not editing photos, writing essays, scribbling down poetry, or exhausting my body in our little home gym. This is what I found interesting, or not, and what you could consider checking out too.

Sharing what we love with those we love is a rad thing. I’m lucky to be able to do so here. If you wanna help make sure this practice can continue, there’s no better way than to join our amazing paid community who have decided it’s worth paying for the art they love. If you’re able, join us, if not, I love you all the same and am so happy you’re here.

ONWARD to the brain snacks!

1. Love Island USA Season 7 - I’m gonna get this one out of the way first, because it’s by far the most hilarious development in my media diet. NEVER did I think I’d watch a show like this, never did I think I’d enjoy a show like this. On a trip to Oregon, somehow Addie convinced Lady G and I to watch an episode. We were baffled, confused, lost, and somehow, wildly intrigued. I’ve just never seen anything like this, and if you would have told my 15-year-old self back in 1996 that a show like this would exist, I would have laughed you out of the room and then gone back to watching MTV and thinking This is the most risque television will ever get. Not so young me, not so. This show is ridiculous, the people on it are just insanely narcissistic and vapid most of the time, but dammit is it entertaining. I doubt I’ll ever watch another season, but for this one, we’re locked in and laughing our way through it all. Do not recommend, but also do. That’s all I know to say.

   

2. The Book of Love by Kelly Link - I’m about 55% of the way through this bizarre, bizarre book, and I am loving it, whilst also being thoroughly confused. The language is a mixture of gorgeous, often simple, often overly modern (I’m still not used to references to Instagram, social media, or mobile phones in books for some reason), and the names are just weird. The name Bogomil will haunt me forever. It’s a weird book about a group of dead teenagers given another chance at life, I have NO idea where it’ll go, but for now I’m enjoying the ride. I’ll circle back to this later to see if it ends strong, but I’m IN IT for now.

   

3. The Outlaws - I, as you well know I am a massive fan of British and Irish television. Brassic and This is England, and of course, Misfits, are some of my all time favorites. I was tipped off about The Outlaws and told it might be in the same vein, so we had to give it a try. Anytime you stick a group of complete strangers and odd-pairings together, it’s a win for me. This show follows a group of offenders, randomly aged, put together to serve community service and all the insane hijinks that follow. I had a blast watching it, and after 3 full seasons found that they did something extremely rare when it comes to serialized shows—Stuck the landing. Loved the ending, loved the whole ride, and I’ll seriously miss this cast of weird characters. Fully recommend. (Also, is Christopher Walken EVER not good?!)

   

4. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono - U2 was the very first band I ever truly LOVED. They still, by far, are my all-time favorite. Their newer stuff pales in comparison to their older stuff, as The Joshua Tree, and Acthung Baby, will always be my favorites and my most formative albums, but no band on earth fills me with as much ache or nostalgia when singing the songs I love the most. I finally got to catch them live in concert a few years back in New Jersey, and fell even deeper in love. This book, this peek behind the curtains written by the main man himself, is a stunning look back, to the beginning, to the middle, to yesterday, and I really do love it. He writes of his wife, Ali, the way I write of Sarah, and it means a lot to feel someone like that just gush as I do about his love. As he says, he (and I) are one-sun universes. Always will be. I really do recommend this, even if you’re not a U2 fan, because it’s a rare, honest, beautiful look back at a life lived extraordinarily, by the man that lived it fully aware of his polarizing nature. I love it.

   

5. Perks of Being a Wallflower (Score) - This album has probably been played more than any other over the last 5 months. I put it on, repeat, and just let it play in the background when I’m writing, cleaning, sitting, thinking. It just works. It feels right, always right, and the lack of lyric makes it fit almost universally into whatever I’m doing. Even if you didn’t see, or like, the film, it’s an amazing bit of ambient music to stick on. Always. Fully, fully recommend. I also can’t remember if I talked about this before, but I don’t think so. If I did, apologies, but also, you’re welcome again.

Finally, on a very, very sad note:

© Sky Sports

Rest in Peace Diogo Jota - Finally, a really, really heartbreaking loss I found out about yesterday. Diogo Jota, our charismatic, firecracker, Everton-taunting, joyful Portuguese footballing legendary striker at Liverpool Football Club, tragically passed away yesterday in a car crash. He and his brother were both taken from us, and it just feels strange and unfair and horrific. I will so very much miss watching him play, and every single one of my thoughts and best wishes go out to his wife (whom he just married about 11 days ago) and their 3 beautiful children. Life is just a really unfair and fickle little beast sometimes, and I’ll never understand (or try to) the logic to who goes and who stays and why. Travel well brother. You’ll Never Walk Alone.

I love you all, hold those you do close, cherish every second you’re gifted with them. Please.

Be good.