If there’s one thing that literally every person on the planet has said at one point this year it’s some version of this: “Man, 2020. What a sh!tty year.” Let’s not rehash the reason. We all know the reason.
Speaking of uninspired cliches, it’s also true that unexpectedly good things can be experienced during difficult times. This is the proverbial Silver Lining. Hmm, how else can I use cliches to start this post while trying to imply that I hate cliches and thereby somehow excuse my use of cliches? I guess I could think of original ways to say all of this. But why reinvent the wheel? Cliches are cliches because they are true. Sh!t, that’s another cliche. I am a monster.
The point is this: I found some cool sh!t this year that I’d like to share with you. Scroll the fu@k down.
Marc Rebillet
Marc Rebillet. Is he a comedian? Is he a singer? Or a music producer? Wait, is he an actor?
I think the answer to all of these questions is Yes.
Start here. If this doesn’t grab you in some way, I’m sorry, you are dead inside.
Go here next. Then here. Now you’re on your own. Look around on his social media pages. His YouTube channel will have a lot of good stuff but I personally prefer scrolling through his Twitter feed. In addition to the performance videos you get a sense of the man himself.
Who the fu@k is this guy? If you go to the About section of his website (and I recommend that you do) you won’t get a better sense of who Marc Rebillet is or where he came from, but you will get a hilarious, roast-y, fever dream description of the man written by one of his fans. If you want some legit intel go to his Wikipedia page.
Why should you care? The ideal musical comedian is both funny and can legitimately sing and/or play. Marc “Loop Daddy” Rebillet crushes it on both fronts. Plus, he has an A+ robe game. People love this guy. Do you think his YouTube fans were excited about his Thanksgiving day live stream?
Look at that robe. I just bought a t-shirt.
Ted Lasso
I can’t sit through any more one dimensional comedies that use some silly setup as an excuse for a firehose of one liners. Any good TV show, regardless of genre, needs characters that I can care about. Ted Lasso delivers this beautifully.
The show is ostensibly about an American football coach who moves to England to coach a British football (a.k.a. soccer) team. It becomes clear over time that this show is actually about the things people are capable of when they are in a lot of pain.
When I first saw Jason Sudeikis’ expression in the promo image above my reaction was Fu@k No. Here we go, I thought, just another schticky piece of bullsh!t from an SNL alum. I had written it off completely until my wife suggested we watch it together (our tastes don’t overlap much, so I had to give it a chance). Maybe it was the power of my low expectations but it didn’t take long to get sucked in. Not only do I think Ted Lasso is a great show, I think it makes a great template for comedy series going forward. It’s a good story with interesting characters who say funny things.
Even if the primary goal of a comedy is to make people laugh there’s no reason it can’t make us care, too.
Waking Up App
I recently wrote a post advocating for the practice of meditation. At the end I listed some (hopefully) useful resources. This app was not on that list.
YOU: What?!?! That was four godd@mn weeks ago! You holding out on us?? (sweating through your shirt).
No, dipsh!t. I just found it recently. Life can be like that.
YOU: I’m sorry! I reflexively attack people because I’m on social media too much! I’m also vaguely depressed by my pandemic life conditions and haven’t been meditating lately! (sobbing while looking at a picture of yourself having brunch in 2019)
I get it. The good news is you can start your meditation practice back up using the Waking Up App.
It was started by neuroscientist, philosopher, author and long-time meditation practitioner Sam Harris. The thing I like most about this app is that Harris not only guides you through different types of meditation (including eyes open, whaaat?) but his app also provides meditation theory and philosophy on subjects like The Illusory Self or Mind & Emotion. There are conversations with mindfulness-y people. It’s meditation, mindfulness and an advanced understanding of consciousness that can help you operate with a clearer mind throughout the day, little bits at a time.
Well, at least that’s what I’m seeing after a few weeks. I’ll probably find something newer and shinier next week, and this time I’m going to keep it all to myself. O’Doyle Rules!
Creativity: a Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese
I’ve read a million books about the creative process. They are very good at assuring you that your creative struggle is completely normal. We all experience the same negative feelings and obstacles when trying to create something new. I find it helpful to know I’m not alone even though I’m sitting in a room by myself, mostly contemplating masturbation, but sometimes banging my head against the wall trying to dream up the next bit of absurd sh!t.
Perhaps most crucially, I’ve learned that not fully understanding what you’re writing is not a reason to stop. This blog is a good example of this idea to a degree. It was started with a light overarching concept in mind but has sort of morphed into something left of that center.
That wonderful bit of navel gazing aside, the best book on creativity I read this year was just given to me a few days ago. Creativity: a Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese was a Christmas gift from my sister. It’s a physically small book of 112 pages with large font. You can probably read the whole thing in 30 to 45 minutes.
If you don’t know, John Cleese is an actor and comedian possibly most well-known as a member of Monty Python. He does a nice job breaking down the realities of creative work and giving you a few thoughts on how to overcome the standard obstacles. It can be a good intro to these ideas or a light refresher if you’ve already read up on the nature of the creative process.
While we’re at it, I’ve found the following books on the creative process to be enlightening and helpful:
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
It’s worth noting that no book on process will make you more productive. In fact, getting too deep into studying process can be a form of procrastination. As it is with many things in life, understanding the problem does not solve the problem. That’s a whole other discussion that maybe we’ll get into in the future.
Peloton App
No, I’m not going to recommend you buy the bike. I’m not going to recommend you buy the treadmill. You know what, fu@k you, I’m not going to recommend you buy anything at all. The beauty of the Peloton app is that you can do a lot with nothing more than a workout mat and a pair of running shoes (fine, you’ll need to buy those if you don’t have them. Sorry, and maybe some weights if you really want to do this right).
When the initial lockdown happened, the gym I belonged to offered virtual classes, which was a godsend. Regular exercise is good for mental health and that was a particularly fraught time for most of us. As the weeks at home turned into months, the realization came that I didn’t really need a proper gym membership anymore. Everything I needed was at home using the Peloton app.
While, again, I’m not recommending that you buy it, I actually do have the bike and have grown to love it. We originally got it because my wife likes spin classes. The misogynistic pig that I am, I thought it was a “chick thing” and mentally committed to never touching it. Then the pandemic hit and it was by far the safest way to get in a good cardio workout. Once I got used to it, I started to love it. Now I own skin tight padded biking shorts, a fact I will never admit to again and will deny it as a joke if you ever point to this blog post as evidence.
My increased love for the bike led to an exploration of the app. They have several categories of classes that require little-to-no gear: Yoga, Cardio, Outdoor (audio guided walks and runs), Meditation, Stretching. While the Strength classes work best if you have a few sets of weights (a set of 10s, 20s and 30s would do it), they have classes that you can do using only your bodyweight. If you have the bike (basic package is $1,895) or the treadmill (basic package is, gulp, $4,295), the world is your oyster: Running, Walking, Bootcamp, Cycling.
What’s the damage for the app subscription? $39.99 per month, though they are currently running a deal where you can try it for free for 2 months. Cheapest gym class package ever.
And don’t forget about the nuggets of wisdom you’ll get from the life coach-esque instructors. I like certain strength classes with Matty Maggiacomo, primarily because they end with a few big breaths in and out accompanied by the line “Inhale the good sh!t, exhale the bullsh!t.” Yessir, I think I will.
Happy New Year!
-MG
