The Swipe Volume 2 Chapter 35
The day after, either through luck or some sort of divine prescience, TLC and I had booked a couple of days off work. It would have been tempting to spend the time staring bleakly at walls or screaming into pillows. Instead, we’d planned to do a bit of decorating. This turned out to be the best decision we could have made. Two days deep-cleaning and painting the kitchen was a mindful, healing activity, taking a room apart and remaking it as a cleaner, nicer place in which to be. It kept us off social media and news feeds, but above all left us feeling much more positive. Change is inevitable, whether for bad or good, and things happen in cycles. Eventually, the kitchen will always need a good clean-down and a fresh lick of paint, and things will feel all the better for it.
Today, we start on the conservatory. The great work continues.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
Reactor’s list of the most iconic SF books of the last two decades. I’ve read a lot of them. There are no duds in here. Find yourself a new obsession.
Rob is watching…
Shrinking. TLC picked up on this Apple TV show, and it’s a new favourite. Three LA psychiatrists navigate love, loss and Parkinson’s—sounds like a laugh riot, yeah? However, Shrinking comes from two of the minds behind Ted Lasso, and it has much of the same warm, funny vibe. Harrison Ford is a revelation in role which shows just how subtly hilarious he can be, and Jason Segal, one of the co-creators, is heart-breaking. We cannot recommend this one highly enough.
Rob is listening…
to Laura Marling. The new album, Paterns In Repeat, is, well, on repeat at Swipe Towers. I’ve always liked Laura. She’s flying into orbit here.
Rob is eating…
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Hannah Fry (@fryrsquared)
Electrical Audio, the famous Chicago recording studio, was very much based around the personality and talent of its owner, Steve Albini. When he passed earlier this year, the staff were hung on the horns of a dilemma—what next? Could they and the business survive the loss of a primary asset, and the main draw for most of the customers booking time at the studio? When in doubt, look to the source, pick up some of Steve’s grit and tenacity and keep going…
Cartoonist Chris Ware takes a long look at the work of Richard Scarry, whose packed, detailed drawings were part of so many children’s early reading experiences—mine included. The two share common traits, both creating pages you can sit and wallow in, picking up fresh details every time you look at them.
Cars And Trucks And Things That Go
There are many, many ways to tell a story, and many folk who think they know the best and only way to do it. This is patently absurd. It’s always good to find a new twist to the old tropes and formulas. Sometimes, it’s more about the journey than the destination.
The principles of uncertainty have come into focus quite solidly over the last week. The revelation that we can never be entirely certain of seemingly immutable truths seems somehow appropriate. I enjoyed the following link a lot, particularly as every scenario seems to end with the same apocalyptic punchline.
Further exploration of the above, as Mike Sowden shows how things have never been as we thought and the world has always been filled with wonder.
The world’s most successful indie film-maker is not a French auteur or an Eastern European visionary. He’s a Texan animator who has quietly built an astonishing body of work out of simple scribbles. Welcome to the world of Don Hertzfeldt.
A reminder that a certain orange-hued autocrat spent time in the ring. He must have taken some solid lessons back onto the campaign trail with him.
Corvids hold grudges and can be bribed. That’s it. That’s the link. What more could you possibly need?
This November’s writing marathon has started incredibly badly, for understandable reasons. I have been even more restless and unfocused than usual. But that’s OK. It seems dissatisfaction with your own work and the need to jump around projects is a common problem amongst creatives. Once recognised and properly managed, it can be a good thing.
A story to finish us off this week, which again seems to speak to the mood of the time. Whatever happens, you should always keep going.
Today’s bread is eaten, tomorrow’s is yet to be made, and one day there will be sugar.
A long Outro, as The Cure have kindly released the entire live stream of their launch show for the new album, Songs Of A Lost World, online. Go on, have a wallow. I think we all need it.
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
