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Re-assessing your view on life during Covid-19

Live Like A Stoic: 52 Exercises for Cultivating a Good Life (Penguin Books)

Rome was neither built nor burned in a day. However, the embers of thought that emanated from the Roman and Greek empires lit beacons that still provide guidance on how to navigate life in twenty-first century, specifically when it comes to the Stoic philosophers who focussed their musings on exactly that.

Seneca, tutor to the Emperor Nero; Epictetus, a former slave; and Marcus Aurelius, himself emperor delivered a timeless blueprint, the essence and underlying concepts of which are no less relevant than when they were first incepted: The focus on living life in unison and accordance with nature, the realization that one is in control of one’s thoughts and emotions and indifference towards what cannot be changed, resulting in the conviction that believing that we can control things that we cannot is a never ending source of unhappiness.

In layman’s terms: Stuff happens and what happens is neutral – you decide how you judge and deal with it.

Live Like A Stoic: 52 Exercises for Cultivating a Good Life is an accessible entry level guidebook, which not only illuminated stoic concepts, but provides – as the title suggests easy to follow exercises and the opportunity to track progress and build on it week to week.

A highly pragmatic guidebook that can serve as turning point to approach life from a different perspective and reap benefits in terms of begetting tangible outcomes.

Read to take things up a notch?

The School of Life: An Emotional Education (The School of Life / Penguin Books)

You might be familiar with Alain de Botton’s oeuvre the YouTube channel that eventually gave birth to the series of books aimed at the provision of a wholesome and holistic emotional education.

Do not let the name fool you: What might sound a tad esoteric to some or a touchy-feely self-help book, is in essence a plainly written, accessible elaborate treatise on emotional intelligence and one that could not be more practical and straight forward.

Covering a range of topics - e.g. self, others, relationships, work, culture – the common denominator of this compendium is that there is a firm focus on reason, clarity, and philosophy, with every point being well elaborated and easy to digest.

Beautifully and a t times provocatively written not unlike with The School of Life’s other emissions that we have covered; this could be perceived as the mothership that gives exceptional and concise insights into human nature with an extraordinary ability to examine intricate and complex concepts.

A rich, challenging, thought-provoking and wonderful set of musings and instructions for living a more emotionally mature life.

Punk and Hardcore related podcasts

Chances are you've got a favourite one. Maybe you are making one. A pod of your own. A medium that has democratized the talk-audio space by offering exposure for niche creators.

Listeners and makers of immersive, intimate and, in some cases, life-changing qualities of audio storytelling are on the increase, thanks in no small part to easy-to-navigate apps and affordable home recording equipment.

With the bigger guns of corporate media having come to the table, the quality and production value of podcasts has gradually increased, yet gems are still to be found amongst the DIY and lo-fi end of the spectrum offering a forum for armchair pundits, bedroom storytellers or first-person narrators.

If I had to simmer down what makes an enjoyable podcast, I’d simmer it down to the following common denominators: Interesting angle or theme, likeable hosts with and a good format.

Someone who got the second criterion nailed by default is someone who most might be familiar with because he fronts the band Fucked Up, i.e. Damian Abraham. Over the years, Damian has incarnated in a range of media and eventually made it to host shows on Vice TV.

His podcast is an audio ode to a lifelong obsession with punk. Each week, he sits down and chats with a person to find out how their life was changed by the discovery of what started as a novelty genre.

The fact that Damian gained exposure outside the confines of underground music certainly helps in getting some of the bigger players in front of the mic and the interesting conversations that result from his genuine passion for the genre provide hours of engaging content that often reveal facts that had not been revealed before and more often than not, culminate in the equivalent to “how was this made” and add a new dimension to classic records and recordings:

www.damianabraham.com/

Another one I am listening to frequently is Jamey Jasta’ s podcast. Not only known for his musical endeavours but also having honed his presentation skills as the former host of MTV's Headbanger's Ball, Jasta not only entertains by interviewing his peers but also provides insights behind the scenes and the logistics that went and still go into fuelling his career.  The fact that it is peppered with segments and Jasta having evolved since the first episode of the podcast into a considered and well-reflected voice, makes it for an enjoyable listen – especially when he gets together with closer friends and shares his take on day-to-day occurrences as well as how his horizon has broadened over the years.

https://www.thejastashow.com/

The Hard Times Podcast is ostensibly about two comically on-point and never not self-deprecating commentators, i.e. Hard Times co-founders Bill Conway and Matt Saincome, who not only indulge in (bad) jokes but also elicit interesting facts from interviews with scenesters, comics and other colourful characters from their universe, which adds depth and dimensions to their personas. The fact that the podcast essentially rests on the foundation that is the satirical outlet Hard Times seems to help with the guests’ willingness to lower their guard a bit and not take themselves too seriously.

https://thehardtimes.net/podcasts/

Sidney Nolan: The Artist's Materials

Getty Conservation Institute

The Artist's Materials series is indispensable for anyone who want to scratch the surface and learn more about the technique and materials modern painters are using to channel their alchemy.

One of Australian’s most widely known painters of modern times is Sidney Nolan, with one his more prominent pieces being a series depicting the quintessential outlaw here on terra australis, i.e. Ned Kelly.

Given the variety the jobs Sidney Nolan held, he had exposure to handling and experiencing an array of paints and their application, which helped him hone his craft to propel his artistic endeavours forward, which eventually evolved to a full-time career as an artist.

What I have always found intriguing about Nolan is that he harboured a trait that was carried on by artists like Anselm Kiefer, i.e. that he used unconventional materials that did not necessarily lend themselves well to preserving the artwork – be it the paints he used, the materials or the utilization of household items like shoe polish, et cetera.

While Nolan’s faible for the usage of more outlandish materials had always been on my radar, learning that he blended and mixed them in a meticulousness manner to achieve the exact effect he was aiming for, was new to me.

The microscopic view with which Nolan’s work and approach is shed light on, makes the mere analysis a work of art in itself and enhances the experience of viewing his art from a new angle, which not only adds depth and dimension to his artworks but also helps to understand them better. In that way, it is an essential resource for anyone interested in Nolan’s art, not merely the connoisseur and the fact that the book is written scholarly yet very readable only adds to its appeal.

Käthe Kollwitz: Prints, Process, Politics

Getty Research Institute 

Käthe Kollwitz’s oeuvre found its defining phase the first half of the twentieth century with her graphic depictions that covered the span of two world wars and depicted the implications and changes that the turbulences of that time brought – in essence, people struggling to survive, politics and injustices as well as the ever present sense of loss.

The opulently illustrated tome covers close to fifty years of an artist whose mastery of non-mainstream techniques is on par with excellence, which is mirrored in her expressionist emissions, be it woodcuts, etchings, lithographs or drawings.

The book manages to capture the essence of how Kollwitz channelled her alchemy, the political power, appeal, immediacy and thrall of which is still relevant and reverberates to this day.

Apart from being a fantastic resource for the uninitiated, being familiar with Kollwitz, the book offered interesting and for me new information along with prints that I have never had a chance to view before.

Käthe Kollwitz’s work is that of endless experimentation and a DIY ethic that the punk scene could only dream of. Strongly independent, the book portrays how Kollwitz not merely communicated political ideas and exposed unjust, but how the process of her art became an articulate, visual language. The fact that the means were limited back in the day make it all the more interesting.

The title of the book, i.e. the alliteration Prints, Process, Politics, is a telling one as it details all three themes and offers a glimpse into the journey from the inception of thoughts to what culminated in masterful artistic compositions.

An ode to one of Europe’s most important artists.

March: Isolation

How's everyone doing? I hope you're reading this from the comfort of your own home. Needless to say, it's been a rough, wild, stressful, and terrifying month. I work an essential job and I have been out there in the public. Lots of people sure like to ignore all the issues going on and either welcome some kind of new-normal or pretend like we're not all terrified of each other. I hope this month's playlist can help everyone to pass the time. Let's get into this month's Search/Play/Repeat.

Last month, the music world lost Gang of Four's, Andy Gill. Gang of Four is a band I don't think I'd ever dug into, so it seemed like a good start. I checked out their debut, Entertainment, and I've pretty much been kicking myself nonstop for the past 30 days for not listening sooner. It's among some of my favorites that I've listened to so far this year, and I'll be getting deeper into their catalog over the coming months. That opening bassline of "Ether" was an easy decision for kicking off this playlist. Another new favorite that I stumbled across this month, was Au Pairs. I can't recall a time of ever hearing of Au Pairs, and I'm ashamed. Sense and Sensuality is an excellent record that will be getting many more plays in the future.

March was feeling like it was going to lean heavily in Post-Punk. It's such a broad genre of which there is so much I haven't explored before, and there was no way I was going to hit all corners of it in one month. I stuck with what I knew and decided to listen to some Siouxsie and the Banshees that I hadn't yet. I love Scream and Kaleidoscope, but I've somehow missed the interim, Join Hands. The next step was to find one of those "classics" I've been missing out on, and Wire's, Pink Flag kept popping up. I was surprised to find this album pretty much covers the entire transition of Punk into Post-Punk in 35 minutes. Do you want fast raucous music? It's there. Do you want slow, gritty, bass-driven tunes? It's there. It's easy to understand why it's such an influential album.

I never followed Post-Punk revivalists, Hot Hot Heat, after their first two albums. Make Up the Breakdown is one of the best albums from the early 2000s, but Elevator was a bit of a disappointment. My wife is a big Hot Hot Heat fan, and put on Happiness Ltd. for me. I couldn't tell you what the album's lead single was, but it's overall a way more consistent record than Elevator. While Hot Hot Heat revived the dancier side of post-punk, Savages came along in 2013 with the darker, goth-y side of it. "Adore" is still one of my favorite songs of the past 5 years, but I never listened to the band's debut, Silence Yourself. The two albums they put out were both solid and it's a bummer they've been inactive for a couple of years now.

There were a few things I listened to that weren't Post-Punk, including stuff that didn't make the playlist. My listening was pretty light on new releases. Trent Reznor graced us with 2 new Ghosts collections. I listened to V: Together, but I haven't listened to the other, VI: Locusts, yet. Together is perfect mood-music to fall asleep too. Worriers put out a new record that is loaded with pop-punk greatness, and Frances Quinian of Hop Along, put out her solo debut. I'm gonna have to play catch up in April. I'm spending all my time at home when I'm not working, so I should have more opportunities. Then again, Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out and has been sucking up all my free time.

That'll do for this month. Check out the playlist for more of the stuff I listened to this month. Stay Home. Stay Safe. Wash Your Hands. Be kind to all the essential employees you come across if you do have to go out. Support bands and record shops online if you can, and with all your free quarantine time, I encourage you to search, play, and repeat! Thanks for checking in!