If you didn’t read this week’s post “The Darkness: A Love Letter” I will read it to you now, below, dramatically and enthusiastically. 👇
Reading commences as soon as you hit play. Enjoy! 🫡
Notes from the Captain
My beloved and creativity-infused crew,
What a glorious week last week was. I saw art. Not just with The Darkness—though Justin Hawkin’s new catsuit for the tour was magnificent—but I made a real trip out of the whole experience. Rode my moto up the PCH, and spent a couple of hours noodling around in SFMoMA. I just happened to luck into the member preview of Yayoi Kusama and fell into the colors. I also may have squealed a bit when I saw Yoko Ono’s “Mend Piece” not because it’s a great work of art, but because I knew of it. I’d written about it on The Stream before!
And then I went and did The Darkness.
And then I went and caught up with Zolty the next day.
And then I got completely carried away with writing about it. It was a long post. It is a long audio recording (above). I have no regrets.
I always say “Love what you love” and I mean it. I will not have shame for any of my music, nor will I shame you for yours. I used to be bad, though. When I loved The Beatles as a teenager and my friend loved Bon Jovi, oh my, you should’ve heard the rubbishing I gave her. I never once thought it odd that me loving a band that disbanded before I was born must’ve looked weird to all my schoolmates. Bon Jovi would’ve helped me fit in—I realize that now.
As a side note, it feels good to have finalized my trinity. I think the issue with the third spot was that the bands I would choose as an option were often similar to the other two in meaning (not necessarily sound). The Darkness is so different. They’re unique. They win. They’re scrappy.
I want to be scrappy.
When you’re making art, the best thing you can do is believe in yourself. I’ve tried to start saying “I’m a writer” more confidently when people ask me what I do, because if I don’t believe it, why should anyone else?
Confidence comes from belief.
And when I doubt my belief in myself, I will slip a vinyl out of its sleeve and I will put on The Darkness.
I’d love to hear what the three bands are in your trinity. Don’t hold back. Be brave. Leave a list—and Spotify links if you like—in the comment section.
Your Captain, Janeen 🫡
Thangs from this episode…
👩✈️ A few hours at the SFMoMA
Some more photos here and 👇
👩✈️ A Darkness Primer
Twenty years ago. What is the octopus doing to that spaceship?👇
Clouds scudding by, oh my. Also, Blue Mountains. Homesick! 👇
The last two albums have been delightfully Darknessy. Easter is Cancelled caused the pandemic (that’s their joke). Motorheart—which I think I recall Justin (frontman of The Darkness) saying was Number 1 for a day or two in the UK charts and then Taylor Swift dropped and ruined that (once again proving their timing is cursed)—was recorded entirely in lockdown. They were never in the same room while recording that album.
There’s a song on Motorheart—“Nobody Can See Me Cry”—that’s about a relationship, but I played that album a lot while running in the pre-dawn light on the gravel road near my dad’s farm back in January. It hits different for me now, because of those runs.
One humid morning, I turned the corner at the end of the lane at around the mile 2 mark as a red/orange sun rose over the bush just outside Bogan Gate, Australia, and the lyric “And I don’t think you understand your power” hit. I threw out my arms as I ran, praising the sky like a weirdo (it’s remote, there’s no one around). That song will forever be about the power of nature for me, now. That sun, flexing on the horizon as I rose to dominate the day.
I know that’s not what it’s about. But it was a swell and a feeling. I’m going with it. Call and response. That’s music for ya.
Another thing that happened in lockdown? Justin Hawkins got bored sitting at home in Switzerland (touring musicians can’t tour, duh) and started a YouTube channel. It is my favorite YouTube channel—Justin Hawkins Rides Again. Guys. This is what it looks like when I fall down a rabbit hole. When I’m in, I’m ALL IN.
In JHRA, he reacts to songs sure, but he also breaks the songs down in ways only a musician can. This year he added a long-form episode each week where he and his producer (and sometimes a musical guest) dive into the music trade, pitfalls, and all.
Keeping this The Darkness related, here’s an episode he did on an aspect of the music industry called synchronization, and reacts to covers of “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.”
One shot from the gig I went to.
OK. I lied. Here’s another.
👩✈️ Speaking of Justin Hawkin’s Catsuits
Angela Bright has been his catsuit provider for many years, also providing other band members their sartorial chops while she’s at it. Frankie’s suit is incredible for this tour. Loved it.
She shares behind the costumes’ stuff on her Instagram, including her work on, most recently, Peter Pan and Wendy. Go look.
👩✈️ Spinal Tap Stonehenge Reference
In the post, I talk about what I assumed was a Spinal Tap reference (it may not have been) with the tiny spaceship coming down from the ceiling. It refers to the tiny Stonehenge model that Nigel messed up the dimensions on. No one’s as confused as Nigel. The line about ‘making a big thing out of it’ is a nod to that. Here is the scene.
👩✈️ Music
And here’s Thom Yorke, a member of my musical trinity, talking about his relationship to music. If I remember it correctly, it’s from his episode of Desert Island Discs (I haven’t had a chance to listen to it again, so that’s just recall hopefully not letting me down)
I probably had a whole list of things I wanted to add to this post, but the edit took a while (the audio edit in particular) so I’ve just run out of time.
Thanks for listening/watching and sharing. If I missed anything you were curious about from the post—or just in general—feel free to leave a comment for the Captain.
Do. Make. Be.
Call and response.
🫡
Shameless Podcast Plug
Listen to audio versions of early issues of The Stream on my podcast, Field of Streams, available on 👉 all major podcasting platforms 👈
Here’s Apple
Behind the Streams, Ep 29: "The Darkness"