I’ve recently spent the best part of two weeks on holiday ploughing through Long Reads saved to my Pocket App.
(Pocket is a web and device application that allows you to save web articles to be read offline for a later date. I’ve been using it for the best part of 18 months and it’s saved my productivity, as well as demolished my tolerance for reading ‘classic’ literature. I highly recommend it.)
Shamelessly stealing the idea from my good friend and old mentor Benji Lanyado, here’s a selection of the best ‘long reads’ (some of these are dreadfully short, but I just enjoyed them too much to cut them) I’ve read in the past 14 or so days.
Bookmarks at the ready.
The story of Whitney Houston’s epic national anthem performance at 1991 Super Bowl
Over the past six months, I’ve been ruminating on what makes for high quality sports literature and narratives. In the lead up to massive events, it’s always good to see great websites produce fantastic long form essays about the narratives that feed into great finals.
Grantland’s coverage going into Mayweather v Pacquaio was a tour de force on what might be the sport’s last big day in the spotlight and with this, ESPN have produced a great story on just how fantastic Whitney Houston was at the 1991 Super Bowl.
Young Thug and the Cure for Cancer
Coming from Otto Von Biz Markie aka Jeff Weiss aka one of the best hip hop journalists of all time, this piece on Thugger’s “Fuck Cancer” record is a great piece on what makes the rapper so important to the cultural conversation right now.
The Daniel Bryan Dilemma
Daniel Bryan has been the best (on in-ring prowess) professional wrestler in North America for the best part of three years (at the very least).
He also has a recurring concussion problem thanks to his hard hitting wrestling style and had to retire on 8 February.
Going by what we now know of concussions, this asks wrestling fans whether it’s morally right to ask for the return of Daniel Bryan to action, or are we essentially sentencing someone for a lifetime of further brain damage?
Chris Eubank Jr is out to prove he has more than just a name
There’s a level of intimacy to boxing that makes it fertile ground for excellent sports writing. This by Hayley Campbell on Eubank’s son is going to be up there for best sports pieces in 2016.
The Anti-Trump Calvary That Never Came
Much has been said of Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign and how it was a mistake to dismiss him as a joke candidate. This great BuzzFeed read looks to the traditional GOP donors who traditionally materialise to cut candidates off at the knees — and why they didn’t manifest to take care of Trump.
DUO: In Conversation with DeRay McKesson & Our Demand Is Simple: Stop Killing Us
Best read back to back, these two articles are interviews with DeRay McKesson and Johnetta ‘Netta’ Elzie — the two nominal ‘leaders’ of the #BlackLivesMatter movement (both Deray & Netta maintain the movement is leaderless).
Why Doug Williams Matters
In NFL the position of quarterback is its most mythologised and mulled over. It’s also subject to a number of racial hang ups, namely black people aren’t intelligent enough to play it. (Similar to the soccer notion you can’t play two black centre backs, or two black strikers as they’re get tunnel vision)
So in the lead up to SuperBowl 50 I read this on Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to make the SuperBowl back in 1991, and how he went ballistic for 13 minutes and led the Washington… ahem… football team to victory.
I Wanted to Be a Millionaire
Slate writer Justin Peters went on “Who Wants To Be A Millionare”. He answered a question for $500,000 and got it wrong, walking away with ‘only’ $25,000. Here’s what losing 90% of your earnings (he could have walked away with 250k) in an instant feels like.
Marilyn Manson Sucks His Own Dick: The Oral History
Remember that rumour that Marilyn Mason (it’s also been attributed to Prince) had two of his ribs removed so he could auto-fellate?. Here’s Dan Dalton (the man who inadvertently started the annoying Back to the Future hoax) giving a hilarious Oral History of how it happened.
DUO: 5 obvious tips about writing about the movies & 6 more obvious tips about writing about the movies
The sometime home of FilmCritHulk (aspiring screenwriters, I recommend his eBook), birthmoviesdeath is my preferred website for film discussion at the moment. This, written by editor in chief Devin Faraci is a great little list of tips for would be film critics on things to better perfect their craft. The author of my favorite film review of last year, I recommend using it as a framework for all pop culture critique.
I’m Not Broke Anymore, And I’m Terrified
I’ve written young people’s relationship with money before, and how we all employ different yardsticks to justify purchases. This is an ace read on what happens when you finally make that big step into financial security and how having money plays havoc on your brain.
The Kardashians Are My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
John Saward writes like an art curator walking you through a gallery. His double salvo of boxing reads on Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson are some of the best ruminations on stubborn masculinity around, and then he went and made us all cry about our coughing and wheezing Dads and his time working in a bar.
He’s good basically. Go read him ponder about the Kardashians.
