You WILL Tell Us What You’re Reading, Watching, Listening to, or Playing in This Friday’s Open Thread

It's Friday, and you know what that means: more fried fish!!! another Racket Open Thread. (OK, it will actually mean more fried fish for me as well, but I digress.)

Every so often, we like to check in on your media habits, to see what you've been reading or watching or hearing or playing (I haven't forgotten you, gamers). It's just a fun thing to do!

I'll start things off. I'm one of those people who's always got too many books going at a time. I'm just about finished Jeff Sharlet's terrifying reported look at the extremist right, The Undertow, and I'm moving a little more slowly through David Hirst's history of Palestine,The Gun and the Olive Branch. I've been working my way through Leon Forrest's massive but entertaining and often brilliant novel Divine Days, recently reissued. (Very roughly, imagine Ulysses in Black Chicago in the '60s.) And on a much lighter note, I just finished Alex Pappademas's wonderful Steely Dan compendium, Quantum Criminals.

As music goes, Otoboke Beaver at First Avenue was as amazing as expected last night, and I'm excited for Horse Lords at Icehouse and Luna at the Fine Line next week and maybe (fingers crossed—c'mon PR folks!) Olivia Rodrigo at the Xcel. After one listen, Kim Gordon's The Collective is sounding great (I loved No Home Record). Other early picks for 2024 include the new Heems, Hurray for the Riff Raff (who I may try to see at Amsterdam next Friday if my Olivia plans fall through), and, honestly, the new Usher album is a lot of fun.

My moviegoing is mostly a matter of public record, but if you sickos want to peek into my home viewing habits I finally did start a Letterboxd.

OK, now it's your turn! Or you can just ignore this prompt and talk about whatever you want. This is your open thread, after all.