Enter the Zenmenn – Lockdown cookies – Trainspotter TikTok
...and other recs this week!
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
The other night, like every night of lockdown, I was scrolling through various streaming platforms lucklessly searching for something I felt like watching when I was struck by a truly radical thought: why don’t I listen to music instead. I’m not sure if this is a universal lockdown experience or what, but I reckon I’ve been listening to way less music without the daily commute, and it felt good to just potter around on Spotify and Bandcamp until it was time for bed – I ended up discovering this sublimely woozy new age record by a band called The Zenmenn, one of whom I was shocked to learn is a New Zealander. So maybe give that a listen, or put the new Shihad album (see below) on if you prefer it a bit heavier, or just take this as a reminder to listen to some music you like this week. (Also drink more water.)
–Cal
A special note from The Spinoff publisher Duncan Greive: Without wanting to get too Bernie Sanders-meme with it, I am once again asking you to consider donating to help The Spinoff in its hour of need. The delta outbreak struck just as we had made a major investment in new hires to grow what we can bring you on The Spinoff. We now have a head of data creating powerful charts to map the spread of the virus and rollout of the vaccine, a CTO to rebuild our site and upgrade our security and multiple brilliant new writers and editors like Reweti Kohere, Madeleine Holden and Chris Schulz. They are all creating important work under highly constrained circumstances – as are the rest of our 20-strong editorial team. Unfortunately delta has had a significant impact on our partnership work, which makes us more reliant than ever on the support of our audience. So, if you're part of The Spinoff Members, thank you, from all of us. If you're not, and can donate, please do so today using this link. To keep on keeping on, we need you right now.
This week’s new podcasts
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey spoke with tech leader Rowan Simpson and clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire about what we’ve learned about working from home.
The Gone By Lunchtime [Apple | Spotify] crew has been late night Zooming again, and a new episode full of fresh politics chat should be out any minute now.
And The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] continues to revel in all the tactics and subterfuge of Celebrity Treasure Island as well as keeping us abreast of all the least important news from around Aotearoa.
Subscribe and listen now wherever you get your podcasts!
Ruby Esther on FIRST
Pax Assadi told us his worst heckler experience came early in his career, when a rowdy Ewen Gilmour fan got up on stage and took a swing at him. Ruby Esther’s worst heckler experience brings it full circle: “I got on stage and someone just shouted, ‘bring Pax back’”, she remembers sorrowfully in this week’s episode of FIRST.
Extremely Online – The truth about bots
We’ve all seen them in the comments on social media, and some of us have probably even had an argument with one. So what’s the deal with bots? This week’s episode of Extremely Online, from the team at Shit You Should Care About, takes a look.
Lockdown cookies
Alice says: “I recommend baking Grizzly Baked Goods’ lockdown cookies, the recipe for which is on the Christchurch bakery’s Instagram highlights. The best thing about these cookies is they’re designed to be adaptable, so you can throw in whatever you have to hand. Pretzels! Coffee grounds! Cat biscuits! (Just kidding don’t chuck in cat biscuits). I made some the other day with coconut, white chocolate and cornflakes and they were honestly life-changing. NB: The recipe makes very large biscuits, approximately the size of a child’s head, so you may wish to reduce their size and adjust the cooking time accordingly.”
The Highland Vet
Ben says: “If you're sick of toned-down cutesy animal shows and want some realness in your life, check out The Highland Vet on TVNZ OnDemand. We sat down to watch as a family thinking it'd be all cute hairy cows and windswept Scottish highlands, only to be brutally confronted with a bovine caesarean that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. “The most northerly vet practise on the British mainland” is hardcore. (Don’t worry, there's plenty of windswept highlands and fluffy cows too.)”
Hades
Sam says: “I started playing Hades (available on pretty much any current-gen gaming console) last night and am finding it way more addictive than I thought I would. It’s a roguelike (dungeon crawler + randomly generated dungeons) that has its own stylish twist on Greek mythology, following Zagreus as he repeatedly fails to escape the underworld. You will die a lot, but every time you die, you get a little bit stronger, and each loop brings on something new to try and experiment with. Plus, it’s really, really funny.”
Coast to coast
Sophie says: “I recommend the Coast to Coast Walkway! It takes you from Waitematā to Manukau harbour (and vice versa). A great 16km adventure that you can do in three parts or all in one over 3-4 hours with your bubble. Spring is a perfect time for it – the sakura are in flower at Cornwall Park and the Domain!”
New Shihad
Chris says: “Old Gods sounds less like the 10th record from a band into their fourth decade together, and more like the four guys who skipped class to rip out riffs in Wellington High School's music room. It's brutally loud, brilliantly heavy and full of powerful statements about systemic racism, classism and colonialism. You want to hear this loud. You also want to see it live – it's looking unlikely, but I hope next month's tour gets the go-ahead. It's the kind of cathartic release we all need right now.”
Trainspotter TikTok
Lucy says: “I'm not sure what it is, but watching Francis Bourgeois’s TikToks (like this one) and seeing his genuine excitement for trains brings me so much joy. He makes sure to make you feel a part of it with his camera angles, and it’s impossible to not smile when he gets a toot from the driver.”
Forager TikTok
Leonie says: “I’ve been inspired to forage a bit throughout this lockdown, thanks in part to the previously rec’d PictureThis app ensuring I don’t munch on plants that will kill me, and great posts on The Spinoff by Charlotte Muru-Lanning and Olivia Sisson. I’ve since discovered BlackForager aka Alexis Nikole on TikTok, an infectiously enthusiastic environmental scientist from the US. She’s a joy, equally as funny as she is insightful and the sheer range of plant life she identifies and turns into meals is astonishing – acorn bacon anyone? The great thing is, she brings conversations about African American and Indigenous food traditions into the mix to talk about the cultural and political contexts of all the food we eat. The only downside is living in a different hemisphere and not being able to go searching for the same mushrooms, weeds, wild berries and nuts that are so appealing in her capable hands. Still, plenty of great knowledge to apply here and entertaining af nonetheless. To borrow Nikole’s signature sign-off: “Happy snacking, don’t die!””
Snoop Dogg’s red wine
Justin says: “I bought the Snoop Dogg wine for a laugh, but it’s actually a pretty nice drop. I assume it’s available in all supermarkets and not just areas with a penchant for hip hop.”
That’s all for this week! Please reply to get in touch and share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋