What we've been enjoying this week
Rec Room #6 – Never eating octopus again
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
What were you doing at 12:00:00am on the 1st of January 2000? I was in my grandparents’ garden in Invercargill, and I was about to set a world record.
While the rest of the family was still unoriginally wishing each other “Happy New Year!” my cousin was passing me a rugby ball, setting a record of her own as the first person to pass a rugby ball this millennium. At approximately 12:00:02am I kicked that ball high in the air, becoming the first person to kick a rugby ball this millennium.
I remembered this achievement while watching the new season of Pen15 on Neon this weekend. It’s set in 2000 and captures the vibe of being an awkward 14-year-old at the turn of the millennium in kind of the same way Freaks and Geeks did for the early 80s.
Nobody ever listens when I tell them they should watch it, probably because the name makes it sound like I’m trying to prank them, but it’s a real show, and it rocks.
–Cal
Here’s a bonus rec for the nostalgic elder millennials, which the YouTube algorithm suggested for me recently (it knows): If Blink-182 Wrote Semi-Charmed Life. And here’s a good episode of Vox’s Switched On Pop podcast about how Gen Z doesn’t know any of these songs, the only songs from the 90s they know are the Macarena and Mambo #5.
Duncan recommends Ben Smith’s media columns in the New York Times. “He moved from running Buzzfeed's news operation to the NYT earlier this year, taking over the Media Equation column made holy ground by the late David Carr. Already he’s tackled head-on many of the people and thorny issues confronting journalism and its relationship to the wider culture. From wrestling with tensions in the performance of journalism under Trump to reckoning with the complex legacy of Andrew Sullivan as he left New York magazine, to daring to ask if Ronan Farrow really is all he appears, his work has been essential and thought-provoking reading every single week.
Lucy recommends My Octopus Teacher on Netflix. “If you want to cry over an octopus, this is the documentary for you. It’s about a burnt out filmmaker who creates a bond with an octopus after diving in the same spot every day for a year, and explores why we as humans feel disconnected with the natural world and how we can reconnect with ourselves. It's deep down there in the ocean!”
Leonie recommends Ahikāroa on Māori Television. “The best soap on New Zealand television, it’s sexier and way funnier than Shorties.” Very bold claim considering Chris Warner was recently filmed by a drone having sex in the back of an ambulance, but when you see what kind of antics Hemi on Ahikāroa has been getting up to lately you’ll have no choice but to agree.
Josie recommends The X-Files on Amazon Prime Video. “I've been rewatching it lately and can recommend season five for its more oddball monsters of the week (country bumpkin vampires, immortal Spanish conquistadors, a giant bug who runs a call centre) vs the earlier seasons' terrifying circus fetus twin and the stretchy, cannibalistic Eugene Tooms, and the later seasons' deep state alien invasion arcs.”
Following last week’s pear recommendation, which proved surprisingly controversial in the office, Stewart recommends mandarins as this week’s Fruit of the Week. Specifically the ones grown in Kerikeri – apparently they’re the best and they’re approaching the end of their season, so get some while you still can.
Staying at the supermarket for a moment, Alice WL recommends Snackachangi Vinegar & Salt Chips. “They’re (accidentally) vegan, which is rare for a chip – most have milk powder. The crunch is extreme, the flavour is intense and most importantly they’re sturdy enough to take on the thickest dip without breakage. Vinegar and Salt is my personal #1 but the BBQ also slaps.”
Finally, Sherry recommends a product I didn’t know existed and am now absolutely obsessed with: Aēsop Post-Poo Drops. “My friend gifted it to me – you drop them into the loo after a big poo.” So much posher than lighting a match, but unfortunately out of stock on the Aēsop website at the moment.
100 Year Forecast
Exciting news – we’ve got a new video series coming out next week! It’s all about climate change, and specifically what it means for us here in Aotearoa. Launching on Monday, 100 Year Forecast is a five-part video series narrated by Rachel House (Moana, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), with an interactive website designed by Vanishing Point Studio featuring maps and data visualisations from Chris McDowall. It looks at how the country might look in a hundred years if we don’t take climate action now, and how different things could be if we do. Have a watch of the trailer now.
The Spinoff's 20-step guide to winning an election debate
The first big leaders’ debate of the 2020 election campaign was last night, meaning the election debate season is now well and truly underway. All up and down Aotearoa political candidates will be frantically googling “how to win an election debate”, and if I’ve got the SEO right, hopefully finding this video. Good luck to them all.
Papercuts
The lovely Papercuts crew were back in the studio late last week with two months and three armfuls worth of new books to talk about. Titles on the agenda include the 2020 International Booker Prize winner from Dutch writer Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, the new novel from Pip Adam and the latest self-improvement sensation from Cal Newport. There’s a lot of book news and other recs too – it’s like Rec Room for bookworms, basically.
Gone By Lunchtime
The Gone By Lunchtime trio have been holed up in the studio this morning dissecting all the details of last night’s debates. One was raucous, robust, interesting and entertaining. The other was the TVNZ leaders’ debate. The special debate episode just went live seconds ago, and should be available wherever you normally listen to your political pods by the time you’re reading this.
The Fold
The Spinoff’s managing editor Duncan Greive has a long-standing and well-documented fascination with NZ On Air, and last week he landed what must be close to his dream interview when he spoke to new CEO Cameron Harland on The Fold. They talked about the significance of the latest Where are the Audiences? survey (see the previous monopod episode of The Fold), how NZ On Air is serving its increasingly fragmented audiences and confronting the challenges of the Covid-19 era.
On the Rag: Anger
Mad as hell and don’t want to take it anymore? Last week’s episode of On the Rag is for you. Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden as they go on an odyssey of women’s rage, and find out how we can all channel our anger into good.
That’s all for this week. Please feel free to share this Rec Room with anyone you think might like it, and reply if you’d like to get in touch.
See you next Wednesday 👋
