Picks for COVID-19 self-quarantine (and other periods of chosen isolation)
Editor’s note: In the aftermath of the unfortunate yet completely understandable and responsible decision to scrap this year’s iteration of Big Ears, the BLANK staff was left grasping at straws for ideas of content that could replace the pre-festival coverage that typically graces our cover each March. It was Bill Foster who suggested that we write about some of our unheralded favorites – music, movies, books and other things that might fly under the radar of most folks – in order to provide our readers with touchstones for exploring new entertainment options during this protracted period of self-isolation. Today, regular BLANK contributor and fine wordsmith Amelia Bartlett reveals her picks for beating the quarantine blues.
COVID-19 has asked all of us to change up our lifestyles and daily routines. Though I already work from home, I’m already feeling the increased cabin fever without my regular reprieve at the climbing gym, antiquing on the weekend or the postponed trip to Asheville to see City of the Sun (more on them later) and Knoxville’s William Wild.
As someone who plans and writes lists for fun, putting together a little guide for spending this time has brought me some solace. I’m listening to my favorite music, watching great movies (many for the first time) and catching up on TV. If you want to escape the doom and gloom of a global pandemic, here are a few suggestions for media to keep you happy at home.
Music
- City of the Sun, acoustic/percussion/instrumental magic with accompanying music videos to make you feel like they’re playing right in front of you. My favorite: Pull their videos up on YouTube and let a playlist go in the background while you do whatever you do when you’re home alone.
- Sara Bareilles, who genre-jumps from jazzy folk-pop to tear-jerking ballads across a nine-album catalog (not including her live recordings) and a Broadway/West End musical that recently made a stop in Knoxville, as well.
- Le Cafe Français, my personally created Spotify playlist of all my favorite French songs, which is my preferred soundtrack for sipping morning coffee on my porch while practicing social distancing from my neighbors.
TV
- Season 3 of “Westworld” premiered on HBO on March 15, and it has big shoes to fill after it took the franchise nearly two years to release a new season. But there are hours of recaps to watch (on YouTube) and plenty of overthinking of a more comforting demise of a world overrun by robots to do.
- “High Fidelity” (2020 Hulu remake), featuring Zoë Kravitz as the lead, is a smash. Frankly, had they remade it with another all-male cast (sorry, John Cusack), I couldn’t have handled even five minutes of it. But Kravitz plays a character that originally was written by a man (Nick Hornby) about a man, and this interesting take on gender roles and perspective – as well as the casting decisions – makes for a nuanced look into female personality traits that rarely get screen time.
- Catching up on past episodes of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” and reveling in the surprise of new ones being produced during this crisis is a wonderful pastime. This show … more Americans need to watch this show – if not other than to simply better understand how their country functions and the things that actually are going on around them. Pretty much all the episodes are timely, and they range from food waste to mobile-home financing to sheriffs (a very important episode), all while covering with great attention to detail the concerns of the day.
- If you haven’t already, add “Maniac” to your Netflix list. Emma Stone and Jonah Hill have remarkable onscreen chemistry, and the true winner is the aesthetic of this limited series: grungy, futuristic Japanese influence on a simulated New York City landscape, complete with psychedelic visions and ‘80s-inspired sci-fi costumes.
Movies
- At least half of the Oscar-nominated films from the past year are available to stream on Netflix, Prime Video or Hulu. And the other half are available to rent for less than half of what it would cost to see them in a theater. Pop your own corn, drink your own beverage of choice and watch “Parasite” to see for yourself what all the buzz was about.
- As you patiently wait for the Greta Gerwig-directed version to come to a streaming site near you, I encourage you to watch the 2018 limited-series adaptation of “Little Women.” Available to stream for free on Prime Video, Maya Hawke of “Stranger Things” leads the series as Jo. With a full three hours dedicated to the narrative, you get more of the book onscreen than ever before.
- Since you likely have more time on your hands than you know what to do with, it might not be a bad idea to get that free trial of Disney+. (If you’re a Verizon customer, you can snag a full year for free.) You’ll be able to re-watch some of your childhood favorites. Also, the collection of Pixar shorts alone is keeping my spirits up.
While self-isolation means that you need to avoid close contact with people, it doesn’t have to mean staying home at all times. Getting out for a walk, bike ride, hike or an afternoon in a hammock is totally fine (for the time being, at least). Get some fresh air, get moving and make the most of this time in which there are fewer demands, fewer commitments and virtually no obligation to deal with people you really don’t want to see anyway.
