23 March 2020 - Online culture during self-isolation
From standup to the Sistine chapel: the best online culture for self-isolation
Stuart Jeffries (The Guardian, 22/03/2020)
The coronavirus crisis has closed galleries and concert halls – but inspired an explosion of creativity to enjoy at home. Here’s some of the best.
Bored during self-isolation? Tour these museums from the comfort of your couch
Alexandra Mae Jones (CTV News, 13/03/2020)
As an increasing number of public spaces temporarily close their doors and “social distancing” keeps more of the population hemmed into their homes, the question of just what to do with our time is looming large in the minds of Canadians.
So far, museums and galleries such as the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian War Museum, The National Gallery of Canada, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canada Aviation and Space Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum, among others, have closed.
Music to Endure the Coronavirus Quarantine
Amanda Petrusich (The New Yorker, 20/03/2020)
For the past week, I’ve taken breaks from staring blankly into the middle distance to dip deeper into my record collection than I have in years. There are a few albums and artists that always work for me. I’ve found that the country-blues singer Mississippi John Hurt is a reliable and instantaneous balm, no matter what’s happening to me or to the world; his voice is exuberant and playful, like two fuzzy puppies rolling around together. A performance he did of the folk standard “John Henry,” filmed in 1965, is plainly, inarguably delightful. I’ve been watching it almost every morning. I feel similarly about the Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence; his gurgling, grumbling version of “Jump in the Line” is so weird and sublime that, no matter how despondent I’m feeling, it becomes hard to suppress a goofy smile. The resilience of the Dixie Chicks is a source of perennial inspiration; Phoebe Bridgers recently made a skinhead disappear. Bad Brains, Bert Jansch, Bessie Jones—the best thing about records is that, even when you don’t have anything left to give, they keep showing up for you.
Five smug middle-class social isolation activities
(The Daily Mash, 20/03/2020)
If you’re middle-class and self-isolating, people still need to know that you’re better than them. Here’s how to do it.
Post links to tedious online gallery tours
You can pretend you’ve been learning about Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine Chapel, when actually you’ve been looking at the willies on the Elgin Marbles or having a wank over the Mona Lisa.