As AI encroaches on all aspects of art and entertainment, I’m increasingly interested in the deliciously unique, clumsy, and human forms that entertainers create. One recent scene from the exquisitely written HBO sitcom Hacks finds Deborah, a veteran comedian, in a business meeting with a fellow techie. He predicts that she will one day use AI to write materials. Once hungry for every opportunity (and money), her demeanor quickly turned cold, giving way to fiery anti-AI speeches that culminated in the zeitgeist: “There are no shortcuts.” That’s especially true of art depicting the human condition. The process of writing a joke is one of trying and failing “until you figure out who you are,” she says. Perhaps that’s the point. It means that something truly interesting, beautiful, and moving can emerge not in spite of failure, but precisely because of failure. So, no matter how much time you have, let’s make time to dance, laugh, and get mad at robots and experience the beauty of imperfection together.
If you have…
3 minutes 28 seconds to dance on the risers: Electric Circus, Nelly Furtado’s song “What If It All Goes Right?” from Canada Soccer’s album Perfect Pitch.
As World Cup fever takes over, Nelly Furtado performs a jam for Canada that evokes the nation’s collective memory of the Electric Circus. Heritage Minutes at the club are like this. Although the lyrics have no connection to the original show, the title recalls the collective experience of the wild yet addictive daytime dance show that had its heyday more than two decades ago. Produced with Canadian superstar producer Boi-1da, Furtado’s songs are pure, juicy slices of ’90s nostalgia, with upbeat beats and cascading vocal hooks that hark back to the days when clubs didn’t have phones and you just had free nights on the dance floor. Earlier this year, Canada’s pop queen was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Junos with a electrifying performance of a medley of era-defining hits by some of Canada’s best artists. She continues her comeback reign with songs of the summer that feel fresh while being perfectly crafted callbacks.
2 minutes 38 seconds while waiting for a layover: Hannah Einbinder, Episode 715 of SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma, YouTube Short
It’s hard to believe that SubwayTakes is less than three years old. This now classic YouTube bit format triangulates all the flashpoints of virality. It’s an instantly recognizable format, a spontaneous energy and a fiery take on “Streeter.” The conversation, hosted by comedian Kareem Rahma and compiled from editorials scattered around the internet, features people, famous and unknown, riding the New York City subway as they try to convince Rahma to side with their views. The series’ growth has naturally incorporated celebrities of all kinds, from Hollywood (Charlize Theron and her take on what not to say in bed) to American politics (New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani, Governor Tim Walz, and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, whose interview was not made public). Recent performers include climate activist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas and Hux’s Hannah Einbinder, who are trying to rally passengers on the topic of why it’s stupid to say “I see you” when it’s not actually the first time you’ve met someone. What’s fascinating about this internet staple is the way it encourages introspection. Do you agree or disagree?
Fold Infinite Stockings and Plan Your Midlife Axis 8 hours 15 minutes: Zana Garg, This American Woman Audiobook
When I first came across Zarna Garg’s social media content, I happily laughed at finding someone consistently wickedly funny. She is a pure antidote to internet bloat, but I only got to know her through social media. Imagine my surprise when I started listening to her audiobooks and learned that this self-proclaimed “foul-mouthed Indian auntie” ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage and spent part of her childhood homeless in Mumbai. From her fanciful reminiscences of her time as a precocious girl from India on a Florida cruise, her observations of all-you-can-eat buffets, casinos, and nightclubs to the wonders of her first bubble bath while visiting family in Akron, Ohio, the magic of this book lies in her clear-eyed observations of both American and Indian culture as she experienced her transformation from bookworm in Mumbai to “an American woman who puts her money where her mouth is.” I was hoping she would make me laugh. I couldn’t imagine that I would end up laughing at almost every sentence and sometimes every word. I never imagined I would cry by chapter 4 either. If you listen, I guarantee you will too. As she says, I love this story of a woman in the prime of middle age. She hands her pen to her daughter in one chapter, where we learn that Zurg’s trajectory from Tiger Mom to stand-up comedian was due to the encouragement of her own children. Must listen.
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