Now Playing: September 2021

Our September 2021 edition of Now Playing has everything you need to kick back and relax: music, murder, and weird sports.

Vincent Anioke

I struggled with and gave up on a few Lana del Rey albums, but one recent evening, I decided to try again with “Honeymoon.” I was instantly blown away. Her emotive voice soars above a harrowing production, and the rich details of her lyrics invoke the feeling I often get from strong short stories. Now, stray phrases from random songs on Honeymoon loop in my mind: cacciatore, limousines, ciao amore, soft ice cream. There’s a comfort to them, arbitrary words newly imbued with a haze of nostalgia for a life never lived.

John Jodzio

Been watching a lot of Olympics lately, especially the less known/stranger sports. To me, the strangest is definitely the speed walking competition. Just got finished watching the 50K men's speed walking competition and I couldn't believe the amount of drama that ensued. There were a number of disqualifications (you need to keep one foot on the ground at all times to be considered "speed walking") and and a couple of the competitors cramped up and couldn't finish. Sometimes the judges hide in bushes and behind things to catch the racers cheating (not keeping one foot in contact with the ground). Also they are constantly pouring water all over their body so they don't chafe. Really weird but super enjoyable.

Allison Blevins

I listen to the podcast My Favorite Murder in the car, in the shower, whenever I have a spare minute without my children's impressionable ears and minds loitering around. I have never been interested in true crime. My spouse listened to this podcast, and I thought they were nuts. They had it on during a string of my hospital stays. I wasn't able to walk at the time. When I finally listened with intent, I was transported. Murder was exactly what I needed: mystery, horror, disgust. The Kardashians and daytime talk shows weren't enough to distract me from having lost my ability to walk. Murder was the human experience I needed. It helped that this podcast is hosted by the comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Laughter is a damn good pill for partial paralysis.