The Nicholist #13
If letters had eyebrows, these would be arched.
Welcome to The Nicholist! My weekly list of pop culture where I gush on everything that’s got me obsessed.
“Live for Me” by Omar Apollo
Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed. I may have told you in many a The Nicholist past that I have loved a song, been obsessed with a song, live for a song. But my feelings about this song are on another level. Audibly, lyrically, and emotionally, it moves me—and oddly leaves me feeling inspired to create art of my own.
Party Monster by James St. James
Party Monster, directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato
An outrageous, hilarious, campy, and killer look into New York City’s Club Kid culture of the late-80s and 90s—and its murderous King, Michael Alig. Written by former club kid James St. James, Party Monster (1999) is part memoir, part true crime, and I highly recommend it.
A random meaningless line from the book that really stuck with me: “If letters had eyebrows, these would be arched.”
I also watched the 2003 film adaptation starring Macaulay Culkin as Michael Alig. It’s low-budget camp—in the good way! Messy, captivating, frivolous, and fun. But, again, in the camp way, where it is also a bit unremarkable, and if you’re a booger you’d think it’s a bad film. Macaulay Culkin gives a performance that I can’t tell is amazing or bad and therefore I’ll settle on fearless.
Alice Neel: Feels Like Home
I’m not a museum girlie, but I’m trying to explore artistic expressions outside of writing in an attempt to dig myself out of my creative rut. Thus, my lunchtime stroll through the Alice Neel exhibit at the Orange County Museum of Art. I don’t think I fully grasp how one is supposed to consume museum art (like, do you just stare at things?), but I actually found this exhibit kinda cool. The exhibit Feels Like Home focuses on “honest, intimate” paintings of “everyday occurrences.” Which I kinda felt aligned with as an over-thinking playwright who struggles with accepting the fact that I am a a boring slice-of-life playwright.
2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge
I’m kind of amazing. (Send me your book recs!)