Music has, since the dawn of time, been a societal barometer. Indeed - were I to flaunt my credentials as a History Class Attendee, and even as an Open Wikipedia Tab Haver (5 Days Running) - I’d argue it may be the single most consistently effective tool we have for understanding the ideals and cultural … Continue reading Top 10 Medieval Musicians That Sound Just Like Weezer
It's the middle of April, and you know what that means: it's time to finally roll out our best reads of March. Enjoy! The Banality of Empathy by Namwali Serpell for The New York Review of Books One argument about the political and social efficacy of art that I hear a lot is that it … Continue reading The Ten Best Things We Read In March 2019
Here at The Niche, we are big fans of John Mulaney and Annamarie Tendler's love for one another. But often, as I browse their Instagrams, an internal dilemma arises: do I want to be John? Do I want to be Anna? Or do I simply want them to adopt me? I suspect that these questions … Continue reading Quiz: Where Do You Fall on the Mulaney-Tendler-Kinsey Scale?
For the past three years, as Elizabeth Holmes' startling fall from grace has accelerated, we've all asked a single question: why? Holmes lied, for years, to millions of vulnerable patients, about having invented revolutionary blood-testing technology that might save their lives. She stole billions of dollars from investors, knowing full well that she had no capacity … Continue reading Is Elizabeth Holmes A Vampire?
https://twitter.com/silkspectres/status/1101936274754162688 Illustration by Fiona Ostby. This debate contains spoilers for "A Little Life," as well as discussion of suicide, sexual abuse, pedophilia, domestic violence, disordered eating, and self-harm, which may be triggering to some readers. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity, and to get rid of all our little verbal tics, because … Continue reading A Little Life: The Best Book, or the Worst?
Ryan Adams Dangled Success. Women Say They Paid A Price. by Joe Coscarelli and Melena Ryzik for the New York Times In the days following the publication of this piece, the FBI opened an inquiry into Ryan Adams' communication with an underage girl, retailers cut ties with Adams, former colleagues of Adams denounced him, and … Continue reading The Ten Best Things We Read in February 2019
I'm going to start this out by saying: if you haven't seen the Starz series Black Sails (2014-2017) leave this page right now and go watch it by any means necessary. Do you like Narrative? Do you like wrestling with Enlightenment ideals and the ideology of colonialism? Do you like love? Do you like romance? … Continue reading All Eternals Deck is a Concept Album About Black Sails’ James Flint
"WILL BYERS, 12, is a sweet, sensitive kid with sexual identity issues." In the Duffer Brothers' pitch for Stranger Things, this is the very first sentence we read about Will. He's recently come to the realization that he's not "normal," the pitch reads, by the standards of semi-rural suburbia. He is bullied for his "innocent choices," … Continue reading What I Want for Will Byers
Dear Sir or Mad -- nah, let's be real, you're almost definitely a Sir, and a sorry excuse for one, at that, Last November, I wrote an article entitled "Let's Scroll Through John Mulaney and Annamarie Tendler's Instagrams While Listening to 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' by the Beach Boys Until We All Have Emotional Breakdowns." … Continue reading An Open Letter to the Person Who Keeps Accessing Our Site By Googling Stuff Like “john mulaney wife armpit hair”
Readers, hopefully we’re all in agreement that violence is bad, and that killing people with weapons is, in most circumstances, not good. However, have you heard “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers? Like, really listened? Because if you, like me, have listened to “Motion Sickness,” many times, on repeat, in a car, or lying in bed, while … Continue reading Every Line of Motion Sickness Ranked by How Much It Makes Me Want to Give Phoebe Bridgers A Sword
