Hangover Cure: *Almost* Not at All About Barbenheimer
A riveting dive into 1970s East LA and West Coast punk; the other Hollywood take on Los Alamos; zombies.
Hey, hi, hello, Happy Friday. If you’re getting this in your inbox, you’re a paid subscriber of Hugging the Bar, and let me just say, I appreciate you so much! And one of the ways I’m saying “thank you” is with this little weekly round-up of fun, non-beer recs. So, without further ado…!
READ: “Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, A Chicana Punk Story” by Alice Bag
I’m reaching a bit back into my invisible reading archives—well, actually, I’m sitting here scanning my bookshelf for past favorites—because when work and travel get busy, non-beer-and-booze-related reading tends to unfortunately fall by the wayside. This book immediately jumped out at me because Alice Bag is a fucking icon, not in the stupid way that, like, a TikTok beauty influencer would throw that word around about an eyeliner look, but in a true boundary-pushing, front-and-center-of-the-movement, brave-and-raw-and-crackly-fiery-talented, storytelling-the-whole-time way. And her band, Bags, is one of the most essential and genre-shaping bands of the birth of LA punk, around 1977-1981.
In “Violence Girl,” Alice takes us on a cinematic journey through growing up second-generation Mexican American in East LA, getting into music, and then immersing herself fully in the incendiary LA punk scene. The way these kids found each other through music and built their own community is honestly beautiful and very relatable in some way for most of us, while some of the specific ways in which they rebelled against everything from their parents to societal norms can be everything from inspiring to salacious. After you no doubt fly through this book, make sure to listen to the Bags’ entire catalog (like that of most punk bands, it’s short).
WATCH: “Manhattan”
Have y’all heard about a lil indie flick called “Oppenheimer?” Jk. I saw it this weekend, and totally understand now why a Barbenheimer double feature would have been the move—no, I did not expect a movie about one of history’s greatest man-made atrocities and watershed moments in the evils of politics and war to be a light-hearted romp, but damn! I am…haunted!
While I thought the movie was essentially fantastic—I mean, speaking of “haunted,” Cillian Murphy’s eyes bore tragedy into my soul and it left a mark—it reminded me of a show that I don’t think I know anyone else who watched it…? It’s called “Manhattan” and it’s from 2014; it only got two seasons, unfairly, and it is now on Amazon for free (I think/depending on your setup). First of all, the cast is studded with long established acting greats and up-and-comers who went on to be so themselves—I think it is the first thing I saw Rachel Brosnahan in? Secondly, and more importantly, as a television series, “Manhattan” had a luxury “Oppenheimer” didn’t, which is time. It was able to really explore the nuances and contradictions of this magnificent scientific feat + absolute, tragic catastrophe for mankind. I think a show made today would get even more into the experiences of victims, including those in the area surrounding Los Alamos, but this is a roughly progressive exploration for 2014. It was complex and comprehensive and fascinating, even when episodes were quiet. I just may revisit it myself.
LISTEN: “Zombie” by Langhorne Slim