TueDo List: Didion + Birthdays + Guyville's 30th
Plus, the sanctuary of sisterhood — and an announcement from Margit
THIS WEEK
📖 READ: Perspective on turning 50 with a stable perch and a fab view. Is “Gen X Soft Club” in for a big nostalgia comeback? Calling Fran Lebowitz on her landline. Tribute to ‘70s literary trailblazer Louise Meriwether. RIP Suzanne Somers :(
👀 LOOK: Reminders there’s good in the world. David Byrne practicing his dance moves for “Stop Making Sense” and the electrifying live performance in ‘84! Liz Phair on the 30th anniversary of “Exile In Guyville.”
🎧 LISTEN: Singer-songwriter Jamilla Woods talks about her new album inspired by Toni Morrison. “The eighties was permission to be your biggest, loudest self,” according to Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale (she’s not wrong!). A rare appearance by Annie Lennox joining Brandi Carlile and Joni Mitchell on stage to sing “The Circle Game.”
🤣 LOL: How female frogs fake their own death to dodge unwanted guys. ‘90s yearbook photo challenge. How our great-great-grandchildren will appraise our stuff on “Antiques Roadshow.”
🛒 ADD TO CART: “A Hair Metal Journey,” a new book by ‘80s Glam podcaster, Metal Mike. These beautiful, comfy dresses (with pockets! fab prints!) from Zuri Kenya.
📺 WATCH:
This week: Heather McMahan’s comedy special, Son I Never Had (Netflix).
Wed: Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Beetlejuice is making a comeback for one night only on October 18th — get ticket info (AMC Theaters). From the creators of Queer Eye and executive producer Kristen Stewart, these five queer ghost hunters are Living for the Dead (Hulu).
Thurs: The Reggaeton-inspired comedy, Neon (Netflix). The Burning Girls, a thriller series based on the book by C.J. Tudor (Paramount+).
Fri: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon (Theaters). Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine as best friends who become fathers later in life in Old Dads (Netflix).
EVENT: It's TueNight's 10th Anniversary Birthday Bash!
Join us Tuesday, November 21st at Caveat in NYC
Can you believe it? We’ve been at it for a whole decade!? Get ready to toast to 10 incredible years of Gen-X storytelling at our birthday bash. We’ve curated a killer lineup of storytellers, all sharing inspiring stories on the theme of “AMBITION.”
Expect a chill party atmosphere, complete with six captivating storytellers, quick 30-second tales from the audience, and who knows, maybe even some birthday cake? We’ll also be streaming live online so everyone can join in the party.
STORY: Cheers to Sisterhood, Storytelling and a New Era
By Margit Detweiler
There’s a certain magic that happens when women of a certain age come together. Maybe it’s our years of experience, wisdom and grit that creates this immediate warmth — a “we get it” vibe.
This past weekend, I was craving that kind of in-person connection. After the chaotic horror that unfolded in the Middle East this week, and the accompanying emotional weight we all felt, I was eager to attend a cozy gathering in my friend Susan’s home with the author Farnoosh Torabi. Farnoosh is a well-known and much-loved money expert. But her new book, A Healthy State of Panic, is not so much financial tips as it is personal stories about growing up as the daughter of Iranian immigrants in the ‘80s, and how we can allow fear in our lives to serve us and embolden us to take risks.
The group of 20 or so women at the event went around the room introducing ourselves. We each mentioned something we were grateful for — and so many of us mentioned the thrill/the peace/the joy at just being in a room with other people, the opportunity to sit with other women and just be. A sanctuary. Over the last week many of us had been in chat groups or online threads. Some were heated and ugly, some were kind and understanding, some were polarizing and harmful. But here, here we could look each other in the eye — New Yorkers from all different kinds of backgrounds — hug each other and feel that warmth of female connection. Nothing like it.
That afternoon reminded me of one of the chief reasons I started TueNight 10 years ago. (Yes, T. E. N.… W. T. F!… years ago. But before we get all shocked at how time flies when you’re telling stories.)…
TN10: Evelyn McDonnell, Storyteller and Joan Didion Biographer
Your Age: 58
Basic bio: Evelyn McDonnell has been writing about popular culture and society for more than 20 years. She is the author of five books; her most recent, The World According to Joan Didion (Harper One), released last month. McDonnell’s writing on culture, women, music, literature, poetry, theater, and nature has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Ms., Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Spin, Travel & Leisure, Us Weekly, Billboard, Vibe, Interview, and more. She teaches the next generation of journalists at Loyola Marymount University.
Beyond the bio: I feel fortunate in many ways: I have a beautiful house, family, and pets, and I get to write and swim almost every day, usually in the Pacific Ocean, in the summers in Lake Superior. Still, I struggle to be seen and heard, as ever.
What makes you a grown-ass lady? I’m over pleasing others. Now is the time to live the life you want to live, not one people pushed you into or that you thought you wanted to live.
Don’t worry TueNighters, we’re still here!
