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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 1d

This week we’re considering how art that requires expertise to enjoy can shut out the uninitiated, who, in turn, are made to feel stupid and uncool.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/i-know-wha...

34% of men say they do not admit to liking some music for fear of seeming uncool

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 1d

This week The Metropolitan argues in favour of the welcoming legibility of Erik Satie, and the welcoming delight of the Satie Museum in Honfleur.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/enjoy-your...

You either fall in love with the Gymnopediés on first hearing, or you’re never going to love them at all. If you don’t like them immediately — which is fine, it’s allowed — there is no point in trying harder, because you won’t discover anything that you didn’t understand the first time.

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 5d

Discovering Poe as a teenager meant I had already read many of those influenced by him, so discovering the source of all those genre tropes was a revelation.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/tales-of-m...

The traditional image of Poe is of a lone, mad genius. But in reading him I saw how storytelling was a process, a handing on of ideas and tropes, to be adapted and renewed by each succeeding generation.

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 5d

When snowed in in Philadelphia a few years ago, we whiled away the time going on a pilgrimage to Poe’s house and also the house of that other master of the uncanny: David Lynch.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/big-night-...

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 7d

Part of the appeal of Poe is surely his strange and precarious life, which so often seems like the life of one of his more cursèd characters.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/tales-of-m...

‘He is the first well-known American writer to earn a living exclusively through writing, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.’ Same as it ever was.

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 7d

We’re re-reading Poe this week, and rediscovering his mastering of not just horror and mystery but of conjuring a deep sense of other-worldliness and unease: the uncanny.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/scaredy-ca...

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 9d

This week we’ve been re-reading Edgar Allen Poe, and mooning about in the dense Victorian prose, looking for a couch to swoon upon.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/tales-of-m...

The prose of ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (1839) is as obscure and convoluted as the monstrous house and monstrous people it describes; its paragraphs are as cluttered as a Victorian sitting room.

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/-gbnzR8LI2U?...
‘Springtime’ - Allison Russell. But then, if Autumn’s here, it means Spring is coming. Eventually.

Allison Russell - "Springtime" (Live at WFUV)

http://wfuv.org • Follow @wfuv: http://ow.ly/flLAg Allison Russell performs "Springtime" live in Studio A. Recorded 8/22/23. Host: Kara Manning Audio: Jim O'Hara, Allen Wang and Erin…

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

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‘Vina Vina Malawi’ - Madalitso Band. Or Malawi? It certainly sounds cheerful.

Vina Vina Malawi

Provided to YouTube by IDOL Vina Vina Malawi · Madalitso Band Wasalala ℗ Bongo Joe Released on: 2019-03-29 Composer: Yobu Maligwa Composer: Yosefe Kalekeni Auto-generated by YouTube.

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

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‘Ces P'Tits Je T'aime’ - Daniel Forestal Et Sa Guitare. As far as I can tell Daniel Forestal was from Guadeloupe, so perhaps this offers an escape to everyone who’s sorry to see Summer go.

Ces P'Tits Je T'aime

Provided to YouTube by K7 Records GmbH Ces P'Tits Je T'aime · Daniel Forestal Et Sa Guitare Disques Debs International Vol. 1 ℗ 1964 Disques Debs International Released on: 2018-06-29 Music …

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/Pi1iD14BK2g?...
‘Throwing Bones’ - The Phantom Band. The Scots know how to deal with long, dark nights: stay inside and make a ruckus.

Throwing Bones

Provided to YouTube by PIAS Throwing Bones · The Phantom Band Checkmate Savage ℗ Chemikal Underground Records Released on: 2009-01-25 Producer: Paul Savage Mixing Engineer: Paul Savage Mixing…

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/VR8hw-Iqpps?...
‘Never Go Away’ - John Andrews & The Yawns. Although Autumn can be cosy if you really embrace it.

Never Go Away

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises Never Go Away · John Andrews & The Yawns · John Andrews Never Go Away ℗ 2023 Woodsist Released on: 2023-03-13 Auto-generated by YouTube.

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/IVeKVwxTUDQ?...
‘The Willow’ - Magon. Here, though, the shadows are deepening under the trees and the evenings are getting chillier.

Magon - "The Willow" (Official Music Video)

"The Willow" by Magon from the album "In The Blue" Stream/Buy: https://streamlink.to/InTheBlue ——— Directed and shot by Magon & Alexa Rotarescu Special thanks to Kitui, Lormaki, Leboi and their…

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/XaQPKgsCZD8?...
‘Ayalqem Tèdèngo’ - Akalé Wubé. Followed by a cheery Ethiopian inflected instrumental. There’s sun somewhere, if you can find it.

Ayalqem Tèdèngo

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises Ayalqem Tèdèngo · Akalé Wubé Akalé Wubé ℗ 2010 Clapson Released on: 2010-05-07 Auto-generated by YouTube.

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/CteTC6zIlIw?...
‘Next To Normal’ - Lucius. However here’s some upbeat disco-adjacent groove for everyone mourning the shortening days.

Lucius - Next to Normal (Official Music Video)

“Next to Normal” from Lucius’ new album ‘Second Nature’ out now! Listen / Buy ‘Second Nature’ & Get Tour Tickets: https://lucius.ffm.to/secondnature Follow…

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/eMYf4MlYEyk?...
‘I Used To Live In England’ - supermodel*. Having lived in England this gentleman would know that Autumn is absolutely the best season for it.

supermodel* - i used to live in england

"i used to live in england" by supermodel* presented by f***ing whatever. directed by frankie beanie creative direction by frankie beanie & bowen moreno dp - bowen moreno 1st ac - jacob…

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

youtu.be/8MgPN-3ChS0?...
‘Summer’s Gone’ - Aberfeldy. I know this is going to upset some of you, but Summer really is over now.

aberfeldy summer's gone

http://www.myspace.com/aberfeldytheband One two, one two three Well, we get along Yeah we really do And there's nothing wrong With what I feel for you I could go with you, you, you If…

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

It’s Mixtape week in The Metropolitan, which means it’s also time for our Playlist of ten tracks we’ve been enjoying this month.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/metropolit...

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 12d

Watching both ‘Dr Zhivago’ and Kurosawa’s ‘I Live In Fear’ this month has led to us thinking about how Toshiro Mifune turned down the role of Ben Kenobi, eventually taken by Alec Guinness.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/metropolit...

Much as I would have liked to see Toshiro Mifune as a Jedi knight, I think I would have liked even more to see Guinness play Kenobi as a member of the D’Ascoyne family.

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 14d

In this week’s Mixtape, we’re covering some of what we’ve watched and listened to this month, including an inadvertent Russian Revolution theme, namely ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ and ‘Dr Zhivago’.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/metropolit...

Bolt and Lean evidently decided that we’d more readily believe that Zhivago was a poetic genius if we didn’t have to hear any of his verse, which was very sensible of them.

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 14d

This month’s entry in our ongoing Holmes Movies season for paid subscriptions finally reaches the team-up we’ve all been waiting for: Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud!
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/the-seven-...

It is customary for apologists for the British Empire to insist that it did at least confer upon its colonies, bureaucracy, law and railways. And those three words also summarise a model Holmes story. Files, trains and justice.

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 15d

This month The Metropolitan went down an American Civil War rabbit hole (who can say why?), which ended, as it was always bound to, in Ken Burns’ classic documentary.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/metropolit...

Burns’s slow panning across photographs was so visually successful that he gave his name to an iMovie effect, and his use of famous actors to read soldiers’ letters and politicians’ speeches kicks the whole thing up a level.

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 19d

As with pop music, a shared taste in comedy can be crucial in building and cementing a friendship, like the friendship between Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie which, in turn, has cemented new friendships through their comedy.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/a-bit-of-f...

Over the years, brief references and dropped phrases have activated fellow sleeper agents like codewords whispered on a St James’ Park bench: ‘I have never had an Opal Fruit on me’, ‘Ticket pocket, ticket pocket, ticket pocket’

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 20d

This week we’ve written about ‘A Bit of Fry and Laurie’ so we’re obliged to mention ‘The Young Ones’ too.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/the-young-...

The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 20d

This week we’ve been rewatching ‘A Bit of Fry and Laurie’ and rediscovering their scorn for late ‘80s marketing and stock-market driven culture.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/a-bit-of-f...

Some people blame their lack of success on their parents, or their education, or their class; but when it comes to finding people to blame for the fact that I’ve never had a proper career, Fry and Laurie are squarely in the frame.