These are the words, images, and beers that inspired the GBH Collective this week. Drinking alone just got better, because now you’re drinking with all of us.
READ.// “Cosmic humor, especially about your own predicament, is an important part of your journey.” Rarely one to get too far into new-age philosophy or spirituality, I can't help but find myself, right now, looking for a bit of comfort anywhere I can find it. Be Here Now by Ram Dass is a collection of heady illustrations and quotes by a man formerly known as Professor Richard Alpert (who was also a colleague of Timothy Leary’s). It will certainly take you on a trip if you need to escape—although can you truly call it an escape if it's asking you to stay present in the moment?
LOOK.// Reptoid is a furious, one-man, percussion-based noise project from Oakland, and it feels like the perfect soundtrack for a time of wildfires here in Northern California, and increasing political tensions. Equally manic and nihilistic, it's a perfect mash-up of classic dark industrial and intense hardcore/metal (think of it as if Nine Inch Nails and Converge released a collaboration). Their new album is out now, as well as this new music video.
DRINK.// Weihenstephaner Festbier
I'm a sucker for great Lagers and seasonal releases. While I love all the variety and unique twists we see from domestic breweries, I always go back to one of the originals at this time of year. With a history of brewing going back nearly a thousand years, Weihenstephan proudly sits on the Mount Olympus of proper German Lager brewers alongside Paulaner, Spaten, and the like. This malt-forward, golden Lager is less hoppy than the brewery’s Pilsner or Original Premium, but is far from sweet.
READ.// “Firefighters and farmers have tricks of their own to prevent fires from sparking and to contain them enough for successful defeat. But there might be a secret weapon that hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves: cattle.” With the ongoing conflict between meat-eaters and vegans, this article provides scientific truths that could prevent “larger and more severe fires.”
LOOK.// I haven’t been home to Charleston, South Carolina since March due to the pandemic. One of the things I miss, aside from family, is whole-hog bbq—especially making the short drive out to a town called Hemingway, to get some of Rodney Scott’s BBQ.
DRINK.// Atlas Brew Works’ Festbier
It’s ’bout that time of year! There are many Oktoberfest-style beers out there, but this one will always be my first love—straight from Atlas Brew Works in Washington, D.C.
READ.// “Years passed, and Jonathan released a second book of my images, then a third. He had another show at the same gallery. I looked him up online occasionally; I almost felt like I was checking in on a part of me, the part of me he now owned. For years, while I built a career, he’d kept that Emily in the drawers of his creaky old house, waiting to whore her out. It was intoxicating to see what he’d done with this part of me he’d stolen.” Emily Ratajkowski—who you probably know from that terrible Robin Thicke music video “Blurred Lines”—pens this heartbreaking piece about who owns our images, and how women’s bodies, captured in photographs, allow for this intangible type of abuse that lives on in perpetuity.
LOOK.// I don’t think there’s ever been a better-cast television show than “Hannibal.” The show, which is based on the Red Dragon books and is loosely set in the same world as the popular 1991 movie, “Silence of the Lambs,” is not only beautifully shot, but every actor is perfect in their role—Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter always sends chills down my spine. It’s on Netflix; watch it this weekend so we can talk about it, okay?
DRINK.// Rodenbach Classic
Sometimes, you just want a classic. And that’s enough.
Curated by The GBH Collective
