The artist formerly known a Smog is now going by his birth name, Bill Callahan, and he is coming out with a new album on which he covers his own songs. If you’re not too confused, please plug into Bill Callahan’s remake of Smog’s “Let’s Move To The Country,” a dreamy singsong on which he suggests that he and his partner move out to somewhere more spacious and maybe have a kid or two. It’s a fascinating time to resurface that narrative, given what we know about white people with money uprooting from their cities to take refuge out where their children can run around. But maybe it’s a reflection exercise? Listen here.
To all the suckers who haven’t managed to buy a vacation home in this time: don’t worry, New York’s Pier 17 has a pittance for you. You can now rent a slice of lawn on a roof, complete with folding chairs, umbrellas, and a Yeti cooler (which, no, you can’t take home). Because a schtick like this wouldn’t be complete without a name, ~The Greens~ requires that you reserve in advance, get yourself to lower Manhattan, and order food and drinks on arrival. Hummus is $15, as a heads-up, and you order it with a QR code. A cheeseburger costs $24. But why bother with those when you could order the Veuve Clicquot package for $221? To the venue’s credit, it is situated on a striking expanse of the East River just by the Brooklyn Bridge. But they’ll have sports playing on a giant TV, so you don’t have to pay attention to the natural beauty if you don’t want to. But let’s give these folks a pat on the back for selling the lawn experience to people who can probably also afford real ones.
All right, then, let’s talk about Connecticut, a state designed on the assumption that people want suburbs and nothing else. Until now, that’s been a failing proposition: folks tend to favor the places where things happen (ahem, New York), which resulted in a $12 billion GDP loss for the state between 2007 and 2019. But it turns out, a pandemic is just what Connecticut needed. The ordinance for some residential properties to be at least two acres? Gold in the time of distancing. Those sweet, sweet tax-funded schools? So much easier to get into than your New York politics lottery! $212 Veuve Clicquot package, indeed.
*Let’s also not forget that because it doesn’t invest in cities, Connecticut has one of the country’s largest income disparities.
If you’re not listening to Nice White Parents, it is high time to jump in. The podcast from the team behind Serial (which has since been acquired by the New York Times?!??!) has given a full-season mic to Chana Joffe-Walt, school inequality reporter extraordinaire, to explain how well-intentioned white parents undermine the ideal of equality in the pursuit of the best possible education for their own kids. The season profiles a public school in Brooklyn that’s been through several iterations since American schools were integrated— and continues to exemplify New York City’s extreme school segregation profile. Listen here and share immediately with everyone you know.
