Rachel B. Glaser is the author of Paulina & Fran, published this month by Granta Books. She shares five things she’s reading, watching and thinking about right now.
1. Daisies
Released in 1966, this movie is the most brilliant fun I’ve had in ages. It predates Broad City and Michel Gondry, and likely inspired both. Watch two young women run amuck in this highly comedic, visually stunning, subversive work of genius.
2. Bodega Bay
The cool kids are at it again! This Brooklyn band’s ragtag album drips with joy and inventiveness. Their sound recalls early Flaming Lips and Pavement, but their songs are stubbornly their own, ringing with charisma and sly love, tingling with spontaneity, youth and confidence. Listen and rejoice!
3. Broad City & Transparent
My two favorite shows! The women of Broad City do things never before done on screen. Each episode dances over the line. Each laugh, a victory! Transparent is the best drama I’ve seen since Mad Men. It explores sex and family in new, exciting, troubling, empathetic and surprising ways.
Whether it’s her novella McGlue, her novel Eileen, her non-fiction, her interviews or her astounding short stories in the Paris Review, Moshfegh is my favorite new writer. No one is writing bolder, braver, darker and weirder.
5. The light sculptures of Ben Phelan
Rarely are sculptures this compelling and fun! Imagine Phelan’s alien forms pulsing vibes in a hotel lobby or science fair. It’s what you wish was hidden in the back room off the back room at Spencer’s. It’s what brings the supervillain back to life.
