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It's very rare to read a portrait of a famous person told with such nuance and love. Fruchter celebrates the life of her late friend while also honoring his complexity. She doesn't shy away from telling stories about his ego or shortcomings. From his early lonely childhood to his illness later in life, Fruchter shows us the pain of no longer being able to do the art one has devoted their life to. This is a story told with deep love for it's subject.
Jan 24, 2025
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A really unique perspective on the fluidity of pain (primarily in relation to chronic illness) and navigating the shifting mindset to cope with the pain.
Also a really interesting take on “friends for certain activities” - a friend you go to gigs with vs the friend you go for a morning jog with. How these friendships change us.
A fantastic quick read!
Apr 15, 2024
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Unembellishedly vulnerable depiction of the author's depression. honest in an extremely rare way, and feels a bit like someone tearing into your soul if you're depressed
Jan 26, 2024
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In the latter half of 2019, Sloane Crosley’s New York apartment was broken into. Luckily she wasn’t home, but the burglar(s) had ransacked her bedroom and made off with several pieces of jewelry, much of it handed down from her maternal grandmother. That neither she nor her mother were particularly fond of said grandmother was neither here nor there, they were still Sloane’s things and now they were gone. Dealing with such an intrusion and the material loss that went along with it would be hard enough, but only one month later her best friend and one-time boss Russell Perreault hanged himself.
This sudden shock sets her adrift as she struggles to come to terms with the reality of it. He had been a constant in her life for so many years and the mere act of accepting that he was gone was challenge enough, let alone learning to live with it. In a way, having the robbery to focus on proves to be a blessing, as investigating it provides at least some brief moments of distraction. When COVID-19 sends the city into lockdown a few months later, she is left with little but time to reflect on the loss and finally try to make peace with it.
Much of this book was written essentially as it was happening to her, though of course edited and rewritten later, which gives it a confessional tone. Crosley’s writing is eloquent and often funny, but still down-to-earth and easily relatable. The affection she has towards Russell is obvious as she takes us through several fond memories, but this isn’t a hagiography, and she delves into some of his faults in an effort to try and understand what could have led him to take his own life. Despite the weighty subject matter this brief book is a joy to read. As someone who has experienced the loss of a best friend and also the suicides of others who were close by, the emotions and thoughts documented within ring true, and reading about someone else going through them is a surprisingly cathartic experience. ★★★★★
Mar 6, 2024
Top Recs from @buscemibabe
Jan 14, 2025
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neal.fun
- a bunch of bizarre games/interactives with a dystopian and anti-caplitalist bent
window-swap
- shows you the view from random windows from around the world
radio/garden
- you can listen to live radio stations from all across the world
ytch.xyz
- show you random youtube channels and let's you click through like you're watching an old television
marginalia-search
- a search engine that isn't algorithmic, shows you niche search results that would typically be pushed to the bottom of other engines
thecreativeindependent
- articles by creatives, very simplified retro design that feels similar to this site
The Magazine Rack at Archive.org
- tons and tons of scanned and archived magazines spanning over 50 years
- recommend checking out High Times very fun and oh so 70's
Jan 14, 2025
