The Pop Culture That Helped Us Through the Year
From murder mysteries to fingerpicked tunes, these cultural nuggets helped make 2020 just a little more bearable.
By
Portland Monthly Staff
12/24/2020 at 10:50am
John Prine passed away this year due to complications from COVID-19.Â
Portland Monthly senior editor at-large Fiona McCann found solace in his songbook.
2020 was rough. Before we search for silver linings, let s just knock that one out: basic functioning was a feat for much of this year, and it s a huge win that things are looking (slightly) brighter at the moment.Â
There
were silver linings, though. Free time became all but meaningless, and many of us tunneled into TV epics and classic films and our ever-growing book piles, reading and watching and listening our way through surreal world development after surreal world development. The arts have always offered flotation and encouraged reflection, and this year they pulled double duty. As the holidays roll
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Itâs been a week of true crime at the Oceanfront Chamber, a name Iâve given to my apartment just now on account of the wave-like passing cars I hear on 11th Avenue. I spent the weekend watching the six-part limited seriesÂ
I Am the Night (available on Hulu), which centers the granddaughter of George Hodel, a physician, piano prodigy, and the prime suspect of the infamous Black Dahlia murder.
Iâm not even into true crime. I find our fascination with it a bit disturbing if Iâm being honest. Itâs one of those weird grey areas where I get all conservative, hot and bothered by violent acts and the way we gawk at them.Â