Let's Go Crazy
#meowlist by Angela M. Castelli
via The O.C. - a live look at us all binging our favorite shows right now!
Well, kittens. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. Not exactly the lightest of openers here, but it’s our scary reality. You may still be working because your job is an essential one for us humans to survive (and for that, I thank you!). You may be working from home indefinitely, which may be a new way of life for you (as a teacher, it’s been incredibly tiring trying to teach six year olds from my kitchen table and yeah, I haven’t worn real clothes in 12 days). Or you may not be working at all, having been laid off due to the closures of bars, restaurants, gyms, retail spaces, etc. You are worried. Worried about how your bills will be paid, worried about the quickness of this virus being spread, worried about your parents or grandparents, worried about your friends whom you haven’t seen in weeks, worried for the economic hit we as a world are dealing with. It’s all too much.
Usually when I am dealing with something heavy, my first reaction is to wallow in that space. Listen to the most depressing music ever written and just sit there. It’s not exactly the wisest of aides, but it has always been my go-to. For some unknown reason, I’ve been avoiding that routine during this extremely dark time. My mind can’t fully understand how big this all is. Being from Southern California, I have seen devastation from fires and earthquakes and the way our communities rally together to get through it. I have never experienced something that the entire world is dealing with like this. And we’re all just sitting at home (at least, supposed to be!) trying to make sense of it all.
So that’s why my go-to has been music I can dance to. Each day, I put on my headphones or put a record on and I just move. It gets me through work, it gets me through the awful hump in the middle of the day where I realize why we are all at home and why I can’t leave to go hug a friend, it gets me through the heaviness of it all.
For this month’s playlist, I wanted the listener to lean into their feelings of crazy. Each song has a particular nod to this apocalyptic feeling we are experiencing but it’s impossible to not move to the first ten songs. Clocking in at about 45 minutes, it’s perfect if you want or need to get your body moving. Make up your own workout routine. Play it while organizing that closet of yours you’ve been putting off. Find an activity that is away from technology and listen to your body.
The last song is a slow one, but I wanted to end it on a beautiful song called “A Lot is Gonna Change” by the great Weyes Blood. It was actually a song that I included on our “Renewal” playlist at the start of the new year, because it just made me yearn for a moment where things could feel lighter and happier. I felt like I was so close to that feeling. Now when I hear this song, it has a stronger, more universal feeling for peace and good health. It’s impossible for me to not have an emotional reaction to it. A great song to stretch to or just lay down and listen to.
I keep thinking that a lot is gonna change. I hope we come out of this with more love for each other and for our world. I can’t wait to come out of this and go dancing with the people I love. But until that glorious day, this will do.
Stay safe, kittens. And stay home!
Angela M. Castelli is and educator, pop culture and music enthusiast, and Pussy Magic’s Music Editor as well as curator and columnist for the Magical Meowlists column.
She is also co-host of the podcast Hotpod Thoughts and Totally Buggin’. She resides in Los Angeles.