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Letter From The Founder
There’s always a fear when I compile this omnibus each week. I worry that as I read over each piece that I am going to hate it or be bored by it and that I am going to have to force myself to somehow say something that is vaguely complimentary or at least doesn’t show the depths of my disappointment.
But- thank God- this has never been necessary and I can say at this point that this fear has all but gone. I have never read a piece by an STSC member that i didn’t enjoy. Genuinely. The quality of the writers and the consistency of their work is incredible.
It really brings out a healthy sense or competition in me- which is what a thriving (sub)culture needs. Every week I feel inspired to up my game writing-wise so that I can manage to stay on the level of the writers who have been kind enough to join my group and make the Soaring Twenties Social Club Discord my favourite place on the internet.
I’m hugely grateful for this, just as I am grateful to everyone who has made reading and sharing this Omnibus a part of their Saturday downtime routine.
Thank you and see you here again next weekend.
Cheers,
Tom.
Essays
Inbox who cares by Lyle
‘Does everything really have to be a competition?’
In this piece Lyle uses the coveted idea of ‘inbox zero’ as a way to discuss the increasing gamification and competition that is now seemingly embedded in almost every facet of life. Lucid and thought provoking as always.
Desires Are Blowin’ In The Wind by Luke Burgis
Regular readers of Luke will recognise the idea of thin vs thick desires, which are further delved into and clarified here. What may be new to them- as it was to me- is the idea of ‘the wedge’, a ‘a revelatory event, meeting, or confrontation with a desire that brings its true nature to light’.
This piece was hugely resonant and eye-opening for me as I hope it will prove to be for you too.
Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (and really getting it) -Janice Hardy review by Andrew W
A short offering from Andrews on-going book review journal which this time looks into the crucial and often misunderstood writing skill of ‘show, don’t tell’ something that every writer- fiction or otherwise- should get to grips with.
An Uplfiting Meal by Ollie
‘I am about to tell you of a recent lunch at the so-called “Best Restaurant in the World”. For those in the know, this is of course Noma, in Copenhagen, the shining star of the “New Nordic” gastronomic movement for almost the past two decades at this point. I have wanted to eat there at least for the past 12 years of my life.’
And much like that meal in Noma, our man from Finland manages to deliver on what he promises. A great, great piece in the very tricky genre of writing about food. Excellent stuff here.
Travel Diaries #23- Shoe Street by Gavin
In this piece our intrepid Gonzo traveller Gavin manages to quote Celine and Nietzsche, make digs at experience collecting Millennials, vividly and viscerally describe Hanoi, and get in a few laughs and some excellent storytelling. Quite a feat.
Bookmark #328 by Deepansh
‘to sit with someone without saying a word was the greatest declaration of my love. i sat by myself on most days—happily. with people, i was loud, obnoxious, opinionated. with myself, i was calm, quiet, restful. i preferred the latter, but it was not to say the former was pretence or a lie. we all had parts we wanted to show others and parts we wanted to keep to ourselves.’
I feel like I say this every week but this may be Deepansh best ‘bookmark’ yet. A genre unto themself.
The Gospel of Sell, Sell, Sell by Ryan
Funny, since deciding to postpone/quit my film review endeavours Ryan has seemlessly picked up the torch and ran with it. Here he discusses the notorious counterculture underground classic Putney Swope. This film was on my ‘to review’ index card and frankly Ryan has done a better job here than I would have done. Hats off.
Higher and Lower Self by Vita
‘Our mind is an interplay of base desires and noble goals. You can call it System 1 and System 2, basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex, or Lower and Higher Self. In the context of this article, the specific terms don't matter. The fact is, the tug of war between these two parts of us is ongoing. It never stops.’
Once again Vita manages to be both philosophical and practical all at once, while giving genuinely good and helpful advice without falling into any of the pitfalls and cliches of ‘self help’. He’s in a league of his own with this stuff.
Soundless by Charles Schifano
A beautiful and evocative meditation of the phenomenon of neighbours who decide to take up a musical instrument and the practice sessions they inflict on us. ‘Nothing makes you doubt the merits of a music education more than a neighbor who takes up the violin.’ is possibly one of the greatest opening line I have ever read anywhere, ever. I wish I had written than. In fact, I wish I had written this whole thing. It’s outstanding.
The Rorschach Mess by Kieran
‘The world is a mirror 1, or a pair of tinted sunglasses, or maybe it’s a beach picture with some tacky instagram filter on it, or maybe it’s one giant Rorschach test. Basically whatever you see staring back at you, is more about you, than the incoherent ink shapes.’
In this short and funny piece, our man Kieran reminds us of two age old lessons- ‘the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves’, and ‘there is nothing new under the sun’ two things which are very easy to forget in Internetland. The final line is also a gem, too.
Self Destruction As A Means To An End By Tony
A genuinely heartfelt, introspective, clear eyed stream of consciousness take on friendship, self-destruction, growing up (or not) and facing the consequences of your actions. Powerful.
Art
In A Garden by Jeanne Thompson
Click the button below to purchase a beautiful paperback edition of my debut essay collection. It has now sold literally tens of copies!
Podcasts
Revisited: Churches, DAOs and the Power of Disorganisation by theofuturist
If- as his twitter bio has it- ‘Christianity is the Future and Web3 is the New Printing Press’ then it makes perfect sense that our friend who goes by Pr0ph3t would begin podcasting, which I guess is the contemporary means of preaching from a soapbox. So enjoy this debut sermon from the cyberpulpit.
Fiddling Gemstones by Madspace
Our man Matt is heading back to work after the ol’ Cocovida, the ol’ Wuhan Spesh and he has a memebeard that’s coming along nicely (‘that way I can project my values and my ideals in my appearance, so I don’t have to talk as much’). Listen in as he talks about carrot salads, gas prices, wholesale clubs, sandwiches and more.
Endlessly P*sitive by Craig Burgess
Craig’s ‘positive’ voice is terrifying. That is all I have to say.
TJB Film Recommendation
Permanent Midnight (1998)
D. David Veloz
W. David Veloz, Jerry Stahl
S. Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Hurley, Maria Bello
Not a great film but a good one. Can’t quite work out if I enjoyed it because it was genuinely and objectively good quality or if I just liked the incongruity (when seen through 2022 eyes) of Ben Stiller playing a junkie writer in a mostly dramatic film. The scene where him and Owen Wilson are searching the house for Percodan really hammered home how different the ‘90’s and 00’s (the decade that both men were the comedy actor kings of) were in terms of worldview.
So yes, sometimes seeing Stiller driving around LA in leather jacket and shades trying to score does bring to mind the idea that he is driving to The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too but he can’t really help that. And his performance as the real life Jerry Stahl (whose novel ‘I, Fatty’ about the fall from grace of Fatty Arbuckle is excellent by the way) is excellent.
This film has also made me really want to buy (and use) a typewriter. Maybe it will for you too. As long as it doesn’t make you start chasing the dragon then I am fairly confident that nudging you towards checking this mostly forgotten film out was not a mistake…
Thank you for reading/listening. Feel free to share this email and the individual authors work and also feel free to leave comments either here or on the authors own sites.
Finally, Craig and I will be recording another episode of the Podcast That Must Not Be Named tomorrow at 8pm GMT. We’ll host it and record it live from the Discord and then post it onto this Substack on Monday.
We are currently debating whether to make this a fully public, available to all thing in the near future. I’m not sure if the world is quite ready but we shall see.
In either case I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully I’ll be seeing more of you over at the Social Club Discord real soon.
Cheers!