The Five: Best Pop Culture of 2021 (Special Report)

Hey, welcome to The Five.

I’m truly thankful for you this year…this publication started with just 20 subscribers, two years ago…and I’ve been plugging away ever since. The first time a stranger signed up, I actually emailed him personally to say thank you, and to find out why he cared.

This year, The Five grew faster than I could haver anticipated, and I’m incredibly grateful.

Each week, the success of this publication depends solely on your engagement. You keep opening these emails, reading and engaging with the content.

I owe you a lot.

One final note…I am working on a recap of the year, but that one is taking a lot of time, so only one email this week, and one next week (Tuesday). Then we’ll be back to normal in January.

With that being said, let’s dive into the best pop culture of the year.

[one] movies

a. The Last Duel.

Director Ridley Scott has a heck of a resume, including Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, American Gangster, Kingdom of Heaven and Black Hawk Down.

Scott’s historical epic, The Last Duel, dives into how little rights women, even women of nobility, enjoyed during the middle ages.

Rather than preachy…The Last Duel is a tense thrill ride that shows rather than yells it’s central theme.

B. Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Yes, it’s 4 hours, 5 minutes long.

Yes, 10.35% of the movie is in director Zack Snyder’s trademark slooooow moooootion.

Yes, it’s not for everyone.

Yes, a good portion of the audience will probably never grasp the deep symbolism woven into the narrative, with heavy doses of Christian allegory.

(If that bothers you, definitely don’t re-watch Lord of the Rings over Christmas…whatever you believe, it’s objectively true that both movies are based on Christian story).

And yes, it’s one of the best movies this year. In a world where comic book films are self-depreciating and constantly break the fourth wall, Zack Snyder had the backbone to tell a story with real stakes in it.

C. Dave Chappelle: The Closer: Arguably the biggest comic in the world (and of an entire generation, Dave Chappelle closes out his five special deal with Netflix with a curtain call that evokes Richard Prior.

Naming a stand up comedy special as one of the best films of the year is an odd move…but The Closer isn’t at the top of the heap because it’s hilarious (although it is hilarious).

From the ongoing COVID lockdowns and mass deaths to the current debate around trans issues, Chappelle crafts a time capsule of what this year was…in a document that’s equally hilarious and heartbreaking.

(Spoiler alert—if there’s such a thing as “spoilers” in comedy). The controversy around The Closer stems from a story Chappelle tells in which the trans community bullying a trans female comedian to suicide, and Dave laments the loss of his friend.

Whatever the clickbait headlines read, Dave Chappelle is an artist who forces us to stare at the most difficult issues of our day.

D. A Man Named Scott Once you stumble upon a Robert Alexander documentary, you're going to want to watch everything he's done.

Kid Cudi isn't the biggest name in pop culture, but Alexander's documentary ont rh rapper makes a compelling argument he's the largest figure in pop music in the last 15 years.

That may seem overblown…but hip hop dominates popular culture. And before Cudi, hip hop was about bravado and appearing rich, fearless and bulletproof.

Kid Cudi, who started as a Kanye West co-writer and collaborator, crafted a debut about grief (he lost his dad at 11), social anxiety and his inner life, both struggles and victories.

His 2009 debut, Man on the Moon, can be seen as the BC/AD dividing line in pop music for the decade that followed.

E. Dune

Not gonna lie, I had to crowdsource this one. I fell asleep both times I tried to watch (due to exhaustion, not boredom), so I only got through 80% of Dune, in total…and then it was gone from HBO Max.

While I’m not much of a Timothy Chalamet fan, particularly not in a lead role…Dune is an incredible hat trick of a movie…based on a previously “unfilmable” (well, they tried in the 80’s, didn’t work out well) novel, there’s a reason this story hits “legend” status, heavily influencing Star Wars and much of the modern film cannon of the last 40 years.

HONORABLE MENTION: Spiderman: No Way Home

Believe it or not, I started compiling this list in mid-November, so including a movie I just saw on Monday…doesn’t sit quite right.

That being said, there’s a lot to praise here…and first among them is the acting. I can’t say much without hitting some major spoilers, but I’m calling it now that Zendeya will win Best Actress at some point in her career.

Tom Holland also shows some incredible growth in his craft here, and Willem Dafoe, Marissa Tomei and Benedict Cumberbatch are in top form, per as usual.

I’m pretty hit-or-miss on Marvel, since some of them are CGI sequences strung together with too little story…but if the MCU can stay at this level of quality, I’ll be a much more passionate fan.

[two] tv

A. Yellowstone

The biggest appointment-viewing phenomenon since Game of Thrones, Yellowstone burst back onto the scene this year, dominating Sunday night viewership and social media feeds alike.

In an era where the theme for TV viewership is “whenever,” and many viewers have shunned new shows for repeated viewings of old favorites out of comfort…Yellowstone is an undeniable force.

For the most part, high concept, prestige TV has been pointed squarely at people in urban centers. Creator Taylor Sheridan made a show for the rest of the country that lives in between New York and LA, and we’re gobbling it up.

If you haven’t started watching yet…fix that ASAP.

B. The Wheel of Time

Speaking of Game of Thrones…Amazon Prime adapted another beloved fantasy book series…that hopefully won’t end in a pile of smoldering disappointment like G.O.T. did

If you like Lord-of-the-Rings-esque fantasy at all, give this one a shot.

C. Only Murders in the Building

Two veteran comics (Steve Martin and Martin Short) pair up with a pop star in her first real acting gig…about a trio of unlikely neighbors in New York out to solve a murder (and create a true crime podcast while they’re at it).

The results are…fantastic.

Rather than just a straightforward comedy, Only Murders mixes in a decent amount of tragedy into the formula. Not a lot of hilarious shows can also pull tears from the audience.

This one can.

D. Outer Banks

I’m a sucker for a good teen show. And for an Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunt.

Season 2 of Outer Banks provided both in spades.

There are countless shows showing the rich and beautiful of New York/LA/etc. and far fewer depicting what it’s like to live in the working class.

Outer Banks shows the bonds that are built when your parents don’t have the money to keep up with the Joneses, and neither do your friends parents.

No matter how much money I make, I’ll forever be a Pogue.

(Watch the show, you’ll get it).

E. 1883

The Yellowstone prequel, set in the 19th century (duh), had the biggest cable premier since 2015.

I may be breaking the rules by dropping a show on the best of list that’s only two episodes in…but this is the best western I’ve watched since Tombstone made me fall in love with the art of film (not just watching movies) when I was 12 years old.

In a world gone soft, Taylor Sheridan continues to tell stories of the men and women forced to create a hard exterior to survive harsh conditions (both natuural and manmade) without losing their humanity.

[three] albums

A. Pony Bradshaw—Calico Jim

A southern gothic meets traditional mountain music affair, Bradshaw spins a heck of a yarn about the folks in the Appalachians of North Georgia.

I about fell over the first time I heard the line “Hog killin’ weather’s making it’s move,” a phrase I hadn’t heard since my grandfather left this earth. (For the record, “hog killing weather” refers to the time in the late fall when a family farm butchers pork to eat over the winter).

But you don’t need that kind of experience to appreciate Bradshaw’s arresting voice and brilliant composure. He spins an entire world together over the course of 10 tracks.

B. Taylor Swift—Red (Re-Recording): Released just shy of a decade after the original as a part of Taylor’s re-working of her first five albums.

Listening to Red a decade later reveals just how sharp her songwriting was at just 22 years old. Somehow, the 30-track re-release doesn’t feel like too much. More songs than most will listen to in a single sitting, for sure…but there’s no filler here. The new previously-unreleased (from that writing session/season) and guest appearances (Chris Stapleton, Phoebe Bridges) are all top notch.

C. Emily Scott Robinson—American Siren

Heck of a year for the south. Robinson hails a bit further up the map than Bradshaw, and infuses the sounds and stories of her native North Carolina.

American Siren drops snapshots of people in crisis, pain and transformation…and does it brilliantly. Not a bad song in the bunch.

D. Shane Smith and the Saints--Geronimo

and

Kanye West—Donda (Deluxe)

(tie)

It's an odd pairing, to be sure--an Americana band you've likely never heard of and the nations most famous rapper/fashion designer/un-medicated bipolar.

But the Shane Smith and the Saints album opens with traditional country music harmony and fiddle…in a song about killing a dragon.

Which is a very Kanye West kind of thing to do.

Both albums are incredibly diverse in sonics and subject matter.

Although Kanye is certainly more all over the place…processing his mom’s death, pending divorce, bipolar, mass incarceration, repairing his friendship with Jay-Z after nearly a decade apart…and doing all of it while mapping the soundscapes of pop music for the next decade.

Both Kanye and Shane Smith made albums you can drive late at night to, throw on for a workout, blast while you cry your eyes out…and that's why I had to group them together, and call this one a tie.

UPDATE: I just realized Geronimo was released in 2015 (and largely ignored), but blew up this year due to song placements on Yellowstone, which pushed it to the top of the artist’s page on Spotify, making it look like a new release. Oops.

E. The Killers--Pressure Machine:

It's rare for a band to hit their best work eight albums and two decades in, but that's exactly what the Vegas based quartet does here.

Much of this is due to vocalist/primary songwriter Brandon Flowers digging deep into the heartache of seeing his hometown crumble to economic despair and opioid addiction.

The setting is Utah, but this collection would slot well into the early Springsteen catalog, and there's a John Melencamp-sque heartland rock vibe here as well.

BONUS: Dan Campbell and Ace Enders—Clear Eyes Fanzine: I'm cheating big time here, because this is an EP, not a full album, and it released in 2019.

Oh, and the project is about the first six episodes of the acclaimed TV show Friday Night Lights. Now that I've lost…everybody…this is an incredible, albiet short, body of work.

Probably not worth listening to if you haven't seen season 1 of Friday Night Lights…bit that's one of the best seasons of TV of all time…so do both. Watch, then listen.

[four] songs

NOTE: Apparently I like sad songs. A whole lot.

A. Taylor Swift “All Too Well”

If there was any doubt about who deserves to hold the title of “best songwriter to come from the Millennial generation,” this should remove all doubt.

Swift revisits her most beloved hit (which is not a safe move, for the record—there’s always the chance the fan base will rebel) and somehow adds the best verses a decade after the original release.

A 10 minute epic about the small details of heartbreak, and the hanging doubts and details that seem to take forever to scrub from the mind.

On behalf of everyone who’s survived their twenties…we’ve all been there.

But nobody’s told the story quite like Taylor.

B. Pony Bradshaw “Hillbilly Possessed”

A southern gothic depiction of a backwoods minister who saves a woman from a poisonous snakebite, backed by a haunting guitar loop.

”I once knew/a snake handling preacher/

never went to a school/or took from a teacher/

He learned it all from man’s great fall/

in in the darkest hollow he’d ever crawl.”

One theory I have here is that the song is a retelling of Adam and Eve, and original sin.

Or maybe not.

Or maybe both.

Pony Bradshaw writes songs that keep you thinking after the album ends.

C. Emily Scott Robinson “Let ‘Em Burn”

A haunting ballad of the devastating effects of playing life safe in the suburbs.

Based on a memoir (not her own experiences) Robinson has an uncanny ability to put herself in someone else’s shoes as a songwriter and pull out unforgettable narratives.

D. Luke Combs “Doing This”

Framed as the answer to a radio host who asked Luke “if you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing.”

The rest of the song is an answer…still doing music, just broke an anonymous.

A heck of an ode to never quitting (and maybe the closest to a happy song on the list).

E. Big Red Machine—Latter Days

Made up of members of Bon Iver and The National, two of the greatest indie rock bands of all time, Big Red Machine showed up with sky high expectations…and exceeded them.

A hauntingly beautiful reflection on childhood over a piano line that weeps tragedy.

[five] writing

A. Andy Ngo--Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy

In a 2020 debate with Trump, President Biden (in)famously claimed “Antifa is an idea.”

That “idea” is in fact a very well organized network carrying on a violent Communist agenda that began in Europe in the 1930’s.

Ngo, who was nearly beaten to death by the terrorist network, approaches his research with a careful eye, seemingly unbiased by his physical and psychological suffering.

Andy is the gay son of Vietnamese refugees. Had her been relentlessly attacked by any group other than left wing Communists, this would have been one of the biggest stories of 2021.

Mysteriously, intersectionality (gay, minority, immigrant) and protecting the free press went right out the window on this one.

B. Andrea BartzWe We're Never Here there lone novel on the list (I don't get to a lot of fiction, sadly), this one is a heck of a ride, a twisty must mystery set in Milwaukee, stomping grounds I'm quite familiar with.

Rather than just a whodunnit, the novel diva deep into the long term ramifications of codependent friendships.

C. Sebastian Junger—Freedom

It's difficult to sum up Junger, who is perhaps best known for The Perfect Storm, the true story of a fishing boat lost at sea that became a hit movie starring George Clooney.

If I'm pressed for a summary, I'd say that Sebastian writes about the tension between modern comfort and the pain and dysfunction that modern comfort brings.

Freedom is a series of essays as Junger walks across the eastern half of the U.S., trying to find his way as a roughneck in a society that has no room for individuals with calloused hands.

It’s a heck of a journey packed into a short book. Highly recommended you take a chance on this one.

D. Chad Bird—Night Driving: Notes of a Prodigal Soul

As a devout Christian…I just don’t read that many Christian books in any given year.

No matter what you believe, Night Driving just might leave you better off than where you started. A former pastor and seminary prof who loses his occupation, wife, children and identity due to serial infidelity…Bird makes a living the only way he could find…driving oil tankers across the loneliest stretches of Texas.

On those endless highways he finally comes to the end of his pride.

Like the aforementioned Freedom, Bird packs a lot of brilliant content into a disciplined word count for a book that doesn’t take long to read, but sticks with you long after you put it down.

E. Bari Weiss and Matt Taibbi on Substack.

Both Weiss (formerly of the New York Times) and Taibbi (formerly of Rolling Stone) are journalists who found being at legacy publications to be stifling to…actual journalism.

They’re on the list with books…because books last.

And so will both these respective newsletters.

My bet is on Weiss and Taibbi being looked on very favorably in 50 years, two journalists who stuck to their guns, and their craft, in a world gone mad.

Until the next one,

-sth