BONUS: A Few of My 2020 Favorite Things!
Prince (of course ;), Software, Books, Music, Film, TV, and Social Media
 |
Happy New Year’s Eve to Everyone! Here’s to hopefully a better…
I wanted to commemorate what kept my spirits up these past 12 months of 2020, the year like no other. The majority of it is music-, media- or Prince-related! Let me know what kept your spirits up!
My Favorite Radio Show of 2020
Simon Harrison’s Basic Soul Radio Show has been a staple of mine for decades now. He never disappoints. Since I no longer do my own eclectic radio show, I listen to his.
My Favorite Radio Mix of 2020
My Favorite Software of 2020
This year, more than any other, I used so many new pieces of software. It was bananas! However, hands down my favorite was Workflowy for keeping track of research for my writing projects or presentations. However, it’s very versatile and could also be used for a to-do list.
My Favorite Book of 2020
Hell Yeah or No: What's Worth Doing by Derek Sivers
My Top 5 Films of 2020
Sylvie’s Love directed by Eugene Ashe
The Photograph directed by Stella Meghie
Uncorked directed by Prentice Perry
Lover’s Rock directed by Steve McQueen
Antebellum directed by Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz
My Favorite 2019 Film Watched in 2020
Atlantics directed by Mati Diop
My Favorite Documentaries of 2020
Mr. SOUL! A Film directed by Melissa Haizlip
Billie directed by James Erskine
My Favorite Non-2020 Documentary Watched For the First Time in 2020
Carmen & Geoffrey directed by Linda Atkinson & Nick Doob
The Song I Couldn’t Stop Playing After Watching A Documentary in 2020
The Violinaires “The Upper Way” from the D’Angelo documentary, Devil’s Pie
My Favorite TV Show Binged-Watched in 2020
Ozark - What a wild ride!
My Favorite Gif Response to A Question I posed in 2020
courtesy of the Gif-Mistress @Darling Nisi!💜🙏
My Fav Response to Something I posted in 2020
PRN4EVR @PRN4EVR
@polishedsolid @deejayumb Whew! That ain’t a thread, that’s the whole damn sweater! Plus I think you threw in a scarf, some mittens, and a pair of funky sox. “Brooks, I’m feelin like...I’m feelin like...I’m feelin like I wanna kick somebody’s ass in here!” Mission accomplished! 💜🙏🏻courtesy of @PRN4EVR!
My Favorite Use of a Gif to Describe Listening to Prince
courtesy of @IAmMissTLC
My Top 4 Albums of 2020
J Majik’s Always Be
Yussef Dayes Trio’s Welcome To The Hills (Live Album)
Karma & Desire by Actress
My Top 3 Live Shows of 2020
Liv Warfield at Mercury Lounge on 10 March 2020🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Van Hunt & Nate Smith at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC on 18 February 2020
St. Paul at the Iridium in NYC on 12 March 2020
My Top 3 Virtual Concerts of 2020
Moses Sumney’s Tiny Desk Home performance of “Rank & File” is 🔥🔥🔥
My Top 4 Songs of 2020
“Hello” from the album Recepticon by Wagon Christ
“2020 Vision” on the compilation EP Outer Time Inner Space - OTIS Records by Rings Around Saturn
Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles - “Happy Days”
”Invisible” by MonoNeon
Top 5 Music Videos of 2020
Tiombé Lockhart’s “Sexy Suzy On A Sunday” feat. Bilal
”Cut Me” by Moses Sumney
Tobe Nwigwe’s “Eat”
Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes’ “Nightrider (feat. Freddie Gibbs)”
Tobe Nwigwe’s “Purple Rain Thing” feat. Lil Keke
Top 5 Video Peformances of 2020
“Crystal Smith singing God is Keeping Me”
Tom Misch’s Cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Disclosure making his own edit of Prince’s “The Line”
Infinity Song’s cover of “Fleetwood Mac!” This one is dedicated to my aunt, Carolyn Robinson, who alongside my uncles instilled in me my ❤️ of music!
The Power of Music: NYC Prima Ballerina with Alzheimer’s listens to Swan Lake and it all comes back!
My Top 4 Favorite Non-2020 Video Performance Watched For the First Time in 2020
“I Know I’ve Been Changed” performed by Kristen Jamison of BET’s Sunday’s Best
Alissia’s “777-9311” by The Time cover
Revive Big Band feat. Bilal "Levels (Live at Berklee)”
Hazel Scott on 2 Grand Pianos from the film The Heat's On
My Top 3 “Even Though I Watched This A GAZILLION Times in 2019, I Still Can’t Stop Watching Them in 2020” videos.
Despite the poor audio quality, I’m absolutely obsessed with this performance by West Love covering Betty Wright’s Tonight Is The Night!”
Cory Henry’s Melvin Crispell’s NYC Musical Celebration
My Favorite YouTube Video of 2020: Kindergarten Tea
My Favorite Prince Podcast Episode of 2020
Michael Dean’s Podcast on Prince with none other than Alan Leeds!
My Favorite Prince Book I read in 2020
Wally, Where'd You Get Those Glasses?: My Life Through the Lens from Parliament, Pendergrass and Princeby Wally Safford
My Favorite Prince Fan-Made Content of 2020
“The Once Upon A Time In Minneapolis” Documentary Series.
My Favorite Photo of Prince Posted This Year
photo by Allen Beaulieu from the book Prince: Before The Rain
Everybody and their Mama always post photos of Prince, but this one stopped me in my tracks! I was already EXCITED for next year’s Prince #1plus1plus1is3 Symposium but this Controversy photo took it to a whole ‘nother level! Thanks @Ina3121!
The Best Box Set of The Year (Duh!)
Prince’s Sign O' The Times Remastered Super Deluxe Edition (13LP 180G + 1 DVD)
The Song I Listened to the Most in 2020
Prince’s “When The Lights Go Down” from The Vault (1999)
The Runner-Up to the Song I Listened to the Most in 2020
“Blue in Green” by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue (1959)
Thanks for reading! If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can read previous issues in the archive. If you are not a subscriber, please consider becoming one and/or spreading the word with your purple friends.
P.S. A little note for myself when I read this in the future. Remember the remarkable 2 & JK photo diptych!
Create your profile
Only paid subscribers can comment on this post
Check your email
For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.
Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.