ALBUMS

THEN

Surfer Rosa—Pixies

I can count on one hand the number of female friends I had in high school and college who picked up a bass guitar because of Kim Deal. Her iconic riffs and ethereal vocals with the Pixies inspired a generation of women to chase their dreams. “Gigantic” doesn’t even begin to cover it. But it’s a start.

 

NOW

All Nerve—The Breeders

Queen of the Pixies Kim Deal reunites with sister Kelley, Josephine Wiggs, and Jim Macpherson on All Nerve, the new album from The Breeders, performing together for the first time since 1993’s Last Splash. If you’ve spent the last 20-plus years jonesing for more hook-laden fuzz rock, rest assured that the Deal sisters WILL deliver.

 

BOOKS

THEN

The First with the Latest!: Aggie Underwood, the Los Angeles Herald, and the Sordid Crimes of a City by Joan Renner

One of the first women to hold a city editor position on a major metropolitan newspaper (Herald-Express), Agness “Aggie” Underwood was also one of Los Angeles’ top crime reporters, best known for her work on the notorious Black Dahlia murder—she got so close that she may have even taken the killer’s identity to her grave. True crime fans, read on!

 

NOW

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

Journalist Michelle McNamara devoted her life to the investigation of the terrifying, and still as yet unknown serial murderer and rapist previously known as Sacramento’s East Area Rapist: now known as the Golden State Killer. McNamara’s tragic death in 2016 led to the book being completed posthumously by her lead researcher. It is her life’s work, and a must for any true crime fan.

 

DVDs

THEN

My Beautiful Laundrette

Ninety hundred and eighty-five’s My Beautiful Laundrette is best known for showcasing Daniel Day-Lewis in what can only be described as a breakout performance. Directed by Stephen Frears and based on the novel by Hanif Kureshi, this moving and funny portrayal of an interracial gay relationship pushed boundaries at the time and still holds up today as an enjoyable high point of ’80s New Wave cinema.

 

NOW

Call Me By Your Name

Appreciation for Armie Hammer’s acting talents has suffered from under-performing movies (Lone Ranger, Man from UNCLE), but Oscar-nominated Call Me By Your Name (boasting a screenplay by James Ivory of Merchant-Ivory fame) finally showcases Armie Hammer’s true acting talent in a moving exploration of first love. Expect to see more great performances now that he has unlocked the talent we always knew he had.

By Sharon Penny