#1. The Nostalgia Issue
As another pandemic year comes to a close, wallow in some comforting 80s & 90s nostalgia.
Welcome to the very first edition of Mooreish, a weekly newsletter about content and culture that I, and hopefully you, can’t get enough of.
My name is Neal Moore and in each edition I will share a selection of stuff to read, watch, look at and listen to featuring new or different writers, publications, filmmakers, musicians, artists and more. (Why?)
My tastes are alternative but not obscure and I am not the least bit ashamed to be a maven of the middle brow!
The general idea is that you open this up on a Saturday morning, browse the selections over coffee and enjoy them throughout the week, so let’s begin…
Mooreish Words
I was mulling the concept of Mooreish when I found this article, which convinced me that not only was it a good idea but a necessary one too as our lives are more and more controlled by risk averse algorithms that want us to stick with what we know instead of discovering something new. This fascinating piece explains how and why the most futuristic computers want us to live in the past: https://reallifemag.com/yesterday-once-more/
That being said, I’m still a sucker for nostalgia and Substacker Max Read’s recent article on the phenomenon of 90’s Dad Thrillers took me back to a golden age of middle-aged movie stars growling at British actors with indeterminate east European accents saying things like, “you’ll never get the codes” and “give me back my wife”! This article attempts an amusing unifying theory of those films accompanied by a must-watch list that you can find on the most popular VOD platforms.
Mooreish Sounds
According to my Spotify Wrap for 2021 my second most listened-to genre this year was synthwave, which I discovered at the end of 2019 and have clearly grown to love. Synthwave is essentially how the future sounded to us in the 1980s when synths became available to bedroom musicians, but made now by Millennials yearning for a more optimistic outlook - and who can blame them? I find it both comforting and uplifting but see what you think of this playlist and, if you want to know more about the genre and all it’s offshoots, I wrote about it here.
The 1980s wasn’t just about synths and drum machines though; goth, indie and alternative styles were all on the rise and are regularly brought together by Slicing Up Eyeballs, an online publication dedicated to 80s alternative music that puts out amazing monthly mixtapes on Mixcloud. Discover something new-but-old here, https://www.mixcloud.com/slicingupeyeballs/.
Mooreish Visions
Sticking with the 80s theme, this video montage featuring the greatest moments from 80s movies cut to Sunset by LA synthwave faves The Midnight, will give you all the feels and demonstrates a joy and optimism that seems to be missing from current pop culture. I wrote more about the production of this video and the accompanying series here.
Switching gears, last week I attended the world premier of Scene Unseen, a feature length documentary about Singapore's DIY punk and metal scene going back 40 years. This world class doc proves beyond doubt that our small island has creativity in abundance but that it doesn't always come up through the official schemes and institutions, which is why the powers-that-be need to stop throttling the live scene with archaic rules! I have no idea where you can watch it online but when I find out I’ll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, here’s the trailer to whet your appetite.
Mooreish Art
Finally, I recently had the great fortune to pop back to London for a couple of weeks from Singapore where I visited the Museum of Youth Culture on Carnaby Street (recently relocated to Shaftesbury Avenue). The museum houses photographs and memorabilia contributed by the Great British public from their teenage years providing an intimate insight into youth movements from teddy boys to riot grrrls, and it is joyous. They are shortly to publish a book entitled Grown Up In Britain, which I have put on my Christmas list, but in the meantime follow their Instagram for a glimpse into glorious youth: https://www.instagram.com/museumofyouthculture/
That’s it for issue #1, enough to keep you going for a week? I hope so. If you like what you’ve read please share on your various socials and standby for next week’s Christmas issue. If you have any comments, feedback or recommendations of your own, pop them in the comments section or DM me via Twitter @moores_lore. Cheers, N