It has been five weeks since California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state leaders began ordering residents to stay at home as much as possible, and I am pleased to report that I am still changing out of my bathrobe every day, and I hope you can say the same. Baby steps, everybody.
I also hope that you have been able to find some comfort and diversion in the many thoughtful, ingenious and silly things that musicians, comedians, chefs and other talented people are doing to keep themselves occupied and the public entertained while we all wait for whatever comes next. I know I have.
From riffing comedians and improvising chefs to Arnold Schwarzenegger dispensing wisdom from his hot tub, here are some of the creative people and innovative offerings that have made these weird five weeks feel less stressful than they are and less lonely than they could be.
Here’s to all of them and to all of us. Fortunately, we are still free to clap.
— “One World: Together at Home”: If you also forgot what day it was and missed last weekend’s all-star musical tribute to health care workers, don’t waste precious viewing time on calendar-shaming. Just pop over to the Global Citizen YouTube channel, where you can watch the whole two-hour broadcast or cruise through clips of the many heartwarming performances. The combination of superstar wattage and in-home ambiance makes for some truly endearing moments, as Paul McCartney belts out a jazzy “Lady Madonna” to an audience of cabinets, and Adam Lambert croons a hauntingly appropriate “Mad Word” from the middle of a potted-plant jungle. And even as the band members are cloistered in their individual videoconferencing squares, the Rolling Stones’ biting “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is the jump-start we all need.
— Laura Benanti: In addition to being a Tony Award-winning actress and one of my favorite things about the dearly departed “Nashville” TV series, Benanti has become a bottomless source of cheer and creativity in our hours of perpetual gloom. Her #SunshineSongs campaign invited theater kids to virtually perform songs from the high school musicals that were shuttered by the shutdown. After sharing the videos on social media, Benanti is now editing them into “Sunshine Concerts,” which will be distributed to senior centers. (Follow her on Twitter: @LauraBenanti)
— Bon Appeit’s Home Kitchens: What happens when the stars of Bon Appetit’s buzzy lineup of YouTube cooking shows can’t whip up cinnamon-date sticky buns and homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs in the Bon Appetit test kitchen? Escapist magic is what. Whether it’s Molly Baz making sour cream and onion biscuits while video chatting with her dad or the whole BA gang preparing pantry pasta dishes in their home kitchens with pop-ins from pets, crying toddlers and snarky teenagers, these culinary group chats are godsend for souls and shopping lists alike. (Bon Appetit channel, YouTube)
— Casbah Live YouTube channel: While we wait for that happy day when San Diego’s legendary Casbah nightclub opens again, Tim Mays and company are giving us “Casbah Live,” a YouTube channel featuring playlists of videos and live performances compiled by Casbah staffers, local musicians and special guests. From Uncle Joe’s Big Ol’ Driver covering the Edgar Winter Group’s “Free Ride” to a sweaty Tom Tom Club gifting us with “Woody Rappinghood” the videos are so true to the anarchic spirit of the club, you might want to hire a bouncer to guard your home-office door. At home, no one can hear you order after last call.
— Tip Your Waitstaff: In a divine twofer, this Instagram live show from comedian Mike Birbiglia benefits laid-off comedy-club staffers while providing diversion-starved viewers with some nourishing laughs. During each session, Birbiglia and his comedian guests try out new material on each other while fans watch, provide real-time commentary and donate money. Guests have included Roy Wood Jr. riffing on racial inequality in the doomsday prepper community; Maria Bamford on the unbearable smugness of dieters; and John Mulaney being hilarious about “The Shawshank Redemption” and antidepressant commercials. If you are not an Instagram person, you can watch the videos on Birbiglia’s YouTube channel (birbigstube) and donate on the Tip Your Waitstaff website (tipyourwaitstaff.com).
— Celebrity PSAs: We know the drill by now. Stay home. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. But the coronavirus safety message becomes extra special when the messenger is Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking firmly to you and his treat-stealing dog from his hot tub. (“Put that cookie DOWN!”) Or Ryan Reynolds making gentle Canadian fun of celebrities making PSAs. Or writer Max Brooks asking you to please stay home so as not to infect his dad, 93-year-old comedy genius Mel Brooks. Or best of all, a bearded Neil Diamond coming out of retirement to croon “Sweet Caroline” with new lyrics: “Hands/ Washing hands/ Reaching out/ Don’t touch me/ I won’t touch you.”
— Pink Floyd live concerts: For those times when you absolutely do not want to be cheered up, the brooding gentlemen of Pink Floyd are now posting full-length concert films on their YouTube account. Beginning last week and running through May 8, the band’s usual #PinkFloydFridays fare of live clips and videos is getting a big upgrade with the addition of one full concert film per week. On April 17, it was “Pulse,” the 2006 film chronicling the band’s massive, elaborately staged 1994 concerts at London’s Early Court. This week’s film is 1972’s “Live at Pompeii.”
Shine on, you crazy shut-ins.
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(Karla Peterson is a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune.)
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