Page 14 - My FlipBook 1

BACK IN THE 1980S, THE R&B STATION IN ST. LOUIS
used to play a track from Fatback called “Backstrokin’,” whose
lyrics—pretty much in their entirety—said, “Lookin’ for the
good stuff? Why don’t ya tighten up on your backstroke?”
When I was a young boy, the words struck me as deeply mel-
ancholy: No matter where you are in life, the song seemed to
say, the best things will always be in your rearview mirror. As
my life stretched out ahead of me, this funk band told me I’d
spend it straining to turn backward, to the way things were.

Quarantine Time Machine

Social distancing provides safety and existential dread in
equal doses. It has also provided a golden age of the TV rewatch. by DAVE HOLMES

THE SHORT STORIES BINGE TO THE FUTURE

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