Two things I'm loving right now. The show "The Runarounds" (Prime Video) and the song "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean.
I love both of them for the same reasons.
They're joyful.
They don't over-complicate.
They're sincere.
When you think back to all your favourite shows, films and songs from years gone by, chances are you loved them because they expressed something sincere.
Yet sincerity is so taboo in this day and age.
If Olivia Dean's song has a political message, I don't hear it.
If 'The Runarounds' has a deep thought about society's ills, I didn't notice it.
'The Runarounds' is a show about a bunch of young guys who form a band and will do anything they can to be a success.
'Man I Need' is about a woman who likes it when the man she needs calls her wonderful.
Charlie Chaplin once said "simplicity of approach is always best". I agree, but it's so hard to do. So rare that artists trust themselves by leading with simplicity.
The vulnerability of having a song that says "Hey come be the man I need!"
Or a show that strips everything down to the bare essentials of "We need to make this band work!"
It's refreshing.
I feel like we've been living in a strange cloud for maybe a decade. Partly because the old ways of consuming things was dying (remember CD's? Cinema?) and partly because you couldn't release a TV show without making a statement about how to make the world better.
But art is at its best when it's about the personal journey. About someone with a goal or need.
Olivia Dean needs this man to talk to her.
The Runarounds need to get another gig lined up.
Of course, the show and the song are a lot more layered than I'm making out. But at their core, is something genuine. Audiences don't want to be preached at, they just want to feel something.
Olivia Dean is joy personified.