2013 Recap

And thus (pretty much) concludes the madness that was 2013!

I forgot to mention this, which happened while I was in Paris the second time:

(That's the current French Prime Minister and we were in the backyard of Matignon, FYI.)

In 2014, on the personal art front, I plan on continuing drawing Master of Survival and writing Noémie, aller-retour/hin und zurück. I will also be traveling a lot for various things, which will lead to new travel journals, postcards and more exclusive art goodies to get your hands on! More will be announced in the next couple of months as travel plans unfold, so keep your eagle eyes open.

Also, as is my wont, I've compiled a small recap of the year in entertainment, visible below this cut. May 2014 bring new obsessions and hefty doses of doodling, the latter to rejoice over, the former to your possible dismay.

[ #3 Song of the Year  
#2 Song of the Year
#1 Song of the Year ]

2013 - AN ENTERTAINMENT RECAP

Music

Gig of the year: Arctic Monkeys at Columbia-Halle, Berlin, 5.112013.
I got on my dancing shoes, shouted all the lyrics and had the best night ever. Excellent band, excellent crowd, and Alex Turner can croon the hell out of a venue.

Runners-up:
Tegan and Sara at Astra, Berlin, 18.6.2013
New songs and old favorites, including an acoustic medley of some of the latter. Perfect for an obsessive fan such as myself. 35°C in the venue notwithstanding.
Perhaps Contraption at Monarch Bar, Berlin, 3.11.2013.
We all danced to it like crazy people (including half of Amanda Palmer's band, who they were touring with) because you can't not dance to a bohemian brass band.


My Own Personal Album of the Year: Tegan and Sara's Heartthrob, Arctic Monkeys' AM (tied).
While Heartthrob wrapped loss and heartbreak in lush synthetic pop tones, AM was raw desire with drums, bass and guitars. I found both to be suitable aural companions in times of need and probably drove my housemates insane with them.

Runners-up:
Jars of Clay's Inland
Accomplished songwriting and production from start to finish. Epic standout:"Love In The Hard Times". Still the most relevant band with four Christians in it.
Paramore's Paramore
A soundtrack to kicking ass, and their best release yet. Hayley, dem pipes.
Placebo's Loud Like Love
Short and sweet (albeit with a couple duds), fully reconciling me to the idea that Placebo can go glossy stadium and still resonate on an emotional level. Personal standout: "Begin The End".

Television

Obsession of The Year: Elementary.
I happened upon this while pining for Benedict Cumberbatch the long-awaited return of Sherlock, and unexpectedly found a show with plotlines and characters that became very dear to my heart. The writing has its occasional flaws, but when it shines, it's freaking blinding. The question is, however, how Jonny Lee Miller gets his face to do that... that thing.

Runners-up:
Life On Mars.
Following my Doctor Who binge of autumn 2012, I turned to the other drama John Simm always gets recognized for, and found it very hard to wake up from it. Priceless acting and dialogue.
Doctor Who
2013 was the year I became a full-fledged Whovian, terrifying my sister with enthusiastic live-texting. I was therefore very excited both by the 50th Anniversary Special and the last two minutes of "The Time of The Doctor", a moment I had been waiting for ever since Peter Capaldi walked onstage during the Twelfth Doctor reveal. ("Kidneys!")

Writing

I've mentioned Max Andrew Dubinsky before, but I'll do it again, because in 2013 he released An Anthology of Madness collecting selected poems and essays from his blog Make It MAD and it was my favorite read of the year. Then he came out with the short story RAW and it scared the hell out of me. He also wrote a very moving poem called "How to Marry An Artist". Beware the words this guy uses.

Runner-up
Allison Vesterfelt. Packing Light, a memoir about Vesterfelt's 50-state road trip, was my other favorite read of the year. It was like sitting in a café and listening to a friend tell you a story (and have you very much sold on the idea of...visiting Portland). Allison also blogs regularly, and if her blog is anything to go by, she is full both of idealism and down-to-earth wisdom. My favorite kind of mix.

Film

I missed out on approximately 95% of all important movies in theaters this year, due to not having money or time or marathoning Elementary. That said, I particularly enjoyed the following movies:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Suffered a bit from middle-of-trilogy lag, but: 40 minutes with a dragon. A BIG. FREAKING. DRAGON.

Catching Fire. Suffered a bit from middle-of-trilogy lag, but: Jennifer Lawrence. Also, the Capitol, Beetee, and Jena Malone as Johanna Mason. WIN.

Star Trek: Into Darkness. Suffered perhaps from me not knowing zilch about the franchise, but: we all know who I was there for, and I was not disappointed.

Silver Linings Playbook (rental): Jennifer Lawrence! And Robert de Niro. Also, Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Stiles as sisters! I could go on.