Suburban Dad Pop

Somebody Somewhere

Author Thomas Wolfe once famously quoted, ‘You can’t go home again’ and for many people, this expression remains true. However, in the HBO series Somebody Somewhere, maybe you can go home again. Even if you shouldn’t.

Revolving around protagonist Sam (Bridget Everette), Somebody Somewhere tells the tale of a middle-aged woman who, after returning to her small Kansas town to care for her terminally ill sister, tries to find connections within her community.

I was not previously familiar with Bridget Everette, but her portrayal of a former small-town superstar turned current mid-life train wreck is a tour-de-force and given her larger than life personality, poor decision making, caring heart, and self-destruction mechanisms, Sam is a character the likes of which has rarely been seen on either the big or small screen.

As Sam navigated messy family dynamics, managing her grief, and overall search for meaning, she befriends Joel (Jeff Hiller), a coworker and fellow musician who is a lynchpin in the Manhattan, Kansas LGBTQIA community.

The chemistry between Everette and Hiller is palpable and their relationship is the crux of Somebody Somewhere. Perhaps the greatest achievement of Somebody Somewhere is that Sam and Joel’s friendship doesn’t rely on the straight and gay best friend tropes featured in such shows as Will and Grace and Sex and The City. Everette and Hiller don’t resemble chic urbanites, drink at home instead trendy clubs, and don’t go dancing. The back drop of the bright lights of Manhattan, New York are replaced by the corn fields and churches of Manhattan, Kansas, which make Sam, Joel, and their inner circle of unconventional midwestern friends ‘pop’ even more.

As the series progresses, the humor decreases as the drama ramps up, perhaps due to the fact going home again is hard, but more so due to the fact that Sam’s family life continues to spiral downward. These issues (death/alcoholism/homophobia) are prevalent in many families and in every demographic, and as these issues become more intense, Sam comes to rely on her newfound friends even more.

One detraction from Somebody Somewhere, with its rural fish-out-of-water story and humor, is that is closely mirrors the aesthetics and nuances of Schitt’s Creek. So much so that the bumper scenes and bumper music feel interchangeable and sometimes are so similar that the viewer is taken away (even if just momentarily) from any onscreen action. But hey, there are worse problems to have, right?

At a total of 14 episodes, each around 30 minutes, Somebody Somewhere is a binge worthy endeavor that will makes you laugh, smile, and cry. Just like going home again.

Weathervanes – Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

As a lyricist in the singer-songwriter genre, Jason Isbell has little competition and even fewer peers. In his fifth album since becoming sober and first without super producer Dave Cobb behind the boards, Isbell and the 400 Unit return to previous glory with the release of Weathervanes, their best endeavor since 2017’s The Nashville Sound.

The typical Isbell earmarks are represented and murder ballads (Cast Iron Skillet), songs about America’s ever-changing social fabric (King of Oklahoma), and the difficulties of marriage (Death Wish) are all represented, but perhaps, in these versions, in more lyrical depth than on previous albums. And with more guitars. A LOT more guitars.

And as a guitar virtuoso who has taken the helms of self-producing, the audience should not be surprised with this development. I mean the guy can straight play and the extra layers of guitar make this Isbell’s most Austin City Limits friendly album yet, which can only bring joy to white, middle aged, IPA drinking suburban dads, such as myself.

I have been working on accepting my basic-ness.

Long time fans should also not be surprised by offerings that have no autobiographical connection to Isbell, particularly Volunteers. As far as I can tell, Isbell spent no time in the foster care system, but completely nails the plight of those who have and perhaps, that is Isbell greatest gift – making the listener believe he is telling a story about himself, even if he isn’t.

As an admitted fanboy, I really dig this album, and this review isn’t subjective. Is any review really? And as a fan, I would really like to see Isbell use his gift of prose to someday take a stab at a novel or short story. If it wouldn’t work out, I am sure he could write a great song about it.

Barry

Authors Herman Melville and Edgar Allen Poe died broke and unknown. The Office and Schitt’s Creek needed a pandemic and the advent of streaming services to become uber-popular. Musician Nick Drake’s brilliance was finally recognized for nearly 40 years after his death via a Volkswagen commercial. Sometimes artists and art aren’t fully appreciated in real time and nowhere in contemporary television is this more evident than with Bill Hader and his criminally underrated Barry (HBO).

Hader writes, produces, directs, and portrays the eponymous lead – a soldier with PTSD, turned hitman, turned aspiring actor. Such a wild premise has allowed Hader to take chances with script, plot, and direction, that few auteurs are given. And when I saw auteur, I mean auteur.

Hader films time jumps and dream sequences with the artistic vision of Kubrick, tender and comedic moments with the deft touches of Coppola, and violence and action in the bombastic vein of Tarantino. With Hader behind the wheel, it is safe to expect the unexpected, and then expect to be wowed.

Of course, having the best small cast in television doesn’t hurt and fellow players Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, and Stephen Root deserve the accolades that other actors will take home come award season.

As time barrels along, and Barry becomes a part of the past, my hope is that the show will find a wider audience and find appreciation in circles other than television heads, podcasters, and industry insiders. Hopefully we won’t need another pandemic to make that happen and hopefully Barry will be appreciated in its (relative) own time.

   Mall Churches, Guitars, and Little League

• The team building exercises between Hank’s team and Cristobal’s team, at a Dave and Buster’s, had me howling with laughter and I needed to rematch the scene a few times to truly get all the humor
• Perhaps no one on contemporary television uses misdirection more effectively and hilariously than Hader. Off camera punchlines, intentionally out of focus sequences, and violent shootouts are incredibly crafted with high end payoffs.
• The sequence to which Fuche is released from prison, against the sonic backdrop of Black Sabbath’s ‘The Wizard’ is one of my all-time favorite television moments. Why don’t more shows use Sabbath as a sonic background?
• The Joel character on Somebody Somewhere should also be praised from straying away from LGBTQIA tropes. You don’t really see many out and proud rural, Christian, characters on television and that low level of representation needs to change
• Brian King, as neighbor and potential love interest to Sam, steals almost of all of his (limited) scenes. Hopefully we will see more of him in season 3.
• Anyone want to go see Isbell with me at The Ryman in ’24? All of the ’23 tickets for his annual residency sold out almost immediately due to all of the ridiculous presale craziness that accompanies national tours.