A Letter From The Editor
Here we are at the end of another year. It’s been two years since I went to a holiday party at my friend/dungeonmaster Alex’s house and it feels like it was a decade ago and yet 2021 also felt like it lasted a couple of months. What even is time anymore?
I would say 2021 was weird, overall. A sense of abnormal smashed right up against a sense of normal. I guess that’s just what happens when normal changes a lot (and probably forever?) In a “list of worst years” it ranks below 2020, at least.
This newsletter / blog / mélange1 of musings2 was a definite highlight of 2021 for me, and hopefully something you enjoyed. I feel like I achieved both more and less than I expected to with it this year and am soliciting your feedback for next years editions, not for a pat on the back, but so I know where to best focus my energies in the future as I try to figure out what Negative Progression will be in 2022. As with everything in life - it’s currently a work in progress(ion).
I assume it’s gonna be more of what it was in 2021, with maybe some added new ideas, but probably at a slower pace. Fortnightly editions probably aren’t happening any more (monthly is a good goal) but let’s see what happens.
As far as new ideas go, I have,
An idea for a new recurring written format:
An idea for a podcast (who doesn’t, I know):
An idea for a Twitch stream (“how do you do, fellow kids”): I have some of the classic Fighting Fantasy books, which are supposed to be for the reader to play alone, but in this scenario I act as a kind of Dungeonmaster (reading the book) and the other person acts as the player (makes choices, rolls dice, etc.) I tried this out with our Dungeonquest co-MVP Ed on Zoom in early 2021 and I thought it was really fun.
If you want to volunteer to be a beta-tester for any of those ideas, or have any other feedback, please let me know.
If I’m less exhausted and anxiety prone in the new year than I was the last couple of months, maybe we’ll see some headway with these. For now, I wanted to close some loops from earlier editions and also open and close some other ones, so enjoy another edition of the laziest Negative Progression format…the Grab Bag.
Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise
I didn’t expect when I started this newsletter to end up writing about the death of one of my favorite musicians, but that appears to be kind of misery the 2020s are serving up to us, I guess.
Eight months after I wrote those pieces, the final Dan Sartain album was posthumously released. While I completely understand why many long time Dan-fans aren’t emotionally ready to listen to it - and my first listen made me very sad - when you are ready, it has some classic Sartain songs on it. It might just be the closest record in sound/style/attitude to the peak-Dan era records (Dan Sartain vs the Serpientes and Join Dan Sartain.)
My favorite cut after a few listens? My Best Fit, an ode to his hometown.
I’ll miss Dan forever, but to paraphrase John Reis, if I want to be with Dan, I just need to put on a record and he’ll be there in that room with me.
Rock Stars may die but Rock and Roll can never die.
Book Nook 1: Lexicon by Max Barry
I first read this book in 2014, enjoyed it, loved the idea behind it, then promptly forgot all about it. In looking for something to read recently, I rediscovered it and figured I’d read it again. It was like reading it from new as I remembered maybe 10% and it was fantastic all over again.
In short, this book is great, the core concept is that words are extremely powerful when wielded by people trained in how to use them. I’m purposefully not giving any more of it away here in an effort to pique your interest (and because this is a recommendation, not a recap.)
Also, also: Max Barry is kind of a hilarious name. He’s the Maximum amount of Barry, I guess.
Wrestling Wrecap 1: Redemption, thy name is Hangman
In the July edition of Grab Bag, I touched on the two year character arc of the Anxious Millennial Cowboy, “Hangman” Adam Page, which was a true study of the battle within: self doubt, anxiety, loss of friends, some light alcoholism, depression, etc. From that piece:
He’s had a rough couple of years: he doesn’t really believe in himself, he drinks a little too much and he had a bad falling out with his friends. But then he made some new friends who had also just been through some heartbreak. Maybe, just maybe, his new friends have made him realize he should believe in himself, he is a good friend and that he can be the world champion.
I’ve talked before that wrestling always shoots itself in the foot at the worst time, but if they can stick the landing with this two year long(!) story, it will truly end up as a classic of the genre. And they’ll have a crowd full of people ready to absolutely bring the house down.
Well, in November, Hangman did in fact win the big one, defeating his friend/tag-partner turned nemesis Kenny Omega in a classic battle. But while it was the world title up for grabs, what was really on the line was his self-belief and self-actualization.
Wrestling as a format and a genre can be as repetitive as any formulaic genre3 but the focus here being on the emotional growth and mental wellbeing of the character4 felt like a push in a new direction, one step down a path that leads away from toxic masculinity, the de facto standard in wrestling. (See also: fellow AEW wrestler Eddie Kingston’s piece in the Player’s Tribune, addressing his own issues with depression.)
So, they did indeed stick the landing and it did indeed bring the house down. You love to see it.
Book Nook 2: Get Tusked
Long time readers may be aware of my borderline obsession with Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk album. It’s endlessly fascinating for a lot of different reasons and also it has contains some of Stevie Nicks best work.
Get Tusked is cowritten by a co-producer and a studio engineer of Tusk. So as you can imagine, I DEVOURED this book after getting it as a birthday gift.
I suspect there is a layer of bullshit smeared in-between the truth (or maybe these guys are the rare hard drug users with perfect memories?) but given the topic at hand, I was willing to give them some leeway.
There’s all the drug fueled stories you think there are, there’s a very welcome amount of detail about the intricacies of the recording process, there’s a very unwelcome amount of detail about the authors sex lives, and there’s Lindsey Buckingham, channeling his hero Brian Wilson and single handedly refusing to do Rumours-redux as the follow up to Rumours and subsequently dragging the the rest of the band into the deep waters of inspiration, innovation and insanity.
If you love Tusk, it’s a must read or if you are very into studio engineering it’s a must read. Otherwise, probably not for you. (If you just want a very-80s book of drugs and debauchery, read the Motley Crue book, it has exactly what you’re looking for.)
Wrestling Wrecap 2: The Year of Draws
In what I’m certain has to be a first in the history of professional wrestling, of the many matches this year that are in the conversation for Match of the Year, four (4!) of them ended in time-limit draws.
Two happened in Japan and ended in rapturous applause; two happened in the US and ended in a chorus of boos because America - being largely a country of idiots - is mentally unable to accept the absence of a winner5. In all of these matches, the draw outcome was a benefit not a negative, and in all of them I was completely satisfied. The idea of booing that angers me greatly.
My favorite of these draws? Probably Syuri vs. Utami Hayashishita, from the all-women’s Stardom promotion in Japan, which goes 45 minutes and feels like it lasts 15 minutes. It’s a war of attrition and feels like an absolute fight the whole time. It’s easily the best women’s wrestling match in 20+ years and better than all but maybe 5-10 men’s matches in that time too.
At around the 25 minute mark of the match they start exchanging murderous slaps and the energy in the (architecturally marvelous) Ota-City Gymnasium venue is palpable. If you’re not deeply invested in the battle these two are undertaking at that point, wrestling probably isn’t your thing.
And on top of all this, they have their long awaited rematch - with no time limit this time - on December 29th, so anyone that’s closed the book on match of the year before that hasn’t been paying due attention.
More Musical Musings
In years gone by, I would always look forward to drawing up an exhaustive “Favorite Albums of the Year” list, maybe 10 or even 20 records long. Well, these days - and I think the pandemic-era is part of it - I barely buy enough new records to make a list at all.
If you want some 2021 recommendations from me, I enjoyed the Guardian Singles album a lot.
I also very much enjoyed the Mononegatives album:
If you’re more interested in great recommendations and less interested in timeliness, well, I just rediscovered the two “Best of 2013” editions of my old radio show and man, what a year that was, it was just was overflowing with incredible releases
The Chris Whitehead Show, December 18th 2013: AP Simon's Best of 2013!
The Chris Whitehead Show, January 1st 2014: Chris’s Best of 2013
Wrestling Wrecap 3: Pencil Army
In the March edition of Grab Bag, I wrote this about Maki Itoh:
She has the exact kind of weirdo charisma that should be perfect for American pro-wrestling.
Itoh has yet to return to the US since March, so that didn’t exactly work out, but we did get introduced to another Japanese wrestler with very different type of “weirdo charisma”… Lulu Pencil, a freelance writer turned professional wrestler. But, and here’s the thing, Lulu isn’t really a wrestler in the traditional sense. Really, the type of wrestling Lulu does is almost a parody of “normal” wrestling. She’s weak and unathletic (I’m not being mean, those are her words) and she’s never won a match. But she never quits.
But, as a result, she’s the quintessential underdog, as wonderfully outlined in this video.
Here at Negative Progression, there’s nothing we love more than the pluckiest of underdogs - she embodies the kind of earnestness I need in my life to make it through the garbage fire of modern life - so as a result I am now a fully signed up, t-shirt owning member of the Pencil Army!
Alright, that’s a wrap. I tried to give you a lot of links to help pass the time during those days between Christmas and New Year where you don’t know what day of the week it is (if you’re lucky enough to not have to work.)
But wait, in the style of Colombo, there is just one more thing…speaking of Christmas (which is a holiday I do not care for), it was recently brought to my attention that one of the few redeemable Christmas themed songs never really made it over to North America, so for the US and Canada readers, who may be unaware, please add SLADE to your rotation this year.
See ya next year!
Speaking of mélange. Did you watch Dune, aka my fav book finally getting a good adaptation? Sound off in the comments!
“Mélange of Musings”: Trade Mark, Nic Meek-Whitehead 2020
Most sports are also very repetitive. Case in point: Scorigami.
Another case is my theory that there are only about 9 templates for a game of soccer. I’ll tell you about them next time you can’t sleep
The real man behind the Hangman character later talked about the character arc of emotional growth and mental wellbeing of the character mirroring his own personal journey. He “found it true”, as he said. And in more of blurring of real-life/art that only seems to happen in wrestling, the Hangman’s big victory was delayed by about 3 months so that he could take paternity leave first. Which only seemed to make people like him more. As he said: “Cowboy shit is taking time off in the middle of the hottest run of my career to be home for the birth of a beautiful baby boy”
Credit to dungeonquest co-MVP for this observation. I couldn’t figure out why Americans hate draws.
Not sure why Slade themselves didn't take off here. That is the second greatest Christmas song of all time and I wish it was played more. I think it may still be great because it's not overplayed. I know that every year the drummer gets super pissed because he isn't cut in on any of the royalties.
#1 is my vote, I love that concept of having to follow up a monster. Another great one would be a band releasing a surprisingly great album like ~15 years past their peak popularity. There are several out there.
I'm going to seek out Get Tusked that sounds great.
I hope you keep going with this. I know that things like this done for fun may turn out to feel like pressure to do. I think it's a fun and healthy thing to do. Thanks. Enjoy 2022.