It’s been a strange 12 months as everything apparently returned to normal, but stayed different. The pandemic is over but still as much of a problem as ever, we endured multiple prime ministers, and watched a classic World Cup final at a troubling tournament.
And then Elon Musk bought Twitter.
As I’ve settled into middle-age, I’d assumed life would become a bit more predictable. And I’d be able to settle into the equivalent of a comfortable armchair as work continued, family grew up and I continued writing for fun without the threat of being replaced by AI content farms. Turns out, I might have been quite wrong.
On the plus side, at least I got to enjoy another year of great entertainment in various formats.
Dan’s Disposable 2022: Watching
It’s been a third year of mainly watching new TV series rather than venturing out to see new films at the cinema. Which makes reviews difficult, but I do have recommendations for older movies you might have overlooked, such as the wonderfully odd Dave Made A Maze. Watching people get killed inside a Tardis-like cardboard fort has never been so much fun.
I also introduced my son to various classics, including the wonderful Trollhunter, the original Assault on Precinct 13, and Little Shop of Horrors, which was apparently the most disturbing of them all. And between Amazon, Apple TV and Disney+, I’ve finally managed to catch up on everything from the Star Wars, Marvel and DC franchises.
Meanwhile, there’s been a constant flow of great TV series to binge watch, or eke out over the weeks and months.
I really enjoyed SAS: Rogue Heroes, despite the fact it wasn’t quite the British Band of Brothers I’d wrongly expected. Along with the short episodes of both Cheaters and Stuck. And there’s been plenty of praise elsewhere for Am I Being Unreasonable?
On Amazon, both The Boys and Hacks continued to be brilliant, in very different ways. But as a huge fan of the books of William Gibson, the highlight for me has been The Peripheral. Which has been so good, I’ve completely forgotten to compare it to the novel, and has had me just focused on a great TV series.
Over on Apple TV, I’m awaiting the next and potentially final series of Ted Lasso. Which fills me with happiness, and dread. But in the meantime, there’s been a new series of Mythic Quest, and the utterly wonderful Slow Horses.
It’s not exactly surprising that it’s so good, considering the well-regarded novels that it’s adapted from, or the cast including Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jonathan Pryce. But it’s just executed pretty much perfectly. And the recent introduction of Aimee-Ffion Edwards has also reminded me there’s a one-off Detectorists special airing on Boxing Day, which is one of the few things I’m going to make an effort to watch when it’s actually broadcast.
And while Disney+ has mainly involved Andor and She-Hulk, probably the best and most memorable series I’ve enjoyed has been The Bear. My girlfriend had recommended it to me after seeing positive things online. Which I’d forgotten when I stumbled across it, and promptly binge watched the entire first season without her.
Somehow it has elements of The Sopranos, Kitchen Nightmares, and various great ensemble comedy dramas, and combines it all into something which feels new and original. And Jeremy Allen White is brilliant in the lead role.
Dan’s Disposable 2022: Listening
Looking back at my listening habits, there are a couple of albums from the last 12 months which have dominated the musical soundtrack to my life.
The first is the Ska Punk of In the Wild, from The Interrupters. I needed something to lift me up during a third year of disruption, and I can usually rely on ska, punk and psychobilly for that. So standout singles In the Mirror and Raised By Wolves have been a great way to fire myself up and get things done.
The other has been I Walked with You a Ways from Plains, which is a collaboration betyween Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson.
I also dived more deeply into Boy from Michigan, the 2021 John Grant album, surrendered to the undeniable charm of Wet Leg, and rocked to the likes of Alter Bridge, Soul Glo, Eddie Vedder (as always), and Sometimes Y, the album from Yelawolf and Shooter Jennings.
Over the festive period, it’s a great time to go through the various online lists and recommendations to discover new albums and artists I might have missed, so you may see some extras sneaking in before the deadline of New Years Eve.
One reason why I’ve been spending a little less time listening to new music is that I’ve invested in a few things to rediscover my joy of actually playing it. Alongside seeing my son enjoying playing bass and guitar in a growing number of bands, the big different has been making my guitars more accessible whenever I fancy a quick 20 minute break.
Dan’s Disposable 2022: Playing
Gaming has been the hardest thing for me to keep up with in 2022. My son’s newfound obsession with Warhammer 40K means he’d often rather get out 20-sided dice than jump onto a PC or console, although we were both dragged into some Overwatch 2, which is basically the first game, handicapped with an unfortunate Battlepass and loot system requiring payment if you actually want to earn anything good.
As a result, I’ve still been spending more time in Apex Legends when I need a quick FPS fix (although also not immune to prioritising revenue over a quality game). And while Gran Turismo 7 is obviously the big racing game release of 2022, along with the introduction of the F1 Manager franchise, they’ve not quite grabbed me as much as the release of new cars, tracks and improvements for iRacing, Automobilista 2, Raceroom, or the latest mods for Assetto Corsa.
Instead, I’ve been catching up on titles I didn’t completely finish, such as the Forza Horizon series, buying replacement controllers and headsets (A Turtle Beach Recon controller only lasted from August until November before developing a frustrating stick twitch, and being replaced with an official version bought in a Black Friday deal – along with a couple of older official Xbox controllers, it’ll be stripped for potential repair over Christmas). And enjoying one purchase I can heatily recommend, in the shape of the Razer Ornata V2 keyboard, which has improved both work and gaming.
Christmas is usually a time for me to catch up on gaming, so there’s a good chance I’ll be updating this section before January 1st, or adding titles in preparation for the 2023 round-up. Or finally giving in and building a W40K army, although my plan of saving cash by investing in a BloodBowl set has been undone by how much prices have increased over the last few decades…
Dan’s Highlights 2022: Reading
I’m not sure why I seem to have read less in 2022, but I’ve mainly been catching up on science fiction from the last few years, including the brilliant Agency from William Gibson, Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, and various gaps in my Charles Stross collection.
One classic I recently discovered is Stealing the Wave by Andy Martin. His book about surfing as a journalist (Walking on Water) was a major inspiration on me, and Stealing the Wave is a fascinating look at the 1980s rivalry between two of the biggest names in surfing. As with so many sports stories, the main figures are almost opposites in their approach and outlook, but the water and waves provide a third antagonist.
I also enjoyed The Art of Fairness by David Bodanis, which was an easy and enjoyable read making the point that being nice doesn’t mean you’re going to fail as a leader. And you can succeed in life without becoming a stertypical bully.
Looking forward, and back
Going back through previous round-ups, it’s interesting to see me recommending Overwatch back in 2016, and then mentioning it again 6 years later, or Apex Legends back in 2019. While it seems I’m doing an OK job in keeping up with music and TV, finding the time to discover new games has slipped.
But with a fresh year looming, there’s always the chance to change a few things, and reinvigorate my gaming and reading habits. Along with revisiting what we’re doing with Disposable Media and other projects…