If you sit close enough to the front of the theater for “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, you can see Paul Mescal spit and sweat as he stalks the stage as Stanley Kowalski, an artist doing his work in real time and space. It had been a while since I’d seen live theater when I went to see “Streetcar” a few weeks ago, and I found myself in awe of the very liveness of it. I’ve grown so accustomed to experiencing culture through screens that I forgot how exciting it is to be in the room where the art is happening, to witness the effort and passion and bodily exertion that go into it.
It’s not just movies and TV, of course — we’re all aghast at how much time we spend on devices, consuming content, whatever that means. Reading and watching and posting and shopping, always shopping for things and ideas and comfort and distraction. Surely this endless marketplace will turn up something that satisfies us at some point! I complained to a friend that I had the blues recently and her advice surprised me in its specificity and simplicity: “Engage with things that someone put a lot of work into.”
This wisdom seemed to cut through a lot of the bargaining I do with myself about how I spend my time. “Well, it’s OK that I spent the last 45 minutes reading the NYCBike subreddit because I learned about how they’re ticketing cyclists who run red lights on Second Avenue, which is useful to me as someone who frequently cycles down Second Avenue,” I might rationalize. But if I am determined to engage only with things that someone put a lot of work into, idly reading Reddit is out. So is my habit of scrolling through Instagram Reels of senior dogs. No more using ChatGPT as a therapist — there isn’t even a “someone” in that equation.
I had thought my online hygiene was unimpeachable, that I’d skirted many of the mental-health hazards of social media by using it only as a source of impersonal pleasure (no looking at friends’ envy-inducing vacation photos, no posting, just the aforementioned old dogs, some fashion stuff, maybe some inspiring quotes from interviews with famous authors).
But once I started cutting stuff out and noticed my mood improving, I realized that it wasn’t the nature of the content that was making me sad, but the volume. If I sometimes feel like my hard drive is full, then it doesn’t matter if what I’m adding to the drive is, on its face, soothing. It’s just more stuff, more data, more things to process. By adopting my friend’s elevated standard for what’s allowed in, I decreased the number of inputs, the number of demands for thought and work and reaction I was requesting of my brain.
Of course, there are complications that arise with this rule. “A lot of work” is a subjective measurement, and often the things that entail a lot of work are expensive, only available to those who can afford them, which risks creating a pretty boring, exclusionary selection for cultural consumption.
I’m not interested in — nor is it a realistic proposition, given my means, tastes, profession — subsisting solely on great novels and live theater to the exclusion of all else. But any rubric that stems the tide of information we’re allowing into our brains and hearts, even temporarily, can be helpful. It helps to remember we have choices: You don’t have to check Facebook every day just because you always have. You don’t have to read that blog while you drink your coffee or watch TikToks on the toilet. If you’re experiencing a general sadness or ennui or overwhelmsion without obvious origin, why not try switching things up? It might not totally reverse your mood, but then again — who knows? — it might.
THE LATEST NEWS
Tariffs
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The singer and songwriter Tracy Chapman has avoided the spotlight for the past decade. In an interview with The Times, she breaks her silence and looks back on her powerful hit “Fast Car.”
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The Irish actor Andrew Scott calls his solo performance in “Vanya,” an Off Broadway production of Chekhov’s melancholy comedy, an “endless experiment.”
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Take five minutes out of your day to fall in love with the music of Billie Holiday. Listen here.
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Mark Hoppus, the bassist and singer in Blink-182, recounts his personal struggles and his band’s history in a new memoir.
CULTURE CALENDAR
🎸 Bon Iver, “Sable, Fable” (Friday): For those who love “very talented and very sad person with a guitar” music, Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago,” released almost 20 years ago, is almost certainly still in rotation. It is for me at least. After a five-year hiatus, Bon Iver is back with another studio album, “Sable, Fable,” and sounding a little different — healed, even. In the intervening years, the frontman, Justin Vernon, began courting joy instead of pain. The result of that personal work is an album that “captures hope, thrills and a kind of unselfconscious exultation,” the Times critics Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli write. Watch Vernon’s interview with The Times.
Shrimp in Purgatory
Sarah DiGregorio’s shrimp in purgatory has the garlicky, chile-flake sauciness of the traditional Southern Italian egg dish, but instead of using those pricey orbs of chicken caviar, Sarah’s recipe stars succulent, sweet shrimp. Serve this one over polenta or couscous for maximum red sauce absorption, or chunks of a torn, crusty baguette for a contrasting crunch.
REAL ESTATE
A dash of respect: Bartenders revere the daiquiri. Why, then, do they not sell more of them?
Getting creative: Easter eggs are so expensive that some Americans are dyeing potatoes.
Supermarket tourism: Visiting local grocery stores has become an essential stop on the vacation itinerary.
Fertility: Your weed habit may be messing with your sperm.
Well, The Times’s personal health section, is hosting its first festival on May 7. Times journalists will chat with Peter Attia, Padma Lakshmi, Robin Arzón, Sara Bareilles and others about the science and art of living well. Find out more here.
ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER
How to care for an aging pet
There are few things that tax the human heart more than seeing pets approach the end of their lives. And while you can’t stop time, there are things you can do to keep an aging pet comfortable, including investing in gear that may help them sleep better, eat more and generally feel at ease. Since hardwood and tile can be slippery, rugs, carpets and yoga mats can be helpful for traction. Elevating their food and water bowls can help reduce the strain of bending down. And a sharp pill cutter can make it easier to sneak smaller bits of their medicine into a treat. For more, Wirecutter’s experts have a list of considerations and helpful tools; consider it a starting point as you navigate this phase of your pet’s life. — Mel Plaut
Duke vs. Houston, men’s N.C.A.A. tournament: For a second straight year, Duke and Houston will face off in the tournament. And although all four No. 1 seeds are playing tonight for a spot in the national championship, it’s this later game that has the makings of a classic. An unstoppable force, Duke’s top-rated offense, is meeting an immovable object, Houston’s top-rated defense. If Duke has an edge, it’s the standout freshman Cooper Flagg, The A.P.’s player of the year and most likely the top pick in the next N.B.A. draft. Tonight at 8:49 p.m. Eastern on CBS
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