17 Comments

harmony your pen is a scalpel, every word an incision. i aim to be as surgical and clear eyed as you are.

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Brilliant and necessary writing, poetical but clear-eyed, shot through with some of that unblinking glare. You ask: “Who has transcended music superstardom alive and unscathed?” The shining exception I look toward is Tina, who worked at least as hard onstage as Bey, and did no less to infiltrate cultural spaces, and was also famously defined in the public imagination by her relationship to toxic male bravado. Tina got out, became a Côte d'Azur royal, lived her best life as a pop siren emeritus. I don’t think it’s too late for Beyoncé, but she feels she has work to do yet, and can’t seem to imagine executing it outside the queasy compromise you’ve articulated. So we spectate.

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Tina, the only one!

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Painful to think of how this will turn out for her. Your writing is so elegant and emotional. Thanks for sharing!!

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"...Adjacent Xmas Day headlines read: Airstrike kills journalists in Gaza, and Beyoncé sleighs at Netflix Christmas, ensuring one scene becomes the grave on which the other dances and gyrates for our viewing pleasure or trance..."

so fire, the whole essay.

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Thank you for reading. Eagerly awaiting your first dispatch.

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Harmony Holiday I mean this in the best way possible: you are a spooky writer!

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like shit, I am gasping then taking in nearly too much.

I’m chilled. In shock.

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Insane intro! love

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Like the characters in ‘The Love Songs of WEB Du Bois’, the mentation and feeling of the relationship dynamics seem similar to what you illustrated in your writing of Beyoncé’s attempts at reconciling her public/private persona with her artistry.

Perhaps Beyoncé is a contemporary manifestation of Sisyphus…perhaps she further pushes forth the contradictions of including Post Malone who can dabble in any genre and Shaboozey who is snubbed by the CMAs, despite winning in the Billboard and People’s Choice Country Awards.

Who knows?

Thanks again for your insights

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a most excellent piece

and: "a bandaid that suffocates a wound in need of air" that riff is breathtaking---pure poetry, perfectly prophetic

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Ur writing is so fucking unreal that I’m self congratulating on how the fuck I’m sailing soaring thru reading ur words like I’m best most accomplished reader and writer in the world with awards and everything in the world of the most cleverest of clever writing crafting beauty threaded thru every bit of the brain work in a way I’m squinting and looking like

I smelt a fart cos I don’t know how to describe it and scared I’ve lost the thread which is that

To write something like this that I genuinely thought I’d heart save restack send to

Myself for the day my brain could -

Ur writing means I can’t not?!!

And it’s despite how my initial “this is for the bookshelf I live in desire and hope” is abso correct assessment in terms of - how do I put it?! Like it’s every bit as -

Baso how can I express that u know the cool

Things AMAAZING rninfs abt all the writing I wanna read but can’t currently access cos my brain is unable? Whether in general in this moment or in this season ?

Well- the best things the most jaw dropping genuinely hell yes omg yay source accolade and everything u deserve aka infinity winning etc-

This has everything of that

AND I CAN SOMEHOW

GLIDE THRU IT LIKE IM A PELICAN IN WATER? Wind? Wot r pelicans doing I can’t recall

Thank you?!!?!?

I sat and fucking admired the word and ur use of the word obfuscated for

Like 89 seconds alone!!!!????!??!!

U made me proud of

Me for reading ur beauty?!!!! Woowwoowoowowowowowooowowoowowoowoowwowoowooqo

Thank u on every fucking level I don’t know how I don’t even wanna think about it cos all I’m thinking is selfish aka - I want to feel this good about reading espesh on like - how do I put it?? Is it - what heading cojld this come under - it’s the non fiction element of

It, the “current affairs” element of it that for whatever reason even in amazing comedy - unless I know exactly the language and have absorbed and it’s not

Affecting my dyspraxia dyslexia etc etc etc where it all

Feels technical

And new just cos it’s words in a context I have to unpack cos

I don’t already know -

I can’t explain but one example is Josh Johnson the comedian - there’s some of his work I for some

Reason feel so fucking

Guilty and silly and bad abt myself and confused re why I’m unable to

Tune in and stay engaged and sail thru compared to the other things-

And I worship

His material it’s a me thing -

Anyway -

I am finding myself wishing I could

Feel how I felt about how I literally am reading this oh lol btw I’m

Not done I just needed to

Let it out thank u for soace to do

So

I’m

Too

If it all xxx

all the time and I don’t get to;

Thank u.

Thank u thank u thank u.

God I’m so confused how it’s not even cos it’s like ur saying what I knew already I’m

Fully fucking learning - Aka u have like…I don’t like this analogy one bit but I dyspraxic hate and truly fucking

Resent having to ever debone or like deshell or like anything that isn’t possible for me

To

Pop in my mouth like

From

Seeds in grapes to like - I mean I don’t even know

What lobster tastes like besides probably fishy lol cos I don’t give a fuck

Cos

I

Cannot

Work like that for nmw how delish like I

Cant do it -

And I think I’m

Tryna say

It’s like u kept the thing that makes these things - like it’s not the most

Sophisticated way to serve something to de”faff” it - and so I rarely eat espesh god fucking

Forbid WITJOUT faff and with unadulterated pleasure and no

Stress -

Anything that has “bits that aren’t edible and need to be worked thru to get to what’s good and it’s obvs part of what’s magic about it and it’s part of the brilliance of the thing like

Omg - it’s

Like in my mummys cooking In a

Lot

If Indian cooking they’ll have like “Elegi”

Or whatever the whole

Spices are that omfg if I have to

Jump

To avoid them

I will cry and not

Touch cos I get so so so so

So

Stresses and frustrated

But that’s the epitome of the dish right there

And I feel

Like thanks to u here for some

Reason u have found a fancy Michelan star (I hate a using these loftiest of signages of “u are so fucking skilled and wowww!!!! So sorry abt the extreme white SUPREMECY of these reference points!!!!!) way of making those whole cloves or whatever - like cooked them in a way that means everyone gets extra level of amazement incl

Me it so happens -

Where the way u prepared and made and served them up

For us like the plate of writint im

Lucky enough to be before -

I get to tuck in and feel enriched without the drama of above

Tysm again for space I have taken to explore my amazement!!!! Xxxxxx

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My head and heart are SPINNING. You are holding us accountable and this is needed now more than ever.

(Why can’t I edit my subscription from the app?)

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Thank you! I have to admit I stay on the desktop and don't know the app super well, hope there's a simple workaround. Really appreciate your read.

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I figured it out quickly and upgraded. Thank you for your words and wisdom. Onward!

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Thank you Harmony. So much to sit with here. re/reading is essential.

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brilliant piece

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