What to stream, read, listen to right now to get through lockdown 2.0

5 recommendations on what to consume to help you cope through the second wave lockdown

With the recent second wave cluster outbreaks in Australia, some state governments have been forced to take action to control the spread of the virus. Melbournians are back in a six-week lockdown, and Sydneysiders are being asked to rethink non-essential travel and urged not to take public transport.

Now that we have copious amounts of time on our hands (again), it’s the perfect time to fixate on something other than the alarming news headlines. Here are 5 suggestions on what to watch, read and listen to right now: 

1.[Watch] Hamilton 

In early July, Disney+ released the very much anticipated film version of the widely popular Broadway musical, Hamilton. Empire described the film version as ‘entertaining, energetic and unfailingly smart, this is theatre at the highest level, performed by a cast without a weak link. You can’t say no to this.’

The show takes you on a journey of Alexander Hamilton’s story, as the first Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. It’s described as telling the story of American then by America now, featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway. We recommend saving this one for a Saturday afternoon as it goes for a little over two and a half hours.

2. Listen] Rabbit Hole

Have you ever found yourself watching a blog on YouTube, then spending hours watching 10 more videos after that from YouTube recommendations? That’s YouTube’s algorithm doing its work in trying to keep you on the platform for as long as possible, watching videos they know you’ll enjoy. But is this a good thing for us?

Produced by the New York Times, Rabbit Hole is a podcast series hosted by investigative journalist Kevin Roose, and is about how the internet is changing and how we are changing along with it. The first few episodes follow a 26-year-old Cain and how his far-right views were shaped by YouTube’s algorithm. 

Roose sums it up best by saying the point of the overall message of the podcast is knowing that “we have choices, and we can shape this thing. In fact, it’s imperative we do shape this thing, because it’s going to shape us if we don’t. You can listen to it now on Spotify,  or on your Apple Podcast app.

3. [Listen] The Eleventh

If you thought you knew everything about Gough Whitlam’s dismissal, think again! ABC Radio produced ‘The Eleventh’, a political drama podcast that you’ll get stuck into fast. Investigative journalist Alex Mann takes us behind the scenes, sheds light on the major players involved and gives us a in-depth breakdown on exactly who was pulling the strings in the lead up to his dismissal in 1975. 

‘“When you start actually digging into the plots, the players, the scandals, all of the back story, everything that actually led up to that moment, there's this irresistible story waiting,” says Mann.

Listen now on the ABC website, or on your Apple Podcast app.

4. [Watch] Parks & Recreation

If The Office was one of your favourite shows, get ready to binge on Parks and Recreation during lockdown. American political sitcom television series Parks and Recreation, starring Amy Poehler follows characters within the Parks Department of a town in Indiana.

The LA Times described the show as ‘a very funny, wickedly smart, surprisingly humane and deeply important show that defied all rules, regs and stereotypes to boot television comedy out of a deep and dangerous rut.’

The episodes are only 20 minutes long and each episode will make you laugh out loud, making it the perfect show for a pick-me-up during isolation. It’s available to stream on Amazon Prime or Stan.

5. [Read] Talking to My Country, Stan Grant

This book is a must read for all Australians, written by Wiradjuri man and award-winning journalist Stan Grant. It’s an extraordinarily powerful and personal meditation on race, culture, and identity.

You might recognise the name Stan Grant as the author of a piece written for The Guardian ‘I can tell you how Adam Goodes feels. Every Indigenous person has felt it’. This piece was shared over 100,000 times on social media and went viral worldwide. 

In Talking To My Country, Grant draws on his own life and community in response to the ongoing racism that he sees around him. He inspires us all to keep asking the question: how can we be better? You can find it on BookTopia.