Plus Big Swiss, Frutero, and Chinese Dialects.
APRIL 8, 2023
Going, going … almost gone. In case you missed our announcement earlier this week, we have a limited number of Plantasia and Happy Hour Pre-Roll sets left. First released in 1976, Mort Garson’s Plantasiais an album recorded entirely for plants. The green vinyl LP is available exclusively on our site and comes with a pack of our CBG White pre-rolls (for extra easy listening, of course), as well as a seed paper printed insert that you can plant and grow yourself. My plants are grooving as I type this. -VvP
Frozen treats have always been my go to, munchies-wise. (I love checking out a popsicle aisle, and even better if it’s the mochi fridge at H-Mart.) But lately I’ve been exclusively craving fruit flavors and finding it hard to find them outside of the Talenti sorbet selection. Lucky for me, my partner discovered Frutero ice cream. Inspired by creamy Indian tropical fruit ice creams and made with fresh fruit, it comes in a range of flavors like Guava, Tangerine, and Passionfruit, and is literally the best fruit ice cream I’ve ever tried. -PR
With a great name and an even greater effect, Devil Driver is easily in my top five strains. A cross between Melonade and Sundae Driver, another favorite, this sativa-leaning hybrid is an absolute gem if you’re looking for an easy, clear-headed, and energetic strain to help plow through some long put-off chores or just make a busy day a little more interesting. I got mine from Jar Cannabis Co. in Portland, Maine, but if you can find Devil Driver in your area, don’t hesitate to pick some up. -DW
I was sent a copy of this book in the mail as a surprise gift from my friend and Gossamer contributor Christina Pérez, whose “Heartbreak Hotels” feature for Volume Two remains one of my favorite things we’ve ever published. Big Swiss has gotten a lot of buzz—and rightly so. (It’s also being developed as a series for HBO starring Jodie Comer and produced by Adam McKay.) Narrated by Greta, a forty-something woman living and working as a transcriptionist for a sex therapist in Hudson, NY, the title of Big Swiss comes from her nickname for one of his patients, an icy cool and apparently gorgeous gynecologist and survivor of a brutal beating. The story follows their eventual IRL meeting at a dog park and ensuing affair, and is a darkly funny and incisive look at the ways we let trauma define us. Bonus rec: sending friends random books in the mail. What a treat! (In case you’re wondering, I sent Christina a copy of last week’s High Praise endorsement, Girls They Write Songs About, in return.) -VvP
OK, so this rec is kind of a copout, as Xiaoma is already quite famous with his nearly 6 million YouTube subscribers and multiple viral clips over the years. Still, whenever I stumble across a video of him surprising people with his ability to make conversation in their native language, I love it anew. It’s a trick—albeit an impressive one—that never gets old. In his latest release, Xiaoma (né Arieh Smith), converses in four different Chinese dialects in Brooklyn’s Chinatown, much to the delight of everybody (as it always goes). I was having a very frustrating day when I saw this and it really helped take the edge off. -DW
The temperatures are slowly rising in New York, which means the roller-skaters are reemerging in the streets. And while I don’t think I’ll be weaving in and out of traffic any time soon (I haven’t worn a pair of skates since middle school), I’ll admit I’m looking on at least slightly in envy. Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace—a roller rink that seems to be in part owned by Usher—at Rockefeller Plaza provides an ideal outlet for those of us looking to get back into it. They’re teaming up with L.A.-based art and fashion collective Brain Dead on April 14th and 15th for a series of back-to-back skate nights featuring music from Favela Worldwide, DJ Dream, and Mia Carucci among others. Grab a ticket now before they go. -PR