Finding Joy

[READER]( Over the weekend I began sweating while sitting still in the heat, which is when I fully grasped what it will mean to spend the summer sheltering in place. I knew festivals would no longer book up my weekends, and that movies in the parks would have to wait for another summer. And I realized I'll likely avoid ambling through most parks, busy neighborhood intersections, and just about any place people are likely to gather when it's hot out. I can take as many safety precautions as I like, but that won't encourage people who refuse to wear face masks to change. I've seen enough people forgo basic precautionary measures such as "maintain a healthy distance from strangers while walking outdoors" that I had mentally prepared to spend the nicest days of the year in my apartment. I just hadn't fully considered what that would feel like till the heat spiked and beckoned me to come outside. I have no end of projects and activities to keep me busy at home, though lately I've had particular difficulty reading more than a few pages of any one book. (It doesn't help that I've started at least a half dozen books the past couple months, and only finished reading two or three of them.) But I've taken solace in the places I can find it. Like the snack aisle at Joong Boo, which supplied me with raspberry KitKats that currently sit in my freezer (reader, I plan to fish one out as soon as I finish writing this, as a treat). Or the 1,000-piece New Yorker jigsaw puzzle that's taken up residence in the corner of my apartment. Or the cartoonishly exaggerated parts of [Rocketman]( the recent hammy, cliche Elton John biopic. Or the frenzy that opens Jeff Rosenstock's unexpected new album, No Dream. All of this is to say, I hope that you are able to find your joys at home too. The Reader team can help with that. We just published our first ["Gaming Issue,"]( which explores the many dimensions of gaming. I talked to a few Chicagoans who [compose music for indie video games]( I've long been curious about this distinctive form of environmental music, and it was a treat to learn more about it from these talented local musicians. If you like that story, I'd recommend [buying the new collection of some of my favorite Reader features](. All the book's proceeds benefit the paper, so we can continue publishing great, irreplaceable journalism—which, I hope, brings you some joy too. Sincerely, ["The Many Faces of Housekeeping: How Wealth & Privilege Are Distorting Underground Music,"]( by Ed Gillett (The Quietus) ["May He Have Your Attention? 'The Marshall Mathers LP' at 20,"]( by Jeff Weiss (The Ringer) ["In 1983, No Trend prophesied America's ruin to anyone who could bear to listen,"]( by Chris Richards (Washington Post) ["Mark Duplass Is Ready To Face His Blog-Rock Past,"]( by Ian Cohen (Stereogum) Various Artists, [Shot Dice: A Compilation for Crown Liquors]( Back of a Car, [Alyse Paradiso Saves Souls]( Moodymann, [Taken Away]( Jeff Rosenstock, [No Dream]( [Chicago jazz guitarist Tim Stine drops an engagingly off-kilter new trio album]( Plus: A 26-track compilation benefits the staff of the shuttered Crown Liquors, and ESS presents yet another can’t-miss program in its Quarantine Concerts series. By [J.R. Nelson]( [@JR1Nelson]( and [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Where indie music meets indie gaming]( Chicago video-game composers talk about how they found their way into this strange and difficult business. By [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Harvey rapper Ty Money bids adieu to the career-defining mixtape series Cinco de Money]( By [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Chicago experimental electronic producer K-Rad makes serenity now]( By [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Issue of May 28 - Jun 3, 2020 Vol. 49, No. 34]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [DONATE]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2020 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Ste 102Chicago, IL 60616-3228 [Add us to your address book](