Fight the American Chaos with Ethel Cain, Shoes, TV and a 100 Mile Trail Race
“God loves you, but not enough to save you.””
Chaos. It feels as if American crisis chaos surrounds us and is real. I find peace in Art, listening to it, supporting it and appreciating it. If you feel called to protest, do it. Safely, peacefully and for a cause, not for social media or adrenaline. But more importantly, be a force for good in your daily life. In the normal, every day life, help others and encourage rather than divide. No one can take that from you.
It feels trite in this moment to recommend films and shoes, but this is Art and Art can save. Enjoy Art this summer. Take it in and support it despite the chaos around.
Discovering Ethel Cain will make you believe in music again. She has all the elements…southern goth lyrical depth, vocals and she’s just a complete badass that believes in causes and speaks truth. Born Hayden Silas Anhedönia, there’s a lot of depth here and it’s refreshing to see the norms bent so far. Get started with the track “American Teenager” and give the music of Ethel Cain and long, hard listen.
Tap in to the HBO film “Mountainhead.” It’s darkly hilarious, but wait, is it true? Watching this film, you’ll find yourself believing that this is actually the way tech billionaires believe, talk and act. Steve Carrell shines as well as Ramy Youseff, but honestly the performance of Cory Michael Smith carries the film and the hilarity of it all. Combine it all with the genius of Jason Schwartzman, and you have yourself something worth watching and discussing.
Running. It’s pure, but you need great shoes to reach your goals. On Running’s Cloudsurfer gets better the more you run on it. It’s low-key foam that performs every day. Of course, you’re not going to PR your 5K in these, but maybe you will. But for every day short and long runs, the Cloudsurfer gives you it’s all. Buy a pair and run thru the madness your phone is telling you to believe in.
Get in some good TV this summer. It’s an anti-depressant to lose yourself in a great TV show, a high quality TV show that is. We’re not talking about drag race here. Netflix’s The Eternaut draws you in and keeps you there for a cool, slow burn watch that soothes. Based on a legendary Argentine comic book series, The Eternaut makes the subtitles fade away and breathes to life an exceptional story in a new way.
Walmsley is out. It’s the biggest story coming out of Western States. Legendary ultrarunner Jim Walmsley will not compete at the 2025 Western States race on June 28-29, but it makes the race more compelling. Killian Jornet will be there. 14 years after his Western States win, the man with a trail running, skiing, mountaineering and ultramarathon running resume matched by no one in history will be there. And that in itself is thrilling.
Orange Acid favorite David Roche will be there. Following David’s preparation on youtube is complete inspirational joy, and here’s to hoping he performs at his peak. Others to watch in the men’s race are 2022 champ Adam Peterman, 2024 UTMB breakout victor Vincent Bouillard, and 2024 Western States runner-up Rod Farvard.
That’s it. In this irreputable time in history, make sure to treat each other well. Everyone outside your immediate life, your real life in front of you every day, is telling you to react and lash out against people that don’t believe what you do. Soothe your mind, stay healthy but be prepared.
Go get it this Summer,
The Orange Acid
Ethel Cain
Mountainhead
ON Cloudsurfer
On Running’s Cloudsurfer. Available at www.on.com
The Eternaut
Western States
“The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong–that’s when adventure starts.”