Welcome back to small days. It’s been a while. I’m not sure how long, but too long. I don’t have a lead topic or insight for today’s issue, so let’s drop right into the curated content: a Vox story you’ve probably already read about the (not quite so) sad state of men and reading, and a humorous but educational must-watch video from a year ago critiquing the worst song of 2023 (but if you haven’t seen it, it’s new to you!).

Read: Are men’s reading habits truly a national crisis?

I rediscovered my love of fiction last year. This was mostly because I started writing a fantasy novel, realized I hadn’t read a book in a very long time, and felt like a total imposter. It is also because I look to Andrew Tate for guidance in my life: whatever he says to do, I do the opposite.

Anyway, the idea that “men don’t read fiction” has been spreading like a pandemic (too soon?), carrying with it the alarmist fear of the imminent demise of the male intellect (what was left of it). Vox’s Constance Grady (who writes about books and also sounds like a character in one) looks into the history of this idea to reveal its origins and how it is both true(ish) and blown way out of proportion.

But more interesting is what this says, or doesn’t, about modern masculinity; the aspects of it that are publicized and experienced broadly vs. those which are not; and the (de)evolution of “bro” culture.

Gut check: There are many wildly popular male authors working today. The YouTube algorithm is constantly recommending me male BookTubers (who have many more men participating in their comments sections — not me, though, I just lurk). I, personally, like to read books, so that’s one. I may even have male friends who like to read books, but the only way to know would be if we talked, which we do not. We communicate in muffled grunts and fist bumps only.

Watch: What Makes This Song Stink: Try That in a Small Town

Pat Finnerty is the best music critic you’ve never heard of (not that you’ve heard of many). He shot to fame after launching his YouTube series What Makes This Song Stink, in which he explains beyond a shadow of a doubt why a particular song is objectively bad. As a recovering Creed fan, this is hard for me. I can only be thankful he has not yet trod on the sacred ground of my beloved Eve 6. Finnerty’s show began as an apparent spoof of producer Rick Beato’s YouTube series What Makes This Song Great. Finnerty now very much stands on his own, however.

WMTSS (as those in the know call it) is no mere theory analysis. Nor is it aimless, opinionated bloviating. It is something entirely new in the world of criticism, which I am, at this very moment, dubbing narrative criticism. Episodes extend up to an hour long, each emerging out of a primordial soup of tangents, musical interludes, simple plans, audience participation, and a surprising amount of heart. You will develop deep parasocial relationships with multiple real-life characters, initially introduced as little more than extras, who then reprise their roles in later episodes.

For that reason, you may not want to start with the above video. To fully understand and appreciate the WMTSS lore, go back and start from episode one. (Do you know the origin story of the pedal mobile? No, no you do not. You don’t even know when to shout Beato!) But if you don’t mind skipping over hours of N. K. Jemisin-level world-building, go ahead and watch the episode embedded above. It’s the most entertaining and enlightening takedown of Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” you’ll ever see. You won’t know who Blinds to Go Guy is yet, and that will certainly be your loss, but there is still so much to gain.

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