I'm So Overwhelmed, How Did My Brain Conceive Them?
I have joined the newsletter crowd. This is that newsletter.
Hello friends, Twitter followers, and anyone else who has ended up in this cursed place!
If you’re not already aware, I’m Gabriel Aikins. I’m a freelance music journalist, and you might have recently seen my work in i-D or the Recording Academy. Before that I was a longtime contributor and editor for Substream Magazine. I like pop music, the X-Men, horror movies, video games that take me too long to finish, and television series that take me even longer to finish.
Why am I starting a newsletter? The primary reason is that I just have a lot of thoughts about all those things I like. I’ve always enjoyed experiencing media with a critical eye to dig deep into their meanings and messages. I am always that friend asking if you’ve picked up on the themes of the movie we’ve just watched. This newsletter will allow me to explore more of those topics at my own pace and with fewer restrictions. As you’re more than likely aware if you’re reading this, the freelance market is a barren hellscape of despair right now. A newsletter gives me a more consistent outlet to write and gives you a more consistent source of my thoughts. This will also allow me to cover types of media I usually don’t or talk about things that might not be timely enough for a formal pitch.
With the “why” out of the way, let’s talk about the “what” I’ll be writing about. I’m planning on having this be a little bit of everything. I’ll have essays and analysis of movies or books I love, throw together some lists and rankings of songs or games I’m into, and maybe post some personal essays as well. There are no hard rules I’m giving myself for topics, but if you need a neat summary to tell your friends when talking about this newsletter (hint, hint), this will be my space to further explore entertainment and how it speaks to me.
At this stage I’m going to plan on having something out once a week, although more frequent posts are possible if I’ve got extra takes stored up. That does not include this post, so look for my first real essay in the coming days!
And yes, I have named this post and the entire newsletter after the climactic track “Incredible Thoughts” from 2016’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, one of the finest films in existence. That’s the kind of vibe you have waiting for you in this newsletter.