Like clockwork, we're back with a host of recommendations from the month. March was a slow burn. Movies and TV took priority while our minds switched into cruise control and ignored our bedside book stacks – for the time being at least. Blood Orange, Orville Peck and Lana Del Rey (no surprise here) are soundtracking our lives this month. Meanwhile, some of the team are using this quiet moment to practice recipes for Greek Easter and assemble a list of restaurants and cafes for the European summer ahead. Below, everything the RUSSH editors are watching, reading and listening to in March 2023.
Cassandra Dimitroff
Production Editor
Watch… The Bear. I’m a bit late to the game on this one, but am very enthusiastically jumping on the bandwagon. The fast pace and short episode lengths are perfect for my waning attention span, and it for some reason reminds me a lot of Whiplash…just swap out the jazz conservatory for a Chicago sandwich shop.
Read… Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion. I’ve been ravenously devouring as much Didion as I can get my hands on ever since I read both The White Album and the emotional gut-punch that is The Year of Magical Thinking. There's a really special quality to her writing, and this set of uncollected essays are no exception.
Listen… Negro Swan by Blood Orange. In hot anticipation of Dev Hynes’ show with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra this June as part of Vivid Sydney, I have been re-immersing myself in his discography - this one being an all-time favourite. A personal fave is track 2, Saint.
Olivia Repaci
Creative Studio and Campaigns Manager
Watch… The Last Of Us. I didn’t jump on board straight away so I’m a few steps behind the wave of adoration for this show, but I enjoy the occasional zombie/horror content so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I only recently started watching (2 episodes in at the time of writing this) … safe to say I completely understand.
Read… Tripadvisor reviews. Unfortunately my reading has taken a back seat, but in preparation and excitement for overseas travel later this year, I am reading up on hotels and restaurants that I need to visit (to avoid getting fooled into terrible tourist traps like I usually do).
Listen… The entire discography of The 1975. I have nosebleed tickets to their Sydney show in April and I’m going to make sure that I can scream every single word so loudly that Matty Healy himself can hear me.
Elyssa Kostopoulos
Content Director
Watch… I was fortunate enough to head overseas this month, and was reminded that the only thing that long-haul flights are good for is the chance to consume television completely uninterrupted. In the final few hours of my return flight home to Sydney, I discovered the hidden gem that is The Big Brunch. Dan Levy is the sweetest host on a show that is everything Masterchef wishes it could be. And the best thing is all the challenges focus on brunch – the best meal of the day! Easy watching that will have you feeling warm and fuzzy.
Read… Recipes. I am going through a cooking rebirth and suddenly want to attempt every unreasonably difficult recipe I can find ahead of Greek Easter (which, probably isn’t the best time to whip out a new dish). Will keep you updated on the family’s response.
Listen… Born Slippy by Underworld has found its way back into my rotation, which has lured me back to the Trainspotting soundtrack. So, it’s fair to say I’m in the throes of an emotional listening rollercoaster. Perfect for the third month of the year.
Megan Nolan
Digital Operations Manager
Watch… Daisy Jones & The Six. I’ve enthusiastically jumped on this bandwagon after reading the book a year or so ago. Super easy watching it follows the fictional lives of one of the biggest bands of the 70s. Think sex, drugs and rock and roll with the 70s wardrobe of your dreams to match.
Read… Love In Theory by Elodie Cheesman. Whilst it’s not one of the hardest hitting books I’ve ever read it’s a nice light one which got me through the brain fog that encapsulated my March. Whether you’re single or just interested in the psychology of dating it delves into the idea that love can be found by using the right formula. It’s also set in Sydney which makes it feel a little more relatable.
Listen… Orville Peck. I don’t know how I was so late to this party but the sultry, almost country style music he creates has perfectly reflected my mood moving into Autumn. With elements of gospel, rhythm and blues it’s definitely a journey worth taking.
Mia Steiber
Digital Strategy Director
Watch… I’m still making my way through the films from Awards Season. The Fabelmans and All Quiet On the Western Front are next. I’ve also started watching Extrapolations, an Apple TV+ series that looks at the future of our planet at the hands of capitalism and climate change. It’s an important one I think.
Read… I’ve just added Crying in H Mart to my kindle. A friend recommended it to me and I figure I should definitely read it before the movie comes out.
Listen… I have no shame in being a total cliche. I’ve been listening to Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd since the full album came out last week.
Jasmine Pirovic
Arts & Culture Editor
Watch... Like Elyssa, I also spent a chunk of time stuck in the air this month. Triangle of Sadness should be prescribed watching for anyone about to go on holiday. And I burned through Issa Rae's Rap Sh!t, with its Instagram live-style frames and true to life relationships and sex scenes. Next up Goran Stolevski's Of An Age.
Read... Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl. The former Gourmet editor in chief's memoir was a delicious holiday read, with insights into Condé Nast and its darlings during the late 90s.
Listen... to La Goony Chonga's new record La Hora de Perrear. It's perfect for shaking ass.
