The Something Good Index
This is the Something Good Index, a continuously updated list of everything mentioned in this newsletter. Above-pictured is the author, beardless in Budapest in the early 2000s.
50 Years of Text Games: Tremendous newsletter-turned book about the history of interactive fiction, by Aaron A. Reed. SG25, SG62, SG86
1912Universal: Mysterious YouTube commenter. SG88
2001: A Space Odyssey: Food-themed Stanley Kubrick film. SG19
14846 Lampedusa: Six-kilometer-wide asteroid named after Sicilian nobleman and novelist. SG17
Aleksandra: Pseudonymous theological computer programmer and old friend of the author. SG21, SG38
Allergies: Seasonal, bad, ever-shifting. SG25
Amadeus: Salieri biopic. SG50
Amis, Martin: Late British novelist and journalist, the voice of whom has lived in the author’s head for decades. SG84
Amygdalar Earworms: Catchy memories. SG56, SG57
Anbernic RG353XXSP: Cute little game machine. SG105
Aquariums: Pandemic hobbies, microbiomes, sites of occasional great drama. SG32, SG81
Ask a Manager: World’s greatest advice column. SG30, SG54
At Close Range: Luridly beautiful ‘80s neon noir directed by James Foley. SG103
Austerlitz: 2001 W.G. Sebald novel with memorable opening. SG82
Bal des Quat’z’Arts: Annual Parisian art student rager, 1892-1966. SG67
Baldwin, Alec: Actor, podcast host, one-time sayer of the author’s name. SG71, SG75
Bar EXXXotica: Defunct neighbourhood strip club, remembered via its paper debris. SG14, SG43
Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi: Unexpected Barcelona sanctuary. SG90
Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família: Unfinished wonder. SG65, SG90
“Being Boring” (music video): 1990 Pet Shop Boys single with memorable opening. SG82
Black Ox Orkestar: Recently reunited diasporic Jewish music outfit, old friends, one of whom in front of the author memorably vomited. SG75, SG77
Bois de Balincourt No.04: Maison Louis Marie candle recommended by Eve Thomas. Evoked uncertain but happy feeling. SG4
Braithwaite, James: Brilliant illustrator and animator, creator of SG and SG: BABC logos and so much more. SG83
Brets: Le chipsier français. SG10, SG20
Brown, Margaret Wise: Author of Goodnight Moon; literary genius; bohemian; died tragically. SG5
Cadence Weapon: Talented musician, inspirational letterist. SG16
Call sheet: A day’s shooting schedule. SG44
Cantacuzène, Balaşa: Romanian princess, ex-girlfriend of Patrick Leigh Fermor and keeper of his lost diary. BABC10
Casio Lineage LCW-M100TSE-1A2JF: A very good all-around watch, neither smart nor stupid. SG105
Chat: Promising, under-used platform feature. SG72
Chemnitz: Town in Saxony known for its large copper Karl Marx head. SG89
Compress ‘da Audio: First online music piracy ring, c. 1996. SG55
Current 93: Hallucinatory U.K. act. SG100
Dangerously Prancy: Ongoing delightful art project by James Braithwaite. SG83
Dark Is Rising, The: 1973 Susan Cooper fantasy novel with a masterful 2022 BBC World Service adaptation. SG92
Davies, Terence: Late British master filmmaker. SG90
Dawn: 1987 Octavia Butler publication, one of the best sci-fi novels ever written, selon moi. SG86
Deep Wheel Orcadia: Sci-fi novel written in Orkney verse, by Harry Josephine Giles. SG75
Dickinson, Emily: Singular poet. SG95
DJ Tommyboy: Elusive Texas DJ and video artist. SG85
Doctors Without Borders: Worthy charity. SG91, SG92, SG93
Dr. Ruth: Sex guru, Holocaust survivor, author, humiliator of this newsletter’s author. SG102
“Dreams Never End”: 1981 New Order song with memorable opening, well-placed in Carlos. SG82
Durant: Missing meatball maker. SG65
Dust jackets: Unnecessary adornments; to be discarded without guilt. SG11, SG42, SG75
“Elegy V: His Picture”: John Donne poem, dirtbag selfie anthem. SG50
Emisar D4V2: Hand-assembled flashlight of great beauty and charm. SG86
Ex Libris: Bookplates meant to signify ownership. Fundraising instrument for a cause dear to this newsletter’s heart. SG91, SG92, SG93, SG94, SG104, SG105
“Expert Judgment on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant”: Warning to the future. SG31
Feitlowitz, Margeurite: Scholar, Angélica Gorodischer interlocutor. BABC8
Field of the Cloth of Gold, The: Site of a legendary 1520 rager in which swans and at least one dolphin were consumed. SG67
Frame of Mind: Important, elusive DJ Tommyboy mix. SG85
Freezies: Cold summer treats. SG25
Galactus Trilogy, The: Issues 48-50 of Fantastic Four, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, introducing the planet-eating cosmic menace and his herald, the Silver Surfer. SG8
Garak, Elim: Tailor, Cardassian spy, SG patron saint. SG77
Gellman, Yani: Heartthrob, friend of the newsletter. SG58
Gigamesh: Barcelona bookstore, site of missed opportunity. BABC9
Gil, Gilberto: Brazilian musician, politician, all-around hero. SG55
Good-handedness: Reassuring feeling on first encountering a work of art. SG82, SG84
Gotham Bookmart: Defunct New York diamond district bookstore with rich past and mystical aura. SG27, SG41
Gouda: Mispronounced cheese. SG82
Glow: “A newsletter for candle lovers,” by friend-of-SG Eve Thomas. SG4
Guangzhou: Southern Chinese city, site of structural awakening for the author. SG90
Hav: Exploration of a fictional world, foundational text for this newsletter, written by Jan Morris. Also first selection for SG: BABC. SG80, BABC1, BABC3, BABC10
Heti, Sheila: Novelist, friend of the newsletter and part inspiration for its creation, Trampoline Hall co-creator and programmer. SG35, SG71, SG102
High-Rise: 1975 J.G. Ballard novel with memorable opening. SG82
Historias Extraordinarias: Life-changing, 4.5-hour 2008 Argentine film, dir. Mariano Llinás. Another SG foundation text. SG82
Holiday Mix for You, A: Perennial playlist. SG48, SG93
Hotel Thermal: Communist-era resort, longtime obsession, excellent elevator lobbies, author once saw a solo dog exit an elevator on the 14th floor. SG9, SG78
Houdini: Magician, ill-fated Montreal visitor. SG26
“I’ll Be There for You”: Rembrandts hit, Friends theme, Czech anthem. SG78
In Patagonia: Bruce Chatwin travelogue, second SG: BABC selection. BABC4
I Like Movies: Movie by and for movie lovers by friend-of-the-newsletter Chandler Levack. SG105
Island City for Something Good: Graham van Pelt guest playlist. SG18
Istituto Morosini per lo Studio delle 15:32, 10 apr 1954, L’: Venetian museum dedicated to the exhaustive study a specific moment on a day in 1954. SG12, SG36
Jakob von Gunten: 1909 Robert Walser novel with memorable opening lines. SG82
Kabul Party Hostel: Unexpectedly long-lived Barcelona youth hangout, site of a mysterious ailment for the author. SG90
Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was: Angélica Gorodischer novel, third Barely a Book Club selection. BABC7, BABC8, BABC9
Kar Lo Pyar: Rock and Reggae: Ambitious, ill-fated Musarrat Nazir album. SG40
Karlovy Vary: Czech spa town, Hotel Thermal location, place of endless mystery and wonder. Author was once thrown out of a party there. SG9, SG78
Kasugai gummies: Japanese candies, bags of which are adorned with poetic text. SG24
Kid Detective, The: Heartbreaking comedy by newsletter friend Evan Morgan. SG25
KLF, The: English dance duo who burned a million pounds. SG101
KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds, The: Mind-bending book by John Higgs about the band in question. SG101, SG105
Kon, Satoshi: Japanese filmmaker of infinite talent and creativity, gone too soon. SG28
de Lampedusa, Giuseppe: Depressive Sicilian nobleman and novelist. SG17
Last Night at the Lake: Atmospheric short by the author of this newsletter. SG29
Laurel Hell: Great Mitski album. SG54
Law, Matt: SG reader, contributor, poet. SG55
Leckie, Ann: Favoured SFF author. SG86, SG89
Le Guin, Ursula: Author, SG patron saint, translator of Kalpa Imperial. BABC9, SG105
Let England Shake: Infinitely haunting PJ Harvey album. SG15, SG90
“Letting My Balls Drop”: Poorly-titled lecture. SG71
“Letter Ghost”: Juvenilia. SG70
Limerence: Romantic fixation to the point of obsession. SG36
Lizzie McGuire Movie, The: 2003 teen Rome-com, set of which was accidentally intruded on by author, who would later befriend one of its stars. SG58
Lolita Podcast: Tour-de-force of literary criticism and history by Jamie Loftus. SG7
Luz: German demonic possession film. SG37
Madrid: Spanish capital, host to the author for 49 hours, home to works by Goya, Bosch, something called the “Brutal Bacon.” SG73
Magic Flute, The: 1975 Ingmar Bergman adaptation of Mozart opera with memorable overture sequence. SG51
“Marcia Baila”: Les Rita Mitsouko song; pinnacle of music video art; heartfelt defense of life and love and all that is good. SG84
Melatonin: Chemical supplement, responsible for strange dreams. SG25
Millennium Mambo: Ravishing, melancholy 2001 Hsiao-Hsien Hou romance. SG86
Mixed Feelings: Inconstant playlist. SG69
Montaug, Haoui: Legendary downtown nightclub doorman, poet, AIDS victim. SG5
Morris, Jan: Travel writer, Hav explorer, inspiration. SG75, SG80
Munroe, Jim: Longtime friend of the author, zine pioneer, novelist, early email-address-haver. SG74
My Canon: Playlist as crypto-autobiography. SG52
Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983-1992: Enthralling dance music compilation featuring cover of “State of Independence” by Musarrat Nazir. SG25
Nazir, Musarrat: Pakistani movie star, singer, and mother of SG contributor Omar Majeed. SG40
Never Happened: Short film. SG53
New Year’s Day Movie, The: Missing artifact of Canadian cinema, incompletely re-constructed by the author. SG77
Ninefox Gambit: Interesting sci-fi novel by Yoon Ha Lee. SG25
Nitrogen cycle: Method of preparing aquariums for fish life. SG32
“Nobody Reads Anything”: Unofficial slogan. SG102
Notes on a once-glimpsed, now largely forgotten children’s story set in a snowstorm in the Imperial capital in its waning years: Something Good printed zine. Some still available. SG45, SG46, SG74
Notting Hill Editions: A cool press founded by the popularizer of the Rubik’s Cube. SG105
Number Go Up: Good, angry book about crypto by Zeke Faux. SG89
Odyssey, Emily Wilson translation of, The: 2018 English-language version of Homeric epic with memorable opening. SG82
Of Time and the City: Elegiac 2008 “city symphony” film by Terence Davies. SG90
On Some Faraway Beach: Never-completed sound art project. SG29, SG79
Pain: Universal constant, underdiscussed. SG95
Partying: Misunderstood, necessary, historic activity. SG67, SG77
People’s Almanac, The: Book of interesting facts and stories, misremembered. SG13
Paprika: Final film of Satoshi Kon. SG28
Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip Pack 1: Useful fanny pack. SG44
Phantom Thread: 2017 Paul Thomas Anderson movie in which a very good New Year’s Eve party occurs. SG67
Pikes Hotel: Ibiza site of 1987 Freddie Mercury birthday party in which 350 bottles of Moët & Chandon were consumed. SG67
Pink Gin: Cocktail selected by contributor Ariel Esteban Cayer. SG37
Paradise Garage: Ur-disco. SG67
Peake, Mervyn: Brilliant, heartbreakingly doomed artist and writer; author of Gormenghast series. SG103
Piranesi: Labyrinthine but compact Susanna Clarke novel, master class in world-building and narrative voice. SG2
Place of Greater Safety, A: Magnificent French Revolution novel by Hilary Mantel. SG105
Pleet, Rachael: Friend of the newsletter, illustrator, occasional contributor. SG3, SG10, SG13, SG22
Professor Chip: Instagram potato chip critic. SG10, SG20, SG100
Reed, Aaron A.: Games historian, designer, researcher. SG25, SG62, SG86
Rosemont metro: Inconveniently-located subway station. SG63
Sad YouTube: Predecessor project to Something Good. SG22, SG88
Saeculum: Span denoting the time between when something significant began until the death of the last living person to have been present at that moment. SG68
Salamerta Generation, The: Short story, first appeared in The Awl. SG47
Salbutamol inhaler: Assists in breathing. SG44
Samsung Maxima Zoom 105GL: An unremarkable point-and-shoot camera that nonetheless produces remarkable results. SG104, SG105
Saucer Cinema: Xenomorph-obsessed podcast. SG29
Schmidt sting pain index: Remarkable act of masochistic aesthetics. SG95
Scorpia: Feared 1980s computer game critic. SG17
Seltzer, Le: Montreal-made bubbly water. SG18
Sides: Script pages, resized by half and handed out on set at the beginning of a day’s shoot. SG44
Sleep paralysis: Unspeakable affliction. SG61
Smoky Something Good, The: Mezcal-powered update on this newsletter’s signature cocktail (see below). SG66
“Something Good”: Kate-Bush-sampling 1992 Utah Saints dance hit, inspiration for title of newsletter.
Something Good #75: The missing issue. SG75
Something Good, The: Eponymous summer cocktail, invented by Michelle Marek. SG24
Barely a Book Club: Literary offshoot newsletter. SG80
Sorcerer: 1977 William Friedkin thriller, cinéma de scumbag at its absolute sweatiest. SG86
Sebastian Stockman: Dust-jacket admirer. SG42
Spaghetti eis: Ice cream in spaghetti form, or spaghetti in ice cream form. SG89
Styrene, Poly: Brace-mouthed, curly-haired punk visionary, X-Ray Spex singer. SG17
Sullam, Sarra Coppia: Venetian-Jewish salonnière, romantic correspondent. SG17
Super Sexe: Downtown Montreal strip club, lost in flames. SG43
Suspect Video: Sadly defunct Toronto video store. SG13
ThruNite Archer 1A V3: Flashlight that failed. SG44
Time of Gifts, A: Patrick Leigh Fermor travelogue recounting journey by foot across inter-war Europe, written four decades post facto. BABC10
Time travel: Attractive activity. SG6, SG79
Tinnitus: Regrettable affliction. SG25
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: BBC mini-series, rare masterpiece adaptation of a masterpiece book, invented mumblecore. SG1
Untitled Viennese story: Long-forgotten children’s book set in Vienna. SG27, SG41
Titus Groan: Marvellous, enigmatic, extremely funny first volume in Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series. SG103
Tombs of Atuan, The: Luminous Le Guin Earthsea entry. BABC9
Toshiba Libretto 50 CT: Compact 1990s portable computer, site of certain juvenilia. SG70
Trampoline Hall: Long-running Toronto lecture series, home to first performance of “Letting My Balls Drop.” SG71
Tropical Truth: Autobiography of Something Good patron saint Caetano Veloso. SG23
Tropicália: 1960s Brazilian musical and artistic movement. SG23, SG55
Translation State: Recent, excellent sci-fi novel set in Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch universe. SG86
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee: Marvelous biography of a complicated man by Josie Riesman. SG8
USB battery pack: Useful. SG44
van Pelt, Graham: Musician, radio host, playlist-maker extraordinaire. SG18
We Are Raccoons: Jim Munroe novel. Sci-fi, A.I., indie games. SG74
What Is My Face?: Short documentary by the author of this newsletter and neuroscientist Sofía Landi. SG33
Whitehead, Jocelyn Gordon: McGill student, amateur boxer, Houdini assailant. SG26
Wilensky’s: Decades-old lunch counter, seller of pressed-baloney sandwiches. SG60
Wrench, Chris: Late friend of the author. RIP. SG52
WPIX Yule Log: Original televised fireplace. SG3
Wu, Irene: YouTube commentee. SG88
You Can Live Forever: Widely-pirated feature film directed by the author of this newsletter and Sarah Watts. SG34, SG59, SG60, SG76, SG80
Younger Lady, The: Mother of Tutankhamun, died mysteriously, mummy discovered in the Valley of the Kings. SG5
Zamor: Enslaved child turned French revolutionary. SG5
Zines: Newsletter progenitors, friendship initiators, physical objects that may outlive all of this. SG45, SG46, SG74
If you read this far and you don’t subscribe to Something Good, you probably should.
