A Few of My Favorite 2022 Things

Stuff I wrote, stuff I consumed, stuff worth knowing about

Courtney E. Smith
December 31, 2022

I've been looking back at 2022 and it was a mixed bag of a year. Work-wise, I started a job as the editor of Eater Dallas. My friend Melissa and I launched Songs My Ex Ruined, an interview podcast we've wanted to do for ages where we talk to people about the songs they can never listen to again. I continued working on a documentary-style podcast that I can't tell you a thing about — yet. I did some freelance work on music for Uproxx, Pitchfork, and Ultimate Classic Rock. I wrote a few pieces for a new site, The Wildest, that's all about pets.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces of my own writing from 2022:

Music Discovery In 2022: Why Is Reality TV Lagging Behind?

With television able to launch new and old songs to hit status, reality TV is happy serving up bland wallpaper for tunes.

https://uproxx.com/pop/music-discovery-2022-reality-tv-stranger-things-kate-bush/

Philip Cosores over at Uproxx, who has been publishing me for a long time and across a few music sites now, let me publish a couple of pieces but this one was a real delight. I've had a feather in my arrow about how prestige TV has gotten locked into using catalog music and reality TV has gotten locked into using music libraries (that are extremely cheesy). Why is no one supporting emerging artists? TV is still such a great tool for music discovery and there's a whole class of working musicians who are left out of being utilized in it.

The Soundtrack of the Abortion Rights Movement, Then and Now

Across more than 50 years, the music of artists including Dolly Parton, Alanis Morissette, and Megan Thee Stallion has been used communicate the anger and grief around the fight for reproductive rights.

https://pitchfork.com/features/article/abortion-rights-music/

The pressure I put on myself to write this piece was unreal. Abortion rights and access are something I believe in strongly and it felt like a very important moment. Catch me trying to convince my literary agent this should be a book in 2023. I'm so thankful to Jillian Mapes for reaching out to ask if I'd be interested in writing a piece like this, and in working with me to morph it into a bigger story after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Let Chef Tiffany Derry Guide You Through the New State Fair of Texas Foods

She ate all the Big Tex Choice Awards foods so you don’t have to

https://dallas.eater.com/2022/9/29/23377238/state-fair-texas-food-tiffany-derry

On a completely different note, this was one of the most fun pieces I wrote in 2022. Tiffany Derry is the only Dallas chef who was a finalist in the James Beard Awards this year. She's frequently seen on reality food shows. And she owns an exceptional restaurant in the 'burbs called Roots Southern Table. Getting a preview of the State Fair of Texas food finalists for the year with her, and with amazing Dallas photographer Kathy Tran, who shot this spread, was such a treat.

You Can Hear Sadie Dupuis’s Dog Make “Chewbacca Sounds” on Her Upcoming Record

Speedy Ortiz and Sad13 lead singer, Sadie Dupuis, tells The Wildest about fostering, her dog Lavender’s fame, her love of Pit Bulls, and her upcoming creative projects.

https://www.thewildest.com/pet-lifestyle/sadie-dupuis

I haven't gotten the chance to do a lot of profiles of musicians since I left Refinery29, so doing this one for The Wildest was awesome. Sadie and Lavender have a nearly unbelievable story of a chance rescue — and it's hard to say which one of them has the bigger social media following.

'Julia' Review: Julia Child Burns Brightly, But HBO Max's Series Never Quite Cooks With Enough Grease

"Julia" on HBO Max takes liberties with its flawed subject to make her more appealing to a modern audience.

https://theplaylist.net/julia-review-julia-child-burns-brightly-but-hbo-maxs-series-20220323/

I briefly dabbled in television criticism, and this piece was my triumph in that arena. I did not love this show, but I did love researching Julia Child...which the creators of this show seemingly did not do.

Step Inside Restaurant Beatrice, Where the Cajun-Style Menu Comes With a Mission

Restaurant Beatrice comes from executive chef Michelle Carpenter of Zen Sushi

https://dallas.eater.com/2022/4/15/23027386/restaurant-beatrice-opening-cajun-food-oak-cliff-photos

This was easily my most involved piece of the year. It started in April when I profiled the restaurant's staff for an opening piece. The plans they shared for minimizing waste sounded ambitious and intriguing. So, we continued the conversation about their efforts. I visited the local farm they worked with and attended the first cochon dinner, where they used one whole hog to feed the restaurant for the night. I hope writing this piece made everything they're doing visible enough to the community to encourage a lot of other restaurants to make changes with the environment in mind.

And a few more:

My second story for No Depression was in the fall issue — it profiled three companies that are making changes in the music industry, from addressing the environmental impact of touring to helping workers and musicians find mental health assistance to advocating for visibility for disabled folks. Unfortunately, it's available only in print.
I rarely talk about writing bios, but I wrote Death Cab for Cutie's bio for the Asphalt Meadows album and it was a big deal to me. Also one of my favorite albums this year.
And I got to write about the 4,000 beagles who were rescued this year after a cruelty investigation into a facility that breeds them and sells them for medical research. The hard work of people at the Humane Society and the various rescue groups who stepped up to help is impressive.

Some albums I loved:

Plains I Walked With You a Ways