Feature: A Look Back On 2022 – Lee Fisher

So… how was your 2022?
Things still feel a little in limbo and off-centre, like a hangover from The Awfulness. But there have been some improvements personally, even while the cabal of criminals and bastards in charge are trying to asset-strip and destroy everything.

What was your best moment?
No one moment, but a lot of reconnecting and reigniting and getting back into the world.

And your worst moment?
The loss of Mimi Parker. No famous person’s loss has touched me so deeply. She was a fucking angel and her loss is immense.

Who was your favourite band/artist this year?
Sorry for being predictable, but it has to be Richard Dawson. A fantastic new record, the Circle collaboration, a few brilliant shows.

Your favourite song of the year?
The film Dinner In America seems to have had a troubled release, which is a shame because as Juno-meets-Repo-Man-meets-Heathers movies go, it’s an absolute gem. Central to the film’s unlikely love story is the scene where the couple record a song together. The song – written by the actor Emily Skeggs and director Adam Rehmeier- is the best 2 mins of indie-pop I’ve heard all year, even though it hasn’t been released outside the film.

Recommended album?
The debut Caroline album is still on constant repeat months after its release. They’ve created something unique and magical and overwhelming.

Favourite TV show of the year?
The final season of Better Call Saul, although a little flawed, was still a powerful end to one of the greatest series I’ve ever seen. And Succession didn’t disappoint.

Your favourite film?
The All Quiet On The Western Front remake hit hardest, but it’s not something I’d consider watching again. So it’s Licorice Pizza, a warm, golden-hour sugar rush of nostalgia.

Best book you read?
The best I read that was released this year was Chitra Ramaswamy’s Home Lands, an amazing account of grief, trauma, friendship, family and identity. The best from any year was Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy, a dark, twisted, fantastic, quotable, poetic semi-autobiography.

Favourite new word that you learned?
Kakistocracy – a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens (and it’s several hundred years old).

Best podcast?
I genuinely don’t get what podcasts are for. I don’t iron, walk a dog or drive. I’d rather read a book.

Favourite venue that you visited?
The Lubber Fiend feels like the best thing to happen to Newcastle for a long time.

What was your favourite gig/show of the year?
It’s a toss-up between the immersive, impossibly moving show Caroline did in the round at Gosforth Civic Theatre or the adrenaline-fuelled explosion of joy and positivity that was BCUC at Cobalt.

Any up-and-coming artists/acts we should keep an eye out for in 2023?
Viper Time are doing brilliant things with a kind of post-punk jazz. More people need to catch up with Chat Pile, a collision of all my favourite ugly American music. Me Lost Me goes from strength to strength. Maybe 2023 is her year.

Any predictions for next year?
People bartering penicillin for bread, fighting over firewood, eating rats. Or is that the ending of The Road. Who knows? And probably something really awful like an Oasis reunion or a new Harry Potter franchise.