(in no way affiliated with the Webbys, ha.)
Music
Best new songs:
- Now Now, “School Friends,”
- Rachel Zeffira, “Star”
- Marina and the Diamonds, “Blue”
- Car Seat Headrest, “Hey Space Cadet”
- Metric, “The Shade”
- Mercury Rev, “Central Park East”
- MS MR, “Hurricane”
- Papernut Cambridge, “Rock and Roll Afternoon City Lights”
- Toy, “Join the Dots”
- Chet Faker, “1988”
- Prinzhorn Dance School, “Reign”
- New Order, “Stray Dog”
Favorite Albums:
- Marina and the Diamonds — “FROOT”
- Mercury Rev — “The Light in You”
- Now, Now — “Threads”
- Rachel Zeffira — “The Deserters”
- Telekenisis — “Ad Infinitum”
- Mikal Cronin — “MCII”
- Kacey Musgraves — “Pageant Material”
- Foals — “What Went Down”
- Bully — “Feels Like”
- FKA Twigs — “M3LL155X”
Best Live Gigs:
- HTRK at Baby’s All Right, NYC
- Dinosaur Jr 30th Anniversary Night 8 with Kevin Shields, Kim Gordon, Lee Renaldo, Kurt Vile, Evan Dando, Negative Approach, Imperial Teen and Black Mountain at Bower Ballroom, NYC
- Ride at Terminal 5, NYC
- The Jesus and Mary Chain perform Psychocandy at Carson Creek Ranch, Austin, TX
- Dan Deacon at the Barbarian Group SXSW Party, Mohawk, Austin, TX
- Taylor Swift at the Greensboro Coliseum Center
- Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women at TT The Bears (may it rest in peace)
- Primal Scream at Carson Creek Ranch, Austin, TX
- Will Butler at the Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
Books
Best History: Old English Patent Medicines in America by George B Griffenhagen and James Harvey Young
Best Biography: Just Kids by Patti Smith (best book I’ve read in years)
Best Economics Book: Tie: The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith, and The Social Limits to Growth by Fred Hirsch
Best Ad Book: The Anatomy of Humbug: How to Think Differently About Advertising by Paul Feldwick
Best General Non-Fiction: Essays after Eighty by Donald Hall
Best Fiction: Arcadia by Lauren Goff (but honestly, I read like 12 fiction books)
Movies
(I still haven’t seen The Revenant, Carol and a couple others)
Best Movie: Mad Max Fury Road
Runner Up: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Best Comedy: Spy
Best Director: George Miller, Mad Max Fury Road
Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
Best Cinematography:
Best Editing: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (I realize this is probably controversial but, man, they packed a lot in and it worked)
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, “Joy” (she really was great)
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh, “Hateful Eight,”
Best Actor: Adam Driver, “The Force Awakens”
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”
Best Score: Hateful Eight
Best Soundtrack: “Magic Mike XXL”
Best Original Song: They all sucked, didn’t they? They always do.
Best Visual Effects: Crimson Peak
Best Original Screenplay: Ex Machina
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Martian
