Documentaries

I’m not a big fan of documentaries, but on a recent flight from Manchester, England, to Houston, Texas, I had the opportunity to watch some documentaries on board Singapore Airlines.

ABBA – Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni-Frid. Fantastic music, but the documentary starts with Waterloo and the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. I did not know the history of that song, but I do now. That was the start of a beautiful “pair” of relationships! Unfortunately, the unions did not last long; however, the ability to make music continued. My favorite ABBA song will always be Dancing Queen.

Billion Dollar Cruise – A quick view of how a cruise ship is built from the ground up. It took more than 30 months to build this ship, but in the end, it was all worth it.

Grimsby Town – It was the first year of Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds’ ownership at Wrexham in 2021. “All Town Aren’t We” is a brilliant documentary about how Grimsby Town achieved three surprising victories at the end of the season to secure promotion to League Two. I love football, and I genuinely love an underdog advancing against all odds. If you like football, you should give “All Town Aren’t We” a try.

Ozempic: an MSNBC Special Report – The story of how semaglutide became the most popular drug of the 21st century. Novo Nordisk manufactures Ozempic and other products based on semaglutide. Eli Lilly manufactures Mounjaro and other products that utilize tirzepatide as their base. These drugs have become popular, initially for controlling type 2 diabetes, but eventually for weight loss. The base medicines have proven beneficial, but their side effects are severe. Users will need to use these drugs for as long as they live.

Hair Metal genre of music – Now, you may have heard of Hair Bands. But, what’s Hair Metal? Also known as Glam Metal, it’s a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. Think Poison – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” Early Hair Metal bands of the late 70s include Motley Crue, Hanoi Rocks, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Bon Jovi, and Dokken. Later in the 1980s, bands such as Poison, Skid Row, Cinderella, and Warrant emerged. Hair Metal was most prominent in the Los Angeles and New York club scenes. Visually, Hair Metal is characterized by flashy and tight-fitting clothing, makeup, and an overall androgynous aesthetic, in which the traditional “denim and leather” aspect of heavy metal is replaced by spandex, lace, and a heavy use of bright colors. I have heard the music before, but never knew it was called “Hair Metal.” Interesting.

Finally, I decided to watch one more documentary on Yacht Rock. I was unaware of this subgenre of music, but it has quickly become my favorite genre! When you think Yacht Rock, think Steely Dan or ANYTHING to do with Michael McDonald! Questlove has uploaded his Yacht Rock playlist to Spotify. Where else can you listen to “She’s Gone” by Hall and Oates and “Ride Like The Wind” by Christopher Cross?

I typically watch a lot of movies and shows on flights back and forth between Houston and Hyderabad. I am now hooked on documentaries.