Finding Solace in Art

What do you to turn to when things get rough?

Well, last week was…something.

It’s probably safe to say that deep down many of us knew that, no matter what, this election was going to be a shit show. And boy oh boy we were right. But that’s not what I want to talk about…at least not directly.

I was not thrilled with the results of last Tuesday’s election. Going into that night, I had no real expectations of how things would go. I had hopes, sure, but I also had no clue what would happen. Since my default setting is on the sad side of the happy/sad divide, I wasn’t all that optimistic in my neutrality. It’s like that quote from Say Anything…

You probably got it all figured out, Corey. If you start out depressed everything's kind of a pleasant surprise.

It’s kind of my mantra in life. (Yes, I know this is probably not a good thing, but isn’t that what therapy is for?)

In the aftermath, I found myself gravitating towards art that I find comforting, uplifting, and life-affirming, whether it be in music, TV, or comics. Sure I’ve spent time listening to podcasts about the election (the Where Does This Leave Democrats? episode of The Ezra Klein Show is especially good and thought-provoking), but what has truly kept me from falling into utter despair is a combination of albums, the show Superman & Lois, the comic Superman: Lost, and a vampire’s epiphany.

Let’s start with the Man of Steel.

Superman & Lois is a show on The CW that is currently in the middle of its fourth and, sadly, last season. The series debuted in 2021 adjacent to the other DC Comics-based shows on the network known collectively as the Arrowverse. Staring Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent / Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane, Superman & Lois is hands down my favorite on-screen interpretation of the Man of Tomorrow. In fact, Hoechlin has been my favorite actor to portray the character since his first appearance in the first episode of the second season of Supergirl, “The Adventures of Supergirl.” He brings a lighthearted, goofy sincerity to Clark Kent / Superman that perfectly embodies everything that makes this character so special and inspiring.

Superman: Lost was originally released as a 10-issue limited series in 2023-2024 and as a collected edition in August. Here’s the gist of the story,

When Superman comes home from what seemed like a routine mission, Lois Lane thinks he’s only been gone for a few hours, but, in fact, the Man of Steel has spent twenty years returning from the deepest reaches of space! Lois tries to ease her husband back into a life he’s nearly forgotten, but Clark has a very different agenda: finding a way back to the distant world he barely escaped…to finish a seemingly impossible job for Superman!

I collected the single issues as they came out but that was also at the time that I got so far behind that I canceled nearly all of my subscriptions, so now I am reading the collected edition. (If you are wondering why I didn’t refer to this as a "graphic novel,” that is because the term has a very specific definition that technically does not apply to this book. For whatever reason, I am super nit-picky about this. Leave me alone.) I’m not sure if this will become a book that I hold in the same esteem as Superman: Secret Origin, Superman for All Seasons, or Superman: Up in the Sky, but it is off to a promising start.

On to the music.

Since Tuesday, I have honed in on primarily four artists: Gang of Youths, Frank Turner, Augustines, and U2. Two of these acts are my two favorite musical acts of all time and the other two are bands that I recently got into while doing research on The Big Music for a future bonus episode of my podcast One Band, 5 Songs.

Frank Turner is an English singer/songwriter/punk troubadour and is without a doubt my favorite artist of all time. I first discovered his music in 2010 and have been a fan ever since. Even though he released his 10th album, Undefeated, earlier this year, the two records that I have been drawn to are 2015’s Positive Songs for Negative People and 2018’s Be More Kind. While all of his albums have songs that are life-affirming, these are the two that I think might be his most inspirational.

U2 is…well U2. They are also the band that changed my life in 1988 when I was 13. The Joshua Tree is the band’s magnum opus.

Gang of Youths is an indie rock band from Australia that plays soaring, heartfelt anthems that one commenter on the video for “The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows” called “…the type of music that makes you want to keep living.”

Augustines was a band from Brooklyn, NY that also played soaring, heartfelt anthems.

Finally, there’s the vampire and his epiphany.

Angel was a spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that followed the titular vampire with a soul in his fight against evil. The second episode of the series’ second season “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been” included what I think is the most inspirational scene in television history.

Here’s the transcript, emphasis mine.

Angel: It doesn't.

Kate Lockley: Doesn't what?

Angel: Mean anything. In the greater scheme, in the big picture, nothing we do matters. There's no grand plan, no big win.

Kate Lockley: You seem kind of chipper about that.

Angel: Well, I guess I kinda worked it out. If there's no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters... , then all that matters is what we do. 'Cause that's all there is. What we do. Now. Today. I fought for so long, for redemption, for a reward, and finally just to beat the other guy, but I never got it.

Kate Lockley: And now you do?

Angel: Not all of it. All I wanna do is help. I wanna help because, I don't think people should suffer as they do. Because, if there's no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world.

Kate Lockley: Yikes. It sounds like you've had an epiphany.

Angel: I keep saying that, but nobody's listening.

What does any of this mean? Like the guys over at Geeky Stoics often say, art is important. Things like movies, books, and music bring meaning to our lives. I am a firm believer that these things, this art, are a form of sacred text. Some people find meaning, inspiration, and salvation in religion. I find it in comic books, fantasy literature (on page and screen), and rock ‘n’ roll. Sometimes these things help me express and work through anger and frustration and at times, like right now, they fill me with solace and hope.

Art is magical in this way. Art can inspire and uplift. It can help you feel seen or get through hard times. It can give you solace and hope. What is the art that you turn to for inspiration or to get you through the day?