The Mandate Letter, by Olympic Medalist and Men’s Health Contributor Jason Rogers, focuses on the intersection of masculinity and mental health. Thanks for being here. If you were forwarded this email, get your own:
👋 Hello from Stockholm! My wife is working on a project in her home city. And, in the interest of being a supportive husband, I’ve come to visit and hang out. This also means I’ve been possessed by a brain annihilating, mouthbreathing form of jetlag, so hopefully, what follows actually makes sense! Stay tuned until the end for a picture of me in a comatose state alongside Martina’s parent’s cat.
Cowboy Tears
Oliver Tree has always been a gagman. The 29-year old musician essentially took his fourth-grade yearbook photo, resurrected it as a stage persona, and Razor Scooted his way to fame. His propensity for humor also places him among a generation of performers that has brought two art forms together. The Lonely Island pantomimed Hip Hop superstardom, but the music was always subservient to the laugh. Then artists like Little Dicky proved that musicians could be funny and command respect. It’s easy to imagine how Tree secured his deal with Atlantic Records in 2016. A group of label executives were sitting at a boardroom room table, and some trend-spouting CEO-whisperer said something like, “Consumers don’t want comedy OR music; they want both at the same time!”
I went to see Oliver Tree perform several years ago when his singles “All That” and “Alien Boy” were making the rounds in the Indie Pop scene. The concert was extremely entertaining and consisted largely of Tree running around mouthing his lyrics hyperbolically (as he often does in his music videos) and mugging at the audience from the stage. Despite Tree’s constant self-mockery, I found the music compelling in a juvenile kind of way and, after that, began tracking his career. Which is why I was excited to see the recent release of Tree’s second (and final) album Cowboy Tears. In this new work, he’s traded Indie Pop for Country (well, he calls it “Country,” but it’s not, really). To complete this brand evolution, he extended his bowl cut into a golden mullet. He also reupholstered his trademark ski parka into a glorious Canadian tux.
One of the album’s singles is “Cowboys Don’t Cry,” a breakup song that presents as a parody. I first interpreted this tune as a swing at male vulnerability and was a little disappointed that the legitimacy of men’s emotions had become the butt of his jokes. However, I realized that I should probably listen to the full album before forming that conclusion. And I soon realized Tree’s mockery is not pointed at male vulnerability per se, but at the faux performance of vulnerability often displayed in Country music.
I think you can easily conjure an image of this trope in your mind. A heartbroken cowboy sits on the porch with a guitar and a bottle of Jack. He croons about his self-destructive behavior and lack of consideration for the estranged partner he can’t live without. His revelations are platitudes. The whole act is utterly banal. And yet, he preens as if it contains a deep emotional truth despite the fact that it’s fundamentally a narcissistic appeal for attention, like a little boy begging for a golden star.
Of course, not all male country music singers are like that. And I’m sure your personal affinity for the genre will determine whether you think Tree is being funny or simply acting like a troll. But I think it aims to make an important point: it’s cringeworthy when emotional displays reek of stagecraft. However, that still doesn’t tell us what Tree aims to communicate about male vulnerability itself. Well, it turns out that he’s made his intentions clear. “In America, boys are told to suck it up,” he said in an interview with Variety magazine. “The album is simply about embracing crying.” It turns out his work is quite serious after all.
🪅 Welcome to the Link Party 🪅
🚸 Recess Therapy — Conventional thinking tells us that wisdom comes with age. However, Recess Therapy, an Instagram account with 1.5 million followers, suggests that’s just patently untrue. Host Julian Shapiro-Barnum wanders New York talking to young children. His questions yield answers that are (sometimes) as thoughtful as they are hilarious. The NY Times recently profiled Shapiro-Barnum, and I could not help but notice that, although it was not mentioned in the article, he might have served as the inspiration for the recent film C’mon C’mon. Joaquin Phoenix’s character interviews children on topics of import, and the young boy whom Phoenix is caring for likes to pretend that he is an orphan (something that Shapiro-Barnum also enjoyed when he was a kid). Shapiro-Barnum is clearly drawn to kids who are expansive in their means of expression. And the account is a great reminder of the way many young boys behave before they are taught that they must abide by a repressive code of conduct in order to fit in. Recess Therapy is a delightful addition to your social media feed and teaches us, above all, that growing up just might be a foolish pursuit. — Recess Therapy Instagram
🏊🏻 The Trans Athlete Debate — Lia Thomas, a trans woman and top swimmer for the University of Pennsylvania, is the latest athlete in the media crosshairs for her role in the trans athlete debate. Some argue that athletes like Thomas should not be allowed to complete due to so-called innate biological advantages. Others believe Thomas must take testosterone-suppressing drugs to bring them in line with competitors. This piece by the NY Times dives right into the fray, provides some historical context, and begins to scratch at an important question: what is the role of testosterone in athletic performance anyway? — NY Times
Athlete and Coach, Fused in the Mind — When I was still competing at the 2004 Olympics, my coach’s voice felt like an extension of my thoughts. I remember hearing an echo of his thick Russian-accented commands — “C’mon boy!” and “Pressure!” — reverberating through my mind. How athletes maintain equanimity under pressure depends largely on their self-talk. But how they blend their own commands with those from their coach is equally important. This piece by Stanford anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann is one of the best I read on how that fusion occurs. — Harpers Magazine
Elvis Returns — There is a new trailer for the Baz Lurhmann much anticipated Elvis biopic. The details of the plot are still pretty slim, but it will be interesting to see how Lurhman frames the iconic star. Did you know that, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, there are 400,000 Elvis impersonators? I think that says everything about the impact he had on the culture of masculinity at large. — Youtube Trailer
A Conversation Between Black Men — ABC News recently hosted a group of Black men to talk about trauma, emotional expression, and therapy. Highly recommend! — ABC News on YouTube
Nap Time!
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