2022 In Review

Newsletters, Concerts, and more!

Jan 03, 2023

It’s January here at Do You Know What I Love The Most?, and that means it’s time to sum up the last 12 months with Year End Lists! I’ll be devoting the rest of this month to rounding up and discussing the various media released in 2022 that meant the most to me — just like every other website on the internet! Isn’t that special?

2022 was sometimes a difficult year, but it was also quite possibly the best year of my life. It’s the year I finally got my own place, *officially* severed ties with the cult I was raised in, and came out to my family in the process; all challenging things to do, for sure, but the peace and freedom has been so good for me and my mental health. I saw so many people I loved and did so many cool things this year—concerts, the zoo, the aquarium, Philly Pride, axe throwing, weddings and birthdays, fairs and festivals, trips, holiday parties, arcades—and I did them all without having to sneak around, keep secrets, or worry about the judgment of people supposedly just “looking out for me.” I hope to carry this energy—fun, freedom, expression—with me into 2023. I never want to take for granted that I, finally, have the freedom to live my life the way I want.

Of course, the trade-off is simply that I’ve had less time, too. More bills to pay, more chores to do, and less energy to do it all. When it comes to Do You Know What I Love The Most?, my output has been reduced partially because I’ve been busy getting out there and doing things, but even moreso because I’ve often had to prioritize dishes, laundry, or cleaning over writing. I try not to resent that, but I have missed writing this newsletter as often as I once did. There’s more than a few good essay ideas that died over 2022 because I didn't have the time or energy to get them out of my head and onto the computer. It’s a lot to juggle, but in 2023 I do want to make this newsletter more of a priority. I need the creative outlet!

Looking over my list of all the media I consumed in 2022, I see that I actually watched more TV, read more comics, and listened to more new music than I did last year. In the case of TV especially it didn’t feel like it, and I think part of that is because I’ve been re-watching quite a few old favorites throughout the year (The Simpsons, Futurama, Daria, Degrassi). I don’t regret it, though, as revisiting these shows for the first time in a while has been an absolute blast, and brought back a lot of great memories. I still want to keep up with the zeitgeist, but moving into 2023, I think I’m going to keep making an active effort to revisit old favorites as well. I also got back to the movie theater in earnest in 2022; it’s been a joy taking advantage of weekend matinees and starting my mornings off with new movies. We’ll see how it works out, but I’m making it a goal to round-up the movies I saw in the theater at the end of each month as part of this newsletter.

Another favorite activity that was once again a huge part of my life in 2022 was live music. I went to a few concerts in 2020 before the world shut down, and a few late in 2021 as the vaccines rolled out, but 2022 was the year I returned to the world of live music with my pre-pandemic intensity. I saw 31 shows this year, and they were all a joy in their own way. Here’s my Top 11:

The Wonder Years (playing “The Upsides” & “Surburbia” in full) w/Spanish Love Songs, Origami Angel, Save Face at The Fillmore Philadelphia, 3/25/22
Jawbreaker (playing “Dear You” in full) w/Get Up Kids at the Fillmore Philadelphia, 4/22/22
Kill Lincoln w/JER, The Best of the Worst at PhilaMOCA (Philadelphia), 6/7/22
Pkew Pkew Pkew w/Uncle Dan, Lamplighters at Kung Fu Necktie, 7/12/22
Midtown at Crossroads (Garwood, New Jersey), 8/10/22
The Wonder Years w/The Starting Line, Charly Bliss at Allentown Fairgrounds (Allentown, PA), 9/4/22
The Wonder Years w/Fireworks at Irving Plaza (New York City), 10/13/22
The Menzingers (playing “On The Impossible Past” in full) at House of Independents (Asbury Park, NJ) 11/5/22
State Champs at Ram’s Head Live (Baltimore, MD), 11/12/22
The Front Bottoms w/Joyce Manor at The Fillmore Philadelphia, 12/16/22
Aaron West and the Roaring 20s w/Dan Campbell, Rustee at Puck (Doylestown, PA), 12/30/22

I saw the Wonder Years eight times this year (you will be hearing about them more than a few times before this month is out), with their Spring tour revisiting old material and their Fall tour debuting incredible new songs. Every show they played also had an absolutely stacked line-up, including Fireworks’ first shows in seven years! I got to be a part of their taking over Doylestown in September for their record release show, which included an afterparty, the big-screen debut of their documentary, and getting my hair cut in their pop-up shop, where you could also insert yourself onto the cover of the record!

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A few days ago I returned to Doylestown to see Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell’s side project, Aaron West and the Roaring 20s, along with a set of Campbell’s solo songs and a sweet opening performance from Campbell’s father, who is not a professional musician, under the name of Rustee. This was one of the most heartwarming, intimate shows I’ve ever attended. Campbell played “In Love In Various Rooms” live for I believe the very first time ever; this track was commissioned by a gay couple and tells their love story, and it’s one of my absolute favorite songs. I want to dance to it at my wedding some day. After he finished playing I told Campbell as much, and he tried to find me a date in the audience.

Me: "Oh, I'm taken actually, we're just not that far yet, but thank you!"
Dan: "This is why I should mind my own business"

I’ll never forget that.

In 2023 I was able to see several bands I’d been wanting to see for years for the first time, including Cartel, Charly Bliss, Teenage Halloween, JER, and most surprisingly, Midtown. I caught Covid watching Jawbreaker play their best album, “Dear You,” from front to back (oops). I sprained my ankle watching Magazine Beach play at the Pie Shop in Washington DC and ended up crashing on their guitarist’s couch. State Champs and the Front Bottoms reminded me why I once fell in love with them in the first place.

It’s been a hell of a year. Here’s to 2023 being even better.

I didn’t get to write as much as I wanted to in 2022, but I’m proud of what I did manage to publish this year. Let’s take a second to revisit those pieces; if you missed them the first time around and need to catch up, or just want to check them out again, now’s the time! It would make my day

What "Under the Banner of Heaven" Gets Right About Losing Your Faith

I was really scared to write this piece, examining how the FX/Hulu Mormon true-crime drama “Under the Banner of Heaven” nailed the fear and paranoia that comes with losing your faith by comparing the story to my own experiences being raised in and leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was putting myself under a spotlight in a way I never have before, and in a way that could legitimately still have ramifications with my family. But this was a piece I needed to write, and I’m proud to have put it out. If you haven’t read this one yet, please do, I think you’ll understand me a lot better.

How Trans Character Yamato Fractured the One Piece Fandom

I think I spent more time working on this examination into the character Yamato and the way his very existence has caused constant confusion and strife within the One Piece community than I have any other piece for this newsletter. It’s a fascinating case study into the ways cultural differences can blur the meaning of a text (and the way prejudice can ignore it entirely). That said, I kinda wish I had spent even more time on it, because I think there’s a few points in here where I could have clarified or explained more, or where I was more worried about proving my thesis than I was laying out all the facts of the case. Those are lessons I hope to carry forward with me in future writing.

Ranking Every Volume of Scott Pilgrim (when I haven't read them in 5 years)

This was the most fun I had working on a newsletter all year. The kinds of ideas where the very premise allows you to just write off the top of your head rather than having to do a lot of research are always a blast, even if they feel a bit like cheating. I still need to go back and re-read the comics so I can do the follow up. But if you’ve only seen the Scott Pilgrim movie and never read the comics they’re based off of, this could be a good place to start.

Emo Night at the Stonewall Inn

Another piece I just had to write. It can sound kind of silly, but hearing pop-punk playing at Stonewall was legit a bit of a spiritual experience for me, and maybe helped me come to terms with some things. This is all about why pop-punk and emo music has resonated with me so much as a gay man, and why it was so moving to me for Stonewall, of all places, to back me up.

R.I.P Kevin Conroy

I wish I didn't have to write this piece at all. Very few celebrity deaths, if any, hit me as hard as Kevin Conroy’s. Read this to learn why the voice of Batman mattered so much to so many—and especially to his gay fans in recent years.

How Robin Screwed Up the Batman: The Animated Series Timeline

A piece that dives into a weird little continuity quirk in Batman: The Animated Series that has always bothered me. I love having this newsletter for the ability to write things like this, and spend a lot of time and energy explaining in detail strange scenarios like this that maybe only one or two other people have ever given much thought. Hopefully I’ve gotten this one out of my system and can stop bringing it up now.

ABOUT

“Do You Know What I Love the Most?” is a newsletter from Spencer Irwin about his relationship with the stories he loves. Spencer is an enthusiast and writer from Newark, Delaware, who likes punk rock, comic books, working out, breakfast, and most of all, stories. His previous work appeared on Retcon Punch, One Week One Band, and Crisis on Infinite Chords, and he can be found on Twitter at @ThatSpenceGuy. If you like this newsletter, please subscribe and share with your friends!

Do You Know What I Love The Most?

2022 In Review

Newsletters, Concerts, and more!

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