2024 in Review
Plus: The best newsletters, YouTube, and Live Music
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 2024 that meant the most to me — just like every other website on the internet! Isn’t that special?
I hate when writers who update their newsletters infrequently open up each new installment with an apology for not writing more (I just want to read your writing whenever I can, it’s cool!), but I can feel myself transforming into one of those people the longer I take between each each new piece I publish. I don’t know if I owe any of you an apology for barely writing in 2024, but I do feel like I owe myself an apology for neglecting an activity I love so much.
Every January I look forward to counting down my favorite comic books, TV shows, movies, and records of the year with all of you, but traditionally, I’ll kick my year end lists off with a quick recap of what I did and what I wrote throughout the year. Looking back at 2024, though, I’m embarrassed by how little I wrote. Personally, I had a blast in 2024 — I visited Chicago for the first time, met my new niece and nephew, got drunk at the Philadelphia Zoo at night and saw the tiger swim, drank a shit-ton of coffee, and saw more live music than ever before — but aside from 2023’s year end lists, I only published 2 original piece of writing on this newsletter the entire year!
I’m proud of both of those pieces, but I’m also frustrated by their wasted potential. Back in September I ranked all of Dragonball Z’s Super Saiyan forms, and that was just the kind of fun, frivolous writing that flows right out of my fingertips and reminds me how much I love to write — but it was just one of several ideas I had for Dragonball related pieces, and the rest have still failed to materialize. I also began a new series where I critically reassess Evangelion, an anime that has always stymied me, but I’ve failed to follow up on that first entry. I still plan to! I’ve watched further ahead! But four months is too long between entries, and that’s on me.
On the bright side, I’m proud of myself for reaching out, pitching, and collaborating this year in a way I never have before. Over on the Textual Variations newsletter, I contributed a guest piece about the way the live action One Piece adaptation improves upon the original story’s treatment of its female characters. I poured my heart and soul into that piece and am so happy with how it turned out; big thanks to Mikhail for having me on his newsletter!
Most significantly, I also landed my first paid writing gig in 2024! Early in 2025, you can look forward to my work being featured in the second issue of Portable Model, a bi-yearly print music magazine published by Miranda Reinert (a writer/podcaster whose work I greatly admire, and who contributed a piece to my Wonder years zine last year). I will be sure to let you know when the issue is available for order, but in the meantime, I highly suggest picking up the first issue if possible, even if just in PDF form. It’s some of the best music writing I’ve read in a long, long time, and the actual physical magazine itself is just a lovely object that I’m psyched to have on my bookshelf.
I’m not setting any specific writing goals for myself in 2025 other than to just fucking do it, but I’m hoping to continue my Evangelion series, and to perhaps post some shorter pieces rather than my usual long, involved ones, but we’ll see — everything I write ends up 20% longer than I intend, anyway. 2025 is poised to be a tumultuous year both personally and politically, so I’m looking forward to any chance at all I get to interact with you wonderful readers, no matter how small or how frequent. Thanks for being here. I truly appreciate it.
Starting later this week we’ll jump into my Year End lists in earnest, but first, I want to talk about a few notable 2024 releases that don’t fit neatly into any of those lists but which, nonetheless, became some of my most beloved experiences of the year:
NEWSLETTERS
Shoddy Goods — a newsletter from Meh.com, the website that sells just one item a day, updating every 24 hours — describes itself as being about “the things people make, buy, and sell.” That broad mission statement allows Shoddy Goods to cover a diverse and idiosyncratic array of topics, including the history of Legos being sold in the United States, an interview with World Book, the last remaining publisher of physical encyclopedias, an exhaustively researched, statistic-filled exposé on whether Christmas really does come earlier every year, an investigation into a rash of seedy, non-sanctioned Flinstones-themed bars and hotels across the world, and many, many more. The writing is smart, witty, easy to understand, and decidedly not big business propaganda, and each entry is just the perfect length to explore the topic without losing your interest. If you love random pop culture facts as much as I do, Shoddy Goods is the newsletter for you.
Even more worthy of your time, attention, and money is the writing cooperative known as Flaming Hydra. Every day, members receive an email with new pieces from one or two of Flaming Hydra’s over 60 writers, work that includes in-depth journalism, fiction writing, auto-bio comics, opinion pieces, and everything in-between. I initially joined due to the involvement of several writers whose work I already enjoyed (Luke O’Neal, Miles Klee, Josephine Riesman, A. J. Deraulio), but quickly fell in love with Hydra’s entire roster of talented creators. Through their work I’ve learned about Nigerian political corruption and the true aftermath of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina through eye-opening first person accounts; I’ve read frank, non-judgmental interviews with real people who feel that they are animals trapped in human bodies; I’ve followed the illustrated adventures of Conan O’Brien and a shy fan as they take road trip together; I’ve experienced a classic tale of Lovecraftian, Yuletide cosmic horror. In a time when not just journalism, but writing, self-expression, and free speech in America are under constant attack, the work Flaming Hydra does is more important than ever. If you care about any of these things — of even if you’re just a fan of the kind of good old-fashioned internet writing that’s getting harder and harder to find these days — you owe it to yourself to check Flaming Hydra out.
YOUTUBE
Up until the last couple of years, Pokémon’s official, Nintendo-sanctioned competitive league (known as VGC) hasn’t gotten much respect, even from the most hardcore of Pokémon fans1. Wolfe Glicke, however, may be single-handedly changing that.
Wolfe, a former VGC World Champion and winner of a record-breaking 10 Regional Tournaments, has for a few years now been using his YouTube channel to bring VGC to the masses, easily explaining the complex dynamics of competitive Pokémon to even the most casual of fans while astounding long-time, hardcore players with his creative, off-beat strategies and teams. He’s also just damn good at using YouTube, putting out timely, polished, high-quality videos and possessing a charming, natural screen presence. Wolfe has sparked a passion in me for a whole new aspect of a franchise I’ve been a fan of for close to 25 years now, and that’s pretty damn impressive. He’s the ambassador VGC, and Pokémon as a whole, needs, and I can’t wait to see what he makes next.
LIVE MUSIC
I attended a record-breaking 44 shows this year. Here are my favorites:
Joyce Manor w/Liquid Mike at Phantom Power 3/16/24
I can always count on a Joyce Manor show to be one of the best shows of the year, but this one truly had everything. It was my first time seeing the wonderful Liquid Mike, who played something like 20 songs in 30 minutes, a perfect compliment to Joyce Manor’s similarly rapid-fire sets. Phantom Power’s 400 person capacity room was the ideal viewing experience for the band, cultivating an intimate atmosphere and a truly wild crowd who literally seemed to bounce from one side of the narrow room to the other (and after the 2020 demise of the Chameleon Club, I’m just happy to have a punk venue back in Lancaster again). Killer set, too — any night I get to see “Big Lie” live is a winner in my book. Everything else is just gravy.
Mom Jeans w/Origami Angel at Fillmore Silver Spring 3/23/24
The Mom Jeans pit proved to me that the kids are alright. I did not have more fun in a mosh pit all year, and I genuinely did not expect that from this band, especially after bumping into a few rude and/or inexperienced pitters among younger fans in the post-Covid era. I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong. We circle pitted, we rowed, we bounced and pushed and picked each other up when we fell, and I never felt crowded or out of control or in any danger. There was even a self-proclaimed pit-boss with hand-written signs directing the pit at times. We all took a picture together at the end of the night that he posted on r/MomJeans on Reddit. Truly the kind of night that makes me believe in the unifying power of live music.
Microwave w/ Origami Angel, Heart Attack Man at Franklin Music Hall 6/8/24
I went to this show primarily to see the opening acts, and that’s always a risk — as an opener, even the best of bands often have to deal with crowds who just don’t give a shit about them bringing down the vibe, but that wasn't the case here at all. Gami and HAM both put on sets worthy of being headliners, and the crowd responded in kind with some of the most raucous pits I experienced all year. Microwave also did me a huge solid, playing the handful of their songs I really love at the very beginning of their set before launching into their duller stuff, allowing me to leave early and go to bed at a reasonable hour guilt free. It was pretty much a perfect night.
The Menzingers w/Lucero, The Dirty Nil at Ram’s Head Live 6/9/24
This is just a really stacked bill, every single band a winner, and that just barely edges this show above the several other excellent performances I saw the Menzingers put on this year. Man, the Menzingers truly are just one of the greatest bands of all time, aren’t they?
Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties w/Future Teens, Maura Weaver at Ottobar 6/16/24
I was lucky enough to see Aaron West four times this year. Three of those shows were billed as “Special Events” — an In Lieu of Flowers record release show in Asbury Park, complete with the first ever performance from the full sixteen-piece Roaring Twenties ensemble; a penultimate slot on 2024’s Loneliest Place on Earth festival; a tenth anniversary set playing We Don’t Have Each Other from front to back — yet it was this seemingly ordinary show at the lowly Ottobar that ranked as my favorite Aaron West performance of the year. Maura Weaver had the crowd laughing with her natural, lighthearted banter between songs. Future Teens co-frontman Amy Hoffman moved everyone in attendance when he told us how, in a world that’s becoming increasingly hostile towards trans people, he feels safe and accepted in rooms like this one. It was Father’s Day, and [Aaron’s alter-ego] Dan Campbell came out to perform a song written by his five-year-old son, Wyatt. I participated in the one-and-only mosh pit I’ve ever seen break out at an Aaron show. The vibes were just right, man.
The Starting Line at House of Independents, 7/26/24
“We’re so back” was the theme of the night. This was my first time back at House of Independents since it re-opened (after flood damage shut it down, nearly for good); it’s a miracle we got this venue back, and I’m so fucking happy it survived. This was also a night that reminded me just how important the Starting Line have always been to me, not just as an adult, but way back when I first discovered them as a depressed 16-year-old as well. I wrote a much longer message on my Instagram at the time about how important these songs were to my younger self, but it was a beautiful thing to be reminded of how these songs helped me contextualize my struggles, helped me survive, and I’m so grateful I still get to see them live all these years later.
Something Corporate at Stone Pony Summer Stage 8/23/24
Something Corporate is one of my all-time favorite bands, but they broke up long before I started regularly going to shows, and though Andrew McMahon still performs a few of their songs live with his current project, it’s not the same. Any rare chance I get to see Something Corporate reunite is going to be an extraordinary night, but getting to see them outdoors in Asbury Park on a perfect summer evening only made this night more perfect. There’s nothing like singing along to all ten minutes of “Konstantine,” a few Surfsides in, at the beach with new friends. Absolute magic.
The Get Up Kids w/The Smoking Popes [Something To Write Home About Anniversary Show] at Union Transfer 9/27/24
I underestimated how amazing it would feel to see Something To Write Home About performed front-to-back when this tour was first announced. I don’t blame myself for that. Don’t get me wrong, I was still excited, but, like, the Get Up Kids play somewhere in the ballpark of 6 to 8 of the record’s 12 songs in any given set anyway. Aside from getting to hear one or two deep cuts, it wasn’t that special…right? Wrong. Something To Write Home About is a classic for a reason, but frankly, just getting to see “Close to Home” live for the first time alone would have made this one of the best shows of the year. Throw in “Company Dime,” “My Apology2,” and an encore full of rarely played fan favorites like “Forgive and Forget,” “Central Standard Time,” and “Mass Pike” and you’ve got the recipe for an absolutely legendary night. At one point I was so excited I was just ranting incoherently to anyone who would listen, and like, what a vibe. (You’ll find me in D.C. next month catching wave two of this tour, because I cannot miss it)
Kill Lincoln w/Catbite, The Max Levine Ensemble, Bad Operation [No Normal release show] at 9:30 Club 11/21/24
There’s nothing more fun than seeing a ska band live. I’m pretty sure I got something in the realm of 30,000 steps this night from skanking, nearly giving myself blisters. It’s not just that it’s fun to dance to ska music, though. It’s that ska bands — especially this new wave represented in this line-up — tend to create an atmosphere of sincerity and earnestness, free of judgment. Yeah, it’s not just that it’s fun to dance to ska music, it’s that I never feel self-conscious in a ska pit. You never know what you’ll see pop up at a ska show! At this show there were, at one point, four separate people in banana costumes in the pit at the same time! A group of like six teenage boys were front and center for Catbite, absolutely gushing and hyping each other up! Kill Lincoln’s trombonist, Ume, jumped from the balcony of the 9:30 Club into the arms of the crowd and they surfed him to the stage! Every few minutes there was something fun, wild, or heartwarming to see. I think that’s just what ska is all about.
The Wonder Years [Wheel of Rarities/Holiday Shows] at Fillmore Philly 12/19 & 12/20/24
For the second year in a row I was able to close out my live music calendar with my favorite band, the Wonder Years, in their hometown of Philadelphia, as the “Wheel of Rarities” directed them to play deep cuts, fan favorites, and a few songs I’d never heard played live before, like my beloved “Orange Grove.” What more could I even ask for from a concert? These holiday shows are my new favorite tradition, and I hope they continue for years to come.
Okay guys, that’s it for now; see you in a few days to talk about my Top 52 Songs of 2024!
Do You Know What I Love the Most’s “Best Of 2024” series:
2024 in Review (or — the best Live Music of 2024)
Top 52 Songs of 2024
Top Comics of 2024 (Part 1)
Top Comics of 2024 (Part 2)
Top Television of 2024 (Part 1)
Top Television of 2024 (Part 2)
Top Movies of 2024 (Part 1)
Top Movies of 2024 (Part 2)
Top Albums of 2024
To read previous “Best Of” entries for 2020-2023, click this link to browse the directory!
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 you can follow him online on your social media of choice. If you like this newsletter, please subscribe and share with your friends!
All VGC matches are Double Battles, where each competitor has two Pokémon on the field at a time. However, 95% of the battles in any given Pokémon game are Single Battles (where each competitor has one Pokémon battling at a time), and Single Battles are the primary style of battling featured in the anime and card game as well. There’s a good reason for this — VGC uses Double Battles in order to up the speed of the matches and keep tournaments moving at a reasonable pace — but good reason or not, the consequence is that many Pokémon fans have viewed VGC as lesser due to it revolving around a minor dynamic of the game. Instead, much of the fan attention has been focused on Smogon, a fan-run online competitive Pokémon community revolving around Single Battles. As I’ve said, though, this has been changing in the past few years, with VGC becoming a much bigger deal, and while there are no doubt multiple reasons for that, I think Wolfe genuinely deserves quite a bit of credit for making VGC more appealing and accessible to the masses.
I used to play in a band named after this song, making it extra special to me.