My Joy List: Freddy McConnell

Freddy McConnell: “I never fully committed to Youtube’s video-essay moment, known among fans as ‘BreadTube’. But ContraPoints’ early-mid output contained such compelling gender and identity politics critiques that its creator, Natalie Wynn, earned hours of my attention. This relatively short video analyses a) why transphobic comedy isn’t funny, and b) why trans comedy can be so profoundly funny and sad at the same time. Come for the takes, stay for the bonkers production values.”

FM: “I’m a dad, so I’m obsessed with Bluey. And my kids are kids, so they are too, even the one-year-old. This episode, which focuses on the weekly ritual of putting the bins (trash?) out is as relatable as it is original. Just as you’re feeling comforted by the uncanny familiarity of their sweet little routine, an insight about parenting you never thought to have will knock you sideways, crying or laughing or both.”

FM: “Yeah, I baked sourdough during lockdown. Yeah, I loved the process and slicing open each new loaf to inspect ‘the crumb’. Yes, reader, I was a bread bore. But, but! This recipe by Tartine, which I discovered thanks to my stepdad and his tatty, secondhand copy of their big bread book, is genuinely accessible and worth the moderate level of commitment, if you’ve ever been sourdough-curious.”

FM: “This tiny non-profit will one day be recognised as brilliant and essential in its time. TSN is doing the work no other organisation has the expertise, insight, commitment or forethought to: writing detailed explainers and debunkings of the most complex and insidious aspects of the UK’s anti-trans implosion. As a weary trans person in the UK, I find their articles cathartic. And if anyone with any real power cares to understand the mess this country has got itself in over trans rights, it’s all here. They only have to want to look.”

FM: “We love singing this song on car journeys. Sometimes ‘big ideas’ aren’t immediate enough to help kids feel included or represented in the world, especially those whose families look a bit different. Sure, you can sing about love and everyone being equal, but have you ever tried belting out ‘I love my foster mother, I love my two sweet fathers, I love my new step daughter, I love my pet otter!’? I highly recommend it.”

Watch the It’s All Family music video here.

FM: “This Instagram account was a big part of preparing to give birth to my second kid. I wanted to get used to seeing birth, in all its forms, to help build my confidence and just to normalise the process in my mind. It really worked! I don’t think it should be shocking, much less offensive, to see a baby’s head crowning or a newborn taking a little while to start breathing on their own—these normal things that are literally hidden from us, even from those of us capable of pregnancy. My eldest loved watching too. He had so many questions and I was able to practise not shying away from them. I’m so glad platforms like this exist now.”

FM: “This is probably my most niche link of joy, which I realise sounds like a bold claim after everything above. But this is a cricket podcast and, specifically, a classic episode (if you started here, you could enjoy slowing making your way up to date). I know I said ‘cricket’ but stay with me because, like all the best podcasts, it’s not really about what it says it’s about (see also, Tig and Cheryl: True Story.) This is a show about loving something inexplicable and loving it inexplicably. It’s about human connection and really giving a sh*t. They’re also on a mission to highlight how inclusive the sport of cricket actually is, despite its stereotypical image. It’s the epitome of joyous.”

Explore Joy Lists from Zeke Smith, Jazz Jennings, and more.