The Best Online Essays & Articles of 2023
Longform journalism is coming back (and deserves our support)
I’m a writer. But I’m even more of a reader.
And I especially like longform journalism—which was given up for dead not long ago. But is now flourishing.
So today I’m sharing a list of my favorite online articles and essays from 2023.
Most of these focus on music, arts, and culture—because those are subjects I think about the most. But I’ve also included a wide range of other articles. If the writing is good enough, I put it on my list, no matter what the subject.
By the way, this reminds me to encourage you to support media outlets and journalists who do this high quality work. Many of these articles were written by writers who depend on your contributions.
In a media environment where layoffs, spin, and dumbing down are pervasive, let’s give a boost to journalists and platforms adhering to high standards. So if you find a writer here whose work is meaningful to you, consider taking out a subscription.
Not everybody can afford paid subscriptions (print or digital), but those who can make all this possible—because their contributions pay the rent and keep the lights on. But even an unpaid subscription on a digital platform is a meaningful sign of support.
The Honest Broker is a reader-supported guide to music, books, media & culture. Both free and paid subscriptions are available. If you want to support my work, the best way is by taking out a paid subscription.
My Favorite Online Articles & Essays of 2023
“I Started Playing My Sax Outdoors. Then the Fans Came.” By Harvey Dickson
New York Times, October 3, 2023
“Against Innovation” by Damon Krukowski
Dada Drummer Almanach, April 4, 2023
“End of Life Dreams” by Paul Lauritzen
Commonweal, April 17, 2023
“The Lowdown on the Greatest Dictionary Collection in the World” by April White
Atlas Obscura, November 14, 2023
“I Removed the Internet from My House” by Chris Moody
The Atlantic, November 27, 2023
“The Man Who Broke Bowling” by Eric Wills
GQ, June 29, 2023
“The Strange and Fascinating World of r/meth” by River Page
Pirate Wires, April 23, 2023
My Wild Weekend at the Philip Roth Festival” by Erin Somers
Esquire, April 4, 2023
“Academia Will Not Love You Back” by John Halbrooks
Personal Canon Formation
“The Origins of Creativity” by Louis Menand
The New Yorker, April 17, 2023
“The Greatest Scam Ever Written” by by Rachel Browne
The Walrus, July 26, 2023
“A Camp for Japan’s Social Recluses” by Tim Hornyak
Reasons to be Cheerful, August 22, 2023
“The Case of the Lego Bandit” by David Kushner
Business Insider, May 21, 2023
“One Alternative to Prison” by Elle Griffin
The Elysian, December 8, 2023
“Paul Schrader’s Very Paul Schrader Days in Assisted Living” by Adriane Quinlan
New York, April 7, 2023
“To Catch a Catfish” by Stuart McGurk
The New Statesman, December 7, 2023
“How One Collector Uncovers Graphic Gems Via Discarded High School Year Books” by Ryan Mungia
Collectors Weekly, June 20, 2023
“Lost Movies” by Alexander Lee
History Today, April 4, 2023
“How to Navigate the AI Apocalypse as a Sane Person” by Erik Hoel
The Intrinsic Perspective, Feb 28, 2023
“How to Steal a Masterpiece: Advice from the World’s Greatest Art Thief” by Michael Finkel
Time, June 14, 2023
“Saved by Infinite Jest” by Mala Chatterjee
Aeon, December 19, 2023
“Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” by Ben Landau-Taylor
Ben Landau Taylor’s Substack, September 6, 2023
“How Alice Cooper Cleaned Up and Became a Pop Star All Over Again” by Dave Everley
Louder Sound, October 10, 2023
“Lost Ones” By Ross Scarano
The Believer, May 1, 2023
“The Happiest Man in the World” by Pagan Kennedy
Nautilus, October 31, 2023
"In a media environment where layoffs, spin, and dumbing down are pervasive, let’s give a boost to journalists and platforms adhering to high standards. So if you find a writer here whose work is meaningful to you, consider taking out a subscription."
Well said, Ted. You are a singular talent in capturing the zeitgeist and an important voice in supporting free expression on Substack. If I may, I recommend NS Lyons' "The China Convergence" as one the best long-form pieces on Substack this year: https://theupheaval.substack.com/p/the-china-convergence
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that I find these critiques – so often snide or irreverent in their cadence – baffling, gaslighting, disempowering, at times even agonising. I can’t understand what they could possibly have to do with this book that I know as my friend, that I found myself in at my most alienated moment.”
It was lovely to read Mala Chatterjee’s homage to this book that I’ve loved ever since I impulse-bought it at a Barnes & Noble , in 1997, when I was 23. It is one of my very favorite books. That it means so much to another woman, of a different generation, despite all the derision heaped on the book, its author, and its fans, means the world to me.
It’s a lovely, ugly, unwieldy, funny, sad, beautiful book. I’ve read it four times, and this article has made me want to read it at least once more before I die someday.