With plenty of binge-watching time this year, we started thinking about all the beloved past series you can watch on Netflix. Whether you’ve been meaning to get around to watching (or rewatching) The Office, Gossip Girl, or Arrested Development, we’ve rounded up the excellent old series that you can stream in their entirety. Say goodbye to your weekend plans and hello to your remote.
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Boris Johnson told the nation on Sunday night: ‘We are going to do it, we are going to do it together’.
From his Downing Street flat, where he is cooped up in isolation, he croaked: ‘One thing I think the coronavirus crisis has already proved is that there really is such a thing as Society.’
Classic Boris, you might say. Cheerful, rousing stuff, even when he’s laid up with the coronavirus. And it was classic Boris, though not necessarily for the right reasons.
For as anyone familiar with British political history knows, that line about ‘such a thing as Society’ carries an electric charge.
It is a deliberate rebuke to the late Margaret Thatcher’s controversial remarks, made in an interview in the late Eighties, when she said there was ‘no such thing as Society’.
Boris Johnson told the nation on Sunday night: ‘We are going to do it, we are going to do it together’, writes DOMINIC SANDBROOK
Ever since, that phrase has hobbled Mrs Thatcher’s reputation. On the Left, it has become a kind of shorthand for what her critics see as her uncaring individualism.
Strident
As one columnist remarked on the 30th anniversary of her first election victory, the phrase ‘sounds frighteningly atomistic and strident, and does not seem to reflect the duty we all owe to each other’.
That columnist was Boris Johnson. So for once, he has been perfectly consistent.
But he was wrong then, and he is wrong now. For Mrs Thatcher’s famous phrase is not just one of the most widely quoted things a British Prime Minister has ever said; it is one of the most grotesquely misunderstood.
I’ll come back to Mr Johnson. First, a bit of history.
Mrs Thatcher gave that interview on September 23, 1987, not long after winning her record-breaking third term.
Like today’s blond Tory bombshell, she was a ruthless populist, with an unparalleled ability to reach ambitious working-class voters.
Unlike Mr Johnson, she had an intensely earnest, almost Victorian sense of public duty and social responsibility. And like so many of us, she firmly believed people should try to stand on their own two feet.
Too often, Mrs Thatcher told her interviewer, people would say: ‘I have a problem, it is the Government’s job to cope with it!’ For example, ‘if children have a problem, it is Society that is at fault’.
But as she saw it, ‘there is no such thing as Society. There is [a] living tapestry of . . . people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and . . . to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate.’
As her old ally Norman Tebbit remarks in today’s Mail, Mrs Thatcher was clearly saying: ‘Society doesn’t exist on its own: it is made up of people.’
So instead of expecting some vague, abstract entity called Society to sort things out, we should do it ourselves — by looking after ourselves as well as the needy and vulnerable.
That doesn’t sound ‘atomised and strident’ to me. Quite the reverse: it sounds like precisely the kind of can-do, philanthropic public-spiritedness we need right now — and indeed are seeing!
That line about ‘such a thing as Society’ carries an electric charge. It is a deliberate rebuke to the late Margaret Thatcher’s controversial remarks, made in an interview in the late Eighties, when she said there was ‘no such thing as Society’, writes DOMINIC SANDBROOK
All those thousands of citizens dropping off food for their elderly neighbours; shop managers putting aside supplies for NHS workers; and all those sending flowers to care homes are doing precisely what Mrs Thatcher talked about.
So, too, are the 20,000 retired doctors and nurses who have answered Mr Johnson’s call to arms, as well as the 750,000 people who have applied to be NHS Volunteers.
Instead of leaving it to some abstract ‘Society’ — which means the State — they are getting stuck in themselves.
This volunteer ethos has always been at the heart of Conservatism. The 18th-century philosopher Edmund Burke wrote of the ‘little platoons’ at the heart of English life, just as the Victorian statesman Benjamin Disraeli sought to bring people together in ‘one nation’. Even David Cameron’s much-maligned ‘Big Society’ was simply the latest version of this old idea.
But when you look at the historical record, no one talked about doing the right thing and looking out for your neighbour with greater enthusiasm than Margaret Thatcher. That may not fit the lazy, Left-wing caricature, but it’s the truth, reflecting her religious upbringing as the daughter of a Methodist lay preacher.
Legacy
So why did Mr Johnson seemingly cast her as the apostle of selfish individualism, distancing himself from her legacy?
Well, there are a couple of possible explanations, both of which tell you something about our Prime Minister.
One is that, in classic Johnsonian fashion, he has never bothered to dig beneath the surface. He tossed off the reference without thinking about it, because he has better things to worry about.
Mrs Thatcher gave that interview on September 23, 1987, not long after winning her record-breaking third term. Pictured: Mrs Thatcher in 1987
That doesn’t seem entirely convincing to me. The lesson of the past few years is that everything Mr Johnson says and does is more carefully calculated than his critics think.
Even his apparently off-hand remarks often carry a deep-set political charge. So I suspect he knew what he was doing.
The other explanation is very simple, and I think more telling. It is that Mr Johnson has never been one of life’s Thatcherites, and that his political identity is based on setting himself apart from more conventional Conservatives.
Mrs Thatcher was a serious, spiky character who abhorred wasting money and was never happier then when dishing out hard truths. She had no problem being unpopular; indeed, when people criticised her, it merely confirmed her belief that she was right.
Mr Johnson is utterly different. He avoids earnestness at all costs, loves playing to the gallery and hates to deliver bad news. (In a revealing aside, he once called David Cameron a ‘girly swot’ — two words that summed up Mrs Thatcher.)
So when, in the last election, the Labour Party tried to paint Mr Johnson as Thatcher redux, they were wrong. His real model is the man who brought her down, her former Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine.
Of course, we now find ourselves in a situation far graver than anything Mrs Thatcher or Lord Heseltine had to confront in the Eighties, writes DOMINIC SANDBROOK. Pictured: Paramedics in hazmat suits take away a man that collapsed in a Lidl in south east London
As Mr Johnson told his Cabinet last year, he dreams of being a ‘Brexity Hezza’. And you can see why. For what Mr Johnson and Lord Heseltine have in common is not just a shock of blond hair and a charismatic public appeal.
They also share an enthusiasm for active government, grandiose gestures and expensive public projects — all of which were anathema to the parsimonious, tax-cutting grammar school girl.
Of course, we now find ourselves in a situation far graver than anything Mrs Thatcher or Lord Heseltine had to confront in the Eighties. And Mr Johnson is right that a strict, small-state, budget-cutting line would be entirely wrong in the current crisis — just as it would have been wrong during World War II.
But to come through this ordeal, we need more than big government. We also need to feel enlisted as individuals in a national crusade — which is where Mrs Thatcher comes in.
Virtues
For if Mr Johnson is looking for a Conservative predecessor who preached the virtues of voluntarism, stoicism, selflessness and courage, who urged people to look out for their neighbours, and who believed that with great wealth comes great responsibility, the Iron Lady is the obvious choice.
At the heart of her political philosophy, Mrs Thatcher once said, was the belief that you ought ‘always to give a hand to your neighbour’ and ‘be a good member of your community’.
Charity, she said, was the ‘supreme moral quality’. And what mattered most was a spirit of ‘genuine caring for one another on the part of families, friends and neighbours’.
As you look around Britain now, at countless tear-jerking scenes of kindness, those words ring loud and clear.
And in that sense, we are all Thatcherites now — whatever Mr Johnson may think.
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A couple who managed to tie the knot just hours before the nation went into coronavirus-enforced lockdown, had just four people in attendance at their fast-tracked wedding.
Aarti, a teacher, and Jonny, a 27-year-old salesman from Leicestershire, sensed that their original wedding day in May would be lost in the swathe of cancelled and postponed events across the world, and decided to bring their big day forward to March 2020.
After a frenzied search, the couple – who first met at school – managed to secure a venue, registrars and a wedding dress in time for the new date five days later, and exchanged vows shortly after 1pm on Monday 23 March with their parents present.
Later that evening, the newlyweds sat on their sofa and watched as Boris Johnson introduced more stringent measures that banned gatherings of more than two people – including weddings.
Aarti and Jonny from Leicestershire, who married just hours before the United Kingdom went into lockdown, had just four guests in attendance at their fast-tracked wedding. Pictured: Aarti and Jonny on their wedding day
Aarti who teaches at Walsgrave CofE Academy in Coventry, said: ‘I rang our venue, Mythe Barn, and they were absolutely fine with us bringing it forward.
‘The Leicestershire registrars offered us dates on the 23rd, 25th or the 26th, and I thought I would do the Monday 23rd, as we were living from day to day.
‘Being a teacher, we were living hour by hour, not knowing whether the the school was open or closed? Every day at 5pm, we were watching the updates. I just felt that we had to take the closest one.’
She continued: ‘The registrars were free, they gave me the time. I had to speak to my boss at work as I was meant to be at school and thankfully they said it was all okay. We weren’t even sure if I would be at school or not.
‘It all kind of happened from there. On Wednesday the 18th, less than a week before, it was booked!’.
Aarti revealed that they spent a frenzied few days securing a venue, registrars and finding a dress, in order to tie the knot at an earlier date than originally planned. pictured: The couple on their wedding day
Aarti admits that she was concerned about finding a suitable dress, after locking in the venue for their new wedding date.
She said: ‘I felt extremely anxious. I’d already ordered a wedding dress with express delivery at short notice as we only booked the original wedding in December for May, which is a short amount of time. That wasn’t going to come in time for the new date.
‘I went onto ASOS and ordered some quick next-day delivery dresses. The ironic thing is the postman did try to deliver it on the Friday, but because I wasn’t in he took it back with him. So I was thinking ‘great, I can’t even try it on’.
‘When it came on the Saturday I managed to try it on.
‘Of course these things don’t fit you perfectly. My mum was having to stitch it, tweak it, make it fit.’
Aarti (pictured) walked down the aisle alone because her father works for the NHS, but plans to have another ceremony where he’s given the opportunity
On the day Aarti had her make-up applied at 7.30am, while frequently calling the venue to make sure their efforts wouldn’t be in vain.
She added: ‘The decision wasn’t down to us, it was in someone else’s hands. The registrar could’ve been ill.’
Luckily at 1pm everyone was in place, with Jonny waiting by the registrars in front his parents. Aarti’s mother and sister were on the other side providing balance.
Aarti walked down the aisle alone for a poignant reason.
‘My dad works for the NHS,’ she said.
‘With his job and making sure he wasn’t exposed to a lot of people, we took the decision ourselves to FaceTime him for the ceremony, because he wasn’t there.
‘We still know we will get our wedding when we get it and all of our family and friends will be there, this was the legal ceremony for us.
‘Of course, we would’ve loved for our dad to have been there and part of our day, which we still feel he was. The registrar still included him, acknowledged that he was on FaceTime.
Jonny said they didn’t build up their expectations for the big day, but it turned out ‘really nice in the end’. Pictured: Jonny and Aarti on their wedding day
‘But we will get our day and he will walk me down me the aisle.’
Jonny recalled the moment that he saw his bride, and said: ‘It was surreal. It was incredible. Of course I never, ever expected the day to unfold as it did and when it did.
‘Despite the circumstances, we didn’t really build it up or expect too much of the day, but it was amazing and it turned out to be a really nice day in the end. She looked beautiful, absolutely beautiful.’
Their wedding was filled with surprises and wonderful gestures, including Aarti’s sister providing a crucial loan of her Jimmy Choo shoes.
‘Mythe Barn booked and surprised us with a photographer so a massive shout out to them,’ said Aarti, who grew up in Bedworth.
‘The staff couldn’t have done more for us. I would ring them literally every day and speak to them, they were more than happy to reassure me.
Aarti (pictured) and Jonny spent the evening of their wedding day watching Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement
‘They’d also organised a bouquet for me and button holes for Jonny so it matched. They really went above and beyond.’
After a couple of glasses of champagne and once the photographs were completed, the married couple headed to their home in Leicestershire.
Around the time that most newlyweds would be exchanging pleasantries with guests or wrapping up after-dinner speeches, Aarti and Jonny were waiting for the 5pm press conference providing a coronavirus update.
At 8.30pm, when a first dance song may have been played, they watched the prime minister’s confrim stringent new measures to lock down the country.
Aarti who is a key worker, said they feel stronger going into the pandemic as man and wife. Pictured: Jonny and Aarti on their wedding day
‘It was important to us, the legal part, we hold a lot of value on that and my parents in particular hold a lot of value on that. It could be 2021 before we’d managed to do that if we’d have left it,’ said Aarti.
Jonny added: ‘When you get the wedding licence it’s only valid for 12 months after it has been approved.
‘So we were thinking it could easily be another 12 months. We thought we may as well get that box ticked now and then it is done. It’s one thing less to do when the storm clears.’
Like any date on the horizon in the current climate, the couple’s scheduled wedding day hangs in the balance. When they do manage to pull together their friends and family together for the big day, they will arrive as man and wife.
‘We feel a lot stronger going into this as man and wife,’ explained Aarti.
‘I am a key worker as well, I’ve got to be at work, I am up and down. We’ve got enough money to keep a roof over our heads but we’re doing it together as man and wife and not just your partner or girlfriend.
‘We played our music, said our vows, exchanged rings. It was the perfect wedding ceremony.’
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Tessa Thompson will appear in a live reading of Ryan Spahn’s comedy ”Nora Highland” in order to raise money for arts organizations impacted by the coronavirus. “Nora Highland” is being featured on Play-PerView, a new live-streaming initiative that was co-founded by producer Jeremy Wein (NYC PodFest) and actor and producer Mirirai Sithole (“Black Mirror: Smithereens”).
The theater community has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Theaters have been closed for weeks as the public health crisis has worsened, leaving thousands of people without a job.
Thompson will star opposite opposite Michael Urie of “Ugly Betty” fame in “Nora Highland,” which will stream on April 1 at 7 p.m. The play grapples with a topical issue, examining the complexities of casting an openly gay performer in a gay role that producers want to hire a straight actor to play. This reading will benefit the Broadway Cares COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund and Covenant House New York.
“Family Friday,” Play-PerView’s original, non-scripted weekly series focusing on families in the theater community, will continue April 3 at 8 p.m. with “Live from Putnam County.” This second installment will feature alums of the Broadway production of ”The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” including Tony Award winner Celia Keenan-Bolger (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) and her husband Tony Award nominee John Ellison Conlee (”The Full Monty”). They will be joined by James Monroe Iglehart (”Aladdin”) and Derrick Baskin (”Ain’t Too Proud”). This episode of “Family Friday” will directly benefit Colt Coeur, a Brooklyn-based theater company and the Parent Artist Advocacy League COVID Childcare Relief Fund.
On April 6 at 8 p.m., Play-PerView will present a one-time-only reading of ”Cadillac Crew,” written by Tori Sampson and directed by Chalia LaTour (”Slave Play”). The performance will feature Dria Brown (“Bedlam’s Hamlet”), Ashley Bryant (”The Play That Goes Wrong:), Brontë England-Nelson (”Three Tall Women”), and La Tour as four civil rights activists on the day of a highly anticipated speech by Rosa Parks. This reading will benefit The National Black Theatre and Women In Need.
Future Play-PerView events will feature the works of Bess Wohl (”Grand Horizons”), Micah Stock (“It’s Only A Play”), Sharr White (”The True”), Johnathan Caren (“Canyon”), and Martyna Majok (“Cost of Living”). Tickets start at $5.
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So you want to go on a sugar detox. Smart idea. Quick refresher: Sugar has been tied to weight gain, depression, and increased risk of pretty much every disease — and reducing your intake is suggested by every health professional worldwide.
While nixing sweets from your eternal future sounds overwhelming, even cutting out sugar temporarily for a 'sugar reset' can help you kick the habit and find an overall healthier relationship with sugar in the long term, says Harley Pasternak, celeb trainer and co-founder of Sweetkick.
For those who consider themselves addicted, there's good news: It'll only take about two weeks off sugar for the cravings to quit, says Drew Ramsey, M.D. assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University who studies how nutrition affects mood disorders.
And if you make it a month, for most people that means they’ve found a sustainable way to eat sugar-free. But a lot of people relapse in the third or fourth week, he adds. Your best bet: Go in with a game plan.
Here are some general rules to make cutting back on sugar easier on your brain and body.
No-sugar challenges have become super popular (hey J.Lo!), but it’s not a great idea for most. Unless you’re already pretty strict about your sugar intake, trying to go to zero sugar will cause a crash, Dr. Ramsey says. Instead, aim to whittle your way down to getting just 10% of your daily calories from added sugar, which is what pretty much every governing body advises Americans aim for. (If you eat 1800 calories a day, that's 180 grams.) Once 10% feels sustainable (likely after four weeks), you can continue to chip away at that till it’s as low as possible. The American Heart Association, for example, advises capping added sugar at 6 teaspoons (25 grams) a day for women, which is just 2% of an 1800 calorie diet.
Pasternak and Dr. Ramsey agree anything from nature still in its whole form is a-okay. Plus, the natural sugars are the best option to satisfy your sweet tooth. Don’t be fooled by processed versions, like dried fruit.
If it’s not there, you can’t eat it. That sounds basic, but it's the most crucial concept to master. Pasternak advises doing a house-wide clean-out — go through the fridge, freezer, and cupboards and read every label, tossing anything that has refined sugars. A massive purge also helps reduce the mental exhaustion of having to double check every ingredient when you go to cook dinner.
And we mean everything. “Ketchup, barbecue sauce, most granolas, and most breakfast cereals are absolutely loaded with sugar,” Pasternak says. Other super common offenders you may think are safe: Greek yogurt, salad dressing, and even that tonic water you use in cocktails.
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are the first line of attack,” says Kimber Stanhope, Ph.D., R.D, research nutritional biologist with the University of California Davis and the SugarScience team at the University of California San Francisco. The most obvious, of course, is soda. But about two-thirds of coffee drinkers and one-third of tea drinkers put sugar or sugary flavorings in their drinks, says a 2017 study Public Health. Don’t forget about milk alternatives, either — most of the oat, soy, and almost milks used at a coffee shop are the sweetened variety.
Outside of whole fruit, we’re talking about a spectrum of evil, with added sugar and most artificial sweeteners topping the charts. Agave is surprisingly high up there, as it contains very high amounts of fructose and is typically too processed to earn the badge of a natural sweetener. The research is mixed on honey, but it’s wise to use it sparingly because it also has a high fructose content. Aspartame is surprisingly your healthiest bet if you aren’t going cold turkey. “There are no data to show aspartame has any negative effects on body weight or disease risk factors from more than 15 human studies lasting 2 weeks to 3 years,” Dr. Stanhope says. Don’t overdo it — there may be a connection between eating aspartame and cancer over time (jury’s still out, says the American Cancer Society). But in the short term, aspartame is certainly better than sugar-sweetened drinks and a better choice to get you off the fructose, Dr. Stanhope adds.
Offices are one of the biggest diet busters thanks to Bagel Fridays and those amazing cookies your cube-mate has a never-ending stash of. “It’s that whole ‘it takes a village’ idea,” Dr. Stanhope says. At 3 p.m. when you’re getting hungry and your resistance is down from a long day, a conference room filled with pastries can be impossible even for the strong-willed to pass up.
“There are lots of ways to have sweetness and carbohydrates in your diet and be healthy,” Dr. Ramsey says. Purple sweet potatoes, for example, are a deliciously sweet carbohydrate and a great swap for sugar-laden potato chips. Make a list of what you crave or snack on most and a healthier option with a similar palette — dark chocolate almonds for chocolate-covered pretzels, plain Greek yogurt with berries for ice cream, kombucha for soda.
As you probably know from scrolling Instagram, simply looking at pictures of sugar sets off an alarm in our brain. And functional MRI data has shown that those who had the most activation in the reward center of their brain when looking at pictures of sugar were also more likely to have gained weight two years later, Dr. Stanhope says. We’re trying to detox both your body and brain from sugar, so don’t even give it the opportunity to light up at a cereal box. Stick to the outer perimeter of the store as much as possible, which is most often where all the fresh food is.
“Focusing on filling up on the right foods — namely quality protein and healthy fats — will prevent your blood sugar from dropping, which will make you want to reach for sugar,” Pasternak says. Nuts, avocados, and hard-boiled eggs all make for a quick, sugar-free blood-sugar stabilizer.
Athletes have more tooth decay, gingivitis (an early indicator of gum disease), and gum inflammation despite high levels of brushing and flossing and regular dentist checkups — all because they consume so many sports drinks and gels which all contain sugar, says research out of Australia. Look at your running gels, protein bars, hydration drinks, and protein powders — all of which are often loaded with added sugars — and try and stick to only natural sweeteners like dates and fruit, Dr. Ramsey advises.
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With anxieties and tensions running high during the coronavirus pandemic, relationship and co-parenting issues might amplify during these trying times.
According to celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, the best way to handle mounting relationship and parenting tensions without having to involve lawyers or the court system is to try and utilize the three Cs: consideration, cooperation and communication.
“Adaptation and flexibility is key during this time,” says Wasser, 51. “A big part of this is the communication. Whenever there’s change, you have a situation where people are having to adapt to that change.”
The Los Angeles-based attorney — whose clients have included Jennifer Garner, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise and Kim Kardashian — says the biggest issue she’s seeing with her clients right now involves custody schedules and figuring out how non-custodial parents can still see their children without risking their safety.
“You really can’t share custody the way you did before [the COVID-19 outbreak],” she says. “We have to figure out how these custody schedules will work, facilitating that time and making it so that the noncustodial parent gets to see and hear from, and at least get a little bit of quality face time, literally, with the kids by Zoom or FaceTime.”
Wasser — who is also the CEO and founder of online divorce platform It’s Over Easy, designed to help couples dissolve their marriages in an accessible and affordable way — says it’s important to remember that although courts are closed, you can still work through or resolve legal issues via retired judges and mediators who are working remotely.
“You can schedule them anytime when your judicial officer’s willing to,” she says. “I had two settlement conferences today. One was via telephone and one was via Zoom. Those retired judges are still working, so we can get ahold of them and if we can schedule a time with them, we can actually have either mediation sessions or actual hearings virtually. The It’s Over Easy platform totally lends itself to that kind of mediation, and that has been really helpful.”
Does Wasser foresee a rise in divorces post-quarantine?
“We’ve had a little bit of a spike [in traffic] on It’s Over Easy, but that may not be because people are quarantined and realize they hate each other, but because they’re at home and actually the time to get to this [filing for divorce],” she says.
Wasser adds that the reports about China’s surge in divorce filings post-quarantine don’t necessarily mean that stay-home orders caused them, or that it will happen in the U.S.
“I read all of the stats about China and I think it’s interesting, but I also think you need to take it with a grain of salt,” she says. “One explanation is because all of those agencies were closed I think for three months, of course there was a spike afterwards. Under normal circumstances people probably would have been going [to file] and couldn’t go for three months. When you close something for three months, and then you open it up, of course there’s a spike.”
Wasser says that despite the fact that she is a divorce lawyer, she doesn’t advise anyone to rush into such a major life decision — especially during a pandemic.
“I would tell people don’t be too hasty just because your spouse is getting on your nerves during quarantine,” she says. “Give it a second when it’s done to figure out whether you really want to be divorced, or you really just are going to enjoy that space you have now. This is your opportunity to be able to say, ‘I gave it everything that I could when we were living under the same roof.'”
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.
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Even while many Americans practice social distancing and self-isolation, it seems like it’s still difficult to completely escape FOMO. Are you peeved about not getting an invite to a virtual happy hour? Is one of your Instagram friends somehow still making you envious amid a global pandemic? Have feelings of loneliness increased for you as a result of self-isolation?
Whatever is causing your FOMO and/or loneliness — no problem is too trivial — we’d like to hear from you and see how you’re coping. Please fill out this form to submit your responses.
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Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Alan Merrill has died in New York at the age of 69 as a result of the coronavirus. Merrill was best known for writing the track “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Merrill originally wrote and recorded the iconic song while he was a member of the band the Arrows, who released the track in 1975. The song would later become a huge hit for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, who topped the charts with the tune in 1982.
Merrill was inspired to write the song as a reaction to the Rolling Stones’ single “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It).” “I’d met Mick Jagger socially a few times, and I knew he was hanging around with Prince Rupert Lowenstein and people like that — jet setters,” Merrill told songfacts.com. “I almost felt like ‘It’s Only Rock and Roll’ was an apology to those jet-set princes and princesses that he was hanging around with — the aristocracy, you know. That was my interpretation as a young man: Okay, I love rock and roll.”
Merrill also played with Rick Derringer and Meatloaf as well as pursuing a solo career.
The musician’s death was announced by his daughter Laura on Facebook.
“The Coronavirus took my father this morning,” she wrote on Sunday. “I was given 2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out. He seemed peaceful and as I left there was still a glimmer of hope that he wouldn’t be a ticker on the right hand side of the CNN/Fox news screen. I walked 50 blocks home still with hope in my heart. The city that I knew was empty. I felt I was the only person here and perhaps in many ways I was. By the time I got in the doors to my apartment I received the news that he was gone.”
Joan Jett has paid tribute to Merrill on Twitter.
“I’ve just learned of the awful news that Alan Merrill has passed,” she wrote. “My thoughts and love go to his family, friends and music community as a whole. I can still remember watching the Arrows on TV in London and being blown away by the song that screamed hit to me. With deep gratitude and sadness, wishing him a safe journey to the other side.”
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.
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Funky printed sweatshirts are always at the top of the loungewear list — but there’s something about a traditional hoodie with no bells and whistles that we just adore. Even though a simple piece may not immediately display your stellar sense of style, the athleisure trend has never been more alive than this moment. So naturally, a staple that you need to own immediately is a classic (and plain) hoodie.
But not all basics are equal — as is evidenced by this hoodie from Zella. The quality of the subtle design elements make it a supremely spectacular garment. Best of all? You can get it for 40% off right now at Nordstrom!
Get the Zella Nola Full Zip Hooded Sweatshirt (originally $79) on sale for just $47, available from Nordstrom!
It’s true: This hoodie is anything but basic. Sure, it’s not the most exciting item at first glance — but when you notice the upgrades in its construction, you’ll appreciate it so much. The best feature? That award goes to the standup collar that’s casually built into this hoodie. Normally, a collar like this can only be found in half-zip sweatshirts — and a lot of hooded options have a flat base around the neck. Luckily, this hoodie gives you the best of both worlds!
In terms of the actual hood on this sweatshirt, it’s also superior to others. We love how voluminous it is, which makes everything feel a whole lot cozier! We want all the comfort that we can get out of our loungewear, and this definitely delivers. We also love the two neutral colors that this hoodie comes in. You can take your pick between a soft off-white shade or a muted heather grey. It would be hard to find someone that doesn’t like either of these humble hues — but we’re personally partial to the grey.
Get the Zella Nola Full Zip Hooded Sweatshirt (originally $79) on sale for just $47, available from Nordstrom!
This hoodie had a zip-front closure, which stretches from the very bottom of the hem all the way to the top of the collar. The sleeves are ribbed with extra wide cuffs, and there’s a drawstring in the hoodie that you can tighten and loosen to your liking. There are two hand slip pockets to keep your paws warm if it’s chilly out, and it’s made from a super soft cotton-blend material. As far as basics are concerned, you’re going to want to have this Zella sweatshirt on deck. Whether you’re sitting at home or running quick errands, this hoodie will help you stand out — even without bold logos and loud prints!
See it: Get the Zella Nola Full Zip Hooded Sweatshirt (originally $79) on sale for just $47, available from Nordstrom!
Not what you’re looking for? Check out more styles from Zella and shop all of the women’s lounge and sleepwear available from Nordstrom here!
Check out more of our picks and deals here!
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It took just two weeks in quarantine for it to happen: I, a semi-fashionable, up-on-the-trends grown woman, bought my first pair of Crocs. For so long, I looked at these shoes and thought there would be absolutely no time in my life that I would feel the need to wear them, especially in public. And then, a global pandemic hit and quarantined everyone into their homes for weeks on end. At home, I craved comfort, brightness, and support. I didn’t know it — but I craved Crocs.
It’s with a new outlook on life that I bring to you my personal tale of how this Croc-hater turned into a Croc-lover (apparently Priyanka Chopra is one). It started out when the brand announced it would be donating up to 10,000 pairs of its shoes to hospital workers every day during this pandemic. I was touched by this gesture and decided to do some social media sleuthing. I hit a downward internet spiral fast, and spent hours down a rabbithole of Croc-lover message forums (mostly just Facebook posts from my nursing friends that revolved around the best shoes to wear while at work). I read about how those in healthcare love the shoes for their dependable quality, constant comfort, and cushioned support. A lone tear rolled down my eye as I realized these characteristics were the things I needed in a shoe (and in a man… the internet does say now’s the best time for online dating).
I went online late that night and, in a few clicks, ordered my first pair of Crocs. They were gaudy, bright orange, and unlike anything I’ve ever purchased. In a word, they were perfect. It’s been a tumultuous time social distancing, and let me tell you, waiting for my Crocs to arrive made me feel like a giddy child on Christmas Eve. Except in this scenario, Santa was my UPS delivery person, and a 24-year-old woman was the sleepless, excited child. Opening my Crocs was an out-of-body experience. I floated to my living room ceiling as I watched my new-and-improved self try on the shoes for the first time. Looking down on me, I felt proud, rejuvenated, and at ease. I can’t confirm this, but I’m pretty sure in that moment Post Malone felt an immense joy in knowing that someone out there loves Crocs as much as him. I hope one day we can reminisce on our journeys together.
Some adults still carry with them their childhood comfort blankets or comfort animals. My comfort blanket is now my Crocs. Walking around in them while home makes me laugh and makes my roommates (I’m quarantining with my mom and step-dad) smile. They bring a lightheartedness to my drab daily routines that I never thought possible.
I wear them when I’m grilling steaks, when I’m working in the home office, and when I’m reading on the couch. When I go for socially distanced walks, I plop those bad boys on and get ready to see some smiling drivers pass by. Crocs are seen as a punchline sometimes, and now more than ever I’m more than happy to be a part of that joke — especially when it makes me smile.
Shop now: $34 (Originally $45); zappos.com
Shop now: $40 (Originally $45); zappos.com
Shop now: $45 (Originally $55); zappos.com
Shop now: $50 (Originally $55); zappos.com
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