Someday We'll Be Together

There’s no easy way to approach this anniversary. It’s been hard, this winter, not to take note of what was happening around this time a year ago, and it’s impossible not to notice how blissfully unaware most of us were of how drastically our lives were about to change. Remember when we were counting the days of quarantine? There will be much to say on this topic, written by people working harder and more diligently on it than I am, and a large part of me would rather just promise you that spring is on its way, give you something to listen to, something to eat, and call it a day. But something — or rather someone — has been tugging on my heartstrings in particular this week, and he and Diana Ross require our attention.

We’ve only had one confirmed COVID death in Provincetown. It was early, on April 5th 2020, before we had any idea how to treat COVID patients, and it was scary. It felt like an awful harbinger of things to come, like the beginning of a terrible waterfall. His name was John Perrone, and he was a 70 year old retired nurse, who worked part time at Farland, a local corner market. But that’s not how I knew him, I knew him as a WOMR DJ, the brains behind “Night Shift” (Tuesday nights at 9pm), and “the guy who is obsessed with The Supremes.” 

In truth, John was obsessed with everything that ever came out of Motown, but you only had to hear his show once to know that Diana Ross and The Supremes were the real owners of his heart. John played The Supremes so much that it started an inside joke between my husband and I — that this poor man had been trapped in an underground bunker, á la Lost, with only The Supremes to listen to. Now, having emerged into the real world with a radio show, he played the only music he thought existed.

“And now, another piece of music by The Musicians,” the joke begins. 

I have never particularly cared either way about The Supremes beyond the unquestionable fact that they are a national treasure. I’ve had other fish to fry when it comes to Motown obsessions, and they’d always felt a little saccharine to me, Berry Gordy’s maniacal overproduction always manicuring the edges an inch too far. But I loved to hear John talk about them on the radio. His palpable glee at sharing the forty-seventh alternate take of “Come See About Me,” or whatever was infectious. 

It wasn’t until John died and DJ Matty Dread gave him a proper radio memorial that I realized John was making his own extended mixes of many of these tracks, and that that was why his radio show was always so much fun. His obituary led me to his YouTube page, which reveals that his extended mix of “Someday We’ll Be Together” has fourteen million fucking views (this terrible year has also taken Mary Wilson from us, and there are hundreds of tributes to her in the comments). This, my friends, is a very easy way to fall down a rabbit hole.

Once I’d listened to John’s extended mix, something about “Someday We’ll Be Together” got lodged in between my heart and my brain. It found its way onto the playlists I made, it was blasted as loud as I could handle in the car — it felt important, like a message during this awful time that nothing is permanent and someday, we would be eating dinner together, dancing together, just together. I never really knew John, aside from seeing him around town since it’s two miles long and there are two streets, but I miss his voice on Tuesday night drives, and I wish I could tell him what a salve The Musicians have been for me lately. I hope he would think that joke is funny.

A vinyl copy of The Supremes A’ Go-Go found its way into our house last month, and I have become uncommonly obsessed with it. It’s bright, cheerful, filled with covers of songs that you already love and know all the words to, and I can’t stop listening to it. In particular, “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You),” which brings a comforting familiarity along with a beat so fast you cannot escape its charms. It feels like a promise that spring is coming, that joy will return, that we’ll be okay, those of us who have made it this far. 

I wish that when John thought he had the flu last March, we’d known better what to do. I wish he was still here to share his wild joy in the lesser-known corners of the Motown catalog. I suspect he’d be very glad if you listened to The Supremes and felt assured that there would be more joy on the way.

Listen To This Shit: I Have A Recommendation”The Supremes A’ Go-Go” on Apple Music”The Supremes A’ Go-Go” on Spotify

Sue’s Green Soupadapted from the “Pop+Dutch Snackbook, Vol.1”

This kind-of-vichyssoise-but-not-really was the result of my mom’s fortitude and legendary foresight in combining two soup recipes from neighboring pages in one of her then most-used cookbooks. "Oh, and I think I added a little half and half too. Because, of course I did, what don't I add half and half to?"

This soup is perfect for spring because it is equally as good warm as it is cold. You'll find exactly the way you like it best, but my favorite way is chilled, with a dollop of sour cream, a few snipped chives and a cold beer.

2 Tbsp. butter4 cups peeled, diced cucumber2 potatoes, peeled and sliced1 bunch of scallions, sliced2 leeks, thoroughly cleaned and sliced1 bunch of fresh spinach, washed & chopped3 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock works too)½ a lemon, juiced1 cup half and half2 cups buttermilksalt + pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in a heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat.

2. Sauté scallions and leeks in the butter until soft.

3. Add cucumbers, chicken stock, potatoes, salt & pepper, lemon, and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered until potatoes are soft. Add spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes, until wilted but still bright green.

5. Transfer to blender or food processor in batches and puree (I use my immersion blender with great success).

6. Add buttermilk and half and half. Taste for seasoning.

You’re reading “Soup and Despair,” a weekly newsletter by Sarah Flynn and Rebecca Orchant. It’s about food, feelings, and surviving the dark times. If someone forwarded you this email, it’s because they love you and they want you to eat. You can subscribe to it too!