Episode 1: Spooky Action at a Distance

Foggy Windows originally came into the world as a slow dance party and conversation series in Miami, inspired by the late night quiet storm radio shows of old. A response to an increasingly desensitized age, its reason for being, weltanschauung and very mojo hinged on one question: “why doesn’t anyone slow dance anymore?” On foggy dance floors and dimly lit stages, we drew closer to each other and sought answers. 

This investigation was set to go national in 2020: a lavish ballroom in New Orleans in conjunction with P5: Prospect New Orleans beckoned, as did an intimate speakeasy in the nation’s capital, a seaside sojourn in Barbados, and of course, more sultry nights in Miami.

And then, a sickness swept the globe.

I am one for the dramatic, a purveyor of language both flowery and operatic, so I might ordinarily use such a turn of phrase to refer to some shitty TikTok lipsync video holding us all in thrall. In this instance however, it was sadly accurate: the COVID-19 virus ground the world to a halt, and in one fell swoop, put Foggy Windows’ steamy plans on ice.

I am writing this on day 68 of my quarantine. I have not touched another human being in that long. From my apartment in the bowels of the city, I stare out at a world sinking into confusion. We are socially distant, longing for a normal that may never return, and wholly uncertain of what each new day will bring.

With slow dancing now potentially lethal, I have been left to wonder: of what use is Foggy Windows anymore? How do we cross these jagged gulfs between us that were already widening before the pandemic due to dating apps that induce decision paralysis, divisive social media and border walls, and nothing less than a sex recession?

The truth is, I don’t have the foggiest fucking clue, and so that’s my new starting point, as dystopian as it may be. Enjoy the show.

-  JFJ

Tracklist

• René and Angela - “You Don’t Have to Cry” 

• Atlantic Starr - “Let’s Get Closer”   

• Heatwave - “Star of a Story”    

• Anquette - “I Will Always Be There For You” 

• Alexander O’Neal - “If You Were Here Tonight” (Chopped and Screwed by Ashal008)

• Case - “Missing You”  

• Aaliyah - “4 Page Letter”    

• Zhane - “Sending My Love (A Capella)”  

• Marvin Gaye - “Distant Lover (Live at Oakland Coliseum, 1974)”  

• Nazz - “Hello, It’s Me”    

• Michael Franks ft. Brenda Russell - “When I Give My Love To You”  

• Babyface - “When Can I See You Again”