Despite a viral pandemic and approaching the brink of civil war, the last few months weren’t completely miserable. We had plenty of time at home to cozy up to our precious televisions and crawl into the deepest realms of the internet. As a result, we were able to dig out some of our favorite things that distracted us from the rest of the year.

Enjoy these Top Picks for 2020 in the only categories I care about.

SONGS

🥉#3 Sierra Ferrell - Jeremiah

Soulful originals with twangy flair for just the right amount of honky tonk. First spotted busking alongside our friend Shine Delphi on the streets of New Orleans, YouTube’s retargeting algorithms were quick to bring her to our attention. Thanks robots!

🥈#2 Los Bitchos - Great Start

I didn’t know how much I liked psychedelic surf cumbia, or that it even existed, until London’s Los Bitchos showed up. Every song I’ve heard has been fun to listen to, not to mention all the lyrics have been very easy to remember. Unfortunately, they’ve already los-t a bitcho so all I can do is hope their great start is able to continue into 2021.

🏆#1 Amyl & The Sniffers - Control

Somewhere between a band and a shotgun going off by your head, Amyl & The Sniffers are taking off from Down Under. What a tragic loss for live music this year. The mulleted Amy Taylor is a legend in the making and her crew is consistently cranking out head bangers. Without question, Australia is making some of the best punk and garage-rock at the moment and maybe ever. This is the head of the pack. Other songs like GFY, I’m Not a Loser, and Starfire 500 all strike me like instant trash thrash classics.

Honorable Mention: Idles - WAR

Of all of the bands I’ve been tuned into this year, Idles might have been my favorite. Their albums Brutalism and Joy as an Act of Resistance both have songs I’d consider some of my all-time favorites. Chaotic, brain-rattling music that dips into performance art. Kind of like a noisy puzzle your brain can better decipher with every listen. Unfortunately, their 2020 offering was my least favorite in their catalog. Still some good ones in there, though. WA-CHIIING!

COMEDIANS

🥉#3 Sam Morril

One of the best joke writers in New York, Sam Morril paved the way for free YouTube comedy specials this year. In fact, he’s done two. His first special is now tracking at almost 5 million views. It's high-caliber standup with a cool, clean drive that delivers on every punchline. His second attempt is equally worth watching and is especially interesting since it consists entirely of rooftop quarantine sets. The man is unstoppable.

🥈#2 Mark Normand

One of the other best joke writers in New York, Mark Normand shot and produced this special entirely on his own dime in hopes a network would purchase it. They didn’t. Instead, he threw it up for free on YouTube and has since made his money back and then some. Impossibly clever jokes at a relentless pace. He dishes out more gold in five minutes than some comedians can in a half hour. His podcast Tuesdays With Stories, which he does alongside the equally-hilarious Joe List, is also a weekly delight. Comedy!

🏆#1 Tim Dillon

Content is king and this heavyweight psychopath sold him the castle. It took an apocalypse for Tim Dillon to get the recognition he deserves and I can’t think of anything more on-brand. Between his podcast and frequent comedy sketches, the man has helped chart the insanity of this year better than anyone else on the planet.

Honorable Mention: Shane Gillis

The young bull, despite getting the boot from SNL last September, has been on a comedy warpath ever since. How great is our god? I’d tell you more about Shane’s secret podcast with interdimensional autist Matt McCusker if it wasn’t so damn secret.

SHOWS

🥉#3 Love After Lockup

The epitome of trash television with an unreal spectrum of characters and unbelievable twists at every turn. Enjoy the shock of horrifying real-life scenarios and the sobering realization that your life actually isn’t so bad. The love stories of Shawn + Destinie and Kristianna + John were particularly fun to follow.

🥈#2 One Bite

Barstool Sports’ El Presidente Dave Portnoy created this crispy-crusted gem a few years ago, but daily uploads during quarantine have helped fill the travel void while stuck in suburbia. The slice of life presentation is the actual star of the show – the less the video is about the pizza, the better.

🏆#1 The Midnight Gospel

From the infinite mind of Duncan Trussell comes a series of beautiful and interesting conversations matched with outlandish animation by Pendleton Ward. Topics range from woo-woo theories to stories so powerful they’ll crack your heart open. It’s worth wrapping your head around because there’s never been anything like it.

Honorable Mention: How To with John Wilson

A real-life look at the wildlife of NYC hosted by none other than John Wilson. Produced by the infallible Nathan Fielder, this probably would have made the list if I had gotten around to watching it.

FIGHTS

🥉#3 Justin Gaethje x Tony Ferguson

The UFC’s first major event back after less than a three month hiatus mid-pandemic did not disappoint. Fireworks were on display for the entirety of the main card, but this lightweight clash was the powder keg on top. We saw the best performance of Gaethje’s career against an opponent that hadn’t been bested in almost seven years. Pure displays of heart and violence on both sides. Both fighters had moments, but hearing the impact of Justin’s best punches in an otherwise silent arena was harrowing.

🥈#2 Tyson Fury x Deontay Wilder 2

The UFC dominated the combat sports world during the pandemic, and bless them for it, but boxing was able to sneak this one in earlier in the year. Wilder was escorted to the ring wearing a custom suit of glittery armor, complete with glowing red eyes. Fury was delivered as a crowned king on a golden throne, carried by four women. It was a spectacle from start to finish and the only way to follow up their split-decision draw in the 2018 Fight of the Year contender. This outing wasn’t as competitive as the first run, but it was fun while it lasted. Fury, at 6’9” 270+lbs, is surprisingly technical and light on his feet. He’s also a fantastic singer.

🏆#1 Weili Zhang x Joanna Jędrzejczyk

Both of these strawweight women put on one of the best fights of all time and were pushed to the absolute limit in this twenty-five minute war. Zhang had to be carried to her stool by her corner at one point, despite ultimately taking the split decision. By the end of the fight, Joanna had started to develop what appeared to be a second head due to the unbelievable amount of swelling over her brow. I’ve never seen so much damage done by two 115-pound fighters, male or female. We were delivered a classic, spontaneously-crafted display of violence from two top-tier martial artists that completely transformed themselves and their audience. An easy shoe-in for Fight of the Year.

Honorable Mention: Dominic Reyes x Jon Jones

This would have been an incredible triumph if the judges were also paying attention. We were so close to getting that division-stifling cheat out of the sport, but fortunately he did it himself in August.

GAMES

🥉#3 Noita

Lovingly built by a tiny Finish studio, this rogue-like dungeon diver uses a dynamic environment as its main weapon. Every pixel is physically simulated and reacts accordingly, whether it’s sand, fire, water, gas, or flummoxium. It’s a joy crushing your enemies in spectacular ways. Bonus points for being something you can play for anywhere between five minutes and five hours with no expectation other than having fun.

🥈#2 Wasteland 3

Wasteland has been a strong spiritual successor to the original Fallout series and this latest release was their crowning moment. A true-to-form tactical turn-based RPG with tons of squad customization. They created a quirky post-apocalyptic world that adapts to your decisions, made complete with great writing and interesting side quests. Every aspect, from exploration to conversation to combat, is handled expertly and is chock-full of creativity.

🏆#1 Half Life: Alyx

Best game (experience?) of the year and it wasn’t even close. A new benchmark for virtual reality, complete with intuitive mechanics and immersive design. VR has been cemented as either the future of gaming or something even more incredible in the world of entertainment. Valve set the bar with Half Life in 1998, again in 2004 with Half Life 2, and here they are again in 2020 charting a course in an entirely new dimension that probably won’t be touched for another few years.

Honorable Mention: The Last of Us Part 2

A cinematic masterpiece with an overly grim storyline about the horrors of violence and losing your humanity. Well then maybe don’t make the violence part so much fun to play. Meanwhile, the cutscenes were too dark for their own good.

THINGS

🥉#3 Fight Island

A genius marketing ploy by the UFC that stirred up memories of Bloodsport and Mortal Kombat. Once again this company pioneers how to operate, in the face of a global disaster no less. They killed it with merchandising and were the first official sport up-and-running during the pandemic, hosting events almost weekly since May and debuting Fight Island in June.

🥈#2 Canned Water

Our discovery of canned water, strictly in 24oz tallboys, was wonderful. It’s so much easier to drink and there’s nothing like crushing cans. Why was plastic ever an option? We’re drinking everything else out of cans. Special shout out to Liquid Death and Ugly for leading the charge.

🏆#1 Exercise

If there was ever a time to be a physically and mentally healthier person, this is it.

Honorable Mention: Twitter

A never-ending feed full of absolutely hilarious moments, instantly. It’s like being plugged into the heart of current events. Sure, the majority of the website is hideously toxic, but it’s also a goldmine if you know where to look. There’s no better way to stay present with anything and everything that’s happening in the world.