[SIC] 318: Patriotic Koala

Vol. 7, No. 8: Hoping weird doesn't win, 5 Questions for Jason Crombie, a little favor to ask and ofc the perennial reason you're here: links galore. Open in a browser for the improved experience.

Oct 24, 2024

The [SIC] digest of developments is published free on Thursdays to 5369 subscribers.

Paying subs also get the [SIC] Day dispatch on M/Tu/W/F & the [SIC] Sundays minidigest. It's $8 a month, or $80 a year.  Many paying supporters expense their subscriptions as research for work in marketing, advertising, entertainment and tech. You can too. Trust me. Hi all,

Hi all,

Try as I might, I have been finding it nearly impossible to get this digest out of my drafts prior to 5pm ET lately - ideally I’d like to have it out to you around 1pm so that you can scan in what [SIC] Talks alum Ryan Broderick calls the ‘post-lunch’ lull, or something like that. Sorry, I guess? Maybe you don’t mind. Hope not.

Anyway, I’m writing this from a doctors office - my daughter’s annual checkup, so I’m short on things to say upfront here. Probably for the best. She’s doing chemistry homework, which makes me feel good; chem was a struggle. Proud of her. Proud of my son too, for registering to vote in North Carolina, where he’s in his first year of college at Elon University. First swing state voter in the family ever, I think. I don’t opine much about politics in [SIC] but suffice it to say it’s on my mind at the moment. The vibes are weird and while I normally think weird wins, I’d rather it doesn’t, this time.

One weird winner I do support is Possessed Magazine editor Jason Crombie, who answered my 5 Questions For him this week with typical elan. Possesed is published by style-forward running brand Satisfy, and for a marketing indicative it does an exemplary job of erasing the imaginary distinction between ‘editorial’ and ‘brand’ IMO; the recent ‘Start Today’ issue, named for a Gorilla Biscuits song, a good proxy. Crumpet and I met when he was a barback-cum-magazine publisher (of the legendary Wooooo Mag) and I’ve always found his interests and tastes germane to my own. He’s also recently written a novel, called Hang Out the Stars in Indiana, a true story about him and a chap named James Aaron Boehmer visiting James Dean's grave in the corn belt (in pursuit of an idea for a television movie). He’s shopping the manuscript now so if you want a peek lmk and I’ll connect you.

Otherwise, standard doings around the [SIC] office this week. Reactions to the new volume / TOC / subject matter has been strong, but new subscription momentum have tailed off a bit in the last couple of week, so if I can ask a favor and appeal to each of you to encourage a smart friend, favorite colleague or beloved family member to check it out, you’ll be doing me a solid. Here’s a button:

Thanks

Robert Harwood-Matthews

and Stella Belt for contributions this week, too. Keep em coming. And special shout out to

Elliot Aronow

for the title, unintentionally evoking both the vote and the great land Crumpet calls home.

Ok, now the links.

Ben

Five Questions For Jason Crombie

What are your favorite sources of daily information? Do they overlap with sources of inspiration for your work?

I wish I could say something else, but I get most of my daily information from Instagram. I follow a bunch of different news accounts so that I get (I hope) a balanced look at what’s happening in the world, and I also follow a load of running-related accounts because that’s my job and my hobby. I also follow accounts that give me information about what cats are doing. I am subscriber to Next Draft, Runner’s Highest, Nick Cave’s silly thing, and my friend Ben Dietz’s thing. I don’t know about overlap, though.

What’s one place that you’ve been recently that’s worth mentioning?

The last time I went somewhere, it was the Pacific Ocean in August, and I swam out to a pod of dolphins, hoping to have a moment with them, but they swam up the beach and ignored me. I’m visiting NYC in November to catch up with friends, which is worth mentioning, I guess? I go back every year or so because I miss people, but then that screws me out of going to new places where I experience new things—like Greece, for example. I’ve been talking about visiting Hydra for ten years, but I keep going back to New York to compare crow’s feet and be saddened by change. Dumb.

It’s an average Thursday afternoon. Where do we find you, and what’s keeping you busy?

You find me at my desk, turning on Slack to see if my boss in France needs anything from me. Or I’m out running. Probably out running. I run a lot. Running is great. You should run, Ben. Stop playing ‘imaginary bicycle race’ with your friend, Erik.

Who do you admire? And what for?

I really admire Orson Welles. It seems like he sucked the marrow out of life and did all that he could to produce art without compromise. I’m reading a book of conversations between him and Peter Bogdanovich right now; it’s called This is Orson Welles. Great read. I also admire Olympic Gold Medallist Cathy Freeman, Frankie Boyle, Donald Sutherland, Joan of Arc, and the Wu-Tang Clan.

What can [SIC] readers help you with?

A new and absolute final girlfriend to ensure my plan for a Dracula-themed funeral goes ahead. Failing that, career guidance for a guy that’s been getting away with writing dick jokes since 2003.

[SIC] 318: Patriotic Koala

Fits and Starts

There’s something off about this year’s “fall vibes” Autumn is being eaten by a deluge of AI slop / Vox
The US economy is doing better than that of any other member of the rich countries club (aka the Group of Seven), the International Monetary Fund said / WSJ
And Arkansas looks to be home to enough lithium to meet the entire world’s demand. Energy companies are swooping in / NYT
While China Faces Deflation as Economy Stutters / YT
Yet Target is cutting prices on more than 2,000 items ahead of the holidays / Quartz
While Kroger and Walmart denied planning to put in effect surge pricing after adopting digital price tags / NYT
PepsiCo is responding to shrinkflation concerns by adding extra chips to bags to address complaints that there’s more air than crisps. / Quartz
Marketing Won't Save You. Your Consumers Will / Zine
Hence? Media Industry to Repeat History. Media execs miscalculated when the internet came. They're doing it again with the creator economy / Back Row
Apropos, then: What makes a good newsletter? A roundtable with five email critics: Katy Waldman, Lily Meyer, Kyle Chayka, Nate Gallant, and Delia Cai / One Thing
Separately, what is it like to work on a mega-yacht? / The Cut
A Psychedelic Trip Into the Human Body Meeson Pae’s work creates safe space to contend with the phenomenon of our biological inner-workings and the opulent worlds they create / Hyperallergic
Open AI’s Sam Altman Is Jumping Into Psychedelics, working to get LSD and MDMA FDA-approved. But who benefits when tech billionaires drive mental health treatments? / Doubleblind
Corollary: How Pharrell’s friends think his brain works / Highsnobiety
A Controversial Rare-Book Dealer Tries to Rewrite His Own Ending / The New Yorker
Ukraine, is attacking Iconic Cultural Mainstay, Sending Drones Into Russia To Blow Up Its Vodka Distilleries / NY Sun
While student union bars closing down in some British universities / Telegraph
Cocaine-related fatalities surge as England and Wales report record drug deaths. Campaigners say falling prices and social acceptability have driven higher use/ FT
How Bars Are Adapting to Gen Z, the homebody generation / Bon Appetit
Soooo…The UK’s National Health Service launched a campaign crowdsourcing ideas about how they can improve their services and, luckily for us, they decided to post everyone’s suggestions on a public archive. Chaos ensued.
Elsewhere: Cheerleading: how the sport became so dangerous and so popular / NYT
And?How did two of the world’s rarest horses get lost? / NYT

TLDR

How the Temu Pig Shirt Took Over the Internet / Fast Company
Related: Halloween has gone full brain rot / User Mag
IE: Fry Cook Trump is quickly becoming a popular Halloween costume idea / Quartz
Even if: McDonald’s clarified that it had nothing to do with arranging Trump’s pretending to work the drive-through / Quartz
Apropos: From camo couture to MAGADonald's: how merch defined the 2024 presidential election / the Drum
Meanwhile in Canada: The $20 Sandwich That Could Topple Trudeau. Consumer rage is real—and it’s shaping the next election / The Walrus
Food-related or otherwise, videos about the race are getting hundreds of millions of views on TikTok. The Election Has Taken Over Tiktok / NYT
In fact, TikTok becomes the new water cooler / Digiday
So… Did That Song Go Viral on TikTok Organically — Or Was It Paid For? As many as "75% of popular songs on TikTok started with a creator marketing campaign," / Billboard
Also, Who is @digital_chadvertising, the ad industry’s self-appointed memelord? / The Drum
Corollary: The man named as Bitcoin’s creator in an HBO documentary has gone into hiding / Quartz
But Does it matter who Satoshi was? / Bloomberg
Cue The Black Keys Crypto Blues / Pulling Weeds
Related: Should We Get Angry When Artists Sell Out? Is it okay to take the money and run? / The Honest Broker
Also, Is running easier than dating? / The New Yorker
On that note: for those who feel that Feeld is for normies now, A Night at ‘Poly Poly Oxen Free’ Brooklyn’s new Polyamourous dating show / Gothamist
Corollary: How Does the Male Gaze Impact Female Friendships? / Byline

Other Conversations

A Q&A with Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis right after he won a Nobel Prize / FT
Maybe God is a curious God. A World Exclusive Spyplane interview with Father John Misty the music king about his great new album, becoming a dad, flambéing his giant chinos & more / BBSP
Corollary: SZA interviewed Kendrick Lamar for the latest Harper’s Bazaar cover / Harper’s Bazaar
While Rolling Stone gathers Bruce Springsteen and Zach Bryan to talk music, life, and America / Rolling Stone
And resale platform Grailed caught up with promoter, activist and community figurehead Susanne Bartsch between parties to talk drag vs costume, the evolution of NYC nightlife since the ‘80s / Grailed
Let’s not forget Lucinda Williams’ Big Interview (Never mind she’s only 5’5”) / Creem
Day One FM was joined by Lauren Sherman, the Chief Fashion Correspondent at Puck who fills us in on her new book, “Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon” / D1a
While Directors Jane Schoenbrun and Donnie Darko creator Richard Kelly’s have a little chat about movies / Interview
And The Talks Talks to Kevin Smith / The Talks
Elsewhere: Matt Healy from The 1975 said that Three 6 Mafia is the most influential band of the last twenty years / Youtube
Also expert piss-taking: interview with Marlene Weisman, graphic designer for Saturday Night Live from 1988–1994 / Print Mag

Style

Jonathan Anderson, who wants to be (already is?) the world’s best fashion designer / T Mag
How Moncler, A$AP Rocky, and Rick Owens Threw the Biggest Fashion Party Ever / Show Notes
Moncler defys China’s new normal and wants to ‘build the strongest brand ever’. Hot off investment from LVMH, Remo Ruffini explains / FT
Corollary: Hermès defies luxury gloom with strong sales. Paris house posts solid growth in contrast to rivals Kering and LVMH / FT
Related: Luxury can learn from Vans' Qinghai project / Jing Daily
The Next Wave of Japanese Menswear Is Here—These Are the Brands to Know / GQ
While you’re at it, take Rest of World’s fashion quiz to see how well you know the global fashion business / restofworld
Arc’teryx became an unexpected fashion icon/ Vogue Business
Maximalism roars back: Gen Z’s take. Zoomers are finding joy through ‘chaotic customization.’ / Jing Daily
Hence? Why Are We All Doing In-Person Closet Sales? / Neverworns
Corollary; A huge sale of Original Power Rangers props / Heritage Auctions
Because? Gen X are the biggest spenders on art as 'speculative' millennials drop back, latest UBS/Art Basel survey finds / The Art Newspaper
While contemporary art seems to be fascinated with female hands, including severed ones / NYT
And a Painting by AI robot Ai-Da could bring more than $120,000 at Sotheby’s / The Art Newspaper

Screen Time

Foursquare is shutting down their city guide app and website / Foursquare
And Threads and Instagram banned accounts that tracked celebrity jets / Quartz
In LA, marketers can’t escape the influence of Hollywood – but they don’t want to / The Drum
But Is Hollywood Ready for 2,000 New Competitors? There are no barriers entry anymore—so everybody wants to build a media empire / The Honest Broker
The new Claude can run and direct your computer for you (It's happening.) / Twitter
IE: When you give a Claude a mouse. Some quick impressions of an actual agent / One Useful Thing
AI, avatars and (the) simulation: What’s next in video tech / Lowpass
Explore key insights and opportunities in dentsu's 2024 State of Gaming report / Linkedin
The NBA is helping basketball creators make longer YouTube videos / Digiday
Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain, will release its own entertainment app / CNBC
And TikTok is connecting creators with manufacturers to make products to be sold on TikTok Shop / Business Insider
But can the blockchain solve furniture’s dupe problem? / JIng Daily
Humane bets others need its AIOS / Crazy Stupid Tech
People Shop on Google a Billion Times a Day. AI Is Changing the Experience/ Fast Company
Bring it back Tok: They’re Huge on Tiktok. Is that enought to make it as a DJ?/ Rolling Stone
Diddy is facing federal sex trafficking charges, and many radio stations have stopped playing his work. But his streaming numbers are growing / NYT

The Marketplace

“I want to be the Robin Hood of the music business.” EMPIRE Music’s Ghazi says they’re never for sale / Trapital
Amazon is launching a new grocery concept to sell all the unhealthy food it can’t stock at Whole Foods /
A crop of startups are trying out-of-the-box packaging to stand out in a sea of products on store shelves, embracing what [SIC] homie and venture capital consultant Michael Miraflor dubs “chaos packaging.” / WSJ
“Chaos packaging’s” cousin is absurd humor in marketing campaigns. / The Future Party
Did we forget the purpose of brand purpose? Brand purpose or bandwagon purpose? / The Drum
Open season for new magazines: ‘AFM’, a new title on sex and relationships published by dating app Feeld. Plus: ‘Open Tennis’, a new publication by David Shaftel / Monocle Pod
Hence: Ice Studios, in collaboration with Something Special Studios, got WeTransfer to pay for a sexy new magazine, aptly titled ‘ICE’. The magazine takes major cues from vintage mags from the 80s
Hallmark Is So Hot Right Now. The studio behind dozens of romantic and holiday films a year, is ramping up its output and experimenting with new forms of entertainment / Variety
Thinking about Nike's future with AI / The Kicks You Wear
Spotify is piloting an ad exchange, or a supply-side platform (SSP), to help scale its automated ad offerings to help compete against bigger platforms like Meta and Google for ad dollars from small and medium-sized businesses/ Axios
KidSuper Kickstarts "KidSuper Records" / Hypebeast

Sustenance

We Need More Food at Raves. A conversation with party chef extraordinaire Stasia de Tilly and a recipe.” / Dessert After Dark
Because? I experienced “eusexua” for myself at FKA twigs’ exclusive Brooklyn rave / The Fader
The Treats of Versailles Catering the sex party / Cake Zine
Also sweet? Menopause Is a Pretty Damn Fine Stage of Life. The joy of aging like a “space crone” / Walrus
How Sweden’s fastest-growing city is boosting its once-dwindling population / Monocle
Corollary: Tompkins Square Dog Parade Falls Victim to Its Popularity / Hyperallergic
Also popular: Anthony Bourdain's French Fries Recipe. How Tony made frites at Les Halles / The Melt
Scientists are on a quest to save the “king” of Japanese rice from rising temperatures / NYT
Are organic foods really more nutritious? / NYT
The Unexpected Pleasures of a Dirty Soda. Fountain drinks spiked with syrups, creamers, and fruit purées became a sensation among Mormon mothers in Utah. Now they’re finding fans across America/ The New Yorker
Also unexpected: Flamingo Estate will sell honey made with bees from Ed Ruscha’s property/ Flamingo Estate
More in line: Fishwife launched a caviar / Fishwife

Friends Section

Coggins Interviews Williams Meet [SIC] Talks Alum Michael Williams / ACL News
While [SIC] Talks alum Eugene Rabkind goes in on how to build an alternative fashion network for Dust Mag / IG
‘I Think I’m Here.’ OG [SIC} nightclubbing buddy Nancy Whang Reflects On the New Doco (about her) / Monster Children

Getting Rec’d

The Magnum Square Print Sale is back with Eden / Magnum
Patrick O’Dell On The Release Of New Epicly Later’d Book. / Monster Children
The exhibition “DEAR BERLIN” celebrates the 15th anniversary of CIVILIST––a cornerstone of Berlin’s skateboarding culture / 032C
Newsstand Junkies: Photography, Fashion, and Magazine Culture in 1990s New York / Amant

Wisdom of the Crowds

From Robert Harwood-Matthews:

“My favorite spooky NY story…”{The General Slocum Disaster, Hell Gate, New York City]/ Buried Secrets

From Tyler McCauley:

“Adding it to my link roundup but this is extremely sic weekly imo. The end post-vibes brand hypotheses are really fun in particular [BRAND AFTER VIBES]/ Nemesis

From PIers Fawkes:

“Newsletter fodder - We've seen synthetic customers before but not trends researchers. [Meet the Future of Our Trend Reports: Dang’s AI Anthropologists are here!] / YT
Kidulthood is a city built for Grawnups Signs of perpetual adolescence in Las Vegas / Linkedin

From Stella Belt:

“It’s a little different than what you typically share, but it’s such a special, important piece on New York’s past and future that I figured I’d send anyway. Emily Raboteau’s ode to Tibbetts Brook—an invisible Bronx waterway, whose historic pathway lies beneath the clattering 1 train, check cashing stores, pawn shops, puddles—and the restorative efforts to “daylight” or unbury it.”

From Iolanda Carvalho:

By Rory Sutherland: [Are We Too Impatient to Be Intelligent?] / Behavioral Scientist
'Cos we need a bit of friction... 😉[Exploiting the Zeigarnik effect will make your ads more…memorable] Marketing Week
"The Lyst Index is a quarterly ranking of fashion’s hottest brands and products compiled by Lyst, the world's biggest and most intelligent fashion shopping platform”/ Index
Everything is eating the world, I guess one bite at a time...? [Anime is Eating the World] / A16Z

From Elaine Santiago:

“Don’t be too proud to change your mind when you’re presented with new evidence. Don’t be married to your past views. Apple CEO Tim Cook on How Steve Jobs Recruited Him” / YT

From Celeste Blewitt:

Chanel Dips Oar Into Sport With Oxford Cambridge Boat Race Tie-Up “Looks like Chanel is making moves in sponsorship, does it dilute the brand or make it stronger is my thoughts. Perfect sporting event for a Chanel moment - rowing heritage and beyond.” / FT
Ask Shrimsley: Were The 80s As Much Fun As Jilly Cooper Says? “Tuned into Rivals over the weekend and it's a laugh, Succession-esque in the 80s Cotswolds, less quiet luxury more overt glam. Love this piece on whether the 80s really was like a Jilly Cooper novel. This article highlights so clearly the opposite ends of the spectrum to Rivals, very far removed from champagne and the Concorde, more death and hardships that the 80's brought to the world. Worth a read for comparisons.” / FT
Which Brand Sells Better Menswear: L.L Bean Or Land's End? “Having only visited both these stores virtually in their online shops - the simplicity, yet so many styles for every outdoor activity and lifestyle moment possible. Catalogue shopping for the digital age. “ / WSJ
It's A Sound. It's A Sauce. It's Pil Pil' “Loved reading this not only for the food references, but also the vocab, the casual throwing around of excellent words to use as word of the day, adding a little spice to a conversation while reading about the cooking technique and sauce de jour.” / Grub Street
Meet The Florida Billionaire Who Wants To Be A Newspaper Baron' “Now on first glance, I assumed this would be a Murdoch, Bezos style news media takeover, but there may appear to be a glint of that, with a hint of keeping community newspapers alive. On second reading, it appears differing views, takeover bids and much more are at stake. Watch this space - perhaps this will be Succession V2 but make it local newspapers.” / NYT

[SIC] 318: Patriotic Koala

[SIC] 318: Patriotic Koala

Vol. 7, No. 8: Hoping weird doesn't win, 5 Questions for Jason Crombie, a little favor to ask and ofc the perennial reason you're here: links galore. Open in a browser for the improved experience.

Discussion about this post