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[SIC] 322: Agence Aígu
Volumer 7, Number 12. Five Questions for the Selleb Sisters, a new Culture Club Show ep in place of [SIC] Talks, a zillion links per usual + the sale continues. Open in browser for optimal experience.
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Hi all,
Ten days into having a complete set of titanium hips and I’m feeling pretty normal. Better than, actually, since normal before was arthritic pain with every step. Better for sure. Thanks for the well-wishes to everyone who sent them. See you on the dance floor again soon enough.
Didn’t manage a [SIC] Talks ep this week, but did do a fun supplemental episode of Culture Club Show, my weekly chat with Jeff Carvalho. It’s below.
I also managed to make it out to Breakfast Club in Williamsburg yesterday - great vibes. I’ve said it before here but Breakfast Club - which at this point is happening in 25+ cities around the world is very much an open invitation thing - so if you ever get a hankering to experience [SIC] as an IRL conversation over a morning meal, you’d be welcome to. The Breakfast Clubbing newsletter (sent Mondays) has all the info - and new cities are popping up all the time. People who show up tend to come from media, entertainment, marketing, brand strategy and fashion, to give you a sense - but there’s nothing we like more than a curious outlier. Come hang.
To that end: BC Melbourne co-host (and sometimes BCBK and London attendee), Steph Clarke, is writing a book about friendship and taking submissions about the interesting/ meaningful/ creative rituals and routines that people have with their friends. If you'd like to contribute, here's the page with more information and the links to submit your stories (by 20 December).
Ok? Ok. Here we go.
Five Questions For Chloe and Claire, founders of Selleb.
Selleb is, in the words of Chloe and Claire: “A discovery app where you can see what the internet people are ACTUALLY (operative word) buying. In a world of sponsored content and fake reviews, we are building a community of users committed to authenticity and honesty in product recommendations. How? Every recommendation on our app must be backed by a receipt as proof of purchase. Everyone has to show they have skin in the game to play. Selleb’s mission is to restore trust, accountability, and joy to product discovery. The Selleb app is currently in private beta. You can join the waitlist by signing up for our Selleb Substack.”
What are your favorite sources of daily information? Do they overlap with sources of inspiration for your work?
Chloe: My finsta (following) because it’s a carefully curated collection of all the brands and people who I see as arbiters of what’s hot in food/fashion/culture and beyond... definitely aligns with my work, esp because a big part of my job is sourcing authentically cool accounts on the internet. Going through those IG stories every morning is like taking a multivitamin that keeps me grounded and hopeful about what we are trying to do here at Selleb. I’m also subscribed to a million Substacks (I’ve become a bit of a speed-reader (read: skimmer)), read NYT arts / style sections and WSJ business + off duty.
Claire: The first bookend of my day is often a morning jog accompanied by either Mel Robbins or Lenny Rachitsky (Lenny’s Podcast) talking rabbit-fast (2x folks you know who you are) — one is more overtly personal/self-help, the other business, but don’t the two always collide anyway? My work reflects me so personally that I have a really hard time delineating between inspo for work versus self. The filling of my day consists of Substack snacks which inevitably end up re-routing to noteworthy reads on WSJ, NYT, The Cut, pick-your-poison. Love a good link curator; how else are you going to cut through the noise? The other bookend of my day is a book, naturally, which recently has been a good dose of stoicism via Ryan Holiday before I doze off. Got a whole trilogy to get through, folks! Realizing I sound like a self-help junkie, but maybe that’s because I am… Help!
What’s one place that you’ve been recently that’s worth mentioning?
Chloe: Regal Union Square movie theater in NYC. One of my favorite theaters in the city because their popcorn is ALWAYS fresh (AMC on 34th is the worst for that). But if you BYO-snacks/meals/candy, make sure to hide them well because they sometimes do bag searches lol. Gotta be a pro at stealth. Tons of good movies coming out from here on out (until early Jan), so buckle up.
Claire: Recently spent a weekend in Toronto for the first time as it is my boyfriend’s hometown! Door-to-door from NYC was about 3 hours, which makes it an awesome low-lift place to explore, especially in the fall when the temp is dropping and the leaves are turning. What an underrated city with so much musical history, especially — home to Drake, The Weeknd, Neil Young, and the list goes on. Food scene was also super noteworthy; best hits include Giulietta, Bar Isabel, and don’t miss the view at Writers Room Bar!
It’s an average Thursday afternoon. Where do we find you, and what’s keeping you busy? Don’t just say “work”.
Chloe + Claire: We get into afternoon slumps. 3PM hits hard bc we’re early risers. Living in West Chelsea, we take advantage of 1) the WSH / The High Line and 2) the galleries just a stone’s throw from us. Catch us on a walk between 3 and 4PM. Annie Leibovitz and Lorna Simpson are worth a visit at the Hauser & Wirth on 22nd. Henry Taylor at the Hauser & Wirth on 18th, kurimanzutto on 20th, etcetcetc. Printed Matter and Harper’s Books right around there too.
Who do you admire? And what for?
Chloe: People who have taught us the most and have thus changed our lives + shaped who we are. Thinking about a high school English teacher we both had and was such a force and left a true mark: Dr. Wilkin. He taught us how to think and how to write and how to question. Didn’t much enjoy reading during high school years, but now love reading all because of him. Two years ago, we went to 92Y to listen to one of Dr. Wilkin’s fav writer - Ian McEwan - do a reading of his new book. Of course we had to get him a signed copy <3
Claire: Also a huge fan of Dr. Wilkin but can’t forget Mr. John Palfrey, my American History teacher and stalwart supporter in high school. Writing those 10+ page research papers in his class taught me how to organize my thoughts and articulate them on paper. But more importantly, it taught me the hidden joy in careful reading and questioning the trending headlines or obvious coverage, no matter how intellectually inconvenient. I remember poring over these dense research sources and references, burning the midnight oil in our school’s “silent study” section, where I’d often stumble upon these very dry, cheeky asides or seemingly misplaced informal comments/phrases slipped into texts by even the weightiest of historians, which would unfailingly leave me chuckling. Inspired, I’d mimic this style in my own writing, sneaking in some playful quips or puns or metaphors, and Mr. Palfrey would always catch them, marking the margins with exclamation points or sometimes question marks if my punch lines didn’t land. I felt seen and validated. Erudition is never without some humor so I’m always looking for it when reading something heavy and shoehorning it into my own work on Substack.
What can [SIC] readers help you with?
Chloe + Claire: Would be SIC(K) if your readers could forward us their email purchase confirmations (receipts) to post@selleb.com. All receipts are fair game (ie eBay finds, Amazon hauls, Net-a-Porter orders, Sephora runs, etc…). To find them easily, search “confirmation” or “order” in your inbox and forward them to us. Make sure to forward those with prices clearly marked. These will be featured on our app! Don’t worry — ALL personal information (name, address, credit card info) will be hidden. Only product info with prices!!
[SIC] 322: Agence Aígu
Fits and Starts
In an age of endless entertainment, why is boredom on the rise? Despite constant stimulation from digital platforms, people — especially adolescents — report feeling bored more frequently / The Times
Also: Why do we talk this way? “Virality is a shallow, fleeting, even passive form of success; to become centrally relevant is harder… If you record three-hour-long podcast episodes, as Rogan does … those episodes can be split into many short clips, which can recirculate forever on different platforms”/ The New Yorker
Maybe because? The majority of news influencers are conservative men. This headline is misleading (it’s 28%, but that’s the majority of creators who declare a political), but worth reading into / User Mag
Corollary: How Media Is Failing Young Men / Slate
Meantime: The Women in Male Fields Tiktok Trend is for the girlies who want to outsmart men at their own game / Screenshot
Hence? Freud Is Having a Moment / The Atlantic
And High School Students are entering the arena / American Enterprise Institute
Apropos to that: Why school cell phone bans don’t work (in Canada, anyway)/Maclean’s
Elsewhere in young men: The Hypebeasts Take Las Vegas / NYT
Related: young men are embracing day-trading, sports betting, and crypto, to their peril.Beware the Bro-Economy / The Atlantic
Corollary: Zeihan on The Geopolitics of Gaming / Youtube
Number of older adults who have lost $100,000 or more to fraud and scams has tripled since 2020, FTC finds / CNBC
On the flip side: can Immigration Solve the Chinese Population Problem? / YT
Apropos of problems: The Right to Repair Movement Will Keep On Fixin’ / Wired
Oh also? Bike lanes are not about bikes / Marginal Revolution
TLDR
Rachel Kelly looks at the sharp rise in mental health conditions and the claim that we have started to pathologise “ordinary human unhappiness” / The New Statesman
Is Wokeness One Big Power Grab?Thomas Chatterton Williams | The Atlantic
Some of the most jaw-dropping, and hilarious shenanigans of the Grateful Dead’s adventures / Doubleblind
In contrast: The Dull Men’s Club is a giant Facebook group dedicated to mundane activities / New York Magazine
"Paris [Hilton] is our Mickey Mouse, and we're hopefully the next Disney,”. Nuff said / Axios
What the Internet Age Is Taking Away From Writers. Authors tirelessly self-market online, but I find myself wishing that they still had the option to disappear / Atlantic
Hello, I’m Phoenix. Would You Like Your House Cleaned? Get ready for an army of robots that work—and reason—like us / The Walrus
A failed U.S. border policy has helped spur an employment boom for some buzzy social media brands, including Alo Yoga / NYT
[Wisdom of the Crowds]
From Kate Lee:“I'm flagging a piece we published this week that I thought would be of particular interest to your audience. Sublime founder (and incredibly thoughtful thinker) Sari Azout wrote about how—with AI placing a higher premium on creativity than productivity—digital tools can (and should) be used to enhance our creativity. I hope you get a chance to check it out” / Every
[Corollary to that: Sean Monahan asserts The Reverse Turing test]- Ed / Substack
[SIC] Talks
Listen / Watch: Culture Club Show 11.20.24.
Duct-taped banana sells for $6.2m / Sky News
The 42 Best Band Logos Ever / Creative Bloq
Cited artists: Stephen ESPO Powers, Steve Keene, Ben Frost, Ed Ruscha
Other Conversations
DV-Unit: Conner O’Malley & Danny Scharar on Rap World / Screenslate
Born x Raised: Alex 2Tone interviewed on Throwing Fits / Spotify
Hans Ulrich Obrist on AI, digital art, future collabs. In an exclusive interview, The Serpentine artistic director explores AI, tech partnerships, and art’s future / Jing Daily
William Kentridge sees the Universe in a Pot of Coffee / Hyperallergic
The Monday Media Diet with Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez / WITI
[SIC] Talks alum Matt Klein’s Interview with Douglas Rushkoff: Program or Be Programmed / Zine
Sam Peskin on Questions & Others / That Business of Meanting
Style
What is ‘sexy grotesque’ and what should brands know about it? / Vogue Business
Related? The ugly rule: every room needs something weird to make it pop / WaPO
Also: How Comic Sans became the Crocs of fonts. After 30 years of abuse, Comic Sans is ready for its redemption / Fast Company
Speaking of: Crocs has tapped former Yeezy designer Steven Smith as its new head of creative innovation / Complex
Corollary: Luxury fashion and streetwear brands have turned to older, legendary celebrities to don their new seasonal lines in marketing campaigns… and it’s paying off / Highsnob
While Gen Zers and millennials are surprisingly discovering new brands and businesses the old-fashioned way — by walking around their communities / FastCo
Apropos: Miami Vibe: what’s on this winter / FT
Also in town: Telfar is opening up its first-ever flagship store in NYC /BoF
While Jacquemus signals its global ambitions with new openings in New York and London / Monocle
And upstart technical-apparel brands challenge the dominance of sportswear giants / Monocle
Related: what Makes Uniqlo the anti-fast fashion fast fashion brand / Highsnob
And what You Learn By Sawing $100,000 Worth of Shoes in Half / GQ
A behind-the-scenes look at the former trucking garage converted to hold Eric Wareheim’s growing plant collection and eclectic vintage furniture / Domino
Incarcerated Artists Get a Stage for Artistic Expression. Co-curated by Jeremy Deller and John Costi, No Comment is an exhibition of artworks created in criminal justice settings / Hyperallergic
Mel Brooks Has Ego to Spare / Vanity Fair
China’s drag culture finds its voice. Could the country's proliferating drag scene be going mainstream? / Jing Daily
Artists Unpack the Power of 'Uncanny Cuteness' in Singapore / HypeArt
The best new typefaces of 2024 / Design Bloq
Highsnobiety and Bauhaus-Archiv release collection featuring Marcel Breuer chair / Dezeen
While there’s an AETHER + LEICA Reporter Jacket designed with the specific needs of photographers in mind / aether
Why You Should Go Back to Basics to Find Your Signature Style / The Guardian
All the way back: A Brief History of Underwear in Art / Hyperallergic
Wisdom of the Crowd
From Iolanda Carvalho:Love him! [ Nike’s Tribute To Rafael Nadal: A Legendary Partnership] / Last Word on Sports
Shreking. [Rekindling fan magic; what brands can learn from the Shrek legacy] / Shots
Marketplace everywhere... 😉 [Perplexity’s AI-powered shopping assistant takes aim at Amazon and Google Shopping] / Modern Retail
Screen Time
What does screen time mean? The Conversation
Is it… The Fantasy of Cozy Tech. The coziness trend suggests that the Internet and artificial intelligence can lead us ever inward / The New Yorker
A new studio called Promise Advanced Imagination Inc. bills itself as the first to wholly use generative AI technology to create a slate of movies and shows / Variety
While YouTube Is Testing Music Remixes Made By AI. YouTube is testing a new feature that will let creators use AI to “restyle” licensed songs for their shorts / The Verge
And Influencer shops and agencies are adding content studios to boost production speed, revenue / Digiday
And TikTok is planning to bring short-form series to its app in order to capture the attention of its aging audience / The Information
Meantime there’s The Hollywood AI Database. Dialogue from these movies and TV shows has been used by companies such as Apple and Anthropic to train AI systems / The Atlantic
Related: Comcast officially moved forward with its proposed plan of spinning off the majority of its cable assets into a separate company / Variety
While Bluesky, which just hit 20 million users, is adding roughly a million new ones a day / Hollywood Reporter
Spotify Will Start Paying Video Podcast Hosts Based On How Well Their Videos Perform / TechCrunch
Apple ranks most popular podcasts of 2024 / Apple
Corollary: Nick Quah on why traditional media can’t (and maybe shouldn’t) have its own Joe Rogan / CJR
Saturday Night Live kicked off its slate of corporate partnerships for its 50th anniversary with a surprising Allstate ad / Variety
When SNL was a world class ad agency (for three-legged jeans) / YouTube
Wisdom of the Crowds:
From Ben Pruess: 🤮 Jag now looks like a DTC brand / Top Gear
Corollary: The Jaguar rebrand is already the most divisive of 2024 / Design Bloq
And 'The most controversial rebrand of the year': Understanding the tightrope that legacy brands like Jaguar walk during a rebrand / Digiday
The Marketplace
Big shout to [SIC] homie Jim Mollica and the gang of brand folks who read [SIC]: Bose Acquires Luxury Hi-Fi Audio Brands McIntosh and Sonus faber. The premium audio giant leans further into the hi-fi niche and the broader luxury audio sector / Hypebeast
The 15 social media trends that will shape your 2025 strategy - From “trendjacking” to AI to improved performance measurement, and all wrapped up in a pretty bow / Hubspot
Apropos: Ads might have just hit Perplexity AI. Buyers are totally convinced — yet / Digiday
And The New York Times Introduces New Ad Targeting To Reach Readers Beyond Hard News / AdAge
Meantime, Conservative social media platforms are becoming more popular / NYT
Creatives urge marketers to resist swing toward ‘conservative’ post-election ad messaging / Digiday
Tropicana customers are revolting against the OJ brand after it redesigned its bottles (this isn’t the first time it’s happened) / CNN
While Smirnoff named artist Troye Sivan its first-ever Chief Vibes Officer in a multi-year partnership / Variety
Blackstone is said to be near a deal to buy Jersey Mike’s Subs / WSJ
Barcelona’s creatives are flocking to neighbouring cities where culture is being put front and centre / Monocle
Bollywood and billionaires: Art Mumbai sees ‘very healthy’ sales at expanded second edition / The Art Newspaper
But W Magazine China’s latest issue, intended to honor laborers, sparked debate on Chinese social platforms / Jing Daily
Closer to home: 13 Brand Mascots Heading To The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade / Advertising Week
While Target debuts ‘weirdly hot’ Santa for second holiday advertising push / Retail Dive
Jones partnered with Byline on a limited-edition zine to celebrate their one-year anniversary / IG
Wisdom of the Crowds
From Nick Lewis: “ Interesting little clip from a young ceo with a big job ahead” [Red Lobster CEO breaks down his $70M comeback plan] / Tiktok
Sustenance
Why luxury cheese is being targeted by black market criminals/ “A criminal could hide tonnes away and then pass them slowly, truckle by truckle, into supply chains”/ BBC
José Andrés Hopes to Transform Dining. This Time, at the Airport. The Michelin-starred chef and humanitarian has partnered with Capital One to open a lounge-restaurant hybrid at Ronald Reagan National Airport / NYT
Using salt water for light. 97% of the water on our planet is salt water? A Columbian company is working on a solution that uses salt water to create a sustainable lighting solution for off-grid communities / The Carbon Almanac
UK Judge Sides With Fish Giant in Lawsuit Against Satirical Artist / Hyperallergic
The Real-Life Diet of F1 phenom Lando Norris, who won’t even get near seafood / GQ
Corollary: What Artists Cook Up in Their Kitchens / Hyperallergic
Food Neighbourhoods #411: Dalston, London / Monocle Pod
In the last decade, Malört has gone from being sold exclusively in Illinois to populating bars across 33 states. Some fans worry it is losing its roots / NYT
Lunchables are removed from national school program/ The Guardian
A24 made Movie Chocolate: Milk Chocolate to Eat During Movies / A24
Electroclash OG Peaches recommends Lejlac’s Vulva Soap / Lejlac
Also an acquired taste: Pizza Hut releases tomato wine / Food & Wine
Not to be outdone, Hellman's just made Mayo wine / Linkedin
And McDonald’s is selling half-gallon jugs of McRib Sauce / Quartz
Get in while the getting’s still good, since Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are changing people’s appetite for junk food / NYT
How the junk food industry is fighting back against the rise of Ozempic / NYT Magazine
Wisdom of the Crowds
From Gordon Hull: Might be the best thing to ever happen in a McDonald’s? [Burial “In a McDonalds”] / Spotify
Friends Section
[SIC] homie Gerhard Stochl gets in the last word on The Creators Project and how "ingredient brands" tell their story / Brand New Story
[And [SIC] Talks alum] Sam Valenti IV, Ghostly / Herb Sundays 💭 Thoughts on having a discovery mindset, Dam-Funk, and looking for more things to get lost in / Thought Enthusiast
Getting Rec’d
Oral History Of See Hear — tidbits and throwbacks from the ‘90s East Village zine mecca / Animal New York
This looks fun: Many Japanese salarymen spend their Friday nights playing synthesizers like crazy using game controllers / IG
CC40, an electrifying anthology of the 40 films most frequently chosen by the hundreds of guests who have visited Criterion over the years / Criterion Collection
DIY America #1: Bethlehem PA. First in a series based on Gunk putting “a call out to folks who have understanding/knowledge of the DIY scene in different cities across the US that would be helpful to share for bands booking/ fans finding good music.” I nominate Syracuse next / Gunk
Playlist
Swayzak’s Snowboarding in Argentina (25th Anniversary Edition) propelled this newsletter / Spotify
As did the first four Jesus and Mary Chain albums / Spotify
Wisdom of the Crowd
From Celeste Blewitt:Sweet Revenge: How Nostalgic Desserts Made Their Way Back ONto The Menu. :It's all about nostalgia, I'm a big fan of nostalgic desserts, the iconic Australian Pavlova is always a winner. Loved the discussion on dessert not being there to challenge, but to execute a perfect slice of cake or similar. I couldn't agree more - love a Country Womens Association Cookbook dessert special. Can you tell I've removed sugar from my life - a slice of pavlova would be brilliant right about now.... “/ Town & Country
Luxury's Growth Stutters As 50 Million Consumers Pull Back On Spending. “A fate for luxury we are reading about regularly, with the economic changes, pricing changes and overall luxury experience homogenised, how will luxury brands draw the high-end luxury consumer to continually spend on the new 'It' item. As the article notes, consumer preferences are currently luxury experiences over luxury goods, with the customer noting a homogenised top shelf experience, time for the luxury sector to pivot and innovate” / Vogue Business
Air Freight Groups And Airlines Rush To Increase Flights Out Of China. Given the shipping channel disruptions in the Red Sea, Black Friday Sales, Holiday and Christmas Season all rely on shipping and air freight , this is an excellent reminder of the cost of purchasing products. Links in with your link from Monday on clothing, impending tariffs and what happens next / FT
Amazon Haul Is An Omen. “Amazon Haul is now in competition with Temu, Shein and the rest....vast quantities of stuff, the obsession with more, cheaper and faster becomes a societal shift from what Amazon once was to where it is today. A brilliant reminder to think before buying..... “/ The Atlantic
The Third Act - Bill Nighy “This podcast series is a palate cleanser, it gives insight into those around us in life who are in their third act in life, their wisdom, insight and in the case of this episode with Bill Nighy, his innate style, his love of tailoring and the art of dressing, alongside his expert storytelling. Excellent episode, loved the lilting conversation on life, stage fright and style. There's some excellent episodes in this series - another episode to tune into is Sir Michael Palin.” /The Third Act podcast
Sales Of Hairbrushes Are Soaring. What's At The Root Of It?' “Who knew the hairbrush category is set to reach $8.3bn by 2033! Hairbrush investment is perhaps a status update, iconic heritage brands such as Mason Pearson and more recently The Crown Affair are turning hair brushes and products into the associated luxury item, on the way to being influenced myself as I search Mason Pearson and The Crown Affair.” / FT
[SIC] 322: Agence Aígu
Corollary Sources this week: Perfectly Imperfect /User Mag / Snaxshot / Champion Weekly / The Fox is Black / Public Announcement / Linkedin / Morning Brew / The Future Party/ The Art of Noticing / After School/ 1440 / Quartz / The Material Review / Blazer/ Beats and Bytes / Nieman Lab / As Seen On By Ochuko / Brendan’s Communication Miscellany / Catchdini
Thanks for having us!!