[SIC] 336: Typically Trangent

Vol. 7, No. 26. [SIC] Talks with Daniel Giacopelli. A shout out from the GOAT(ed). An extended riff on art with friends. An invitation to Pods & Sletters at Brands & Culture. And liiiiiiiinks.

Mar 06, 2025

[SIC] Weekly is a digest of developments intended to be read linearly; consume it as you would a bulleted list. Feel no compunction to open every item in a new tab. 

This specific digest was sent free on 3/6/25 to 7090 subscribers. The original source is cited with each item. Corollary sources are listed at the end of each digest.

[SIC] is made possible by its paid subscribers. 

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Special thanks this week to Matt @The Technorati, Piers Fawkes, Gordon Hull, Randy Irwin, Isaac Dietz, Leann Abad and Celeste Blewitt for suggested links and commentary. 

Comments, Questions and Contributions are invited from everyone.

Hi all.

On Sunday night I was shutting things down when a flurry of new subscribers started flowing in, which was curious. Not the new sub alerts (I get an email for every new sub, every upgrade to paid, every unsubscribe), but the timing - Sunday night is usually pretty dead.

The reason soon revealed itself - [SIC] had gotten a shout out in W. David Marx’s “On Writing a History of the 21st Century.” in his Culture: An Owner’s Manual dispatch. To wit:

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“Ben Dietz's incredibly good newsletter [sic] that rounds up the best cultural reporting/criticism of the week. There are so many links in each issue, because there is so much good cultural criticism right now. Every issue is both enlightening and makes me feel total despair because I can't get through it all."

Like I posted on Monday: It's no exaggeration to say David is one of my favorite culture thinkers, and that his books "Ametora" and "Culture and Status" are tentpoles for me - so to get a mention really made my night. Especially in the context: David's new book is a cultural history of the first 25 years of the 21st Century, coming in November. David and I talked a little on background when he was just getting started on it - and I’m stoked to be a part of it in some small way. And praise like his brings people.

So- new folks, welcome. Hope to keep you from despairing. Corollary to that: former colleague Tyler McCauley’s post you should buy your friends' art this week in his music newsletter The Unskippables.

It reminded me to point you to a bunch of my friends in the Halsey McKay Gallery’s Paper Room Show in Greenpoint, which opened Saturday, including work from a bunch of buddies and artists whose work I’ve admired, among them Andrew Kuo, Hisham Baroocha, Glen Baldridge, Joseph Hart, Hilary Pecis, Andrew Schoultz, Al Freeman, Henry Glavin, Timothy Marvel Hull, David Kennedy Cutler, Layo Bright and my neighbor Amy Marino Lyons.

There are over 100 pieces in the show at all kinds of pricepoints and it’s a really fun room to hang out in, if you’re ever over this way. All the photos herein are from my visit on Saturday afternoon (and were intended for reference, so apologies to Ryan and the artists for bad snaps).

LMK what you like in the comments; I’ll give you my POV too. Maybe we start a chat thread?

[SIC] Talks #97: Daniel Giacopelli

Speaking of folks I admire - Daniel (Danny) Giacopelli is a writer and publisher whose work I’ve followed for a while - first via his Desire Paths newsletter. DP has been quiet lately but it popped up on Monday with an update - Danny as launching For Starters, a new publication aimed at and documenting ‘starter’ culture (entrepreneurs, small business, niche industries). I resemble that remark, as a saying goes, so we got onto the videophone and talked yesterday about, among other things:

We tested 50 Lime bikes for safety in central London [asking] an experienced bicycle mechanic to test each one to make sure it was safe to ride. His conclusion: 12% of the e-bikes we rented should be removed from the streets immediately / London Centric
The dark Scottish isle where starlight reigns supreme / NYT
Todd Snyder Brought Slim Suits to the Masses. Now He Wants to Blow Them Up / GQ
The Hardest Working Font In Manhattan — deep dive on the freaky keys and engraved quirks of GORTON / Aresluna
Want to tell better stories? The answer is not story telling, but story finding / The Communications Network

It’s a great chat and Danny’s someone to watch with For Starters. LMK what you think, please.

OK last thing before the links:

I teased it last time but here’s the full deal - I organized and am moderating a panel on April 2 in NYC at the inaugural US edition of the Brands & Culture conference. Here’s the abstract:

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PODS AND SLETTERS: THE NEXT CONDÉ NAST IS ALREADY IN YOUR INBOX.

While much has been made of the sudden death of ZIRP-era digital media and the long slow decline of legacy publishing, green shoots are emerging. Look no further than your feeds for proof: not only will the future's vital media companies come from independent sole proprietors, but that there are already a handful of likely candidates operating successfully - with room to grow - on their own terms. Featuring rising stars of this new ‘superformat’-driven ecosystem, this 'Pods and Sletters' conversation will cast a gimlet eye on what’s working, what’s new and what’s next for the moguls of the coming era. 

Chris Black - Co-Host, How Long Gone and columnist, GQ.com

Daisy Alioto - CEO, Dirt Media

Casey Lewis - Gen Z expert and publisher, After School

Erica Chen - Head of Strategy, North America, Media Futures Group

Come for me, Chris, Daisy, Casey and Erica - stay for a gang of other smart, accomplished folks include two-time [SIC] Talks alum Ana Andjelic of The Sociology of Business, another proof point of the panel’s thesis.

Day Long Passes are here - expense one for yourself of save on multiple tix. Oh, and since you’re coming for me, employ the code ‘Ben25’ at checkout for a 25% discount. See you there!

Ok now the links:

[SIC] 336: Typically Trangent

Art: Kadar Brock

Macros-nesia

The World Was Flat. Now It's Flattened. The state of the culture, 2025 / The Honest Broker
IE: Even Our Sex Scandals Are Sexless / Many Such Cases
Because?! from Matt, its: Musk In Your Computers: Paul Krugman Interviews Nathan Tankus/ Crises Notes
Yet… How well is DOGE polling? Prettyyyyy..prettyyyy…… good/ Politico
Ergo: The Rise of the Brutal American / The Atlantic
Especially bad b/c: Recent economic numbers point to a slowing labor market and continued stickiness in inflation. New tariffs won’t help / Quartz
So… IS ‘DARK WOKE’ THE ANSWER TO TRUMPISM—OR JUST LIBERAL CRINGE? “Dark woke” is the newest evolution of the dirtbag left / GQ
Corollary to that: The Nicest Swamp on the Internet. Reddit’s not perfect, but it may be the best platform on a junky web / The Atlantic
Signs maybe that We Really Are Entering a New Age of Romanticism. An update on the war against algorithms and technocratic manipulation / The Honest Broker
Not romantic, tho: China’s latest lifestyle trend? Divorce photography / JIng Daily
And Divorce Books Are Everywhere Right Now / Globe & Mail
Related: Publishers are turning fewer hardcover books into paperback versions / WSJ
Corollary: Tyler Cowen video interview on How AI is changing and will change the world of writing / Marginal Revolution
To that end: It’s about Aura, not Content / 032C
hence: Emo Enters Its Reunion-Tour Era / Pulling Weeds
And Haim announced their new single via a meme / Vulture
Related: There is meta in John Malkovich’s madness / The FACE
Also: Young people on what would make them happy In 2024, a report found that Gen Z is the unhappiest generation. From the nine-to-five work structure to a lack of free time and community, young people have been vocal about what they’re dissatisfied with – but what would fix it? / Dazed Digital
So, like: Would You Rather Be a Forgotten Success or an Immortal Failure?. The (fictional) Salieri vs. Mozart dilemma / Salieri Redemption
Now pick which will be which in this list of 100 Ideas in Consumer Electronics: projects and concepts that are shaping the future form of gadgets /PSFK
Meantime, Not a Coder? Try “Vibe Coding” . How non-progger Kevin Roose been using AI to create software tools / nyt
Related: Efficiency vs. effectiveness: What happens when design ditches big tech? / Its Nice That
Bad design indeed: How the British Broke Their Own Economy. With the best intentions, the United Kingdom engineered a housing and energy shortage / The Atlantic
Apropos of that, from Celeste: “Australians lose $31.5 billion per year on gambling, such a big number, while the Federal Government spends $28.3 billion on the aged care sector.” [Australians Lose More Money To Gambling In A Year Than The Government Spends On Aged Care] / The Guardian

Art: Claire Oswalt

Platformations

Social Media Fails Many Users. Experts Have an Idea to Fix It / Time
The future of the internet is likely smaller communities, with a focus on curated experiences / The Verge
Ergo?! Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian teams with Kevin Rose to resurrect Digg / Digiday
Oh and also: Ohanian has joined Frank McCourt’s bid for TikTok’s US operations / Reuters
And…. he wants to put it on chain…. 🤦‍♂️ / Twitter
Related, from Ed Cotton: “Perfect Timing” [Former Meta official’s ‘explosive’ memoir about the social media giant to be published next week] / AP News
Elsewhere, from Piers: “Where to visit for 7 days every 4 years?” [FiveThirtyEight is shutting down completely] / Flowing Data
While Beehiiv AND Stocktwits partner so that every Financial Writer can Supercharge Their Distribution / Howard Lindzon
And, per Substack: How creators are bringing their paid subscription audiences to Substack / Substack

Art: Kevin Reinhardt

Marketeering

Why Omnicom’s John Wren won’t be ordering staff back five days a week / The Drum
Because? The holdco era is over. The operating company age is here — for real this time. If all this sounds familiar it’s because agency CEOs have been preaching the gospel of operating models for years / Digiday
Hence: WPP and Stagwell offer a tale of two outlooks. WPP and Stagwell painted considerably different portraits of the future in the guidance they offered for the rest of 2025 / Digiday
Brands are starting to secure usernames on Substack. So far, Rachel Karten has spotted Glossier, Warby Parker, and Brandy Melville / Link in Bio
Of all the things they could be doing right now, Victoria’s Secret has decided to launch digital product passports. / Victoria’s Secret
From Gordon: here's an interesting link for SIC https://edglrd.com/jobs / Edglrd
New York’s ‘New Retail’? Printemps’s US arrival pulls out all the stops / Vogue Business
From Piers: Merch mayhem [Store where you pay to shoplift returns to Tokyo] / Sora News
Target is adding 600 new food and beverage items to its private label brand, Good & Gather, introducing 2,000 new beauty products / Quartz
Target’s DEI retreat has sparked a 40-day boycott / Quartz
From Piers: [Phillips] as the company goes mid-century to celebrate 100 years, Wallpaper mag wonders why it didn't hit up its 80s design aesthetic - / Wallpaper
S/o [SIC] homie Michael Leon: Patagonia made an in-house font / Linkedin
Extremely my shit, from Randy: Beams to Launch North American online shop / Twitter
While On launches Elmo-themed pop-up in Shanghai / Jing Daily
How the World's Most Advanced Trail Running Shoe Was Made / Hypebeast
From Piers: “IP extensions... there's something a little barmy about a British welly brand doing Taiwanese airline kit/merch” [FORMIA facilitates EVA Air collaboration with outdoor brand Hunter for Premium Economy amenity kits] / Future Travel Experience
Also questionable: What’s the Difference Between a Pair of $30 Jeans and $300 Jeans? / The Strategist

AI In The Sky

From Piers: “The great leveler” [Researchers surprised to find less-educated areas adopting AI writing tools faster] / Ars Technica
From Leann: “Good one for the thursday [SIC]” [Rise of the Tiktok Oracle] / Thinking Out Loud
Ergo: AI’s New Political Aesthetic: Slopaganda / Understanding Tiktok
Apropos of that: The L.A. Times adds AI-generated counterpoints to its opinion pieces and guess what, there are problems / Nieman Lab
While Pinterest is being strangled by AI slop / Futurism
But!? By ‘giving space’ to generative AI, Hollywood director Bennett Miller is creating mysterious and surreal images / The Art Newspaper
And.. "Any kid now has tools to make Academy Award-winning films" – Flow wins best animation Oscar / Creative Bloq
To wit: 10 Favorite AI Video Platforms for Creative Agencies and How They’re Using Them / AdAge
So Is the Outrage Over Christie’s A.I. Auction Overblown? Artists in the Sale Weigh In / Artnet
Possibly: Christie’s All-A.I. Sale Surpasses Expectations With a Haul of More Than $700,000 / Artnet

Ryan Wallace from Halsey McKay and my buddy Liz.

Individuals of Note

The Talks Talks to Sean Baker / The Talks
The Oscars Loved Anora. Did Sex Workers? / Reason
Meanhile, the Brutalist’s Brady Corbet got into the Criterion Closet / YT
A pair of [SIC} Talks alums in the press: The Monday Media Diet with Matt Klein / Why Is This Interesting
And The Pleasure Lists Q&A: Writer Ochuko Akpovbovbo / The Pleasure List
More [SIC] homies: Bobby Hundreds is stepping down as Creative Director of The Hundreds / Hypebeast
And from Isaac: Sucklord goes to the print shop / IG
Your Favorite Fashion Editor’s Favorite Fashion Designer / Show Notes
More favorite favorites from Celeste: Gene Hackman's Movie Clothes Never Felt Like A Costume / GQ
From Ed: The king of vinyl: Chad at acoustic sounds / NYT
The Future of 007 Edition On evolution, backstories, and the future of conflict / Why is This Interesting
Unrelated: Snoop Dogg announced that he’s moving his entire music catalog off Spotify and exclusively onto the Web3 streaming platform, Tune.FM / Billboard

Art: Johannes van der Beek

Art / Class

Can Crime Be a Luxury Product? Per artist Pouria Khojasthepay:“It’s really a story about greed, paranoia, and self-destruction, but because it looks stylish, people admire it.” / 032C
Do those count as Productive misunderstandings? [Sean Monahan’s] essay from MSCHF's new book "Made by MSCHF" / 8Ball
More Qs: Have the creative industries really got nicer? The creative sector used to have a reputation for long hours, toxic hierarchies, and unpaid internships. Have things changed? / Creative Bloq
Maybe not, judging be this reviewer: Anne Imhof’s Armory Performance Is a Bad Balenciaga Ad / Hyperallergic
But the Ecological Turn in Art Is Here to Stay. In 2018, art institutions began exhibiting shows on ecology and climate change / Hyperallergic
Also durable: from NFTs to viral memes, Swedish label Avavav is disrupting the luxury fashion scene by turning the shock factor into sales / Jing Daily
Not sticking around tho: From Leann: “just saw this post, don’t know how credible the source is obviously but an interesting data point nonetheless” [Artsy is going under] / Substack
In contrast: The V&A’s Mughal exhibition traces the emergence of a ‘new art’ / The Art Newspaper
And a Donatello Masterpiece Identified After Decades in Storage / Artnet
Also recently recognized: Erté was the art deco pioneer who had "neither equal nor rival.” The Russian-French artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff – better known as Erté – who became credited as "the father of art deco" / Dezeen
Corollary Q, from Celeste: What Role Does Nostalgia Play In Collecting? / Sotheby's
Also nostalgic: Black models, foreign films, queer culture – how the Face shaped me as a young man / The Guardian
More young men: The unbreakable bond between anime and the NBA / GQ
Liu Jiakun wins 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Chinese architect named the winner for his buildings that "celebrate the everyday lives of people" / Dezeen
The art of making jewelry with Good Art / Street Night Live
The Hyperallergic Art Crossword: March 2025 / Hyperallergic

Art: Timothy Marvel Hull

Work / Clothes

Peter Zeihan on Educating the Workers of Tomorrow: Technical Spanish for modern industry as China (the workshop of the world) breaks. And skilled blue collar trades to rebuild domestic industrial plant / YouTube
Sino-corollary: Four Chinese tastemakers spotlight the designs from Milan Fashion Week that will resonate with consumers and dominate social media in the coming season / Jing Daily
Closer to home: The Mill That Saved U.S. Selvedge Denim Is Now Up for Auction. As Vidalia Mills, the last standing selvedge denim mill in the U.S., is now up for auction due to ongoing financial challenges the future of locally produced fabrics once again hangs in limbo / Sourcing Journal
Apropos of that: A Store That Gets How People Dress Now. “The Archivist Store in Paris has become a destination for those who want a mix of vintage high fashion, faded streetwear and functional outdoorsy gear.” / NYT
Questionable function, maximum hype: Bape Is Collaborating With Crocs / Retail Dive

Art: James Kusel

Consumables

The $100 Trilli Disruption: Weight-Loss Drugs . While Silicon Valley obsesses over AI, a weight-loss drug is quietly becoming the biggest economic disruptor since the internet / Wildfire Labs
Because: More than half of adults and a third of children and young people worldwide will be overweight or obese by 2050 / The Lancet
Because?!: Bubble tea and ice cream have turned China’s Mixue into the world’s biggest fast-food chain / WSJ
BTW: ‘My job is basically just eggs now’. There have been heists, Facebook ads and agitated grocery store queues as prices across America continue to rise / FT
From Piers:Shoppers Turn To Smaller Food Brands, Cutting Into Profits Of Conglomerates | ESM Magazine
But How Much Should Americans Worry About Elon Musk’s Ketamine Use? Excessive use of the drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world, apparently / The Atlantic
Apropos of that: Meet the ‘Cali Sober’ Set: No Booze but Drugs Are Fine. According to Eventbrite, the number of events billed as “sober curious” grew 92% on its platform from 2023 to 2024 / WSJ
Which bring us Inside Four Loko’s Plan to Reinvent Itself for Gen Z / Modern Retail
Speaking of Zs: Oddly Specific Jellycats / The New Yorker
Oh and Pepperidge Farm cookie bags are fashion now / Highsnobiety
Also, From Piers: "it’s ok to dunk sushi now." [Major Japanese restaurant chain gives its OK to dip sushi toppings in miso soup]
Sincere corollary, from Celeste: “Loved this story on the evolution of Thai cuisine, throw in that word 'fusion' and fresh ingredients.” [Today's Thai Restaurants Make Their Own Rules] / Taste