[SIC] 343: Tryna Be

Vol 7, No. 33: [SIC] Talks with David Michon. HIP REPLACEMENT with Erin Vail. Lots of ruminations about beginnings and ends. And all the week's liiiiiinks.

Apr 24, 2025

I'm Ben Dietz, longtime media/entertainment business guy, and now advisor-for-hire to brands, publishers and agencies. 

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Special thanks this week for stories: Zaira Stefani Vallejo, Stella Belt, Piers Fawkes, Iolanda Carvalho, Daisy Alioto and Celeste Blewitt. Comments, Questions and Contributions are invited from everyone.

Hi all.

Lots to read and listen to this week, notably the hundredth episode of my companion series of [SIC] Talks, so we’ll crack into it without delay. One request; if you dig what I’m doing here, consider sharing with your smart friends. Here’s a button:

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[SIC] Talks #100: David Michon

David is the author of the design and interiors newsletter FOR-SCALE, and a longtime writer and thinker about decor, environments and aesthetics. I’ve been reading FOR-SCALE for a few years now and I think of it as one of the most singular voices in the media, both for its unique style and vernacular and for its informed and opinionated takes on the objects we surround ourselves with, buy and covet. I was looking forward to talking to David after being introduced by [SIC] Talks alum Danny Giacopelli, with whom he worked back-in-the-day at Monocle. The conversation didn’t disappoint.

Among the things we talked about:

What We Lose When We’re Priced Out of Our Hobbies “For a lot of people, it’s getting too expensive to knit or fish.” / The Atlantic
A corollary to last week’s guest Mo Diggs’s new post Flattened by Mass Society. about how “All This Cultural Flattening, Oppressive Corporatism, Paranoia and Malaise Should Be Familiar to the First-Wave Boomers Who Fought It” / Cross Current
And corollary to that: Are We Still Living in 1999? A new book argues that late-20th-century lowbrow culture created the modern world / Reason
We didn’t talk about it but this opinion that "The days of dressing up superfluous stuff and placing it amid vapid installations surely need to stop” asserts Milan Design Week (which we did talk about) was a “noisy assault on the mind that often felt light on substance and heavy on commercial opportunism” / Dezeen
Which dovetails with David’s take on Kendrick Lamar become[ing] a brand ambassador for Chanel / BoF
Another thing we didn’t touch on but is highly adjacent to our discussion: Fantastic Man co-founder [Gert Wilders] looks back on 40 issues and two decades in print / Monocle Podcast
Speaking of OG fashion tomes, yet another link to Andrew Coulter Enright’s How to be Fashionable (or Consume Like Me) PDF / Before We Met
Which is (strangely) hosted on Before We Met, maybe the purest look into millennial young adulthood in the late aughts that I’ve ever seen. Very cute, very telling, very weird it’s still online. Congrats (15 years belated) to Josh and Talia! ;)

Anyway, listen in. It’s a good one. And look out for a new-style [SIC] Talks volume two coming soon.

BTW: special thanks to my eldest Campbell Dietz for fixing the recording glitch that threatened to derail [SIC] Talks this week. Huge help. Looking forward to having him back from his first year college Anybody looking for paid help in NYC this summer?

HIP REPLACEMENT EP.7 Erin Vail

Speaking of Campbell, he’s our series producer on HIP REPLACEMENT so he gets a shout out here too, along with his fellow Bills fan Erin Vail of the Fanbase newsletter. Great convo with Erin and my co-host Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick of The Trend Report about how celebs are girl bossing the women’s sports revolution in space, or something. Actually it’s not about that at all; you have to listen to see. Or go hang out with Kyle and Bobby in Paris on Sunday and he can just tell you about it.

Ok now the links.

Ben

[SIC] 343: Tryna Be

Ziggurats & Shibboleths

Couldn’t be me: Gen X was supposed to be peaking. Instead their careers and finances are tanking?! / Qz
Also doom-coded: There’s a Feeling We’re Not in Hollywood Anymore. Movies and TV productions are rapidly leaving California to film outside the United States, where labor costs are lower and tax incentives greater / NYT
Blame it on the Black Panther: Hollywood Execs Fear Ryan Coogler’s Sinners Deal ‘Could End the Studio System’ / Vulture
Related: The Independent chats with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, who unpacks changes in Hollywood following the underwhelming box-office performance of his latest thriller, Black Bag / The Independent
Truthfully?! YouTube Killed the Hollywood Star / Vanity Fair
Ergo: The notorious r/AmITheAsshole subreddit is being turned into a gameshow for Comedy Central UK / Deadline
But what about the implications of…. YouTube's Gender Gap. Why More Girls Aren't Becoming YouTube Stars. Male creators earn 40% more per collaboration than female creators / User Mag
Wait actually, No, Director Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" Deal Will Not "End The Studio System.” AI and Piracy—Not Deal Terms—Will Reshape Hollywood's IP Landscape / The Medium
So… Hollywood Will Be a Ghost Town in Five Years. Insiders worry that Hollywood is the next Detroit—but it's actually much worse than that / The Honest Broker
Because?! Anthropic promises/threatens that fully AI “employees” are a year away Axios
Hence. Why creatives need to be more clued up about copyright / It’s Nice That
But wait (again). What about these 4 Apocalypses That Never Were. Climate change is real and may cause real problems. But media outlets keep pushing hysterical myths that don't materialize / Reason
Also hysterical? Larry David Spoofs Bill Maher’s White House Visit With ‘My Dinner With Adolf’ Essay: ‘Private Hitler Was a Completely Different Animal’ variety
Related, obvs: When Nazis Enter Your Dreams / The Atlantic
Unrelated but also maybe fascism adjacent?! Bombombini Brainrotini. Military-industrial Complex Memes / Understanding TikTok

Pop Corners

Close to home : What does gentrification smell like? Bond No. 9 released its latest scent, Greenpoint, named for (my) Brooklyn neighborhood (of 25 years) where an influx of buzzy restaurants, hip stores and pricey residences has given it the trappings of a global hot spot. / NYT
Hence: In Greenpoint, $10,000 a month can get you a luxury waterfront apartment with mice, weird noises and broken gym equipment / Curbed
But to balance, there’s Shop Small Greenpoint: Spring Crawl 2025 May 3 - May 11. Greenpoint, BK, NYC / IG
While over in Manhattan hundreds of people, many of them new to the city, gather once a month in an office building food court to play games old (chess and mahjong) and new (Exploding Kittens and Wavelength) / NYT
Inside Rummiklub, the LA party built around young people playing the tile-based board game / LA Times
Charli XCX named 26 potential “Brat Summer” successors at Coachella. Here’s what they all have coming out and when / GQ
One possible winner: The Grand American Resort Is Making a Comeback—Just In Time / Bloomberg
Unrelated and overseas, but also poised for a big summer: 1 in 5 Bikes Sold in Italy Is Electric / Micromobility Report

Mr. Myxpolytix

“Black Mirror” showed a dystopian near future. Some of it is here now. / NYT
Corollary?! Canada Tried to Shut Him Down. Now Cronenberg Is Its Grand Old Man of Cinema. Hounded by film censors, decried in the local press, the director stuck to his vision / The Walrus
Not sticking: “Dark woke.” Democrats are being encouraged to embrace a new attitude, one that is provocative and edgy (but not too much). / NYT
Corollary: Maybe just let it go? How to delete yourself from the internet / WSJ
Because? Time Spent With Media Reaches 'Saturation,' Declines First Time Since Great Recession / Mediapost
From Iolanda: “Love Phil's articles, as you can probably tell 😉” [The Rise of Media Microgenres] / Futureweek
But maybe not this kind? [This TikTok Community Wants to Make Weight Loss Mean Again] / Rolling Stone
Or, this one either?! From Zaira: “I don’t even know what to say about this but…here you go” [What To Expect From the World’s First Competitive Sperm Race] / LA Times

🤦‍♂️Oh, Tariffic!

Trump’s trade war is “a Brexit for the wider world” / The New Statesman
Death of a Drop-Shipper / The Lindy Newsletter
China has been able to reach five-minute charges for electric vehicles / WSJ
Why It’s So Difficult for Robots to Make Your Nike Sneakers” / WSJ
Aritzia's boyfriend seating has become the architectural manifestation of purgatory / Twitter
It even has a designated TikTok topic page / Tiktok
From Celeste: “Loved reading pf Miss Sixty nostalgia and the 'archival comeback', although I can't say I would re-invest.” [Miss Sixty Nostalgia Has Hit The Second-Hand Market] / Vogue UK

Marketeering

Rejecting digital perfection in Stills’ new visual trend report / It’s Nice That
Related: Puma's Clawing Back Into The Zeitgeist. Its biggest advantage? The impromptu community that formed around the brand / Vik’s Busy Corner
Puma’s new running shoes offer hope for a brand desperate to win / Jing Daily
Also desperate? Predicting wine quality by the animal on the label / The Pudding
Tiffany launches ocean conservation initiative in China. Project raises funds by selling Tiffany T Smile bracelets, made from recycled polyester fiber / Jing Daily
From Iolanda: “Journeys from screens to stages.” [Why Netflix Brought Strangers Things to Broadway] / The Hollywood Reporter
Hotels.com Debuts a Mascot, Bellboy / AdWeek
While FIFA commissioned artists from each respective host city to create the 2026 World Cup posters (and they are NOT good)/ Instagram
Sport corollary: Why Running Is Becoming The New Group Chat (Plus, 5 Real Tips To Get Moving) / Service 95
Elsewhere: What brands should know before jumping into Substack / Modern Retail
Related, this is cool: the Budget Balancer GPT. Marketers input six key factors of their business and the Budget Balancer recommends a ratio of brand and performance media, the pros and cons and creates a memo to send to the CFO / Noble People
Creator and Influencer Trends Brand Marketers Need To Know About Right Now / AdAge
“More Powerful Than Leading With Film”: 2-time [SIC] Talks alum Jason Kreher on Joining Experiential Studio DE-YAN / IBB Online
Also experiential, from Celeste: The British Brands Fusing Flora, Fairytale And Folklore / FT
Speaking of plant life: Inside Stiizy, the world’s best-selling weed brand / Forbes

ArtznCrafts

How Ramy Youssef Became Kabob Dylan / Subway Takes Uncut
Dawoud Bey on His Photographs of Black American Life / Frieze
Oklahoma slam dunk: Artist Edgar Heap of Birds invites visitors to shoot hoops as part of his latest show / Hyperallergic
The Feminist Revival of Embroidery. Once denounced as “women’s work” with no artistic merit, embroidery is experiencing a revival, with a feminist punch / Hyperallergic
There’s a SOPHIE scholarship fun for women, trans and non-binary musicians / IG
Hermès is opening four new factories in France to keep up with handbag demand / Robb Report
Also legendary: A24 facilitated a conversation between The Legend of Ochi filmmaker Isaiah Saxon and his hero Jane Goodall / Spotify
Also a legend: True blue: why the chore jacket just won’t quit / The Guardian

Creationism

From Iolanda: “Sure you've seen this, but yeah, it's good!” [Belonging Beats Broadcasting] The Rise of the Next Social Web / Shingy
Apropos of things we’ve all seen: The defining videos that shaped YouTube history as the platform turns 20 / NYT
More pivot-to-video: Instagram launches its own CapCut clone, Edits / The Verge
While Netflix explores programming more creator content and video podcasts/ The Hollywood Reporter
Related: Inside the influential, and politically amorphous podcast hosted by Theo Von / NYT)
Meanwhile Whitney Cummings Finds Her People. The comedian’s politics and audience have changed / NY Mag
And TommyInnit is the young British antidote to Andrew Tate/ The Times UK
More idols: Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is joining VC firm Cashmere Fund as a partner, where he’ll invest and act as a quasi-influencer for portfolio companies / Axios
Also ‘quasi-influencers:’ They Criticized Musk on X. Then Their Reach Collapsed.” / NYT
Also up against it (but will be just fine): How 404 Media is navigating “economic headwinds” / 404 Media

Ayeee….Aiiiiiiii….

Yes, AI will redefine marketing – but not the way you’d expect. If you think AI will ‘make’ ads, you don’t get advertising / The Drum
It’ll actually be: The Gen Z lifestyle subsidy . In the 2010s, Millennials got cheap Ubers. Today’s young people are getting free SuperGrok/ The Atlantic
Less super? The Intelligence Community's AI Revolution. The feds are rapidly deploying artificial intelligence across spy agencies. What could go wrong? / Reason
From Iolanda: “I Robot? We Robots…”[Marketing’s New Middleman: AI Agents] / Bain
From Iolanda: “Yet another X hehehe” [Open AI is Building a Social Network] / The Verge

Meantime though, Instagram is using AI to identify teenage users who signed up with an adult birthday… and is then switching them to a dedicated “Teen Account.” / TechCrunch

Based Gods

This Ancient Civilization Used Psychedelic Beer Instead of War. New research shows the Wari of ancient Peru used psychedelic beer to forge alliances and expand their empire, one hallucinatory feast at a time / New Atlas
Older adults don’t trip as hard as younger people on psychedelics, new research shows, which might actually make psychedelics safer for them / Doubleblind
Here’s where you can locate Narcan near you. Don’t let the stigma of drug use render you unprepared. Carry Narcan, save a life, and be a hero / FactsFightsFentanyl
Speaking of killers: I’d Like to Report a Murder. Lauren Oyler and Brandon Taylor talk to hannah baer about the dark art of literary takedowns / Pioneer Works Broadcast
Also maybe tripping: Ciele Athletics’ athletic denim / Ciele
And Satisfy’s PeaceShell Shorts / Satisfy
Weirdly, performance denim god Andre Agassi will make his debut as a pickleball pro next week / Independent
Speaking of vintage fabrics: A deep dive on vintage American outerwear. How this BEAMS buyer wrote a book after digging through thousands of outerwear catalogs / Sprezza

Sustenances

Cowzempic? Tractor Supply debuts animal, pet pharmacy service / Retail Dive
Meantime, more than one-third of the world's meat comes from pork despite widespread religious prohibitions. Where does the taboo on pigs come from? / Archaeology Magazine
Corollary: Plant-based egg makers bet avian flu fallout will push US consumers to vegan options. Record-high retail price of a dozen chicken eggs is boosting sales of alternatives / FT
While simultaneously, from Celeste: TikTok's Beloved Dubai Chocolate Is Breaking The Pistachio Supply Chain /Fast Company
Another from Celeste: Cottage Cheese Demand Booms As TikTok Trend Drives Popularity Online / ABC Rural
Also booming: The Incredible Reappearing Act of a Vintage New England Fish / Reasons to Be Cheerful
Last one here, from Celeste: “Something comforting about a tea pot. So now to have it as a designer item, it not only refers to luxury, it also the referencing to the history and culture of tea and trade routes” [How The Humble Teapot Morphed From Kitchen Staple To Designer Icon] / The Guardian

Uncategorizers

From Celeste: “The global tectonic plates are swiftly moving, now Pope Francis has departed” [Conclave Offers A Glimpse Inside The Secretive Process Of Choosing The Next Pope] / NYT
Apropos of conversations in Italian: Subtitling Your Life. Hearing aids and cochlear implants have been getting better for years, but a new type of device—eyeglasses that display real-time speech transcription on their lenses—are a game-changing breakthrough / The New Yorker
Also a gamechanger? The Swedish Trombonist Who Went Out In the Cold. Talking European jazz scenes, ignoring standards, and exiling yourself to the woods until coming out with a new album with Ebba Åsman / Monster Children
Electric Myths. Everything is cool now forever / Are.na
Alice McNally is Too Cool To Post. Flouting the rules of modern fame to become one of the most in-demand faces in New York / Ssense
Why it is hard for women to date well / Knowingless
Last thing. Remember: Your "Issues" Are Actually The Least Interesting Thing About You / Minor Genius

[SIC] 343: Tryna Be

Corollary Sources This Week: AdWeek / The Future Party/ 1440 / Dealbook / Doubleblind / Champion Weekly / User Mag / Offball / The Material Review / Public Announcement / After School / Catchdini/ Politico Future Daily / Brendan’s Communications Miscellany

[SIC] 343: Tryna Be

Vol 7, No. 33: [SIC] Talks with David Michon. HIP REPLACEMENT with Erin Vail. Lots of ruminations about beginnings and ends. And all the week's liiiiiinks.

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