On the pod this week we get serious about unseriousness. The crew discusses lookalike contests, “The Eczema Experience,” tinned fish pop-ups, intergenerational grudges held by crows, ‘joy sobriety’, and the growing lack of seriousness in otherwise once serious settings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Hartman is the mind behind Nolita Dirtbag, a “niché and nouveau riche” meme page covering greater-downtown Manhattan (and sometimes Brooklyn). We chat about spending $180 before 11AM on “day in the life” videos, Dirtbag messaging hierarchies, why you shouldn’t put the place of your employment in your IG bio, bringing showmanship back to restaurants, being in a room full of Nolita Dirtbag reply guys, and “what makes you confident?”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the pod, the crew discusses missing out on Juul settlement money, Philip Morris’s new status as a growth stock, Addison Rae, “pasteurized vice,” (more) slop, recalls, betting on the election on Polymarket, “the Nutter B*tter trap,” and why sometimes you should just lean on your product and stop trying to be culturally relevant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lauren Sherman is the Chief Fashion Correspondent at Puck and co-author of “Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon.” We chat about Eric Adams’ controversial hat, the return of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, bralettes, OMNY, luxury fashion woes, finding out about how the stock market works, her son thinking R.E.M is called “R.E.M Essentials,” and too many people wrongly believing they’re friends with Gwyneth Paltrow. Subscribe to her newsletter “Line Sheet” and listen to her podcast “Fashion People” on all platforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The crew discuss the pros and cons of gatekeeping, Chappell Roan v. superfans, why customized beverages are for children, and what the Broadway play ‘JOB’ gets right and wrong about the consequences of being “extremely online.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Archie Lee Coates IV is the co-founder of PLAYLAB, INC., an extremely multidisciplinary creative studio “with no focus.” They’ve worked with a range of clients, including Virgil Abloh, American Express, and Post Malone. We discuss the lost art of pranks, Charles Eames, Archie’s upcoming studio album, why you can’t focus too much on data and metrics, swimming in the East River, Ernest Shackleton’s hiring filter still holds, and a very simple filter for work: “is this something we want to do?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Haliey Welch, aka Hawk Tuah Girl, gets her own relationship advice podcast on Jake Paul's network, the crew discusses how the virally famous are rewriting the playbook to capitalize on their moment in the spotlight. People like Welch, Jools Lebron ("very demure, very mindful") and Big Justice are outmaneuvering traditional industry players by brokering their own deals and monetizing on their catchphrases long before a CAA or UTA even reaches out for representation. Enter: the next phase of viral fame creation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Karten is a social media consultant and author of the Link in Bio newsletter. Previously, she led the social media team at Bon Appétit and Epicurious. On a rare bicoastal recording, she joins the pod to talk about why we’ve reached peak reactive social content, how teleprompters work, why no one actually wants a chronological feed, and the important work the Utah Department of Transportation is doing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Delia Cai is a New York-based writer, editor and author of Deez Links. You may know her as the mind behind the outstanding “Hate Read” pop-up newsletter. She’s held stints at BuzzFeed and Vanity Fair, and published her debut novel Central Places last year. She joins the pod to talk about digital etiquette, the power of a good format, why everyone needs to go see Twisters in 4DX and why people who talk about replacing art with AI art should go to jail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Faze is the co-founder and “Head Coach” of Gymnasium: the production company behind “Boy Room”, “Bodega Run”, and “Clockwork Dynasty.” From the highlight reel: finding next-gen talent, he thinks “TikTok is the most powerful cultural tool on earth” (and is unapologetic about his screen time), “viral” is meaningless, enough with the tiny mics, why Quibi failed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.