Tasteland

Zane Kind, a visionary technologist and artist, is the co-founder and CEO of Silk, a unique blogging platform focused on creative research and subcultures. He discusses the concept of Silk as a community-driven 'Zoomer Facebook,' prioritizing connections over vanity metrics. Zane explains how the platform fosters distinct tastes and identities while curbing isolation through thoughtful design choices. He also delves into the evolving nature of celebrity and community engagement, emphasizing curation as a valid creative expression.

This week on Tasteland we're joined by Ethan Sawyer, a field producer at CBC and curator of the newsletter Human Pursuits, a newsletter for navigating modern existence with help from need-to-know names in media and culture.__Ethan SawyerHuman PursuitsTwitter/XLinkedIn__Timestamps00:00 beats to write/edit to04:08 Writer's block is not real07:57 Nights in the Gardens of Brooklyn11:46 An analysis of social climbers18:40 Olivia Nuzzi did it all for love24:23 The art of guest selection32:15 Francis tells a bad joke32:57 Music for work and focus37:46 Music is so good43:16 Defining slop54:46 Introducing the "content economy"__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

No guest this week on Tasteland so Daisy and Francis discuss whether Frankenstein should've shown hog, the introduction to the polycene and quote tweeting the Pope.__DaisyDirtTwitter/XLinkedInFrancisCreator SpotlightTwitter/XLinkedIn__Timestamps00:00 The hog of Frankenstein09:55 It was all yellow16:29 Welcome to the polycene27:15 Gambler's wives30:24 Don't die, take mushrooms34:00 Marc Andreessen vs. the Pope39:29 Vibe shifts are vibe shifts44:00 Affordability vs abundance in politics46:50 But I'm not a rapper, I'm mayor__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

Adam Voith, a novelist and the mind behind Little Engines magazine, dives into the dynamic world of publishing. He advocates for putting readers first, arguing that the industry often neglects them. Voith shares insights on treating books like consumer products versus cultural artifacts. He stresses the importance of building relationships with writers, likening his approach to that of a record label. The conversation touches on the challenges of marketing for artists and how writers can embody small business principles to thrive.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Nick Susi, a strategy executive and entrepreneurial builder for 13+ years, exploring the technological, societal and psychological forces that shape our identity, perception and culture.__Nick SusiWebsiteSubstackLinkedInInstagramTwitter/X__Timestamps00:00 Creators are consumers of the self07:51 Posts are the cheetle of your identity15:19 Presence in marketing17:11 Start a war, create a monoculture29:16 Building trust vs capturing attention36:59 How myths shape modern media and technology45:25 Separating the technology for the myth51:45 Ice Cube got it right__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by startup founder, developer, and runner, Cole Townsend. Cole has been a product designer for over a decade and is the head of tech and co-founder of Sole Retriever.__ColeWebsiteSole RetrieverLinkedInX/Twitter__Timestamps00:00 Jury duty06:54 Post Tokyo crash17:20 Every app is a marketplace or dating app24:49 Running is becoming lifestyle29:53 Crewing an ultramarathon34:12 Performance culture37:17 Founding Sole Retriever43:36 Never had a New Balance50:20 Moth tech__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week on Tasteland, Daisy and Francis are joined by NYC based journalist, Claire Landsbaum. Claire is the Deputy Editor at HighSnobiety and has formerly held positions at The Cut, Vanity Fair, and Business Insider.__ClaireWebsiteHighSnobietyLinkedInInstagramX/Twitter__Timestamps00:00 Show and tell09:02 The bowling alley is the new afterparty11:27 Writing for magazines15:06 Finding journalistic honesty19:03 Fake adult in Berlin26:53 Are Veronika and Kyle for real?32:40 I saw this tweet37:08 Can The Daily Beast be saved?48:35 Revenue and editorial integrity54:29 Tattoos and steaks57:53 The dream profile__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Jose Mejia, the CEO and Co-Founder at Scene Infrastructure Company, a software company building better instruments for socialization.__Jose MejiaSICX/TwitterLinkedIn__Timestamps00:00 Intro01:42 Stress-induced tramp stamp04:07 Zero-slop pop-up gets pwned10:44 Daisy bullies Chat-GPT, again13:16 Addison Rae Iconic Magazine scene report15:10 Wild soda flavor combos17:45 Shopify for the experience economy21:31 World Cup 2026 ticket prices26:17 The endgame of the attention economy33:38 The decline of consensus reality41:34 Rebuilding consensus reality48:38 Matryoshka doll of meaning51:08 When did everything become so intentional?__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week on Tasteland, Francis and Daisy go guest-free and dive into everything from small farms and soybeans to the future of media and paywalls. Is media all media marketing now? Life is good.__Timestamps00:00 Sourdough fatherhood01:43 Venture agriculturalism05:34 Soybean political own goal10:06 All media is marketing15:40 Not all media is marketing22:37 Retiring the op-ed27:46 The future of micropayments and paywalls35:27 Distasteland38:11 Nostalgic scent of manure39:33 AGI is coming, go to party school42:04 Life is good; drip__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Casey Lewis, founder of the After School newsletter and Gen Z consumer trends expert. Casey has been an editor at Teen Vogue, MTV, and New York Magazine, and in 2016, she started a media company for Gen Z, which was acquired by another media company for Gen Z.__CaseyAfter School NewsletterInstagramLinkedInTikTok__Links & ReferencesA Taste of Thomas Bernhard__Timestamps00:00 Thomas Bernhard renaissance05:25 Double dogs and doubled subs08:00 Gen alpha are the marketing generation10:11 Denim is back18:51 Individuality vs. conformity in youth culture26:46 Brand loyalty in gen z and gen alpha30:45 Mom's influence on tween shopping34:00 The uncanny valley of fashion38:09 Refragmentation of youth culture44:03 You stole my brainrot51:30 The ethics of child influencers58:27 I wanna be your billboard__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.