Tasteland

This week on Tasteland we're joined by W. David Marx, an American fashion and culture writer who works and lives in Tokyo, Japan. He is the author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style and Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change.Preorder Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century__W. David MarxNewsletterTwitter/XInstagram__Timestamps00:00:00 Subway tastes00:02:26 There's no song of the summer00:09:05 Skinny pants are never coming back00:12:10 Only Fads00:17:10 Fad consumerism culture, US vs Asia00:21:27 The age of the double sellout00:24:00 The 21st century crisis00:35:49 Rich enough to not have a smartphone00:41:25 Cultural roots of contemporary politics00:51:04 Everyone is a marketer00:56:37 You can't be unfamous01:01:04 Capitalism without morality__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Greta Rainbow. Greta is an editor at the Creative Independent, arts columnist for the New York Review of Architecture, and she's the anchor contributor for Dirt's books newsletter, Blank.__GretaWebsiteTwitter/XInstagramIgno-fiction piece__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Greta04:33 Genre + scene = literary movement08:37 Disney adults of alt-lit11:03 In defense of perfection16:44 An audatious literary sandwich24:22 Literary gnats31:09 Unfulfiled references come as great surprise34:51 Books that we hate__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined Sam Valenti IV. Sam is the founder and leader of Ghostly International, a 25-year-old collective that has grown from a dorm room-based record label to a recognized platform for the work of great artists, designers, technologists, and musicians. The New York Times says Ghostly “transcends its record label roots to sell and ethos.” Ghostly International is the first label alongside upstart drink sum wtr in All Flowers Group, a label unit formed as an affiliate of Secretly Group. An inveterate collector, Valenti also writes the weekly newsletter Herb Sundays, which features a personal playlist by a noted artist or enthusiast.__SamInstagramLinkedInSubstackGhostly__Timestamps00:00:00 Igno-fiction00:05:45 Cultural beatdowns00:11:18 The knowledge requirement of fandoms00:18:15 Sycophancy vs. fandom00:21:50 Community in record labels00:27:45 Archiving culture00:33:29 Nostalgia and new media engagement00:36:52 Preserving artists legacies00:42:36 New media monetization strategies00:50:00 AI and the future of media consumption00:57:31 The best music journalism right now__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

In this discussion, Reggie James, a writer and product architect, dives into the intriguing divide between spiritual and secular technology. He defines these concepts, explaining how spiritual practices influence tech design, especially in apps like Hallow. Reggie shares insights on Silicon Valley's approach to spirituality and its consequences. He also debates the tensions between the tech right and religious right, revealing how faith and doubt shape startup culture. His reflections on founder life intertwine personal and systemic challenges in the innovation landscape.

This week on Tasteland we're joined by Rax King, a James Beard Award-nominated writer and host of the podcast Low Culture Boil. Rax is the author of the 2021 book Tacky, and her new release Sloppy is out now.__RaxSloppyPodcastInstagramTwitterBluesky__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Rax02:37 Write sober, edit sober07:26 The goal of personal writing13:20 Reframing past experiences20:25 Service industry draft29:11 Banjos in the sky31:27 Drink the Kool-Aid but know your dosage35:21 Reverse abundance mindset38:00 Nobody does bread anymore42:59 Didn't make the cut45:55 Sex tourism and calamari48:40 Noble savage reply guys __Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Jeremy Kirkland, host of the podcast Blamo! — a podcast exploring the world of fashion with the personalities that shape it.__Blamo!PodcastInstagramJeremyInstagramLinkedIn__Timestamps00:00 I always make my knock a little song05:36 All podcasts are restaurant podcasts08:13 Nine years of podcasting14:47 The business of Blamo!22:28 The culture of criticism online29:29 You should do embarrassing things37:45 The cost of existing in the creator economy41:08 E-commerce recovery52:15 There's no runway in Missouri57:38 Bag check survival instincts01:01:01 Running up that hill __Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

Joining the conversation is Mike Rugnetta, a writer and podcaster known for his insights on digital culture. He dives into the shifting landscape of online content creation, examining how corporate influences and AI could reshape our digital narratives. The discussion also navigates the challenges of censorship and the complexities of human attention in today's world. From the role of algorithmic recommendations to the struggles of genuine expression, Mike's expertise sheds light on the evolving relationship between technology and creativity.

This week on Tasteland we are joined by writer and award winning journalist, Cora Lewis. Cora's fiction has appeared at The Yale Review, Joyland Magazine, Epiphany, and elsewhere. She currently works at the Associated Press in New York, and she previously worked at BuzzFeed News. Cora's debut novella, Information Age, comes out on July 15th.Pre-order Cora's book Information Age__Follow CoraTwitter/XLinkedInWebsite__Timestamps00:00 Reading Information Age04:37 Book design and unique literary devices11:46 Title inspiration and influences14:12 The artistry of fragmented writing20:14 Composing fragments into a finished piece26:09 You can't write life to scale34:42 Honing the aesthetics of a novella37:36 Cora's lack of social media presence44:58 The duty to represent life accurately51:25 A clearheaded view of AI__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Webby Award-winning content creator, social strategist, and meme enthusiast, Ariel Rubin. Ariel is the the head of content at Air and one of Francis' greatest enemies.__Follow AriLinkedInWebsiteTwitter/X__Links & ReferencesThe Cycle Bookick.fyi on Instagram__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Ariel Rubin01:40 Recent icks07:33 LinkedIn hates Bonnie Blue11:45 Wife guys, one hell of a fraternity14:24 SaaS is the most honest industry20:19 Selling out is compulsory now28:14 Daisy's ultimate black pill31:53 You can't get rich in Canada37:21 Never think again42:58 Cigs are back44:54 Ari's SaaS persona47:38 Startup founder bravado__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.

This week on Tasteland, Daisy and Francis are joined by design strategist, writer, journalist, and educator, Nika Simovich Fisher.__Nika Simovich FisherWebsiteLinkedInInstagram__Links & ReferencesMore about Nika's Hard Pack pieceNika's piece on Digitizing and Preserving Cyrillic Typefaces in SerbiaNika's website, WildflowersNika's piece on The evolution of the trash icon__Timestamps00:00 Intro01:41 Berlin fragrance experience05:49 The design of modern political campaigns15:06 The relationship between midcentury design and skiing22:12 Digitizing and preserving Cyrillic typefaces in Serbia27:34 The parallels between gardens and websites33:15 Digital memorializations42:40 Drawing conclusions from digital footprints46:01 Data is litter50:15 The impact and legacy of Kate Spade's death53:55 Invisible nightlife__Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.