Related Recs

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People are hungry for truth

Had the pleasure of chatting with podcaster and media strategist Alyssa Vingan for this week's newsletter. While we operate in pretty different spheres (she: fashion, he: news/???) we still found a ton of commonality. Interested at all in media, or just persisting through some real sh*t, this is the one for you 📧

@ethansawyer

Jul 5, 2024

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scary cool sad goodbye - meaghan garvey’s substack/newsletter

meaghan garvey is our decade’s hunter s. thompson. with origins / a focus in music journalism, she seems to just float through chaos and writes really well about it. she inspires me to talk to strangers and get into a little trouble every now and then

@dustinbuller

Mar 12, 2024

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Alissa Bennett’s Zines

I don’t personally know Alissa Bennett, but I think she is a brilliant and funny person who has clearly lived a vibrant life. A friend of mine once said about himself, “I’m not a journalist; I just live this shit.” I think this mantra (with the tweak, “I’m just really interested in this shit”) applies to Bennett’s writing and various projects — from her burner IG @regret_counter and podcast, to the next-level zines she publishes. Those zines though, wow! The writing is so intimate, confident, and, well, perfectly imperfect (sorry, sorry…).I like that every other paragraph has a typo, that she will frequently and flagrantly use cap-locks, and that she essentially unpacks the indiscretions of fringe tabloid figures in order to exhume her own demons and make sense of her past and present. It’s got a very “warts and all” vibe, and I respect that she’s willing to air her own dirty laundry in service of establishing a spiritual connection to the subjects of her texts. That’s not to say she goes easy on them, but it all feels empathetic instead of exploitative or solipsistic. Rarely do I audibly laugh while reading, but Bennett’s work consistently makes me LOL. Generally, I prefer when people write the way they talk. Her essays feel like the coolest girl at the bar is whispering (and occasionally shouting) a very good story directly in your ear, but she also doesn’t really care whether you like the story or not. She already knows it’s good.Start with “Bad Behavior,” which is a series of essays/love letters to various semi-public figures who engaged in specific, scandalous acts. Then hit “Pretend You’re Actually Alive.” Most of the zines are sold out, but I’m sure she’d send you a PDF if you ask nicely. There’s also a new one on the way.

@zach-sokol

Sep 8, 2022

Top Recs from @tommy-dorfman

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Nitehawk Cinema

If you’re from brooklyn or new york city or just moved here, i know, this is cliche. But i! Don’t! Care! The truffle popcorn is addicting, even if I'm farting for the rest of the movie, it’s worth it. Plus they have cute little trailers to gab about with your date or friend, but i also go alone because nobody tried to have small talk with you at the movies and you can just disassociate peacefully in blissful high-power air conditioning on a hot nyc summer day. They have guest curators on a monthly basis and do fun screenings of old flicks. Highly recommend it. Nitehawk > Alamo.

@tommy-dorfman

Aug 7, 2023

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Bellies by Nicola Dinan

A delicious, page turning Summer read and debut from novelist Nicola Dinan. It unpacks so many complicated nuances of being queer and in your twenties. Romantic, sexy, vulnerable. First romance centring a transfemme I’ve read and loved published on a larger scale.

@tommy-dorfman

Aug 7, 2023

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Go for a walk without your phone

It’s actually terrifying at first, but even around the block it’s clarifying and helps me reset. I’ll literally walk out of my office and walk around the block phoneless and count pigeons to get back in my body and press restart.

@tommy-dorfman

Aug 7, 2023