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If there are two things my work is nothing without, they are my Newspapers.com subscription and my extensive collection of what I like to refer to as “pile of shit celebrity biographies.” There are a number of basic qualities that you should look for if you want to build a museum-worthy library of gossip: low print run , publishers you’ve never heard of, a relationship to The National Enquirer, and 20 point type. These books are usually written by deranged fans , disgruntled former associates , or alienated family members, and they are often accompanied by CDs that you will never listen to. Be careful not to get duped by the self-published literature that comes out in the immediate aftermath of a celebrity death: these books are often less than 20 pages long, and you are going to be disappointed! I’ve been had by these unscrupulous death scammers more than once and it always gives me a laugh, but beware the novice collector.
Feb 28, 2023
Related Recs
The Place to Buy Kurt Cobain’s Sweater and Truman Capote’s Ashes by Rachel Monroe for the New Yorker
More thoughtful than gruesome in regards to the literal consumption of celebrity IMO. As someone whose dream job is still "pop culture archivist," I ate this tf up
Mar 21, 2024
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I don’t really like to read fiction, it’s just not my thing. When I look for books, I’m usually just as drawn to the authors as people as I am to the work. If you’re not familiar with Glenn O’Brien, he’s kind of a New York City legend. Glenn got his start as one of the first writers at Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, bushed elbows with Basquiat, and for a few years hosted TV Party on NYC public access television. Later in life, Glenn became GQ’s first Style Guy.While I’m not yet finished with Like Art, it’s been a really great read. It’s a collection of columns written between 1984 and 1990 and originally published in Artforum. It’s witty, hilarious, and brings to life an important character after he’s gone. It’s also published by Karma in the East Village which is pretty cool.
Aug 19, 2021
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The earliest bits of hollywood gossip! I'm fascinated by Kenneth Anger. I love his films, his books, everything. I recently watched a documentary about him on youtube and it made be a bit obsessed. He's a true Hollywood icon.
Jun 13, 2023
Top Recs from @alissa-bennett
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You have to haul your face around for your entire life, and there’s just no getting around it. As someone who is lurching perilously toward what us old people refer to as “the wrong side of 40,” I am here from your future to tell you not to be afraid, because you can retain your hotness with a little planning! Ever since my very best stage mother and personal BFF Lena Dunham publicly called me out for my elaborate skin care regimen, I’ve been getting questions, so let’s start at the basics and move into the baroque… I don’t think expensive products really make a difference, but if you love them and they make you feel good, by all means waste the money you should be saving for treatments (more on that in a minute) on a 50 step routine—it’s your life! I prefer to streamline because I am old and tired, so while I have definitely tried all of those ritzy oil cleansers and I DO LIKE THEM, in general I think Cetaphil and a microfiber cloth is fine. I usually only wash my face at night and follow it up with some Retin A mixed with a nice heavy moisturizer or oil, and I seal the whole shit in with Aquaphor before going to sleep on a special pillow that doesn’t deform my face. The morning is when things get complicated, because I am a firm believer in all of those gadgets that dermatologists tell you don’t work: I like a red light mask followed by either microcurrent, a muscle stimulation device, or radio frequency, and I follow that up with a CE ferulic serum, hyaluronic acid, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Take your collagen and a vitamin D-K supplement every day, and stay the fuck out of the sun!
Feb 28, 2023
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My true passion is whatever fucked up combination of drugs and alcohol you consumed the last time you woke up and said “never again.” The Instagram account @regret_counter serves as an archive for your bad nights out, and though I am its humble bureaucrat, I am mostly just a fan of your fortitude, your bad choices, and your capacity for White Claw.
Feb 28, 2023
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I love cemeteries, and living in New York gives us proximity to some of the east coast’s great jewels. Deliver your regards and a Coca Cola to spendthrift heiress Barbara Hutton at the Woolworth family’s sphinx-guarded mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery, have a picnic in Sleepy Hollow, or spend a day at The Hartsdale Pet Cemetery , America’s oldest and greatest eternal resting place for rich people’s animals. If you are of a mind to travel, do not miss the spookiest family plot in all of America, Stockbridge Massachusetts’ Sedgwick Pie (it’s also just a stone’s throw from Edith Wharton’s house), or skip over to Rhode Island (my ancestral homeland) and take a tour of our little state’s notorious smattering of vampire graveyards.
Feb 28, 2023