Blamo!

Hrishikesh Hirway — the creator and host of Song Exploder — joins me this week.

We talk about the strange identity crisis of becoming known as “the Song Exploder guy” while still trying to reconnect with himself as a musician and songwriter. We also get into collaboration, writer’s block, vintage clothing, obsessive music listening, and the making of his beautiful new record, “In the Last Hour of Light.”

Hrishikesh opens up about interviewing hundreds of artists, how Song Exploder changed the way he thinks about creativity, and why working with other people ultimately helped him fall back in love with making music. We also talk about recording live with almost no takes, working with Iron & Wine, the emotional weight of memory and grief, and the challenge of making deeply personal work in public.

This is one of my favorite kinds of conversations — two people trying to figure out what it actually means to make things for a living.

Listen to "Stray Dogs"

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Patreon Preview from Blamo!

The premise is simple: if your closet disappeared tomorrow and you had $3,000 to rebuild it from scratch, what would you actually buy?

Not fantasy grails. Not “quiet luxury.” Real clothes Derek and Peter would genuinely wear themselves: sport coats, tropical wool trousers, vintage eBay overcoats, loopwheeled T-shirts, Cone Mills denim, penny loafers, and a surprising amount of discussion about sweatshirts.

Along the way, Peter tries to justify $140 OCBDs, Derek explains the perfect vintage-straight jean fit, and both make a compelling case for buying old Ralph Lauren off eBay instead of almost anything new.

Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon 

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This week on Blamo!, I’m joined by Kevin Morby.

We talk about his new record Little Wide Open, out May 15, and how ideas of home and place show up in his songwriting. From writing in different cities to figuring out what “home” actually means, Kevin gets into the rhythms behind his work.

We also talk life on the road—running, watching movies, and the routines that keep things steady—plus stage clothes, residencies, and the “most him object” he owns.

Kevin Morby's Substack

Kevin Morby.com

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Wyatt Gilmore, founder of Grant Stone, joins me to talk about how the brand came together, what he learned spending years working in factories in China and Taiwan, and why quality footwear is about far more than country-of-origin clichés.

We get into boots, loafers, suede, shell cordovan, and the realities of making shoes that feel good, age well, and actually earn their place in your closet. Plus, a tease of the upcoming Blamo! x Grant Stone collaboration.

https://www.grantstoneshoes.com

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They revisit early forums like r/malefashionadvice, make the case for globalization, and ask a simple question: how do you get dressed without looking like the algorithm did it for you?

Plus—"Hey, Nice Pants!", new finds, and what they’re wearing lately

Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon 

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Virgil Nicholas of Vinny’s joins me this week, dialing in from Copenhagen—and we get into it!

We talk about the origins of Vinny’s, his early days in the music industry, and how those experiences shaped the way he approaches building something today. There’s a real sense of intention behind what he’s doing, especially when it comes to keeping the focus on footwear.

https://vinnysthevibe.com

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Derek Guy and Peter Zottolo are back for AMA #2, generously sponsored by our friends at Bezel!

They get into the idea of “essentials,” dressing your age (or not), and how much stock to put in the usual menswear rules.

There’s talk of slouchy fits (when they work, when they don’t), value brands, sneakers, vertical layering, and the ongoing debate of shopping online vs actually going into a store. Plus, the kind of impulse purchases you try not to think about again.

It’s thoughtful, opinionated, and about getting to a place where getting dressed feels a little more intuitive—and a lot less stressful.

SHOW NOTES

Peter Z'

One Coat

Eidos Carlo coat

One Watch

Rolex Explorer

Dressing Your Age

Old Joe geezer

Fabric Resources

Unfunded Liabilities Thread

Sneakers

Chuck Taylor 70s

Vans Classic

Sperry CVO Sneaker

Regrettable Impulse Purchases

Rick Owens Shearling

Favorite Style Photos

https://www.putthison.com/summershoes

https://www.vogue.com/article/john-pearson-male-supermodel-website-mrfeelgood-interview-naomi-campbell

https://aboutphotography.blog/blog/the-kiss-by-the-htel-de-ville-by-robert-doisneau

Swimwear

Orlebar Brown

Bespoke Item Most Jealous of

Presentable Attire for a Creative

Buck Mason Chore Coat

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My guest this week is Hagop Kourounian, the mind behind Director Fits.

What started as a Substack has grown into something much bigger — part moodboard, part shop, and soon, a full-on magazine.

Hagop and I get into how Director Fits came to life, what it was like growing up in a deeply creative household, and why we’re just as interested in how artists present themselves as we are in the work they make.

We also talk about the return of physical media, the joy of collecting, and — maybe most importantly — whether you should actually be watching things with subtitles on.

It’s all in there!

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It was only a matter of time before AI reached the tailoring world. Daryn and Tim of Tailor’s Keep in San Francisco talk about clients arriving with AI-generated reference images, second-guessing fittings with ChatGPT, and what this shift means for bespoke. They also offer a practical guide to working with a tailor, including the small courtesies that make the process smoother for everyone.

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Listen to the entire episode on the Blamo! Patreon 

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My guest this week is Uncle Paulie James,

Paulie’s one of those guys who just gets it — big fits, big sandwiches, and a personal style that’s completely his own. What started with a love of streetwear and Japanese denim turned into a cult following for his merch… and somewhere along the way Travis Scott started wearing it too.

Paulie and I talk about big fits, big sandwiches, slinging streetwear and Japanese denim, and how his gear started popping up on some very famous people.

It’s all in there.

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