Dan and Brian discuss the spirit of LA being alive and well, chasing winter, mumblecore films, traveling through SFO, Hollywood accounting, flight risks, jury duty on a shoplifting trial, RFK Jr and the SNL 50th anniversary.

Jeremiah Stone, chef and co-owner of Wildair and Bar Contra, has shaped New York's downtown dining culture. We dive into breakfast routines, the underappreciated art of dessert, insider tips for restaurant bookings, critics, Noma's true influence in fine dining, Kitchen Confidential 2.0, and the pressures of staff meal.

Dan and Brian discuss the fall of TED and pop psychology, dressing up for standup audiences, Sundance film inspo, jury duty avoidance tactics, Madonna at the Comedy Cellar, Ramell Ross’s Nickel Boys, Randall’s Island, new right wing influencers and DeepSeek. 

Alex Hartman, creator of the viral meme account 'Nolita Dirtbag,' chronicles the absurdities of the 'coastal elite'. We dive into Bryan Johnson's quest for immortality, buying things from social media ads, the future of office spaces, sneaky musicals, memes as art, and the enduring mystique of Chet Hanks.

Dan and Brian discuss David Lynch, actually reading Playboy for the articles, Jamie xx UK bangers, buzzy downtown restaurant Bridges, NYPD tow pounds, movie laughs and Zuck's masculinity crusade.

Avery Trufelman, podcaster and host of 'Articles of Interest,' unpacks how we express ourselves through what we wear. We dive into the rise and fall of millennial excellence, Wikipedia editor tryouts, a case study for anonymous bullying, our personal style journeys and her upcoming literary debut.

Dan and Brian discuss American creature comforts, digital detoxes, Brady Corbet's The Brutalist, Sally Rooney's Intermezzo and our favs of 2024.

Dan and Brian discuss famous sightings at an experimental play, A Real Pain by Jesse Eisenberg, Spotify's plot against musicians, moral panic around celebrity infidelity and our ins and outs for the new year.

Harry Krinsky, host of the Nothing But Respect podcast, brings his eye for NBA culture and deep appreciation for good hangs to Middlebrow. We explore how media training killed sports personalities, the death of public social media engagement, the myth of run clubs, third spaces and recurring matches on online dating apps.

Noelle Perdue, porn historian and writer, traces the evolving boundaries of obscenity. We explore the definition of porn, algorithmic influences to our desire, tradwives, old playboys and fetishes.