Tasteland

For this Christmas Day episode of Tasteland, Daisy and Francis are reaching into their sack of questions sent in by you, the listeners. Gas station orders, apple picking, hypergamy and more.

00:00 Seasons Greetings and Gas Station Eatings

Overrated or Underrated

04:33 Restaurants and Queueing Culture

10:00 Alo Yoga, Working For Yourself, Baja Blast

11:07 The M Train, Apple Picking, Annie Ernaux

13:17 Hypergamy and The Cast of Challengers

15:01 Talking About Your Mental Health and Accidental Bronson

17:01 Flats: The Shoe and the Wing, Post Post Alt Lit

18:45 Parasocialailty and Legal Weed

22:12 Cured Meats and Long Meals

24:58 Dune 2 and IMAX

29:12 Natural Fibers and Karl Ove Knausgård

34:00 Watching Soccer and Works in Translation

36:00 Fernet and Coke, Metro North, Randomly Texting Your Friends

Other Mailbag Questions

39:24 Today's Breakfast and Fit Check

Josh Citarella is an artist, writer, podcaster, and researcher who is best-known for his work researching online Gen Z political extremism. He’s the founder of Do Not Research, a non-profit artist community. He’s currently a dozen episodes into Doomscroll, an in-person video talkshow exploring online culture and politics.

Email your questions to [email protected] to be featured in our upcoming mailbag episode.

Doomscroll: https://www.youtube.com/@doomscrollpodcast

Joshua: https://x.com/JoshuaCitarella

00:00 Contribute to the Mailbag

01:03 Introducing Joshua and His Work

03:30 The Modern Genres of Accelerationism

08:38 Joining Destiny on the Bridges Podcast

13:50 What is a Contrarian Status Quo Defender?

17:19 Redesigning Social Media to Model the Post Office

22:54 The Increasing Uncertainty of Contemporary Storage

27:02 The Need for a 21st Century Envelope

30:11 Not Identifying as a Journalist

35:57 The Role of the Manifesto in Gen Z Political Identity

42:57 The Political Drift Over Time

49:03 The Growth of Doomscroll

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by DJ, producer, founder, renaissance man Trevor McFedries.

Email your questions to [email protected] to be featured in our upcoming mailbag episode.

00:00:00 Ask Tasteland

00:03:41 Introducing Trevor McFedries

00:07:26 The State of Social Media and Creator Payouts

00:13:08 The Impact of Current Events on Social Media

00:18:57 Populism and the Search for Common Ground

00:24:36 The Nature of Violence and Change

00:31:14 Techno-Optimism vs. Techno-Pessimism

00:37:04 Network Spirituality and the Tech Community

00:46:04 The Gold Rush of Content Creation

00:50:02 The Search for Meaning in Content Capital

This week Francis and Daisy are joined by longtime magazine writer and sports gambling expert, David Hill.

Read David's piece, Sportsbook Nation: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/sports-betting-law-draftkings-fanduel-1235158334/

David's website: https://www.davidhillonline.com/

00:00 Introducing David and His Work

05:15 The Rise of Sports Betting

10:08 The Evolution of Betting Markets and Technology

16:42 Regulatory cChallenges and Consumer Protection

21:12 Advertising and Market Competition in Sports Betting

27:30 The Dynamics of Online Gambling

35:25 Is Profitability a Priority for Sports Betting Companies

42:48 The Tax Implications of Being a Bad Gambler

44:42 Chasing the Steam: Strategies in Sports Betting

45:37 There's More to the Story

51:36 The Future of Online Gambling

This week we're talking worker-owned media with people from three of our favorite worker-owned publications — Defector, Hell Gate, and 404 Media. They're very transparent about what it takes to run a modern, subscription-based media business — it's a great conversation.

This is from our live pod earlier this month in support of the National Writers Union's legal fund for media workers. You can still donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-us/fundraising/donate-to-the-media-freelancers-legal-fund

00:00:00 Introducing guests

00:04:30 The Business of Worker Owned Media

00:06:30 The Biggest Trials and Errors of Being a Founder

00:11:19 The Media Landscape's Monetization Uncertainty

00:19:13 The Future of Public Funding for Local News

00:21:59 The Diverse Ad Tolerance of Audiences

00:28:56 Audience Taste Shift Post Election

00:35:37 The Messaging Behind Different Payment Options

00:43:52 Making Editorial Choices as a Writer-Owner

00:50:02 Saturation in the Creator Economy

00:59:24 Transparency and Accountability in Worker Owned Media

Q&A From Audience

01:02:02 Content Creators Creating Competition?

01:06:09 The Value of Print Media

01:11:08 Expanding Ownership to Readers

01:13:34 Final Thoughts

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Ben Leventhal, co-founder of Eater, Resy and, most recently, Blackbird.

Blackbird: https://www.blackbird.xyz

00:00 Introducing Ben Leventhal and Blackbird

07:19 The Evolution of Restaurant Criticism

15:28 Defining New York's Definitive Restaurants

21:07 The Future of Dining Experiences

30:54 Friction in Dining Culture

35:11 Barriers to Restaurants' Adoption of Blackbird

36:31 Newly Learnt Consumer Insights

38:00 The Desire to Expand Beyond Restaurants

40:00 The Blockchain's Role in Identity and Payments

46:21 Ben's Best Meal of the Fall

48:38 Content Evolution and Future Plans

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Lauryn Menard, CEO and co-founder of Gob, a compostable, plastic-free, mycelium-based earplug company.

Gob: https://www.gob.earth/ 

Tickets for the NWU event: https://dirrrt.fyi/paywriters

00:00 Introducing Lauryn, Gob and its Mission

02:03 The Concept of Friction in Modern Consumerism

06:20 Designing with End-of-Life in Mind

11:32 Scaling Production and Sustainability

15:07 The Role of Tesla in Green Marketing

19:38 Navigating the B2B and B2C Landscape

22:26 Branding and Marketing Positioning

26:19 Innovations in Mycelium Materials

29:34 Supply and Demand in Mycelium Production

34:15 The Identity of a Founder in the Bay Area

38:27 The Future of Sustainable Products

44:17 Envisioning the 22nd Century

49:01 Exploring New Biomaterials

51:05 Teaching Biomaterials and Student Innovations

This week, Daisy and Francis welcome journalists Teddy Brown and Emily Shugerman. Teddy recently covered Zyn and its masculine political symbolism for the New York Times, while Emily explored direct-to-consumer women’s health brands for The Guardian.

Teddy's article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/31/style/zyn-nicotine-pouch-masculinity.html 

Emily's article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/30/birth-control-contraception-branding-abortion-roe-v-wade?CMP=share_btn_url 

00:00 Introducing our guests

01:48 Exploring Masculinity and Political Symbolism in Zyn

06:04 The Role of Brands and Marketing in Masculinity

08:58 Cultural Associations and Gender Dynamics of Zyn

11:52 The Impact of Online Communities and Vernacular

16:15 Election Context and the Masculinity Crisis

19:04 Conclusion and Future Considerations

21:01 The Impact of Zyn, Vaping and Tobacco Trends

23:21 Women’s Health and Direct-to-Consumer Brands

29:23 The Role of Marketing in Women’s Health

35:34 The Challenges of Accessing Healthcare

40:53 The Intersection of Healthcare and Consumerism

45:50 Conclusion

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by graphic designer David Rudnick to discuss the evolution of album covers, digital solipsism and the imagery behind Megalopolis.

Tickets for the event: https://dirrrt.fyi/paywriters

David's Strelka talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ejp4AvetSA

00:00:00 Introducing David Rudnick and his work

00:01:10 Raising Funds for Freelancers and Worker-Owned Media

00:03:40 The Future of Journalism and Media Impartiality

00:08:52 Exploring the Intersection of Literature and Graphic Design

00:10:33 David's Journey to Ghent and His Studio Practice

00:18:03 The Value of Small, Sustainable Design Studios

00:24:58 The Evolution of Album Art in Design

00:28:14 The Impact of Digital Primacy on Visual Culture

00:37:17 The Dangers of Cultural Solipsism and Customization

00:46:22 Exploring Architectural Narratives in Film

01:03:09 The Myth of Immortality in Storytelling

01:09:11 Confronting Death in Modern Society

This week Daisy and Francis are joined by Aliza Abarbanel, co-founder and editor of Cake Zine, a food-centric physical publication that is described as "a hedonistic exploration of history, pop culture, literature, and art through sweets."

00:00 Intro to Cake Zine and the Shift From Print to Digital Media

02:30 The Role of NY Mag in Media Representation

05:53 Tina Brown and the Evolution of Substack

10:00 Playboy's Business Challenges and Future Directions

12:00 Welcome Aliza - Dessert After Dark

17:24 The Benefits and Challenges of Print Media

21:06 Defining a Piece of Cake Zine

22:52 The Unique Approach of Cake Zine

25:54 Understanding the Economics of Indie Publications

29:26 Navigating the Attention Economy Trap

31:17 The Role of Events in Building Community

36:00 The Value of Collecting Magazines

38:33 Mushrooms in the Middle

41:03 The Community in Food Culture vs. Media Culture

45:44 Dreams of a Physical Space

48:06 Balancing Passion and Profession

49:39 Podcasting Insights and Experiences, Also Zodiac Signs

55:24 Final Rapid Fire Questions