Well the auction of Joan Didion’s personal stuff was pretty crazy. Her glasses went for $27k, her broken Cartier desk clock went for $35k and her notebooks went for $14k. Overall, some $2m was raised for charity through the auction.
There’s probably some deeply critical thing to say about consumer culture, celebrity and conspicuous consumption, but for me, I get the appeal. Didion was an icon and having some piece of her life carries weight. Her personal items transcend traditional celebrity memorabilia, IMO. Why not want a piece for yourself? Maybe she’d think the whole thing was ridiculous. Who knows? Regardless, I didn’t win the glasses, or the le Creuset pots, or the Robert Rauschenberg, or anything.
Some recent links I really liked:
Gross and fascinating: Descend Into the Sewers With London’s Fatberg-Busters (Atlas Obscura)
An amazing story of medicine and diagnosis: Swamp Boy (Now This)
Only moments away from this becoming a Netflix movie. Ferrari Fugitives (Toronto Life).
Michael Bierut as design oracle. (Time Sensitive)
Gear Patrol Magazine Issue 19
A big week on the homefront here. Issue 19 of Gear Patrol Magazine dropped and it’s the first time a human has been on the cover. Who is that human? It’s Marques Brownlee, the hugely influential YouTuber and gear expert. I’m not personally involved in the magazine production process, so every time they drop, they are fantastic little surprises. I love seeing Marques on the cover. Go check it out here.
Neil Young Gets the Zane Lowe Treatment
50+ albums in and Neil Young is showing no signs of stopping. I’m excited to hear his new work, but it means I’ll have to sign up for Apple Music, which is fine with me! I genuinely appreciate the approach Apple and Zane Lowe are taking with these long-winding interviews. They’re a nice counterbalance to the short clips on Instagram and other platforms. See also Zane’s interview with Anthony Kiedis.
Great Instagram of the Week
Jessica Brill is an artist in Boston. Her words: “My most recent body of work was inspired by 35mm Kodachrome slides and generations-old photographs that were gathered from locations across the United States. Through my experience of painting and sharing these photos, I have found that there is something inherent in them that speaks to many Americans, whether it be a photo taken at a pool party in 1965 or of someone’s mother standing in front of the family car—we insert our own lives into these scenes from the past.
I view thousands of slides and photos to find the ones that move me emotionally. I’m constantly on the hunt for photos that mirror scenes from my childhood, or that I feel a connection to through personal or familial experience.”
Next Week: A Visit to the Reggae Archives
Speaking of critical cultural artifacts, I recently visited what must be the largest archive of reggae music and reggae artifacts on the planet. It’s the creation of Roger Steffens of The Family Acid, and I can’t wait to tell you about it. More next week.
That’s it!
John