My Top 10 List: Huge Week In America
So much on my radar this week (besides the inauguration). Whittling it down to a Top 10 was challenging.
But I did it! And based on my observations, I’d say we’re entering a new phase of pandemic psychology.
- Here’s what I’ve noticed: Men seem to be having an especially tough time of it right now. They’re at a breaking point when it comes to the pandemic.
- For the first time since this mess started, I’m seeing grown men, on podcasts, weeping about the existential crises of their lives.
- But there are also “silver linings.” The most recent example came from Steve-O on the Whiskey Ginger podcast. I found it inspiring to hear such a gnarly guy talk about how he struggled with the challenges of the pandemic. He was forced to adapt, regroup, and evolve. He developed new revenue streams to survive. He confessed that strange as it might sound, 2020 ultimately turned into a great year for him because it changed his whole mindset. On top of that, the “new,” more evolved Steve-O also figured out a way to donate $600K to charities (he’s particularly interested in ones that help put food on the table for those most in need).
- I’m also grateful to Jill Biden for discovering the amazing Amanda Gorman. And yes, I believe there will be a poetry boom over the next year. Bravo!
And on that note, let’s scroll down for this week’s Top 10.
1. Watch: James Corden performs ‘One Day More’ with a stellar crew of Broadway Stars. Brilliant.
Corden’s “Les Misérables” spoof is fantastic. You may have seen it already, but if not, I highly recommend you give it a look-see.
2. 85% of Canadians experienced “post-traumatic growth” aka “silver linings” during the lockdown (Source: CBC Canada News)
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
This recent Canadian study sums up the ‘silver lining’ experiences of many Canadians (not dissimilar to what many of my friends and some of my favorite podcasters have shared).
- The Gift of Time. #1 across the board. Everyone is happy to get back more of their time whether they’re “road warriors” traveling for business or comedians spending months on the road doing stand-up. That’s not to say people don’t want to return to work but we are all more aware of how debilitating the grind of work travel can be.
- A newfound appreciation of what really matters. Men, in particular, seem astounded to discover that focusing on “what I really give a shit about,” can change their lives from work to relationships to health. It’s made strong couples stronger and more appreciative of each other and it’s made others realize it’s time to call it quits. I’m predicting a very busy year for divorce lawyers.
- Enhanced, creative ways to connect with friends and family. From FaceTime to Zoom, people figured out how to stay in touch. In some instances, people have forged new, richer relationships with friends from the outer orbits of their extended networks.
- Positive health impacts. Many people are marveling at how much healthier they and their kids and friends have become. Turns out social distancing, mask wearing, and less travel do result in fewer colds and fewer cases of the flu.
- Everything has gone virtual. Work, school, entertainment are all remote and streaming. Much easier for people to participate from afar without getting in their cars or traveling. That said, it’s still way too early to predict which of these sociocultural shifts will stick post-pandemic.
3. What Does A Virtual Theatrical Performance Feel Like?
Major shoutout to my friend Rob O’Neill for tipping me to the Geffen Stayhouse (as opposed to Playhouse, get it?). He had the opportunity recently to experience The Present, an illusionist zoom performance and gave it rave reviews!
Besides the Geffen, there’s also:
4. The Clubhouse app blew up this week!! Everyone is now a member.
“Like networking on steroids.” – Michael Stelzner
What is it you ask?
- Clubhouse is an audio-based social media app. The company describes itself as “a new type of social product based on voice [that] allows people everywhere to talk, tell stories, develop ideas, deepen friendships, and meet interesting new people around the world.”
- I heard about it last year but didn’t join until this week when a friend sent me an invite.
- It’s an intriguing concept but I find it a bit overwhelming. Having now been on it for a week, it’s clear that the more of yourself you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. That said, you have to be willing to commit a fair amount of time to “get it.” It’s significantly more demanding than Twitter or LinkedIn and more complicated than streaming your favorite podcast.
- I’ve checked out a couple of “rooms” and spent the most time in one about the art world. Everette Taylor of Artsy was on stage along with a few gallerists and collectors and it was very informative.
- What I’ve also learned is that the Clubhouse experience is very reliant on the skills of the room moderator (versus a podcast, where vibing with the host is the most critical element to how much you’ll enjoy the experience).
- I’m now on the lookout for rooms with crypto art expertise. I need Clubhouse members who will get me up to speed on this major new trend (see #5 below).
- IF YOU’RE THINKING OF JOINING, OR HAVE JUST JOINED, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU WATCH THE TUTORIAL ABOVE.
5. ART ON MY RADAR: I wish I understood the Crypto Art scene (Sources: Brave New Coin, Decrypt)
Crypto art (or NFT collectibles) is the HOTTEST art market trend. I’ve only barely scratched the surface in understanding it. It even has its own unique language. However, I am 100% convinced that this is what tech bros and tech billionaires will be collecting.
- One of the keys to the rise of Nifty Gateway (owned by the Winklevoss twins) is the success of its curated “drop” model. If anyone is not aware, a drop is how hot street fashion brands, e.g., Supreme (who pioneered this concept), create a sense of urgency and scarcity among buyers.
- Nifty has successfully attracted hot artists from the street art world and worked with them on highly orchestrated NFT drops. This culminated in December with a drop from Beeple which made history by generating $582,000 in just 5 minutes. Beeple has now sold over $2M in digital art NFTs across two different collections with a variety of limited edition pieces.
- With the NFT collectible digital art market set to boom in 2021, Nifty also just signed for an exclusive digital art collection from Justin Roiland, the co-creator and voice actor of the cult animated series Rick and Morty. This show is especially popular within geeky communities in the physics, engineering, blockchain, and crypto fields. For example, Elon Musk is a fan, and even made a cameo appearance as himself (Elon Tusk).
6. new Moynihan Train Hall: such high expectations, such a big, fat nothingburger!
This $1.6 billion, 255,000-square-foot transit hub should be fabulous. How it ended up being so meh is a great mystery. If you do go, make sure you track down the two major art installations. Both require some sleuthing to find. Go figure!
7. TIKTOK: REVOLUTIONIZING RESTAURANT DESIGN, MENUS AND REVIEWS
Gen Z females are making their restaurant decisions based on TikTok. And that explains why 80% of the people I see dining out these days are young women. Everytime I ask them how they selected a particular restaurant, the answer is TikTok.
- And verified again last night when my friend told me that one of his clients was bringing her Gen Z granddaughter to NYC and the #1 restaurant on her list was Lou Lou (of course, featured on TikTok).
For Valentine’s Day
Visiting Dallas? Or any other city – if you want to know where the influencers are hanging out, check TikTok.
“YES, Your Business Needs Tiktok: TikTok has over 1 billion users and the age demo is between 13 and 40. What’s great about the platform is a video can go viral in a matter of minutes – it doesn’t require you to have a large following or a certain amount of content already created. TikTok also has the highest content engagement rates – which means your consumers are more active with the posts.”
Yahoo Finance,
8. Golf is up 20% and brands are jumping on the bandwagon (Sources: Golf.com, kjzz.org)
U.S. golfers logged 20% more rounds in August 2020 than August 2019. That comes on the heels of a 13.9% increase in June and a 19.7% increase in July, which totals up to a three-month stretch of major growth — and 27 million more rounds played over that period than last year.
Here’s what put this trend on my radar
- Young-ish podcasters like Andrew Santino, Tony Hinchcliffe, and Sebastian Maniscalco have become obsessed with golf since the pandemic hit. Several have even joined country clubs.
- Phoenix reported a 20% increase in the number of rounds played on its eight golf courses. That prompted me to check national statistics and it’s a trend all around the country.
- Seltzerland, a nationally-touring hard seltzer celebration from Cannonball Productions is hitting fairways coast to coast, coming to Scottsdale on February 13th. Although it is taking place at the Continental Golf Club there is no actual golfing involved which strikes me as incredibly LAME given how popular golfing has become. Additionally, based on their website, they are primarily targeting women, barely a man in sight which seems odd to me.
- Brands participating include White Claw, Bud Light Seltzer, Bon V!V, and Vizzy. (Source: Arizona Foothills Magazine)
9. STARGAZING, another breakout hobby of the pandemic (Sources: news3LV, you.co.uk, national geographic)
The Las Vegas Astronomical Society was the first to get this on my radar. A quick Google search revealed this to be a new trend not only in the States but around the world with amateur stargazers describing it as therapeutic and a form of meditation.
- The British Astronomical Association, which represents hobbyists, reports a huge surge in interest with more people than ever visiting their YouTube channel.
- Retailers in the UK have recorded a 50% rise in sales of telescopes in 2020.
- Nat Geo just listed upcoming astronomical phenomena for 2021 starting with the February 11 Venus-Jupiter conjunction. Link here.
10. PARSONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Fashion is back!
Last week, while having lunch at Isabelle’s Osteria in the Gramercy Park area, I ran into these two fabulous fashionistas. Another friend mentioned he had seen them, the same day, outside of Sak’s on Fifth Avenue. Not only do they get around, they are highly memorable.
- As it turns out Ivan Kirzonov, 18, is a student at Parsons (and he made that stunning metallic mirrored jacket himself). His friend, KatiexRenae, is also at Parsons.
- And if that were not enough, Ella Emhoff, (stepdaughter of our new VP) is also a student at Parsons. She was clearly THE breakout style star of the Inauguration.
- Her crystal-embellished Miu Miu’s Shetland Pied De Poule coat gave her major style icon points (for the next four years at least). She currently has 258K followers on Instagram (up 50K from Wednesday). Here’s a prediction: she’ll be at a million followers within a few more days.
And that’s a wrap!
Hopefully, our government will run more efficiently going forward and as things become more organized and structured, we’ll be able to get our vaccination appointments as easily as we can order up aspirin from Amazon. And if we do make progress in that direction, who knows what else can happen! Perhaps kids can go back to school, businesses can reopen and I can plan a few trips.
This is going to be a very chill, low key weekend for me. Today, I’m having lunch with some pals at NOMO (a fave if you’ve followed me on Instagram). We’ll also be checking out a few downtown galleries. Two shows I absolutely want to see: Florian Krewer at Tramps (one of my favorite downtown galleries) and Daniel Arsham at Perrotin. Beyond that, however, I’m staying in and attempting to get a handle on the crypto art scene. Are you listening Clubhouse? I’m relying on you to come through for me.
And with that, my friends, I wish you all a great weekend. Stay safe, be well!