The Executive Edition (From SXSW)

Colin here. Hi from Austin. Reilly Brennan (RPB) and I did a quick jump into SXSW to see what’s happening in the world.

A few quick observations from both of us:

People watching sometimes better than the people: One of the things I have always liked about coming here is just the atmosphere. There are people from around the world, all of whom are excited to spend some time in Austin. Part of it is big Boondoggle energy, but part of it is a sense of community and IRL cohesion following isolation. I love the people watching: just observing the flow in the Four Seasons today, you could identify a lot of the interesting fish in the coral reef: an irritated Beeple talking to a handler, the futuristic fashion dark tech hacker set, and the life-affirming podcast bros setting up a makeshift studio in the lounge. The general festival-going aesthetic doesn’t seem to change with the years, somehow. The hyper-functional casual clothing, the visible lanyard, etc. (CJN)
QR codes are now ubiquitous at restaurants, but SXSW’s badge QR codes were mostly broken this week or sent the user to a Google search w/ a string of characters. A good opportunity missed. What if these just sent you directly to the person’s LinkedIn or Twitter or whatever they want? (RPB)
I’ve logged a lot of time here and have spoken at the conference several times on different topics. It is a place with a lot of fond memories embedded into every street. So a favorite thing to do is take laps around favorite locales (the Mohawk, my favorite music venue in North America, the obligatory Uchi hit for sushi, and a swing by the Hotel San Jose patio. I like not having too much to do, but rather going with the flow and enjoying some serendipity. Though one by-product of getting older is that my trips get shorter and shorter. I used to do the doubleheader of interactive and music with Rick Webb and Benjamin Palmer and was surprised I didn't need assistance getting to the gate to depart. (CJN)
If there’s a large full-building mural takeover with bad art covering the entrance, I no longer have to guess if it’s a chewing gum activation: I know it’s just an NFT launch (RPB)
Austin is still growing, both up and out: there’s a giant, wait for it, Hermes store opening on South Congress later in 2022. I get Allbirds and I get Outdoor Voices and Sunlife Organics, but this seems like a seismic leap for what used to be a dodgy stretch of town. (CJN)

A few things I noticed this week:

Loved this thought from Joanne McNeil in her great Substack All My Stars:

Everyone seems to be wondering what trends will emerge now that everything feels old—either very mid-quarantine or even pre-pandemic; and maybe we aren’t exactly post-pandemic yet but there is a new energy that’s happening and it’s hard to see, let alone name as of yet. My sense is it’s going to look like a return to ambiguity.
I find myself longing for art that refuses to explain itself. Dhalgren was like that for me, Mulholland Drive is another well-known example. Good music always does this. There’s been, for a while now, a Clarissa Explains It All-quality to movies and books, where everything is made for “analysis” and culture criticism. It is defensive and exhausting. When I saw that even Emily Ratajkowski released a Trick Mirror-inspired book of essays I knew that whatever you call that style of writing, it’s coming to an end now. Also, this tweet about everyone talking now like Patrick Bateman’s monologues on pop music (inspired by something from this interview) seems like a weak signal.
I want the work that’s intuitive, subconscious-driven, and hypnagogic rather than the contrived, the ass-covering, the people-pleasing, and the crowd-reading. “Analysis” of this work can’t be traded in Letterbxd reviews or Substacks—this one, included—which is exactly why I’d bet on it that this is where the wind is blowing.

Worth your time/attention:

In the Ukraine Conflict, Fake Fact-Checks Are Being Used to Spread Disinformation

Social media posts debunking purported Ukrainian disinformation are themselves fake. That doesn’t stop them from being featured on Russian state TV.

Very interesting thread! How one person’s opinion can form the basis of three pieces in a national newspaper.

Worth a WITI re-read: The operations order edition.

See you Monday for our MMD.