Why is this interesting? - The Most Referenced Edition

Colin here. It has been a few months since we started WITI. And while there’s been a glut of newsletters lately, what Noah and I wanted to do was a written version of our wide-ranging conversations (often over a Balthazar breakfast) that spanned genres and topics. These breakfasts were both a proxy for us to meet interesting people (props to Felix Salmon for agreeing to sit down so long ago), but also an opportunity to take an ambient observation and take it down the path to a full-fledged thought.

Sometimes that is tougher than it seems, but it seemed like a fun thing to try to do every day. Beyond the forced thinking, the joy of writing WITI for me has been seeing how Noah is secretly an incredible editor and interacting with the community of people that have expressed support, interest, and have written cool things for us out of a combination of kindness and fascination with their topic of interest. We’ve done a recent issue on Factory Records, filed an Arctic edition, and also had a lot of kind words and support about the (sometimes scary) daily deadline that we subject ourselves to. If you have stuff you want us to cover, or any observations, hit reply to this message and we are on it. And though we are building this readership slowly and deliberately, we’d welcome you forwarding to one person you think you’d enjoy what we are trying to do.

[The interior of Balthazar. Not pictured: The playing cards on the ceiling.]

Why is this interesting?

Over the countless coffees, drinks and conversations, there are stories and articles that keep rattling around in our heads long after we’ve read them. Things with staying power. Things you have shared with others on Instapaper and Pocket, brought up in discussion, or just generally enjoyed and savored over time. Before we get into some meatier topics this week, a dispatch from Rwanda and an interesting examination of how Dilla made beats, we’ll start with some of the all time most-shared pieces from Noah and myself.

Colin’s picks:

82 Ways to live like Alejandro Jodorowsky: This is an oddly pleasurable read. A code of conduct from Alejandro Jodorowsky that always seems more and more insightful and interesting every time I thumb through it.
How Clown Pants Saved My Life: This piece was strange in all ways. But it actually gets to the heart of fashion, craft, patina, and the development of self confidence and personal style that I found incredibly refreshing. Also, this piece propelled me down a wormhole, learning more about the founder of Visvim, a label that makes beautiful clothing that feels that it has existed for decades.
Joan Didion on the Santa Ana Winds: Not a lot needs to be said other than it’s a true pleasure to read and re-read some of the Didion classics. Though the prose is spare the insights are incredible. Really wonderful to digest.
The Shadow Commander: Dexter Filkins is a bit of a hero in terms of reporting on difficult topics. And this nuanced portrait of the head of the Iranian Quds force, Qassem Suleimani, shows how important journalism can be. As things get messy and more complicated with Iran, it is worth re-reading this portrait of a figure who is one of the least understood, yet most consequential of figures in modern international relations and modern warfare.

Noah’s Picks:

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: Ursula Le Guin’s 1973 short story about the things we live with in order to live the way we want is a parable for every age. I only discovered it in the last few years, but have found reason to reference and share it again and again.
Raise the Crime Rate: I’m not sure how I ran across this n+1 article, but I vividly remember reading it on a trip to Tokyo with Colin and feeling struck by how uncomfortable it made me. The best writing makes you look at issues in whole new ways and this piece on how we have effectively moved crime from our streets to our prisons is shocking in its statistics and conclusion.
How The Internet Gets Inside Us: This piece, which I quoted heavily in WITI 6/24 - The Ever-Waser Edition, is ostensibly a review of a few books of the effect of the internet on culture and society. It goes well beyond that, though, offering a model for thinking about how people approach technology prognostication that has helped to frame my own thinking and become a favorite reference for almost anything having to do with change.
Warning: May Contain Non-Design Content: This piece from the Design Observer blog has moved beyond just a favorite reference to being a fundamental principle of my life. The post is a response to a question Michael Bierut frequently received asking why he so frequently wrote about things other than design. His answer has become a sort of mantra for me about my own industry, life, and even this email: “... the great thing about graphic design is that it is almost always about something else. Corporate law. Professional football. Art. Politics. Robert Wilson. And if I can't get excited about whatever that something else is, I really have trouble doing good work as a designer. To me, the conclusion is inescapable: the more things you're interested in, the better your work will be.”

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)