Brock Colyar is done with brat summer.
Plus an archive sale, Hello Kitty drama, and the last days of the Los Feliz Goodwill.
Happy Friday, everyone. We made it.
In today’s newsletter: a Q&A with Brock Colyar, an archive sale in Glendale, the internet’s new boyfriend, the Hippo team expands, a creator exodus, Hello Kitty drama, and a Goodwill goodbye.
📅 Mark your calendar…
Tomorrow, 6/7: No Maintenance makes great clothes. Tomorrow at 11am, they’re having an archive sale at their store in Glendale (1651 S. Central Avenue). They’ll be selling prototypes and one-of-a-kind samples, among other things.
Tomorrow, 6/7: Rob Sato’s new show, Earthquake Country, opens at Shepard Fairey’s Subliminal Projects in Echo Park. There’s a reception from 7-10pm, and the show runs through 7/26.
Sunday, 6/8: I’ll be at the Wilde’s pop-up at Canyon. Still not sure how they’re pulling it off without a kitchen, but I’m excited to find out. It’s 6:30-9:30pm, see you there?
Brock Colyar has thoughts about Substack.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a good feature recently — essentially, what makes a piece of writing something people actually want to read. So I reached out to Brock Colyar, the writer responsible for some of the buzziest culture pieces of the past year, for some advice.
Brock is a features writer for New York magazine, where they’ve written about the West Village Girls, the Senate Twink, and the rise of young conservatives. They’ve also profiled Charli XCX, Alex Cooper, and the Hawk Tuah Girl, among others.
Here’s our conversation, edited for clarity and conciseness.
Brock Colyar, thanks for taking the time. Walk me through your career thus far.
I was fortunate enough to get an internship at The Cut when I was in college, and totally fell in love with it. I ended up becoming the assistant to the editor in chief at New York magazine … and kind of got my break during COVID. I volunteered myself to write a story about underground parties — pre-vaccines — and pretty much spent like a month going to all these underground raves in the middle of COVID, and it became a cover story. And then out of that cover story came a nightlife column, Are U Coming, that I wrote for the first couple years coming out of COVID, where basically every week I would go out with a different person and write a diary of our night together. That was so much fun. I mean, I felt like Candace Bushnell or something.
That kind of led to everything else I've written since. I have an undefined beat, but usually it involves young people. Usually it involves me sneaking into a subculture of sorts and really spending time with people. Obviously, I’ve done some celebrity profiles and stuff like that. But what I really enjoy is subculture reporting.
Let’s get right into it. What do you think makes a good feature?
Like, something that’s kind of ubiquitous and if you haven't noticed it, then as soon as someone tells you about it, you see it everywhere. I think because I write about young people, I end up writing about the internet a lot, but for me, a requirement of a story I'm going to write is that it has some kind of lived world reality to it. You know, it's not just a phenomenon that exists on the Internet alone. It has broader repercussions.
And it’s just strong, funny, weirdo characters, too. The pleasure of being a journalist — the great honor of being the kind of journalist that I am — is that I get to go to places other people never get to go … you get to be in the room with somebody a lot of people want to be in the room with. Any good feature for me is something that brings [the reader] along for that experience.
Your work has a tendency to lean snarky without alienating the subject. Where’s the line?
I mean, I’ve pissed a lot of people off and I don’t necessarily take pride in that. I think a long time ago, I just learned that you really can’t predict how someone is going to react to something you write about them. No one ever really feels seen by a journalist who writes about them.
For me, the line is having some fun, but not being ungenerous. I don’t like to take easy shots – if it’s going to be a shot, it better be clean.
Do you agree niche is what’s hitting these days?
I think yes and no. West Village Girls was fairly niche and it was kind of surprising to me that that story caused the reaction it did. But in a way it makes sense – [as a journalist] you have to take these niche things and make them universal. That’s a very specific story about a very specific kind of girl and a very specific kind of neighborhood in one city, but I think it resonated further because people love to obsess over stories that involve TikTok and influencers.
What’s a recent story you wish was yours?
Kara [Voght], who works for the Washington Post style section, has been putting out a bunch of really amazing stuff that I’m usually quite jealous of.
Do you think good taste is universal?
No. I feel like there are so many fashion and style columns and Substacks and stuff right now. And there’s kind of an underlying understanding that they’re people with good taste and we’re supposed to be listening to them. And for some reason that’s really pissing me off lately.
I’m not sure anyone has good taste and I’m not sure…I don’t know. I thought about that a lot when I was writing the West Village Girls piece. I think a lot of people were mad at them because their taste level is basic, but what really struck me about them is that they kind of take pride in that basicness. I’ve been trying to do more of that myself. I’m not sure if anyone has good taste these days.
Is journalism still chic?
There are certainly people who make it chic. The current journalism landscape kind of requires you to build a brand out of yourself. And I certainly participate in that, but it also bugs the hell out of me. I think where I was trying to get with the Substacker stuff is that there are so many of these independent writers right now who just do a lot of self-glamorizing, and there’s a lot of self-interest, and it kind of turns me off.
What’s your favorite cultural trend right now?
Obviously, I’m a smoker. I also tend to fall for any kind of cocktail or food trend. I don’t mind that people are always bitching about that – things become a trend for a reason sometimes and those things are usually delicious.
What’s played out?
I mean, obviously I profiled Charli last year but…the whole Brat Summer thing and everything it represented. I just have no interest in going to dance my face off anymore because everyone’s gotten so self-serious about it. And I don’t think Charli helped that trend.
And what’s about to take over?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this piece I wrote over the inauguration and I do think there’s a bit of a conservative creep in the youth culture.
Are you familiar with the east side of LA?
I don’t get to spend as much time in LA as I want to. I’m familiar with what an east side boy is, I’ve spent some days drinking at the Silver Lake Pool…I know Silver Lake. I’ve been to the Clandestino of LA, the red booths and the martinis and smoking outside, the former Italian restaurant [Capri Club].
Finally, what does LA have that you wish New York had?
Every time I come to LA I’m in love and wish I lived there. I’m jealous of the outdoor space LA has. I wish I saw more culture reporting and youth culture coming out of LA right now, but every time I’m there … I enjoy being there because it’s just less pressure and the whole place seems to take itself less seriously than young people in New York do. I’m really jealous of that.
Oh my God, also what’s that shitty gay bar? I love that gay bar…
Yeah, it’s great, it feels like my favorite gay bar in New York in 2019. Everything [in New York] is so pretentious, everything’s a line, everything is just a hassle, and the last time I went to Akbar I was like “Oh, this is just a normal gay bar and I’m having the best time.” It’s the best.
🍽️ And now for some table scraps…
Jack Innanen is the internet’s new boyfriend, and catnip for brands. If you’re not watching Adults, you should be. The show is great with or without him, but this man will be doing so many brand deals. I can already see him sitting front row at a Loewe show, or maybe Thom Browne.
From the tip line — Rachel Sennott’s upcoming HBO show is filming at Canyon Coffee today. They closed at 11am, so Valerie’s your next best option.
A new bistro from the Hippo team just opened in South Pasadena. I love Hippo — the food is consistently great, and it’s one of those rare places that always feels full, yet you can easily get a reservation. Cannonball is now on my list.
There are 50 people making more than $1m a year on Substack. I am…not one of them.
A big-budget Disney movie starts shooting in LA next week. Whalefall, starring Josh Brolin and Austin Abrams, is benefiting from California tax credit incentives, and here’s to hoping it’s also a sign of studio movies returning from Canada, and Georgia, and England, and Bulgaria, and literally anywhere else.
From the tip line — JPMorgan Chase hosted a Zoom concert for private clients last night. I’m told it was a Broadway-style revue. Sadly, I didn’t get a link.
A big new development is replacing the Los Feliz Goodwill. The new seven-story building will contain 181 apartments and 15,400 square feet of retail space, and feature a vaguely zigzag-style roof. I’m all for more housing, but I’m really going to miss the Goodwill parking lot when I’m going to the Vista, or Kismet, or Bar Covell.
Creators are getting out of the business. In addition to Marc Maron, who’s ending WTF after 16 years, Carla Lalli Music put the kibosh on her YouTube channel, MatPat stopped hosting Game Theorists, and the Outdoor Boys channel went dark. Making content is hard.
Developers are buying up burned-out Altadena lots. We knew this would happen, but…gross.
Dodgers hit back at Hello Kitty Night litigant. Mark Findler sued the Dodgers, claiming he was wrongfully ejected from Hello Kitty Night in 2023 (according to reports, he was denied more than one free Hello Kitty bobblehead and got feisty). The Dodgers are now denying Findler’s claims and demanding he pay their legal fees.
Sam Hine spent three days in the desert with Haider Ackermann. I’m a fan of this ~fashion in the wilderness~ trend, I can’t lie.
Minute-long vertical videos are taking over Los Angeles. If you’re not working on a ReelShort, you probably know someone who is. It’s Quibi, except the episodes are shorter and the business model actually appears to be working.
There’s something about a totally decrepit house that really gets my gears turning.
Have a great weekend, see you all Monday <3
RIP OutdoorBoys channel truly a loss