I started this blog a few years ago with a post about the dearth of imagination in fashion ads (“They’re beautiful. So why aren’t they smiling?”). The latest example? Brioni employing Metallica to sell suits that start at (ouch) $7,000 each. Nothing against Metallica. Their latest is a return to form, and using ’em for the tony Brioni label is classic casting against type.
But the black and white campaign (shot by Zachery Michael) is a blatant rip-off of the long-running John Varvatos campaign shot by Danny Clinch. That effort (also B+W) stars a who’s who of rockers: Iggy Pop, Jimmy Page, Slash, Alice Cooper, Ringo Starr, Joe Perry, ZZ Top, Paul Weller, the Roots, Cheap Trick, Kiss and more.
For Varvatos, Clinch was a no brainer. He’s one of the best rock photographers around. His subjects are unusually comfortable with him, so more of their true personality comes through in his work. Varvatos also has a deep connection to the genre (he bought legendary club CBGBs to preserve it, and penned Rock In Fashionabout the love affair between rockers and their threads).
Another reason the Varvatos campaign seems more credible is that his duds cost a fraction of what Brioni’s do, which makes for a more accessible tie-in. Besides, the Wall Street types that wear Brioni are more likely to ‘rock out’ to Billy Joel than to Metallica (me? I’ll take Master of Puppets over Uptown Girl anytime).
To be fair, Brioni’s effort is a nice departure from the mostly staid stuff in the category. I just wish they had put the same effort into their marketing as they do into their impeccably crafted clothing.
As wild animals go, the honey badger isn’t much of a looker. Squat, vaguely skunk-like, with none of the panache of Badger from my childhood favourite The Wind In The Willows. And yet, by all accounts this little rascal is a bonafide badass. A few years ago, a hilarious video surfaced on YouTube arguing that the “crazy, nastyass” honey badger is quite possibly the fiercest animal on earth.
Tangle with a king cobra? No problem. Fight a lion? Why not. Plunder the larva and honey from a nest full of bees while being stung hundreds of times? Big whoop. Mix it up with jackals? Bring it. 70,000,000 views later, it’s still hard to watch it without pissing yourself laughing.
But behind the humour, there’s an important life lesson: The undeniable power of resilience. Like the narrator says in the video, “honey badger don’t give a shit.” And we can learn from that. Because to be successful in life (heck, to survive in life) it often pays to ignore all the rules, naysayers, facts and odds stacked against you. For example:
Steven Spielberg When Jaws went into production, the director (then just 26) was told by the studio suits that it would be impossible to shoot on the open ocean. At the time, sea adventures were filmed in giant tanks in Hollywood (a practice that continues today–The Perfect Storm and At Sea were shot this way). But he insisted that it wouldn’t be credible.
Worse, the script wasn’t even finished when they started shooting and the mechanical shark kept malfunctioning. But ironically, these setbacks (and his own inexperience) worked in young Spielberg’s favour, because they allowed him to shape the story as he went along. The results speak for themselves: One of the first blockbusters, and one of the best monster films of all time.
Curtis Mayfield In the mid-90s, the legendary soul singer and guitarist (“Superfly”) was paralyzed from the neck down when a lighting rig crushed him as a tornado struck his outdoor concert in Atlanta. He could’ve easily given up. Instead, he poured every ounce of energy he had into recording New World Order, one of the best records in his long and acclaimed career.
The sessions were exhausting. They had to lay Mayfield’s fractured body on the floor of the studio to fill his lungs with enough air to painstakingly sing each verse, one line at a time. The results, however, are stunning–a beautiful, soulful, life affirming album.
Emma Sulkowicz When Columbia University didn’t take action against her rapist (a fellow student) this courageous young woman created “Carry That Weight,” a blend of protest, performance art and senior thesis rolled into one. As she explains in this video, Emma carries the 50-pound mattress she was raped on with her wherever she goes on campus, as a visceral reminder of the school’s failure to deal with sexual assaults. Just try looking away.
George Lucas Hard to believe, but every major studio in Hollywood turned down Star Wars. And when Lucas showed a rough cut to his best film school pals (Spielberg and Marty Scorsese) they told him it was a guaranteed failure. After all, he had inserted clips of old black and white World War II combat films for Star Wars’ epic aerial dogfights as placeholders until Industrial Light and Magic could finish the pioneering special effects. We all know how that one turned out.
In their infinite wisdom, the all-knowing suits also passed on the toy rights, claiming that no one would want souvenirs from a failed film (see a pattern here?). The franchise and those toy rights made Lucas a billionaire, and he’s been laughing all the way to the bank ever since.
The Beatles Every major record label in London passed on the band, thinking they were nothing special, until EMI took a chance on them. The label paired the lads with genius producer George Martin and together, they went on to change music forever. And Sir Paul stayed with EMI for 45 years.
Jim Carrey Rumour has it that when the fledgling comedian moved to L.A., he carried a check made out to himself in the amount of ten million dollars. He kept it in his pocket for years until the day he was finally a big enough star to be able to actually cash it. In the words of Ted darling Amy Cuddy, “fake it ’til you make it.”
Nelson Mandela Mandela was imprisoned for three decades by South Africa’s racist Apartheid regime, but he never lost faith in himself, or in the cause. The time in jail only strengthened his resolve. Once released, he became the leader of his nation and one of the most admired politicians ever (‘admired politicians,’ how’s that for an oxymoron?). In his brilliant words, “It’s always impossible until it’s done.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger When the champion bodybuilder showed up in Hollywood and proclaimed in his thick Austrian accent: “I vant to be a moooveee stah” the studios scoffed. They told him to come back after he had changed his ridiculous name, fixed the ugly gap in his teeth and learned to speak proper English. A decade later, he was one of the biggest stars on the planet. And went on to become the governator of Caleeforneeah, one of the largest economies in the world.
Mothers everywhere My dad used to say that if men had to give birth the human race would’ve died out long ago. True. Between the pain, the lack of sleep, the toll on your body and your psyche, there is surely no tougher job on the planet. And then try re-entering the job market and re-inventing yourself as you’re suffering the indignities of going through the change. Mothers (and women) in many parts of the world have it even worse, being subject to oppression. They are the real unsung heroes in our midst.
Keith Richards Keef is a human cockroach (and I mean that in a good way). Drug busts, overdoses, falls from trees, the changing musical tastes of the public, nothing can keep him down. He keeps going and going and going, like the Energizer bunny, in part, because he’s one tough son of a bitch but also because he still believes so strongly in himself, and in his band.
No doubt you have your own examples. For me, each of these is a vivid reminder of one of the best life axioms out there:
The trouble with rules is, they rule out brilliant exceptions.
So when life kicks you down (and more often than not, it will–over and over and over and over and over again) channel your inner honey badger and do what that irrepressible little badass would do:
We live in a time of unprecedented connectedness, tethered 24/7/365 to work, family, friends, news, and all manner of interests and stressors, whether we want to be or not. The economy? Crisis in the Middle East? The latest school shooting? Check. A work headache masquerading as an ‘opportunity’? You’re up. Family stress? Relationship troubles? Celebrity scandal or wedding du jour? Try hiding from ’em.
Scientists worry that our brains are being asked to take in more information than ever before. Maybe even more than we, as humans, were ever wired to. After all, if a big part of the journey of life is to figure out what it all means, it’s hard to do when we can’t stop and process it all. It’s never been harder to find the silence between the nonstop flurry of notes. Hence, a few suggestions:
Be a loner No, don’t drive cross-country and start chopping hitchhikers into little bits. Take a walk. Do yoga. Go for a run, a swim, a ride. A hike, a drive, a paddle. Visit the library, sit in a café, read on a park bench. Dine for one. Dare to be alone with your thoughts. It won’t always be pleasant, but every now and then you are your own best companion.
Take a proper lunch Most days, I eat lunch at my desk. But it pales in comparison to the simple pleasures of breaking bread with a friend and having a real, unscripted conversation where you can’t filter, edit, and retouch everything that comes out of your mouth. In Europe and Latin America, it’s the norm. Here in the States, sadly, it’s often the exception. People enjoying themselves in the middle of the day? Sacrilege!
Meditate One of the best ‘pause’ buttons out there. I took a class but haven’t even come close to mastering it yet. Hopefully I’ll get the hang of it before my frayed nerves give out.
Mindfulness The kissing cousin of meditation. Be present. Listen to your kids or your significant other when they tell you about their day. Slow down enough to actually taste the food you’re eating. Just that little act of concentration will make your brain fire differently.
Digital detox How often do you see couples or even a table full of folks (or families) out to dinner and no one’s talking because they’re all staring at their phones? Same in meetings. It’s the new crack. Tear yourself away from all those glowing screens. (See ‘be present’ above.) Sound impossible? Despite ambitious plans to break global sales records again this year, Volkswagen Germany banned after work email in an attempt to give employees an opportunity to recharge.
Take a nap Kids do it. Animals do it. Latin America does it. New research shows that napping lets your brain grow new cells. My advice: 10 to 15 minutes, max. If you’re a coffee person, drink an espresso, put your head down, and when the coffee kicks in, you’ll wake up good to go. Don’t knock it ’til you try it.
Go on vacation Sounds simple enough. Yet a story in Forbesnotes that most Americans left 9 days of vacation time on the table in 2012. What’s the untold cost in terms of stress and lost productivity? We may never know. But many countries require their citizens to take vacation. Smart employers do the same.
Say nothing Why do we feel compelled to fill every second of air like so many of the annoying commercials on TV? Some of the most interesting conversations are the ones with awkward pauses and stumbles. Right now, we need more white space.
If the notion of ‘pausing’ strikes you as old fashioned, dear reader, I stand before you, guilty as charged. Drag me out to the gallows and and string me up by the threads of one of my Paul Smith jackets. Flog me with the cables of my retro audio system. Drown me in a vat of my favourite biodynamic Barolo. There are worse ways to go, and at least my mind will be clear when I do.
Seeing the frozen faces of aging stars on the Oscars this month (oh, Goldie) got me thinking: We’re just not always allowed to age gracefully. We spend billions in a vain attempt to stave off the effects of time. Worse, it seems we don’t always value the elderly in our society the way they do in most of the world.
As a child, I was keenly aware of how lucky I was to have my grandparents. Living overseas, we only saw them once a year (on home leave), but I still wrote them long letters weekly, a ritual I stuck to even through the hazy days of college. For me, it was a way to nurture a relationship that mattered (the young learning from the old and vice versa). Now that my parents are the Nonni and Nonno in our house, it’s the same with our boys. This appreciation for old folks is also on full display in Europe.
One Sunday last October, on one of my wife’s intimate curated trips to Italy, we found ourselves in the tiny village of Scanno, high in the mountains above Sulmona in earthquake ravaged L’Aquila. The village is called the “Pearl of Abruzzo” for good reason. It’s incredibly picturesque, and for extra eye candy, you have to drive through the clouds to get to it. But more than the old buildings and weathered surroundings, what impressed most were the old people of this little hamlet.
On this drizzly afternoon, they were hard to miss: A face peeking out from hanging laundry. A beaming shop proprietor. A woman walking with her grandchild. A smartly dressed man out for a stroll. An old woman navigating the narrow, wet streets with a cane. A man pausing to read a plaque in a tiny square. A tough faced woman walking with purpose. An old lady doing her shopping.
The final picture is of three little girls on that same afternoon. I include it because with luck, one day they too will grow old. With wrinkles, laugh lines, a wealth of life experience and rich stories to tell. But I suspect they might be more comfortable with this inevitable life transition that most of us.
Perhaps because they will still live with relatives close by and take family dinners together several times a week, as is the Mediterranean custom. Perhaps because they’ll still be active, not sedentary, not glued to the couch gazing at the “idiot box.”
Or perhaps, as Nils Lofgren sang in his brilliant cover of Carole King’s Going Back, they will have learned that “Thinking young and growing older ain’t no sin. I can play the game of life to win.”
Note: I took these pictures on a beat up iPhone 4S, threw a quick filter on ’em, and shared ’em on Instagram. I think their subjects still have plenty to say.
Most creative people (myself included) are quick to rail against the constraints of many assignments that land in our laps. “There’s no time.” “Budget’s too small.” “Not enough leeway.” [Insert your favourite obstacle here.] It’s in our nature. We hate to be fenced in. But if you open yourself up to the possibilities and learn to love the guardrails, great things can happen. Examples from other fields:
Music. Most artists tend to do their best work early in their careers. They’re lean. Hungry. They have something to prove. Perhaps most importantly, they don’t have the time or money to languish in the studio and engage in the endless rounds of navel-gazing that suck the life out of any project. The Beatles, The WHO and the Stones cut their early records in mere days on 4-track recorders. Just compare Metallica’s early LPs, all anger and vitriol, with the creatively constipated band bickering like an old married couple in the documentary Some Kind of Monster.
In fact, once they’ve made it, many artists often put themselves back into the box of ‘less’ in an effort to recapture the magic that made them great in the first place. Paul McCartney cut the 14 tracks on CHOBA B CCCP (Back In The USSR) in a day. It’s loose, raw and full of life, unlike so many of the bloated productions he and others were putting out back then.
Food In stark contrast to the over-processed garbage most Americans put into their mouths, Michael Pollen argues in favour of eating only foods that are produced with 5 ingredients or less. It’s all in how the chef uses the ingredients rather than how many there are.
Wine Vintners on all continents have embraced sustainability and cleaner methods in an attempt to produce more honest wines. Given the havoc that global warming is wrecking on producers’ microclimates, this is no small undertaking. But the results are often stunning, as I wrote in my wife’s food and travel blog.
Movies Woody Allen caps most of his film budgets at $6 million, a paltry sum by Hollywood standards, where the average movie can easily cost $40 to $100 million, not counting marketing. Why? Because even with his enviable track record, it’s the only way he can retain artistic control and feel good about the final product.
Marketing So back to my chosen profession. Make no mistake, I’m a strong advocate for having the time to think a project through. Time allows you to get smart on a subject. It lets you get obvious solutions out of the way. It lets you work on a problem and then come back to the project with fresh eyes. But given the pace most clients move at these days, we rarely get enough of it.
A decent budget is also tops on most creatives’ wish lists. It’s easier to get attention when you have the media spend to be seen everywhere. It’s a lot harder to stand out when you have a small box to play in and you’re forced to make the idea king. It’s also nice to be able to afford top tier photographers, directors, editors and other collaborators to bring your idea to life. Again, not always the case.
So here are a few examples of marketers that did a great job of delivering their messages in incredibly simple yet powerful ways, ones that break through despite the limitations of what they’re working with.
Oil of Olay No overpaid celebrity shills. No beautiful models. No quasi-scientific claims. Just two simple words on the page (“Tock. Tick.”) that communicate a powerful anti-aging message. It’s so good you gotta wonder if it was created just for an award show entry.
Job Hunt A fellow named Alec Brownstein was looking for a job but it was hard to get into the top shops. So, knowing what egomaniacs most creative directors are, he bought Google AdWords targeting his favourites that said, “Hey (name), Googling yourself is fun. Hiring me is fun too” with a link to his portfolio. Total cost? $6. He got a bunch of interviews, two offers, a job, and a few awards to boot. Nicely done.
Lego One of my favourite childhood toys (and my boys’ as well). Lego = imagination, a message that’s beautifully brought to life in these ads. Another advantage of being forced to strip things to the bone is that it allows the power of the idea to shine through. These ads could run in Mumbai or Mumford and be understood by parents and kids alike.
Allstate When the lights went out at the Super Bowl in New Orleans last year, Allstate pounced. ‘Mayhem’ took to social media, taking credit for the outage, and underscoring how quickly things can change. Brilliant, and cheap. And what client doesn’t love that?
The Economist This long running campaign from Abbott Mead Vickers in London (now adapted for the U.S. market) is instantly recognizable as The Economist. Simple. Powerful. Memorable. A single headline on red. That’s it.
Guinness A beer that claims to be ‘made of more’ celebrates two athletes that are also ‘made of more.’ One photo, type over picture, nice score and you’ve got a beautiful spot that’s more moving than most of the drivel that polluted the airwaves during the Super Bowl and the Olympics.
As my dad (an adman himself) and years of freelancing taught me, advertising is like sports: There’s no past, and no future. Nobody cares about the great idea you had last week or how many awards you won last year. They don’t care what you’ll do next year. It’s all about the moment. It’s put up or shut up. Like being a designated hitter. Or a gunslinger. It can be a lot of pressure. But the more comfortable you are with the guardrails, the better you’ll perform within them.
Ironically, the key to doing good work under these circumstances may be in ignoring one of the lessons we’ve had drummed into us since childhood: “safety first.” We’ve been told over and over that the guardrails are there to keep us safe. And in much of life, they are. But as in any creative field, you can’t let them lull you into a false sense of security. Or to become an excuse for not trying hard enough. Because if you don’t find a way to be creative within them, your competitors surely will.
It happens. You run yourself ragged, and in that weakened state, you succumb to whatever vile bug is circulating at work or on your last few flights. Before you know it, your body is pleading “No más! No más!” like Roberto Duran in his humiliating defeat at the hands of Sugar Ray Leonard.
The first thing you learn when you’re home sick is just how much it sucks to be home sick. Social media is no help. You’ll either feel guilty for not being at work or pissed that life is passing you by. When you’re this beat, even reading is too much trouble.
Enter the The Surefire Sick Bed Film Festival. Now, no two people have the same taste, obviously, but the general gist is the same: Mix some classics, a few thrillers, a dash of romance, pepper in good documentaries and a helping of comedies, and you can’t go wrong. For example:
A Fish Called Wanda If I’m going to be laid up with a mystery virus kicking my bony ass, I want to keep some of this fare light. John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin and Jamie Lee Curtis make magic in this delightful romantic comedy (also written by Cleese). Kline is unforgettable as a thief torturing Michael Palin over his beloved fish.
The Swimming Pool (1969) It starts out innocently enough. The beautiful Romy Schneider and Alain Delon are lovers relaxing poolside at a villa in St. Tropez in this moody French flick. But when her ex shows up with his nubile teenage daughter (hottie Jane Birkin) big trouble ensues.
The Guard The formula’s familiar: Fish-out-of-water cop (Don Cheedle in rural Ireland) needs help solving a mystery, and finds it in fat, boozy, whoring local cop (the brilliant Brendan Gleeson). The two have great chemistry, but ultimately, it’s Gleeson’s humanity that helps The Guardrise above most buddy movie fare. He also shines in the excellent gangster drama In Bruges.
A bit of Hitchcock They just don’t make ’em like this anymore. Two faves are North By Northwest and To Catch A Thief, both starring Cary Grant. In the former, Grant and Eva Marie Saint are stellar. And the colour of the print (all Mad Men tones and all) is as good a test as any for a home theater’s picture. Thief, while one of the Master’s fluffier offerings, is still stylish classic and a reminder of just how stunning Grace Kelly was in her day.
Bill Cunningham, New York For documentaries, I tend to gravitate to stories of passionate souls plying their craft against all odds. This one is a poignant portrait of the New York Times photographer who for decades has chronicled the fashions of the moment. We should all be this vital in our 80s. I had a moist eye at the end — I only wish he had found a lifelong companion.
Anything by Miyazaki When I’m in the mood for animation, I do what the mega talents at Pixar do: Reach for anything by Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. The storylines are very strong, and the animation is just as good as it gets. Princess Mononoke, an environmental cautionary tale with a fierce female heroine, is one of my favourites. Also recommended: Porco Rosso or Spirited Away.
Headhunters This very well made Norwegian thriller takes a few liberties with logic, but it’s such an exciting, well acted ride that you’ll forgive the transgressions. Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is one bad, bad guy. Violence, tension, plus lots of clever twists.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi 85-year old Jiro (bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Grinch) is one of the best sushi chefs in the world, consistently wowing critics in his modest restaurant underneath Tokyo’s subway station. It’s his work that keeps him alive, yet you feel for his two sons, endlessly waiting in the wings for the old man to step aside. One of the best food docs ever.
TellNo OneBeing a guy, I’m a sucker for a good thriller and this French white knuckler will have you on the edge of your seat, er, bed. François Cluzet (The Intouchables) stars as an innocent man suspected of killing his wife. It’s fast, intense, and features some great chase scenes. No doubt Hollywood will bungle the inevitable remake.
Sound City As a music nut and audiophile, I just loved Sound City, Dave Grohl’s love letter to analogue and the seminal L.A. studio where countless groundbreaking albums were recorded on the Neve console. Great stuff. Others in this vein: Muscle Shoals and 20 Feet from Stardom.
Richard Pryor Chris Rock, Louis C.K., Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle and countless others owe a huge debt to Richard Pryor. Watching any of his concert films, it’s easy to see why. Like most comics, he was an astute observer of the human condition, but his humour also comes from a very dark place. It cuts to the bone, it resonates, and most importantly, it cracks you up. Just what the doctor ordered.
You get the idea. Of course, since we seem to be enjoying another golden age of television, you may be tempted to substitute a marathon of your favourite shows, but I prefer films.
It goes without saying that it would be better if you weren’t sick in the first place, but there are worse ways to try to slow down and recover than by making a big dent in your Netflix queue.
A little tea with honey and brandy, and you’re good to go.
Tech historians have documented how Apple nicked innovations like the graphic user interface, the mouse, bitmap displays, windows, icons and LANs from Xerox PARC. A true visionary, Steve Jobs was able to see and exploit the potential of these innovations even when the inventors themselves couldn’t. But beyond Jobs’ extraordinary drive, brilliant marketing and the technology itself, Apple’s greatest weapon has been its sexy, consumer friendly designs.
Most people assume this was also Jobs’ doing, with help from their gifted chief industrial designer, Jonny Ive. But I would argue that Apple wouldn’t be where it is today without the duo’s ability to channel Dieter Rams’ exquisite eye. Called “the greatest designer alive” by Fast Company, Rams was the genius behind Braun’s consumer products for decades. And also, it would appear, many of Apple’s.
The global press, tech bloggers, and many in the design community have claimed that Apple cribbed some of its most popular designs from the ground-breaking products Rams drew up for Braun. Ive has long professed his admiration for Rams’ output, saying, “Rams remains utterly alone in producing a body of work so consistently beautiful, so right and so accessible.”
But if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Ive and Apple are more than mere admirers of Rams’ products. They’re totally infatuated with them. Allow me to approach the bench.
Exhibit A The ghost of Braun’s T3 portable radio (1958, left) reappears as the original iPod (2001, right). Same size, same white plastic case, same use of a rotary dial for key functions, etc.
Exhibit B The iPhone’s calculator app (2007, left) borrows heavily from Brauns’s ET44 pocket calculator (1977, right) even down to the identically coloured round buttons for the same tasks.
Exhibit C Compare the aluminum housing, perforated details and swing out panel of the PowerMac G5 (2006, left) with Braun’s elegant T1000 portable transistor radio of 1964 (right).
Below: Close-up of the Braun T1000’s perforated aluminum panel (left) and the PowerMac’s (right).
Exhibit E On the left, Apple’s iMac from 2007. On the right, Braun’s stunning LE-1 loudspeaker which debuted in 1959.
I rest my case. But at least Apple had the good taste to steal from the very best. Is Rams bothered by any of this? Hardly. In fact, he praises Apple as the only large U.S. firm that is putting design first, by having the resolve to remove every last unnecessary element in its designs. And he credits Apple for changing our lives in dramatic ways Braun couldn’t even hope to have done.
Indeed, everything Apple has ever created–the original Macintosh, the candy coloured iMac, the iPod, their friendly retail store experience, the now ubiquitous iPhone, iTunes, the iPad, etc.–has been a proof point of their role as “the computer for the rest of us,” as their kick ass ad agency Chiat/Day put it back in the day. The public agrees. Good design sells. Today, Apple is the most valuable company in the world.
So the next time you feel a twinge of technolust as you admire one of Apple’s stylish products, by all means, tip your hat to Jobs & Co. But don’t forget the great Dieter Rams. Thanks to his wonderful eye, brilliant mind and incredible restraint, tens of millions of consumers are using everyday objects that are pieces of art instead of pieces of junk.
I travel a lot for work, and I try to enjoy every trip. When I’m with coworkers, it’s easy. Laughter. Cocktails. Repeat. Alone, it’s different. A few years ago, I had to do the Boston – NYC – Boston run to meet a freelance client. The tired old down and back? Hardly. Since time alone is in precious short supply for any busy person, I make the most of it.
The Train Flying to LaGuardia is faster, but given the dehumanization that air travel often entails, I usually opt for the Acela, even with its flaws and even if I have to get up at five. I’ve got a nice view of the Rhode Island and Connecticut coastlines. I read the old fashioned newspaper. I work. And I arrive composed rather than undone.
Walk No smelly cab for me. I walk the 20 blocks from Penn Station to lower Park Avenue, stopping at Eataly along the way. I share my wife’s love of a good food market, and Mario Batali’s ginormous take on the theme is that, on steroids. Moving on, I pause to genuflect before Pentagram out of respect for the incredible work this legendary design firm has produced over the years. They give our industry a good name.
Work New York’s energy is infectious. I arrive at my meeting all fired up. The client is receptive. The trip is a success. Grateful, I invite them for lunch but they have another meeting. I’ve learned that there’s always another meeting, another deadline, another ‘to do’ to be crossed off the list. Today, enjoying life takes precedence.
Shop The Gods must agree because stepping out onto Fifth Avenue, I spy (what’s this?) a Paul Smith shop. This could be dangerous. While I generally prize experiences over objects, I will also cop to being a materialistic f-cker, and I can’t get enough of Sir Paul’s quirky-meets-classic attire. I add to my collection, and the staff is all over the rare Paul Smith for Burton coat I’m wearing. It’s enough to make a geezer feel hip.
A Great Meal Ideally, food should be enjoyed leisurely with people you like. But with clients and friends busy, I head for the tony sushi bar at 15 East. New York has no shortage of great sushi joints, and 15 East is a Union Square standout, with a Michelin Star and immaculate fish, beautifully presented in a tasteful setting. For the next hour or so, it’s my own little refuge while the chaos of NYC rages on outside.
Records If I were uptown, I’d buzz through MOMA for a quick art fix. Instead, I head south through Washington Square Park to Generation Records on Thompson Street in the Village. Great for used stuff and punk. When I’m record shopping, I’m a kid again, and this is my playground. With rarities from the Stones, the Clash and The WHO in hand, I bolt before I do any more damage.
More Walking No car service today. The brisk walk back uptown takes me past two of my favourite skyscrapers, the Woolworth and New York Life buildings, and then through bustling Union Square for more great people watching. Up the way, I pop into the Ace Hotel for an espresso from the fedora-wearing baristas (okay, guys, you’re trying too hard).
The Train Penn Station is a zoo. Worlds are colliding, and all manner of human flotsam and jetsam are pushing and shoving like they’re fleeing Godzilla. I tip a Red Cap to bring me to the train before it’s posted on the board. This way, I get a seat with that killer seaside view. The ride home? I work, listen to music, sample Amtrak’s excellent wine list (not), and even grab a few Z’s.
I suspect that the guidebooks on Manhattan don’t mention the rose bushes in this fabled concrete jungle. Nonetheless, I found a way to stop and smell my share on this gray October day.
Eons ago, a college application essay asked what the greatest problem facing mankind was. I replied the mixed blessings of technology, arguing that while it had improved our lives in many ways, it had also produced big problems that our brightest minds couldn’t solve. Toxic chemicals. Nuclear proliferation. Decades later, these same challenges remain (global warming, anyone?) and technology is over complicating other things. Smartphones can start the oven during your commute. Cars can park and drive themselves. Refrigerators can read your email. Heck, the government is reading your email. It’s not quite The Jetstons or 1984, but we’re getting there.
Call me a Renaissance Man, but I still feel that less is usually more. When creating ads, my mantra is “when in doubt, take it out.” Because every time you remove an element from an ad, you’re reinforcing the power of what’s left behind. Good when competing for attention, but the principle works elsewhere as well. So here I celebrate a few favourite things that succeed by virtue of their simplicity:
The F-Bomb To paraphrase the great George Carlin, you gotta love its versatility. It’s an expletive (“Oh, fuck!”) A noun (“He’s a dumb fuck.”) A surrender (“We’re fucked.”) A verb (“Let’s fuck.”) A warning (“Don’t fuck with me.”) An insult (“You fucking fuck.”) An invitation (“Fuck me.”) A dismissal (“Fuck off.”) An anatomical challenge (“Go fuck yourself.”) And so much more. Do I use it too much? #@$% yeah.
If every picture tells a story, why don’t fashion brands try to tell more of one with theirs? Invariably, most ads in the category show all sorts of impossibly beautiful models, pouting, brooding, staring. Don’t these morose souls ever smile? Okay, maybe they’re hungry. But seriously, isn’t this stuff supposed to be aspirational? Most of these poor creatures look as ridiculous as Ben Stiller’s ‘Blue Steel’ pose in Zoolander, his facetious send up of the industry.
For example, what story is this Links ad telling? Of what ‘courage and honour’ do they speak? More likely, this sourpuss is fuming because someone cut the dessert line and took the last profiterole.
My Humble Opinion 