Tasteland

We convene three guests to discuss line culture, the business of line-sitting, tech-enabled reservation sniping, reservation app paydays, and shame. Hosts Francis Zierer and Daisy Alioto are joined by: Francky Knapp is a staff writer at Eater, and an award-winning writer with bylines in GQ, VICE, The Daily Beast, and other publications. Brian Wagner is the founder of Spot, an invite-only restaurant booking app that uses agents to immediately book tables across all the major restaurant booking services. Jake Leiber is the chef and owner of Chez Ma Tante in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Formerly a partner of the Wythe Hotel and founder of Le Crocodile, he’s been cooking in New York City for nearly 20 years. Find a full, linked syllabus of all articles mentioned in this episode here.

We convene three guests to discuss prep, the traditions of Americana, the Kennedys, #OldMoney, and the collapse all of these rules and contexts. Hosts Francis Zierer and Daisy Alioto are joined by: Caroline Hallemann is the Digital Director of Town & Country magazine, where she writes about culture, society, entertainment, and the world of the rich and powerful. Her work has often focused on the British monarchy, and the closest thing America has to a royal family: the Kennedys. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Sean Monahan is a writer and trend forecaster based in Los Angeles. He co-founded K-Hole, the trend forecasting group, and currently publishes the newsletter 8Ball. You may know him for coining the term “vibe shift.” Henry Fisher is the founder of Hank’s Americana, a style zine and multimedia art project based in New York City. Find a full, linked syllabus of all articles mentioned in this episode here.

We convene three guests to discuss 25 years of the iPod, the consumer hardware End of History, and the possibility of a new consumer hardware Cambrian Explosion. Hosts Francis Zierer and Daisy Alioto are joined by: Molly Mary O'Brien is a freelance video editor and writer living in Los Angeles, California. She is the writer behind the blog “I enjoy Music,” and the host of a podcast about words about music called “And Introducing.” Liz Dorman is a technologist, design engineer, and world wanderer. She is a co-founder of Era, a company working to usher in a new era of computing with an intelligence layer for physical devices. Joy Howard is the Chief Marketing Officer at Back Market, a global marketplace for refurbished electronics. Previously, she’s held similar roles at Lyft, Sonos, Patagonia, Nike, and Coca Cola. Before she got he business degree, she was the vocalist in a shoegaze band, playing with acts like Cat Power and Modest Mouse in the 90s. Find a full, linked syllabus of all articles mentioned in this episode here. 00:00 The iPod's Legacy and Impact 03:04 Personal Experiences with the iPod 06:00 Nostalgia and Cultural Shifts 08:54 The Evolution of Music Consumption 12:05 The Aesthetics of the iPod 14:55 The Right to Repair Movement 17:57 The Future of Consumer Electronics 21:07 The Afterlife of the iPod 24:07 Generational Perspectives on Music Devices 26:55 The Role of Music in Youth Culture 30:06 The Future of Technology and Human Interaction

In a new format for Tasteland, hosts Daisy and Francis spoke to three expert guests about the state and future of men's media. We set out to discuss a notion posed by our first guest, John McDermott — that we need The Cut for men. Over three guest conversations, woven together here, we cover the business, output, and social implications of that position. John McDermott is a Los Angeles-based journalist covering arts, entertainment, business, and media, with bylines in The New York Times, WIRED, Esquire, the Chicago Tribune, and more. He was an early staff writer at MEL Magazine and previously covered the digital media industry at Digiday. Alana Hope Levinson is a features editor at WIRED and a writer and editor with deep roots in digital culture, gender, and longform journalism. She previously served as deputy editor at MEL Magazine, overseeing features and special projects, and spent five years running her own editorial consultancy before joining WIRED in late 2025. Chris Gayomali is a writer and editor currently serving as editor of SSENSE. He was previously articles editor at GQ — and before that, site editor of GQ.com — where he edited features and longform work. He also writes HEAVIES, a newsletter about health, wellness, and modern ways of feeling good. Finally, Chris is the host of a new podcast about steroids and the "Enhanced Games," SUPERHUMAN. Find a full, linked syllabus of all articles mentioned in this episode here. 00:00 We're Exploring the Future of Men's Media 03:09 The Need for Quality Men's Content 06:07 Woke and Men's Media 09:08 First-Person Narratives in Men's Magazine Writing 11:54 Masculinities in Modern Media 15:07 Social Media's Influence on Men 17:57 Male Representation in Publishing 20:50 The Intersection of Gender and Media Economics 23:57 Opportunities and Challenges Facing Men's Media 39:44 Consumption Patterns in Men's Media 42:30 How Media is Shaping Masculinity 45:49 Economic Anxiety and Male Identity 52:42 The Crisis of Male Identity and Radicalization 57:40 The Need for a New Narrative in Men's Media 01:01:20The Future of Media Consumption and Male Identity

No guest this week. Daisy and Francis discuss the concept of 'The Great Slowdown' as a response to media overload and the desire for deeper engagement with content, the idea of 'vibes gambling' in media, and Dirt's recent contest for essays on health and wealth. 00:00 Transitioning to a New Format 03:11 The Great Slowdown: A Response to Media Overload 05:58 Vibes Gambling: The New Media Economy 09:02 Creating Meaningful Engagement in Media 11:59 Exploring Wealth and Health Through Personal Narratives 15:50 The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health 21:59 The Future of Digital Interaction and Content Creation