Exciting news: Three-time Gossamer contributor Nina St. Pierre released her first book this week. Love Is A Burning Thing is a memoir about St. Pierre’s investigation into the complicated life, death, and beliefs of her mother, whose spiritual pursuits masked her mental illness. I haven’t read it yet, but I love St. Pierre’s writing and the way she somehow manages to make the metaphysical and mystical worlds both legible and lyrical. If you’re looking for some complementary reading, I’d suggest “All The Things We Cannot Keep” from Volume Six, which uncovers the complexity of grief through the experience of her mother’s death. -VvP |
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I say this with 100% love, but if you want a rolling tray that looks like the opening credits to Saved by the Bell or maybe a Miami-themed game of Mouse Trap, this playground from @fragilestuf is for you. Must DM to pre-order and ships worldwide from Tbilisi. -DW |
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It’s a funny thing to make and sell your own products. While there’s always something—usually a few things—from Gossamer in my rotation, every now and then, I’ll come back to a product after a short break and experience it anew. I was out for a few days and on Tuesday, during our catch up, David mentioned that had taken Dawn for the first time in a little bit (we were sold out for two months and no, we don’t have access to a secret stash!) and how impressed he was by its efficacy. It helped him focus and finish off a project we’d been working on for a while. Our talk inspired me to take some to get back into the swing of work things, and I’m here to tell you the same thing. If you’re looking for something to help you feel energized and dedicated to a task at hand, whatever that might be, Dawn really works. Even founders need to be reminded sometimes. -VvP |
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The worst named podcast out there (and a running joke throughout), The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast is as good as its title is terrible. It’s unclear as to why this podcast exists as even the four people involved—Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Seth Meyers—don’t seem entirely sure either, but I’m very glad it does. Each episode chronologically delves deep into the history of a digital short and/or sketch that the Lonely Island guys created when they were on Saturday Night Live, but there’s also lots of general tidbits and funny stories from their time there. If none of that sounds at all interesting, you should probably skip this. But if you are feeling nostalgic for the ‘00s, like any of the people involved, or just want to hear more of the backstory behind Natalie Portman’s famous rap, you might want to check this out. -DW |
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No, this album is not new, and yes, many of you are probably very familiar with it, but the reason I’m recommending Joanna Newsom’s 2006 album Ys this week is because I wanted to mark the passing of Steve Albini in some small way. Albini, who died Tuesday, was as equally famous for his work with the likes of Nirvana and the Pixies as he was for his curmudgeonly persona and strict principles. There’s been plenty written in memorial to him already and decades of interviews and writings that you can find online, so instead of adding to that cacophony, I chose to put forward this album, the polar opposite of much of his other work, in part to show his range, in part because I just relistened to it all the way through and it totally holds up, and in part because Newsom is married to Andy Samberg and I like small connections like that. (I would probably have written this about The Magnolia Electric Co. had I not put Jason Molina in this newsletter so many times already.) -DW |
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Is the mall under the Manhattan Bridge New York City’s hottest shopping destination? It might be. It’s home to vintage emporium James Veloria and now a newer, bigger flagship of Old Jewelry, designer Sarah Burns’ collection of solid silver jewelry. This location also features a rotating curation of contemporary artists, starting with pieces by Paris-based Zoe Moehm, available for the first time in the United States. Feels like a perfect weekend shopping excursion to me. -VvP |
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