“Hold your breath… Make a wish… Count to three…”
There are those movies from our childhood that stay with us forever, creating cultural and emotional tentpoles that support a tapestry of our young lives. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was one of those movies for me.
It’s a good bet that a lot of American men get their cues about wearing suits from television. Unfortunately, most TV personalities wear their suits poorly, spreading bad information to the masses.
Left to their own devices, male on-camera personalities would likely make even bigger sartorial mistakes than they already do. It’s not totally their fault. Their main job is to be informed, intelligent, engaging and entertaining, which is a genuinely difficult full-time job. Other than a few hosts who actually have a sense of style and a knowledge of what to wear and how to wear it, these men need help. To get dressed appropriately and look right, they retain the services of a stylist, designer or dresser whose job can range from advising and consulting to an all-out dictation of what otherwise clueless talent should wear. This is where the problem lives.
It’s been hot as hell here in New York City, and I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite “hot in the city” movies that take place here. Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” (1989), Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975), Billy Wilder’s “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) and Jules Dassin’s eternal classic “The Naked City” (1948) come to mind. But my absolute favorite is “Rear Window.”
In this episode, I follow up on the insane feedback from a post I wrote last week about leaving New York. The comments and anecdotes that readers have shared have been absolutely incredible. I had no idea that so many people had experienced the same thing. It’s comforting to know you’re not alone and that the world won’t end if you leave New York City.
Last week, my dog Lenore was attacked by a vicious English bulldog. It was scary. She required minor surgery and an overnight at the vet, complete with sutures, staples and the dreaded Cone of Shame. And on Monday night, I witnessed another dog attack that fortunately ended with all parties intact. My patience for irresponsible dog owners who don’t know their dogs, don’t have control of them and refuse to have them neutered is below the basement.
Finally, I attended the New York premiere screening of my cousin Kathryn Hahn’s new movie “Bad Moms.” While it’s a light, easy and fun summer comedy, the real treat is Kathryn. She possesses an unteachable and unlearnable gift that makes her the one you want to be watching on the screen. She steals every scene.
As described by the filmmakers, Making the American Man is “a documentary film about modern American masculinity through the eyes of makers of U.S. based goods for men.”
On the surface, the new documentary Making the American Man almost plays like an 70-minute promotion of niche, made-in-America bro brands – a virtual who’s-who of companies you’ll find at Pop-Up Flea. That’s a superficial assessment that would be grossly unfair. The truth is that we are bludgeoned by advertising and promotion from the huge mega-brands with mega-budgets, and it’s nice to see some of these smaller outfits get some long overdue time in the sun.
I love shaving, and I love barbershops. Here in Manhattan, we have a lot of great shops, including Best Barber, my go-to right here in Hell’s Kitchen. Like all good barbershops, they do cuts and shaves.
As I’ve written before, my preferred shave cream is Barbasol, a venerable old affordable classic made right here in the USA. I found myself on their website the other day confirming the existence of a non-aerosol version of their shave cream (It’s confirmed. It exists.), and I came across this great video they produced in 2014 at a barbershop called Old Familiar Barbershop in Columbus, Ohio. The video features shop owner Kenji Prince highlighting how he goes about giving a shave in the fantastic setting of his Old Town East emporium, which also includes haircuts, beard trims, shampoos, shoe shines, marriages and dirty jokes among their services.
I just stumbled on this mini three-part documentary produced by Levi’s about the 501 Jean. Sure, one might see it as a long commercial for a heritage product, but it is extremely well done and very worthwhile. The history of 501 jeans and what they meant to people and our culture is undeniable, something few (if any) other denim brands can claim. This short documentary was released on YouTube in March in its full 18-minute length or as three separate episodes. As someone who’s worn 501s his whole life, I loved the entire thing. But the chapter that personally resonated with me was Episode 3: Rebellion.
I can’t really add anything new to the buzz on the internet about Muhammad Ali. As a kid born in 1970, I certainly remember him vividly in our consciousness as a very big celebrity and a HUGE part of the ’70s. Very visible, funny, glamorous, all that. And I, of course, remember his signature title/tagline: The Greatest.
Today, I came across a quote of his that might be the best “how I want to be remembered” quote I have ever read:
“I’d like to be remembered as a black man who won the heavyweight title and who was humorous and who treated everyone right. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him and who helped as many of his people as he could – financially and also in their fight for freedom, justice and equality.”
Fantastic.
Beyond that, all else I can share are some of my favorite photos of this dazzling American icon.
If you’re like me, you love David Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman now solo artist, author, musicologist and prophet of culture and the arts. For years, I used to enjoy David Byrne Radio, which was a monthly updated playlist of fabulous music curated by David himself. It was available for streaming on his own website and through iTunes, where I kept it in a playlist of favorites. Then it disappeared.
One of my favorite movies ever made is one of my favorite movies ever made because it was directed by one of my favorite filmmakers (Alfred Hitchcock), it stars two of the most beautiful people who ever lived (Cary Grant and Grace Kelly) and it was filmed in one of the most stunning places on the planet (in the south of France, predominately in Cannes, Nice and the surrounding countryside).