#30: Tyler, Alex, and Serey (Perfectly Imperfect)
Perfectly Imperfect on a Midwest Emo Classic, Photography Zines, and Carbonated Milk Drinks
Welcome to Perfectly Imperfect #30!
Wait- 30 posts?! already?! time flies…
If you’re new here after Shyam’s post or Tyler’s 2020 Album Recs, welcome!! It’s hard to believe today marks our 30th post & 3 months of doing this newsletter— we really appreciate everyone tuning in week after week as we’ve grown. We’ve got a big few months lined up, stay tuned 👀 👀
Without further ado
Tyler Bainbridge (instagram, twitter, letterboxd)
Sorcerer is absolutely insane— the premise is basically "extremely explosive nitroglycerin being transported through the jungle by desperate criminals in shitty old trucks" & there's this one scene where they need to drive across a rope bridge over a river during a storm...hooooly shit. Unfortunately this movie came out at the same time as Star Wars & was virtually forgotten, however it’s become a bit of a cult classic due to Freidkin's masterful storytelling, artful direction, practical effects, and a very cool Tangerine Dream score— don't sleep on this one.
🎥 The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
When one thinks of Clint Eastwood usually his spaghetti western classics & detective roles come to mind— never did I think he'd direct & star in one of the most beautiful & real depictions of love I've ever seen. The Bridges of Madison County (based on a famous novel) takes place over the course of 4 days in the 1960s when Photographer Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) & housewife Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep) cross paths. A wonderful film.
"we’re hardly two separate people now"
🎵 Brave Little Abacus - Just Got Back from the Discomfort We're Alright (2010)
This was the top Midwest Emo album on Rate Your Music for a long time, even outranking heavyweights such as Cap'n Jazz, American Football, and Sunny Day Real Estate, yet it remains virtually unknown outside of a few corners of the internet. It's a raw & truly unique blend of lofi, emo, and orchestral horns + it even features a Malcom in the Middle sample. Incredible record.
These are the jeans I've been searching for! Over the last year I've bought & returned countless pairs of jeans that were either too tight, too loose, too low rise, or the wrong color. As you can tell I’m pretty dang picky with jeans, I like em to fit straight through the legs, not too tight in the waist, and with a slightly high rise— if you’re into that give em a shot! These are definitely on the pricier side ($290), but if that's the price to end my jean-less suffering it'll have to do.
☕ 🥶 Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Iced Coffee Pot
Recently I dropped (& broke) my smaller Blue Bottle branded version of this, however it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because this one here is much better. It’s a lil bigger, has a nice handle, and it’s easier to clean. Just put the grounds in the filter, pour water through, and let it chill in the fridge for 8 hours— presto! You’ve got a few damn fine cups of cold brew.
🔖 Good Reads
Can the Mainstream Catch Up to Rico Nasty? (NYT)
Adam Sandler Interviews Aubrey Plaza (Interivew Magazine)
John Wilson steals cool stuff (Blackbird Spyplane)
Tyler, The Creator Interviews slowthai (Office Magazine)
❗ Cut for time
My 75 Favorite Albums of 2020, New 100 Gecs Merch, daine - bloody knees (nitecore), Pang Remixes, Phoebe Bridgers x Phoebe Waller-Bridge x Paul Mescal, Industry (HBO), How To With John Wilson: Anatomy of a Scene, and IDEA NOW
Alex Cushing (instagram, twitter, last.fm, goodreads)
If I say "Gritty street photography that feels like Dan Arnold took a foray into exclusively shooting dark and moody urban B&W shots" and you say "yes please", then Hamburger Eyes is for you. Basically what you got here is a bunch of full B&W photo zines & books with work from tons of photographers, all with a very cohesive semi wild feel to their work. Cop up their latest zine here and maybe some merch while you're at it!
The first collection has officially come and gone, and I think it's worth recommending Billy Hill to keep your eyes open for future work and re-releases. "White Trash Tyler" lived up to his name with the first collection, blessing us with a collection of workwear monster truck & chain themed hoodies, flannels, vests, double-knees, and truckers. If you're looking to add a little white trash to your wardrobe, keep an eye on billy hill.
Fashion Moves Forward is a lifestyle/fashion blog with tons of cool insights into brands, fit inspo, and more — but there's one thing missing: some juicy FMF jawnz™️. Midnight Rodeo is just that - and with a collection teased to be coming up this month. From what's been shown so far — MR's first collection is looking to be a mixture of Vegas nightlife and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood".
F. Scott Fitzgerald's lesser known classic, this one follows Anthony and his privileged life in NYC. It's an exhausting read in the best way. If you loved the extravagance in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, but want to follow a just as self destructive and even more shallow character, you'll probably enjoy this. It's one of those books that you describe with a bunch of negative adjectives to show how much you like it.
Theo Martins is a musician/designer/general artist of all kinds, and Good Posture is one of his major outlets for this. Want some curated spotify playlists or soundcloud radio stations? He's got it for you. Want some art? It's there. Merch? Also there. I've been following Theo and his work on Good Posture for years and always find that it's something I can easily lose myself into if I'm not careful.
📣 Shoutouts
Leah Schmidt Art, Snow Peak Blog, Vintage Hats on Grailed, Story MFG Brew Hat, and Bih Yah - Mario Judah
Serey Morm (instagram, twitter, vsco)
One of the best and wildest psychological thrillers I’ve ever seen. If you’ve watched and enjoyed other thrillers/mysteries like Searching or The Invisible Man, you’ll really like this movie. If you don’t like anxiety inducing films, I would steer clear; I shit you not I had goosebumps from start to end and my brain felt like it was doing backflips every 4 seconds. Highly recommended.
🍹 Milkis & Sake
So if you’re not familiar with Milkis, it’s essentially a carbonated drink combined with Milk (don’t knock it ‘till you try it). You can find it at most Asian grocery stores, but Amazon works too. Mix a can of Milkis with two (or three lol) shots of any Sake that you’d like (we like Tyku and Hakutsuru), and this becomes a dangerous weapon. It tastes so good that you barely taste the alcohol, but guaranteed to fuck you up. I really like how the Milkis makes the drink super creamy and the flavor is flexible depending on the kind of Milkis you pick up.
I don’t know about everyone, but growing up, I’ve only eaten soup-based instant ramen like Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun and Nissin’s Cup Noodles. At some point, you kinda just get tired of ramen for a late night meal. Recently my friend told me to try some of Indomie’s iconic Mi Goreng, and oh-my-god I can’t stop eating them. They’re instant stir-fry noodles, so you just cook it and mix it with its seasoning. My favorite quick dinner is throwing a crispy fried egg onto the noodles, and add any leftovers in the fridge.
Excessively hiking this year has been so fun, but the other half of the fun is the technical hiking apparel that goes with it; oh and wearing only hiking gear even when I’m not hiking. I really appreciate Japan’s love for outdoor style and culture. GO OUT’s web magazine has been my daily morning check-ins and has been my biggest outdoor gear inspiration. I recently picked up a few of their physical magazines(it’s hard to come by in the US) and I really enjoyed flipping through them every now and then. Contrary to typical magazines that we’re use to, GO OUT’s magazines are basically beefed up catalogs of goodies and collabs that make for great coffee table content.
🗞 Extra! Extra!
📸 Manual Photo — disposable film with an envelope to return your film to be developed
☕️ Intelligentsia — one of my fave coffee blends. Their espresso is also one of the best
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