#404: Ian Sweet

🎸 Coldplay, ⭐️🎀 Putting stickers on everything, 🏡🔨 HGTV, and more.

Perfectly Imperfect is a newsletter offering “A Taste of Someone’s Taste” from guests like Charli XCX, John Cale, Julian Casablancas, Lena Dunham, Mac Demarco, Dasha Nekrasova, Tim Heidecker, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Imperioli, Rayne Fisher-Quann, Mel Ottenberg, Chloe Cherry, Matty Matheson, Anna Delvey, The Dare, Caroline Calloway, Snail Mail, and more. Check out our full archive here.

Cool people like cool things, which is why we asked Ian Sweet to share a taste of her taste on Perfectly Imperfect.

Ian Sweet, aka Jilian Medford, is a Los Angeles-born, New York City-based pop and indie rock musician. Her acclaimed recent record, SUCKER, dropped back in November on Polyvinyl Records and features standout tracks such as “Your Spit,” an ear worm with a sick music video featuring Sarah Sherman, and the breakup-inspired slow burn, “Emergency Contact.” Last summer Ian Sweet toured with the goated Saturday Night Live comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy for a few west coast dates, and later this month she’s playing in New York City at the Bowery Ballroom on January 28th. Lucky for us, Jillian is here to tell us what she’s been into.

Without further ado

Ian Sweet (instagram)

🎸 Coldplay

If you know me even the tiniest bit you know that I am shamelessly the biggest Coldplay fan. I know people wanna say they're cringe and i get it...but their early stuff..i'm talkin Parachutes, Rush of Blood to the Head, Even Viva La Vida goes so hard. Parachutes was the first CD I rented from the library when I was like 12 or 13 so they are just super nostalgic for me now. I did a cover of Yellow a couple years and recreated their iconic video for it and they tweeted about it! I lost my mind!! 

⭐️🎀 Putting stickers on everything

Putting stickers on everything (especially puffy stickers) just makes the world a better place. I just ordered like 200 sheets of My Melody puffy stickers (I know it's excessive) but I swear it just makes you a happier, healthier person to have stickers in your life. Any time I send a friend a letter…STICKERS…guitar…STICKERS…notebook…STICKERS!!! Stickers everywhere 4 ever. 

🏡🔨 HGTV

Something about HGTV, especially the show Fixer Upper (with Chip and Joanna Gaines) soothe my soul lol! There's something so incredibly satisfying about watching people take a dilapidated, unlivable house and turning it into a cozy palace. I mean I definitely don't agree with all of their design choices but that show is really comforting to me. I watched every season on netflix so now my life is meaningless.

🐷🐢 Unlikely animal friendships

Every other video on my instagram explore/Tik Tok feed is of a monkey riding on a dog's back or a baby pig cuddling with a turtle or like a cat grooming a raccoon. It's wild and beautiful and so pure. I actually save them when I see them because I know I'll want to go back and watch some whenever I'm sad. 

✂️ Cutting my own hair

I don't trust anyone to cut my hair. I've had too many freaky haircut experiences, so I've taken matters into my own hands. And then if I mess up I'm the only one to blame. I usually end up cutting my hair after a breakup or when I'm bored. I almost always hate it at first, but that's part of the journey. I've been cutting my hair shorter and shorter recently. Bobs are in baby!!

🧴 Lucas' PawPaw Ointment

I forget where or how I discovered this stuff. Probably when I went down a deep dark rabbit hole on skin care tik tok during the pandemic. But this stuff is my favorite thing ever to use on my lips (which are always always so chapped it sucks). I think the brand is from Australia - and they just have the exact science down. It's kind of like vaseline but contains papaya which is really good for cleaning and healing wounds. But it makes my lips feel so smooooth and soft and I'm obsessed with lathering this shit on like there's no tomorrow!

🪳 The Passion According to G.H. by Clarise Lispector

My favorite book ever! Basically the entire thing is about a woman having an existential crisis about killing a cockroach. I recently sucked up a flying cockroach with a vacuum!! (yep you heard that right!)..also i had noooo idea that cockroaches could fly..but yeah it was a horrific and terrifying experience and reminded me of how much I love this book. 

🤫 Gossip

I'm just truly obsessed with gossip! Knowing all the gossip, telling all the gossip...it's so much fun! No one should really ever tell me their secrets because I love gossip too much.

Bonus 👟 recommendation for paid subscribers below!