PicoBlog

SEX, Scab, Riot, Riot, Riot! Undoubtedly, these are the most thrown-around buzzwords nowadays regarding punk fashion. I mean, Vivienne Westwood is widely regarded as, no matter how wrong that is, the ‘mother of punk’; Jun Takahashi’s ‘Scab’ showcases one of the most iconic spin on punk’s aesthetic’; lastly, Raf’s Riot Bomber is just on everyone’s grail list. That’s what most people talk about anyway in the fashion circle when it comes to punk fashion.

I love the idea of wabi sabi and finding beauty in imperfection. In part, it’s because of my origin story. See, I come from rock ‘n roll, where perfection is besides the point. You don’t want Steely Dan, you want “three chords and the truth.” You don’t want the technical perfection of, say, Steve Vai, you want the primal fuzz of Jimmy Page, sloppiness and all. The rough edges are the raison d’etre.

Lee is an investigative journalist. He was a long-time reporter at The Intercept, and in late 2022 he was one of the recipients of the Twitter Files. He left the MSM this year to launch his own substack at leefang.com. You can listen right away in the audio player above (or on the right side of the player, click “Listen On” to add the Dishcast feed to your favorite podcast app — though Spotify sadly doesn’t accept the paid feed).

If truck nuts were a song, it would be this song. “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Melvin Lee Greenwood is the anthem for people who steal catalytic converters for a living. It’s not just a terrible song, but a representation of toxic patriotism that helped the rise of Donald Trump. Fuck this song and anyone who loves it. Yeah I hate the Macarena too but it’s not inherently war mongering, sexist, or racist.

My son Michael is right-handed. He did everything right-handed except batting in baseball and swinging a golf club. When he was quite young, he used either hand interchangeably. We tried the different “tests” to see which hand dominant he was, but it just seemed, whatever was convenient, he would use. He would throw the ball to me with one hand, then the other, but he always picked up and swung his whiffle ball bat lefty.

“There’s no doubt that without him there wouldn’t be a Metallica. When he was around, it just felt like things were going to be OK. My vision of him was as a statue of a man that was immortal. When he passed, it scared me, like, ‘where’s our captain now?’. He’s been a godfather to us.”—Metallica co-founder/singer/guitarist, James Hetfield to Kerrang!, per BBC.com, April 2024 Ian Fraser Kilmister (December 24, 1945 – December 28, 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was the British founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member, and a member of Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975.

What I’m reading: Why is Food Education so Unappetising? by Thea Everett, for Vittles magazine. A really interesting narrative about food education over the past century What I’m listening to: Blindboy’s mental health plan for the New Year. Helpful and educational but also light-hearted What I’m eating: fish and chips at Auckland Fish Market (below) This week, I really wanted to make lemon bars. I wanted a shortbread-y base, and a topping that was less “curd”-like and more “custard”-like - as in, smooth like the baked custard in a tart rather than rich like a baked curd.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the blueberries with 1-2 tbsps of flour until the blueberries are coated. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, lemon juice & zest.

In this week's newsletter you get to see how my baking brain works. My train of thought can be scattered or it can be linear. Sometimes I see something (usually on social media) that I want to make. Or I have an ingredient in mind. Or I have a flavor combination that I want to try. Or I wonder if I can simplify a recipe. Or I simply have a craving.