Interested People Live Interesting Lives

happy valentine’s day, lovers. LOOSEY turns two today.

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovers. LOOSEY turns two today.

LOOSEY seeks to illuminate the human story through the lens of art and culture. Today, this is through a bi-weekly newsletter to your inbox. Tomorrow, it might be something else.

Marina Abramović by Michael Hauptman.

I created LOOSEY with the belief that people are interested in a variety of things. By digging into these curiosities we can learn something about ourselves. And, by speaking about the culture that surrounds us, we reveal something about the human experience that would otherwise not be apparent (without, like, years of therapy).

LOOSEY is called ‘loosey’ because each essay is meant to be brief and singular like a loose cigarette (slang: ‘loosey’) that you get from a bodega or bum off a stranger at a party. It’s a quick conversation that makes you say ‘hmm?’ An insight that you pocket for your group chat, a voice note to a friend or a point worth coming off mute for on a work call.

Barry Jenkins at work.

I believe that interesting people contain multitudes and, as a result, what I write about is varied. Over the past year, I’ve written about the human experience by elevating cultural interests like aging, the global art market, polygamous relationships, Oscar Wilde, tradwives, Patti Smith and the importance of lying.

LOOSEY has bloomed into a global community of engaged, cultured readers. As of today, LOOSEY is read in all 50 U.S. states and over +120 countries. After America, most of LOOSEY’s readers are in the UK, Canada, Australia and Brazil. From the reader survey, I know that the typical LOOSEY reader has a variety of interests, spanning film, books, fashion, partying, music and technology, and to me, that’s a signal that people are multifaceted. Investment bankers, television writers, sports agents, middle school teachers, escorts, newspaper editors, college students, Instagram models, politicians, fashion designers, emergency physicians and startup founders all read LOOSEY. And so do you.

It’s this diversity of thought — this assorted readership — that has made the past twenty-four months rewarding. LOOSEY is for interested people. And I believe interested people live interesting lives.

VB94 by Vanessa Beecroft.

Much of what you read first on LOOSEY has been dissected by press, podcasts and discoursed generously by the world’s top content creators. I welcome the discussion and am grateful where the work has landed. This past year, LOOSEY inked its first brand deal, interviewed the creators of HBO’s Industry, adapted LOOSEY-first stories for mainstream publications, and covered Barcelona’s Primavera Sound Festival. Most of these opportunities fell into my lap and this year I want to be more intentional about where to take LOOSEY. If you’re interested in working with me on the next horizon of LOOSEY, reply to this email and let’s chat!

LOOSEY exists because of your attention and, in a world of many distractions, I know that there are few things more annoying than receiving an email. Thank you for being here with me.

If you are energized by anything I have written over the years, please share LOOSEY with a friend. If you already subscribe, consider upgrading to a paid membership. And finally, if you want to meet other interested people, I encourage you to get into the LOOSEY comments (and download the Substack app where I will enable the ‘chat’ function soon) to find others who share your sense of curiosity.

LOOSEY. A newsletter for interested people.

More things are underway. I will leave you with the greatest hits of the past year.

Warmly,

Brendon

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The Most Popular LOOSEYs of The Past Year

My Personal Faves of The Past Year

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LOOSEY is a bi-weekly newsletter about culture, technology, and the way we live. If this is something you like, consider subscribing and sharing. Let’s be friends on Instagram.