Got That P.M.A.
Thoughts on the passing of Virgil Abloh
When I read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, my main takeaway was that I wouldn’t want my kids to grow up and be like the Apple founder.
While I acknowledged Jobs’s vision and ability to create products that became ubiquitous, I couldn’t excuse the character traits that gave rise to them. If you loosely define a “good person” as someone who cares about others and wants to make the world a better place, then I think it’s tough to paint Jobs with that brush. He came across as more of an end-justifies-the-means Machiavellian with little concern for the common good. So when Jobs died in 2011, I didn’t hop on board with the hero worship that followed.
I’ve been thinking about that recently with the death of Virgil Abloh. While no less of a visionary, Abloh was a radically different person.
I can’t front. I never really liked Abloh’s designs, from Pyrex to Off-White to Louis Vuitton. I thought his Nike collaborations were fine but not commensurate with the hype they inspired. But while I rarely connected with the work, I always had a deep admiration and respect for the approach. In my opinion, Virgil was the one who genuinely managed to “think different.”
Owing to the fact that we came of age at a similar time, it was cool that his references were my references. But his references were also so much broader. While there are many who find great success rehashing mid-90s themes, Virgil had a deft touch for reaching back while also keeping a finger on the current pulse and an eye on the future.
As impressed as I was by Virgil’s critical thinking, I was more blown away by his personality. I didn’t know Virgil at all (he may have liked one of my tweets once). So my understanding of his personality is based purely on what I gleaned through media, social and otherwise. But the impression that I came away with was of someone who truly cared about putting people on and celebrating the success of others. It was always fun to see Virgil show up in the comments of some obscure skater or artist who you wouldn’t think would be on his radar.
And the comments were always positive. All the screenshots of DMs and texts that have been shared since Virgil’s passing reflect a powerful optimism. That couldn’t have been easy to maintain with the heaps of criticism slung at him (some valid, some petty). With the revelation that he was also battling cancer through much of that time, the endurance of his optimism starts to feel superhuman.
Virgil’s optimism—along with his spirit, compassion, critical thinking and work ethic—are traits that I would be proud to instill my kids.
Becoming Cousteau
I knew the broad strokes of the life of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, but I was also guilty of conflating the French explorer with Bill Murray’s character in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. This new documentary on Disney+ about Cousteau features amazing archival footage and paints a rich portrait of a man who evolved from swashbuckling diver into an early and impactful climate change activist.
—Justin
Ruth Reichl’s La Briffe
I went through a culinary-book phase last year, which is different than a cookbook phase, which I have yet to enter. One of my favorite reads was Ruth Reichl’s Tender at the Bone. So when I saw that she is doing a month-long Substack residency, I thought, “wow, I had no idea Substack does residencies,” and then immediately subscribed.
—Andrew
Roger Federer as Religious Experience
This read comes suggested by physical therapist and strength coach, Dr. Sam Martin, who I also recommend in more words than this.
If you have ever played, watched, or heard of tennis, you’ll probably enjoy this. Written in 2006, as Federer is entering his prime and on his way to becoming the greatest tennis player of all time, this is not like most other pieces of sports journalism. I love good long-form sports content, but unfortunately, no matter how good the journalist, they’re not David Foster Wallace.
—Andrew