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Matter of Opportunity with John Loafers
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Ladies and Gentlemen, Theys and Thems, we bring you tonight, something only whispered about: that would be weejawnz, whatever that is… But have you heard of WEE JOHN. Wee welcome Dad, debater, Deadhead, and DC Denizen, John Loafer’s @leisurelyloafing. We had a wonderful chat where we paid homage to Iceman, talked a little shit about Alden, got a little bit of skinny on how DC feels in the current moment, the hippie to menswear connection, the “myth of vintage Oxford cloth shirts”, tie-dye, and many other tangents!
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Transcript
Introduction and Tribute to John Loafer
00:00:01
Speaker
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, nays and thems. We gather here to celebrate an unsung hero, a literal and figurative dad.
00:00:12
Speaker
John Loafer hails from the faraway state of Georgia, where our own Matt Smith is from. We are here today award him with the MAD Award, that's M-A-D,
00:00:28
Speaker
most affectionate dad, since i've been waiting which I've been waiting for a way to spring this on you for since you told me about this. ah But I thought it was so nice and good and special that we should we should celebrate you ah in this way. Because I think, ah so, I mean, if you feel like it, you can say something or I can say what happened to earn this to earn this award.
Non-Toxic Masculinity and Paternal Leave
00:00:53
Speaker
But I think it's awesome because we support non-toxic masculinity on this show. Absolutely. And it's funny because I'd totally forgotten about that until you just brought it up now. But yeah, I have a ah four year old kid and I, well, at least until I was back in the office was doing drop off every day. And we have like a whole like routine for drop off with, you know, like high fives and hugs. Cause I mean, he's four half the time. He's upset and cries anyways. But yeah, one of the teachers said I was the most affectionate dad in the pre-K group.
00:01:20
Speaker
Oh, that's awesome. Hell yeah. I really made, made, made, Made my day. Yeah, that's a high, that's a high. That's true, dude. That's like the fucking best thing you can be as a person. Man, woman, what i have you. It's like affectionate is love. And that's like what it's all about.
00:01:37
Speaker
I, uh, little hippie program. Right. Well, I was telling her, i was like, so, so my mom is Spanish, uh, and the Spanish people I think are very, touchy and affectionate and i think i got a lot of that from her so yeah i mean right i mean yeah it's hell toxic masculinity i don't nobody needs that end in their lives hell no no no and now you're on paternal leave right for yeah three months so now i've got yeah i'm starting three months of leave uh i just wrapped up the first week of it but yeah i've got a five month old girl this time around
00:02:09
Speaker
So super excited for that. And she's she's great. She's a super happy baby. and She's a super chunky baby, which is like the best kind of baby. Nice. Yeah. Doesn't look like an alien.
00:02:22
Speaker
No, no, actually, she's, dying we've been really lucky. We have two really cute kids. I don't know how I, you know, all credit goes to my wife for that. So yeah, yeah. When, ah when we were getting prepared for this, um me and Connor were both like, kind of aghast because we didn't realize that like this type of leave was actually, you know, a thing in this country for anyone.
00:02:43
Speaker
But yeah, it's the only good thing to come out of the first Trump administration. Oh, sweet. Okay. Yeah, yeah. So it's new policy. Yeah, it started ah ah probably about five years ago. Yeah, about five years ago, six years ago. And yeah, so each parent, if you're a Fed, you get three months of leave.
00:03:05
Speaker
So my wife is just wrapping up her three months plus some. And then now I can take over. Nice.
Life in D.C. and Pollen Phenomenon
00:03:12
Speaker
Wow. how ah That's like truly a dream.
00:03:16
Speaker
Yeah, I can't remember, John, are you guys actually in DC proper or you're just ah like in the whatever? whatever in district that is indeed yeah We're in DC proper. We're up in the Northeast.
00:03:28
Speaker
Okay. like ah I mean, i'm I'm pretty close to the Maryland border, but yeah, we're we're DC proper. Yeah. have you Have you guys gotten the pollening yet? ah Yeah, it's just – Matt, I saw what you were talking about.
00:03:42
Speaker
my God. It's nothing like Atlanta, though. Georgia is like the worst when it comes to college. it's like – Yeah, i i Connor, I think this is what you're about to talk about. So the other day, like, this is the ah the only time I ever remember this happening in my life.
00:03:59
Speaker
But like, you know how you see like swarms of gnats, you know, occasionally or whatever. Like I saw like a swarm of pollen. Maybe the sun just hit it right or whatever. But I was like drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette. And I was like, what the fuck?
00:04:14
Speaker
Like I could just I couldn't even handle what my eyes were seeing. No, dude. Well, it's funny because I was walking to the school and i saw the phenomenon.
00:04:25
Speaker
Well, it's like, that's how they breed right i guess it's not breeding of its plants but it's like yeah it's how yeah yeah it's it's uh fuck what's the what's the word pollinating like that right it's in the name yeah yeah yeah but yeah it's we have little little horticultural lessons here every so often haven't i haven't smelled the semen trees what are they like bradford pears or something worst Those are the fucking worst. I haven't smelled them yet, so I'm like, okay, we're still in early spring. like
00:05:00
Speaker
we're We're not even in Baltimore. Not in the butt of it yeah.
Political Events and Gaming During COVID
00:05:04
Speaker
Next to one another, like, lining every street. I think it's a very funny joke. DC has those ah those ginkgo trees.
00:05:13
Speaker
Yeah. of Those berries that smell just like like vomit. and Oh, God. and And in an effort, so like the story that I had heard once upon a time was that in an effort to like reduce the pollen that they were going to like put out with these trees, they decided to only do the female trees and the female trees are the ones that drop the fruit that stink.
00:05:31
Speaker
right Right. So this year in like certain parts of downtown, it's awful and it gets on your shoes and it's just awful. Well, it's like they could have just done it as it is in nature and this would not be a problem.
00:05:43
Speaker
Alas. Yep. I was going to say, little to say about that. Uh, yeah Here we are. Here we are. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And here we are once again.
00:05:54
Speaker
So ah we we know that, you know, you can't talk at ah at length about some things, but being D.C. and doing what you do, what's what's some of the tea going around right now like that you feel at liberty to speak about?
00:06:12
Speaker
I don't know, man. Yeah. I'll say this. i think the one thing that alarms me is um
00:06:24
Speaker
A lot of people don't seem to really, a lot of people outside of DC don't really seem to appreciate the extent of what's going on. um You know, so when you're kind of living it day to day and all of your friends are getting caught up in this, it's, it's really hard because it, and I mean, know you know, it's, it's your reality and it impacts you day to day. And then you have people who have nothing to do with, with this, who don't,
00:06:47
Speaker
I'll say don't appreciate um what's going on. And it's something I talk to my wife a lot about, right? In the short term, we'll see some impacts. I mean, certainly here in DC, but I think the, the real concern is, is longer term.
00:07:02
Speaker
Um, yeah. And, and what it means for everybody, um, you know, in terms of access to programs and, and I mean, just everything. Right. So, yeah, I don't know. That's, that's all I think I'll, I'll say it's, uh, yeah. It's a measured, it's a measured response. I mean, that was a little more than I expected to be honest with you, but,
00:07:20
Speaker
ah Yeah, it is. And I mean, it's here to me too, right? It's like I live ah basically, I live in the DMV as it is um And so I think like there are things that are happening here that just haven't trickled down yet yeah Yeah, that's right.
00:07:38
Speaker
Yeah. I think that once once whatever to have privatization of social security starts happening, I mean, that will be a like national panic. And so yeah maybe there'll be some like...
00:07:50
Speaker
I know a couple of people that have gotten, like, uh, from CDC, which is based here, in Atlanta and like, I don't know the, it just seems, it seems like a fucking five alarm fire and nothing is actually happening. That's going to put out that fire yet.
00:08:08
Speaker
If, if at all. So I guess we shall, we shall see what, what comes. We just careen onward. Yeah, that's right. I mean, there's nothing else you can do. Right. And this is something we talk about a lot is, you know, like you can't you can't plan for this scenario.
00:08:26
Speaker
Right. there's I mean, there's nothing you can do. I mean, you're you're along for the ride and you hope you come out on the other side somewhat unscathed. i'm I'm more worried about what it means for my kids than myself.
00:08:38
Speaker
Right. Right. You know, well, it's all about powerlessness. I think a lot of it is about powerlessness and that's what people have such an uncomfortable, horrible time with.
00:08:51
Speaker
ah And so what I, didn't know, it's like, you just kind of have to look at what is in front of you. Yeah, well, we we might be getting the gamers all all together at some point because ah Nintendo just announced some news regarding the new Switch, which I'm not a gamer. I don't really know. No, Rob was talking about this yesterday. Yeah, people were stoked on this new console and like...
00:09:16
Speaker
So maybe that will kill enough time. That's what I'm always looking for, man. Because when the when when COVID was happening, I was like, I bought Red Dead Redemption 2. And I was like, I'm going to 7,000 hours into this.
00:09:30
Speaker
And then I realized it's a horse riding simulator. And I don't want that. No, no. But see. like I was thinking it was GTA with horses. It's about tooling your saddle.
00:09:42
Speaker
But there's there's also like, and I spent a very significant amount of time in early, you know, early COVID era playing my roommates. Red Dead just, I would play off his saves. Like I'm not really a game person, but I would stay up to like four in the morning, you know, because I didn't have shit else to
Pop Culture: Val Kilmer and Action Movies
00:10:02
Speaker
do.
00:10:02
Speaker
Listen, you should never die because you're riding your horse down to steep of a hill. Yeah, that's right. what what I was going to say is Red Dead is unique because there's A, like, social commentary that I guess you wouldn't really expect, and B, there's all these, like, you know, they're not really technically side quests, but they're scenarios that you can do that just gives you ah a nice little dopamine hit, one of which is being, like, just... I would um would do this constantly. I would go...
00:10:36
Speaker
I can't remember what part of the game it is, but there's a KKK ah rally and camp thing happening, and I would just go slaughter all the KKK members like regularly. That was the most fun shit.
00:10:49
Speaker
It's out there. yeah yeah that was always more of a Grand Theft Auto Burton for that reason. it was did Red Dead is too much... like and' know, RPG. It's too realistic. Yeah. I don't want to have to figure out how many guns to put in my bag. That's right. You know what I mean?
00:11:06
Speaker
Like, this is a game thing. Yeah, I don't want to be a fur trader. Yeah, right exactly. Right. And how miserable it would have been to be alive at that time. Hey, but it was hell of wonder. You just like your horse for 70 hours. Matt, listen, we know you would have loved Yeah, it was hella fun to go kill some racists and some Beakertons. That was that was my main my main objective when I was playing on Will's Save.
00:11:29
Speaker
What about eating hardtack?
00:11:34
Speaker
I don't know. Did you enjoy that aspect of the wilderness, the wilderness of the West? Yeah, it definitely was not as cool as the movies have shown us to be.
00:11:46
Speaker
Yeah, well, I mean, in like Dancing with Wolves... ah Not a happy ending. so yeah Yeah, true, true. i did I did watch Tombstone two nights ago because rest in peace, Val Gilbert. Yeah, yeah. I was hoping it would come up. I have not actually seen that movie. What?
00:12:02
Speaker
i Yeah, I haven't seen it. I'm sure we have it on Blu-ray. I'm sure Rob has it. Holy, it's it's incredible. I don't know. There's a lot of movies like that for me, though. I don't know that I've seen it like all the way through. Have you seen Heat, Matt? but What?
00:12:16
Speaker
Have you seen Heat? Yeah. ah Yes. Yes. Not a very long time. Actually, I might i might watch that. Because that i mean of the Kilmer movies, I feel like that's the movie. That's like incomparable for so many reasons.
00:12:32
Speaker
And yes, we lost a great one. R.I.P. Val Kilmer. I know, dude. i Yeah. ive And i watch that did you watch that that that thing about his later life? Like the documentary that they made about his later life?
00:12:46
Speaker
I haven't. I know it's a thing, but I have not seen it. I watched 15 minutes of it, and was like, this is unbearably sad. This is unwatchably sad.
00:12:57
Speaker
i watched ah maverick Top Gun Maverick last night, and like you know he's got his very small role, which... right To me, like it's it's beautiful that he was included, even though you know he was dealing with so much shit. But like it's it's one of the saddest parts of a movie that I've seen in a very long time. Just because like you could tell it was inevitable. When I saw he died, I i was not not surprised. But you know like dude played a crucial role in movies that like I still love to this day.
00:13:30
Speaker
so Yeah. Didn't seem like a prick either. No, no, no. He seemed cool. Like, I don't know. I understand that Top Gun is, you know, propaganda ah at this age in my lifetime.
00:13:44
Speaker
But, you know, I still
Music and Fashion: Grateful Dead and Tie-Dye
00:13:46
Speaker
enjoy it because it's it is what it is. Like, it's an action movie. I love action movies. Well, he, um I think he was not extremely macho.
00:14:03
Speaker
No, no, definitely not. Definitely not. He was very, like, human, which I think is un unusual, especially, like, for for an action, basically for an action star.
00:14:13
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I've seen a couple of videos of him, like, performing music, and he'll, like, call... call out and just be like okay now just lesbians sing this and they loved it and i'm like that's that's fucking beautiful he was ah he was an ally because uh i don't know he was in a lot of different kinds of movies i think he played a lot of different roles i think he was a different person for a lot of people which i guess is yeah totally totally if you're an actor that's like the that's like the best you can do
00:14:45
Speaker
um I'm looking at his list of movies right now, and it's funny what all is in here. ah He did a voiceover for the animated movie Planes, ah which my kid loves, and I would have never have guessed that.
00:14:57
Speaker
That's awesome. Well, guess it was that I guess he needed to make money and he couldn't act anymore.
00:15:08
Speaker
makes i mean he He has a very like recognizable voice, too. Yeah, no, I know. But I mean, he was like physically ah
00:15:20
Speaker
like debilitated. Right, right. Yeah. I did not see this interview going into a Val Kilmer discussion, but I'm not here for it. Well, and he was cool as shit. And he I mean, all of that movie is really cool.
00:15:36
Speaker
Their suit wearing, right? Like everyone is wearing a suit. Right. Which is just like, I don't know. I mean, I feel like that movie came out 1994, like influenced basically all the movies from that decade, even into this, even into this decade.
00:15:55
Speaker
It's true. It's true. yeah
00:16:00
Speaker
So I guess to piggyback on our, our little pop culture discussion, John, we know you're ah you're a big dead head. we were When we were, again, preparing for this, I shared one of my favorite Jerry slash Grateful Dead tracks, Loser, with Connor, and he was like, oh, I've never heard this before.
00:16:21
Speaker
But, ah yeah, what's what's your take on Dead and Company these days? have you Have you been to see them? Is it is it enjoyable? ah you know You're repping them, too, in your most recent pick, right?
00:16:33
Speaker
I am, and and I always feel terrible admitting this. I'm... i'm I'm not not a deadhead. I'm not like a hardcore deadhead. Yeah. Yeah. Same here. Same here. Right. So Matt, I mean, I grew up in Georgia and my sister has always been a huge widespread panic fan.
00:16:50
Speaker
Yeah. And so yep that was always my, my gateway into, um, into kind of more jammy stuff. Um, I don't know. You know, to be honest with you, I'm like Working Man, Dead, and American Beauty are probably the two albums that I really listen to. American Beauty totally changed my opinion on The Grateful Dead. Right.
00:17:11
Speaker
Like, yeah i once I really sat down and listened the record back to front, I was like, oh, this this band is incredible. Yeah. Yeah. And then Sugar Magnolia on that is probably my good one.
00:17:23
Speaker
Yeah. Loser is the song that I sent to to Connor. it's It's the live one from like some, I don't know, 1988 bootleg or something. But they Jerry just kills the solo. Do you know how he got started with the ties?
00:17:42
Speaker
i have no idea, to be honest. Yeah, I have no idea. I had always heard, i guess, that like... because my aunt would buy them for my grandfather, which means I feel like maybe he was a Grateful Dead fan, which is odd to me. But anyway,
00:17:58
Speaker
ah she would say like, yeah, I mean, these are like sort of psychedelic. She wasn't saying trippy, but like these are psychedelic right patterns, right? And so it's kind of fitting to put them on a tie.
00:18:12
Speaker
i like I think that's pretty weird, right? I mean, people people were really into the Garcia ties. I mean, they they were collectible as of even like 12 or 15 years ago.
00:18:22
Speaker
Like, i don't I don't know if they still are, but I remember like the the Thrift Thread on Style Forum, like dudes would buy those and sell them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just think that's interesting, right? To like, to be the Grateful Dead guy and like have a line of ties, I think is kind of interesting. for Right?
00:18:41
Speaker
Yeah. feel like sort of antithetical. I will go back to my thesis in that people that did not actually grow up in the 90s or 80s, 90s, I guess, don't understand how unhinged shit was.
00:18:57
Speaker
That Jerry Garcia could be making ties. Yeah, yeah. Like that's that's just one in a quiver of a million different things that are like, how the fuck did this actually happen?
00:19:09
Speaker
And and maybe maybe that's the answer, right? Maybe you had a bunch of hippies that were growing up and and had to go get real jobs. Right. And then, you know, Jerry had ties out there for him Yeah, yeah. They couldn't wear their their you know bootleg lot tee to work, so they had to get away with it somehow.
00:19:26
Speaker
Yeah, yeah i can I can't wear my i don't i don't wear my my dead merch to a kid.
00:19:32
Speaker
Random question, but do you have a Lithuania shirt? I do. like not those are Those are fucking sick. So I've wanted one for just years, and I was never really willing to pay the price for them.
00:19:45
Speaker
Right. Because they tend to be way more than I want to pay. And then a friend on the Discord was like, yo, I found a liquid blue one at my thrift. ah do you want it for 50 bucks?
00:19:57
Speaker
And I was like, yeah, so that's that's how I got that one. and is an out Yeah. Right. And that's a really cool shirt. And i think it's a really iconic shirt. um It's always a lot of fun and it always gets a ton of compliments when I wear it.
00:20:08
Speaker
Oh yeah. A hundred percent. I mean, I remember seeing like kids that I knew, you know, in like middle and high school that had those because they were ubiquitous at that point, like mid, mid to late nineties. And yeah. Never, never in my life would I have thought that like that was a thing that would be so like sought after.
00:20:28
Speaker
Right. I'd love to find the short. Put hands on the Mort, the Mort book, the, the dead style book. No, I didn't know that a thing. Yeah, dude, he released a coffee table book of Only Grateful Dead street style.
00:20:43
Speaker
Wait, really? yeah i had no idea about this. Yes, yeah, dude, because Mort is a deadhead. I mean, I know he's a deadhead, but that's wild. it's like ah it's like a It's like a hardcover book, like a coffee table book.
00:20:59
Speaker
um but That's going on my list of books that I want to buy. There you go. yeah Dead style. a long strange trip into the magical world of tie-dye that's awesome i ru style yeah this is dope so add that to the list um because it is like i don't know i mean i was talking with someone recently about tie-dye like It doesn't, I guess, like a lot of things, right? Like it's lost its original um context.
00:21:36
Speaker
You know, it's like not like a rebellious pattern anymore. It's not like an anti-capitalist notion. Yeah, yeah. I mean, when when you have Todd Asher, it's being sold at Walmart and the like.
00:21:49
Speaker
It's jumped the shark, so to speak. in certain ways well not right but kind of right like and right you know for i feel like it's kind of like you know tie-dye and hippie culture was definitely in my opinion uh there's definitely a through line from that to like punk and whatever else and you know the hot topics uh and trendy shit of the world like And even like 18 East, I mean, I feel made a lot of tie dye esque.
00:22:21
Speaker
Oh yeah, definitely. Definitely. We're dying things with like natural ingredients or elements. And that is sort of like a throwback remix of that original hippie.
00:22:34
Speaker
Yeah. I could, I could see Antonio being into, into grateful dead and like hippie culture in a little bit of ways. and And so is, and this has to be the the drop for the show, right? ah Ralph is also into tie-dye. maa My kid has like a, we thrifted him like a polo sweatshirt that's like a red, white, and blue tie-dye. And he actually has the matching shirt for it too.
00:22:55
Speaker
Oh, that's awesome.
00:22:58
Speaker
Yeah. um Because I just, I mean, there's a so much like, crossover, I guess, between fan bases. like I mean, i guess at this point, too, like tie-dye and Ivy or prep or whatever you want to call it, like are, are there, you know, they're related because of the same era.
Jam Band Culture and Terrapin Beer
00:23:22
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Like a lot of the, yeah well, also like, you know, the, the teenage kids that we, ah love to look at in books like Take Ivy were probably also listening to The Grateful Dead and they probably had a fucking tie-dye t-shirt in there you know in their repertoire at some point or another.
00:23:42
Speaker
So like, yeah, there there is a connection and some people like that had to don a shirt and tie still had that that same like same mindset going into it.
00:23:56
Speaker
Yeah, not everyone is a Rod Gnarly character. I mean...
00:24:03
Speaker
what a fandom. I mean, what an amazing like, because I know that there's like sober deadheads, you know, who like go to the shows and like meet up and like don't take acid. Right, right.
00:24:17
Speaker
So I just think that there is like ah such a universe is pretty amazing. I mean, I don't i don't know that there are many um bands that have that have like such a broad...
00:24:31
Speaker
I think that's the best part, though. I think that's the part about all the jam bands, right? Like the going to a show and not not even necessarily like the show itself, but the the community around it tends to be the most right fun part of going to a show for me, right? I mean, like like the lots, there's always something going on outside of a show, whether that's, you know, somebody selling grilled cheeses or, you know, substances. I remember coming out of one Whites for Panic show here in D.C. and the the guys were outside with nitrous tanks.
00:24:59
Speaker
Oh, nice. And seeing like 50 people ah huddled around downtown D.C. huffing balloons just cracked me up for some reason. that's so fucking good. So good. So it's like the it's like the gathering. It's like the Juggalos. It's like, yeah, do the dead do the dead have a drink of choice?
00:25:19
Speaker
I don't know. Terrapin beer. but Terrapin and Sweetwater, I mean, both Georgia, you know, Georgia staples. Like they're both super influenced by panic. and Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. Terrapin, especially. And funny enough, Matt, I actually found a tie dye Terrapin shirt the other day at my thrift store.
00:25:38
Speaker
Oh, nice. Did you? i know would you count it I did. I got it. It's too small for me. So I've got a box of things that I've bought and i'm keeping for my kids. So. When he's older, he'll get it. Bad of the year. Bad of the year, indeed. I do love a good Terrapin Recreation Ale. That's about the only one I get down with regularly.
00:25:56
Speaker
but See, so so they were bought out by, like, Anheuser or somebody like that. I know, sadly. When I was in college, they had um they did, like, a Rye Pale Ale, and then they did, like, a Rye Squared. And those have always been my favorite beers. And I've been so bummed ever since I left Atlanta because you you couldn't for years buy them anywhere else. Right.
00:26:12
Speaker
They finally started spreading nationwide, but they got rid of all their fun stuff. Yeah, sadly. Hopsecutioner, I was never really big on because just two too fucking much. Yeah, they had all sorts of weird ones like that. like They had Captain Crunkles and a Moohoo Chocolate Stout or something like that. Oh, remember that one.
00:26:30
Speaker
Yeah, they were always doing wild wild things. That was a really fun spot, though, in Athens. That was always a good brewery because they'd always have live music, and it was just like a giant like field where people would hang out. Right. Is a Terrapin known? Because I thought a like the Terrapin was like, okay, people in Maryland know what Terrapin is. I guess they exist elsewhere. crazy it Grateful Dead has... Yeah, it's a snapping turtle.
00:26:54
Speaker
yeah Grateful Dead has, what is it, Terrapin Station? that the Yeah. so like that's where the And of course, they're from Athens and they're you know big on big on other jam bands too, but that's where the name comes from.
00:27:07
Speaker
Yeah.
Fashion Content Creation and Social Media
00:27:08
Speaker
Yeah, but Matt, I have, or not Matt, sorry, Connor, I have no idea. I'm still not entirely sure what a terrapin is versus just a turtle. It's a snapping turtle. It's like a very aggressive turtle. I mean, we we have we have plenty of snapping turtles in Georgia.
00:27:20
Speaker
because that's the ma Because that's the mascot of University of Maryland is the terrapin. Right. didn't know that. Snapping turtles scare the shit out of me. Yeah, they're fucking terrifying. I've known more than one person that doesn't have a fucking finger because of a turtle. Are you kidding me? Right, right. Yeah.
00:27:37
Speaker
yeah I was mowing the lawn and on went to go pick up this turtle and then I don't have an index finger anymore. Gators and crocs get all the you know all the hate, but snapping turtles are fucking mean as shit.
00:27:48
Speaker
Yep. And you would think that they're pretty slow, but if they catch you, they will take your hand.
00:27:58
Speaker
We're thinking... i mean, God, we have to talk about this every fucking time. So you're... FitPix, Reels, now ah you are adapting to change with the times. I mean, do you have any, cause you've also been taking FitPix in the outer environs of not at your backyard area.
00:28:23
Speaker
So we're wondering what the, I don't know, where where are you now on the FitPix slash Reels dichotomy? Have you changed anything I don't know.
00:28:36
Speaker
A lot of it, I think, is a matter of just opportunity, right? Because for like three weeks, i was back in the office and I was posting FitPix every day, right Because I mean, for the most part during the week, I'll try to put on a Fit, but you know some days I'm just doing stuff around the house while I'm working and and and whatever,
00:28:51
Speaker
ah But going into the office gave me a good excuse to put on some good fits. And and I was out and about, and my office was right next to the Tidal Basin. So, you know, with the blossoms and all that stuff, it was it was working out nicely for me. um Reels are cool. I've always wanted to try to do more than just Fitbits. I really like what Zach does, I'm mainly on Dad and his stuff. But I find it really hard to to put in the effort required to make, like, good reels.
00:29:17
Speaker
Yeah, my God. So, yeah, I mean, they're fun. think I was talking to somebody about this. I think reels are better than FitPix just because like a fit in real life always looks different than it does in a pick. Right. And kind of we've talked about how difficult just getting a good FitPix can be.
00:29:33
Speaker
um And reels, you know, they have movement to them. You don't you know, you can really see what's going on. So I think they're more interesting. I should really do more of them. Um, but yeah, I just don't, if I, if I have a few minutes of my day, I'll try to find a good spot and and you get a fit pick. And then, uh, that's pretty much the extent of it.
00:29:52
Speaker
Yeah. So you've gone, you've gone sort of minimal, you have minimized. Yes. Which I think a lot of people are doing because it's like, how in the fuck am I going to spend hours doing this? Like,
00:30:06
Speaker
Right? Yeah. And I don't know. Some days I feel like i like i'm I'm a millennial. ah And some days I feel like I totally missed out on a lot of like social media stuff because I was never on Facebook. I mean, I i only joined Instagram like a year and a half ago. I wasn't really on Facebook, never did TikTok, didn't do anything.
00:30:24
Speaker
And I feel like I'm like, how do I even like, like how do like how do people edit together these like reels into like compelling videos? Right. it's like i just don't I just don't have the skills. Yeah.
00:30:34
Speaker
Yeah. Same here. um I don't know. We've been floundering for two and a half years now, like not doing any video shit. And it's like, it is the way forward because that's what they want.
00:30:51
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. And then you get into the whole algorithm thing. And so, you know, you put in enough effort, right? I mean, for me, Instagram for the longest time and still really is to this day, it's just a way to to kind of archive fits.
00:31:02
Speaker
And, you know, there's added benefit of of sharing them with people. um My accounts, you know, grow more than I kind of expected. um So i use it more as just a repository, right? To go back and look through fits and be like, all right, cool. Yeah, like I like this combination. I can do something with this.
00:31:17
Speaker
Um, and then the reel started because I'd always wanted to do a series on like Drake's without Drake stuff. Um, because it's always been a popular conversation and I really liked, uh, what Drake's is doing with their styling stuff. I was like, all right, cool. Like this will be a good Avenue to get into that.
00:31:32
Speaker
Um, but then I ran into the, the editing issue. Right. was like, I don't know. I'm like, how do I, you know, superimpose a voiceover? How do I make this not just look like I took like a 30 second clip and moved on with my day. And, um,
00:31:45
Speaker
And that's, that's kind of it. I just kind of, gave see that's the fucking thing. Like, why is it a problem to just spend 30 seconds on it? You know, and I know this is coming from, this pressure is coming from outside, right? This is not your doing, but it still is like, who the fuck wants to spend even one hour making a video?
00:32:08
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's hard because i like I enjoy talking about this stuff and I enjoy talking to people about this stuff. And it's it's a cool avenue to kind of share what you know. don't know if anybody finds value in things that a lot of people share, but I think it's a cool avenue to share stuff, right? And and I've always wanted to do – like I really want to do a blog.
00:32:28
Speaker
Yeah. Because I think there's just, i don't know, random stuff that I'd like to talk about. um But again, i just, it's hard to find the time to to sit down and do it. And then you got to worry about, okay, well, like, how are you going to get good pictures to do this kind of stuff? yeah and And all that kind of stuff.
00:32:46
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's everything. It's like you got to get a website. You got to get hosting. You got to find advertising. You got to an email. You got to do all the social media shit. It just like... don't even come up with a good name.
00:32:59
Speaker
That's my hardest part, right? like Like usernames and blog names. I've talked to to people about this. It's like, you know, like what's a good name? What's it? Userloving is good. Yeah.
00:33:10
Speaker
That's like one of the stronger... as so as i'm As I'm concerned, that's one of the stronger non... name names, right? like I joke there's an old episode.
00:33:22
Speaker
Yeah, I joked that there's an old episode of Family Guy where Peter's in this like restaurant and i don't remember he's in like trouble or whatever and the waiter's like, what's your name? And he looks around the room and he says, lady's crying and he's like, tear! And then a griffin flies and he's like, griffin! He's like, damn it!
00:33:39
Speaker
I think that was for me for leisurely loafing. I looked around and I saw my leisure hand zones. And I was like, all right, leisure loafer. Yeah, that sounds, that works. Sure. Why not? yeah yeah a verb really lo thing As an aside, that is one of the funniest bits in my opinion that a family guy has ever done.
00:33:56
Speaker
Like I've, that shit lives rent free in my head. Yep. Yeah. So, yeah. So, I mean, I don't know. It's fun. I mean, the the the the the the kind of WeeJons network, I will say, gives me a lot more than I probably put into it.
00:34:13
Speaker
um So, you know, that's a good community for me to get my fix for for talking about these types of things. And that probably really keeps me from putting any more effort into to doing anything else. Well, I mean, i apologize for never joining the discord despite your, your invitation. i to be honest, I don't fucking know how discord works.
00:34:33
Speaker
Uh, I never posted on Reddit because likewise, I also don't know how it works. Um, but you guys seem to like, uh, just from an outside you know perspective, like you guys seem to carry the torch for the style forums and the super futures and, and things of the world at this point.
00:34:54
Speaker
So, Yeah, yeah. i mean, that seems to be the new place, right? I mean, Reddit was kind of burned to the ground during all those protests. So yeah, Discord's, I mean, it's worse than the, I mean, it's below the ground at this point. I mean, it's like, now that there's fucking like inline ads, my God, are you kidding me?
00:35:12
Speaker
Oh, it's just, yeah. Yeah. The whole thing. and I only use Reddit for if I have like a guitar or gear related or recording, you know, some music related question.
00:35:24
Speaker
I just, right yeah. You know, I throw Reddit into the Google search and it gives me way better results than anything else. So yeah, a hundred percent. Right. It's, it's great. If you're looking for like hyper niche, like information, like I've been on like hardcore coffee pick for the last like year and a half, like that's the place to go.
00:35:42
Speaker
ah to get into like real nerdy com like conversations right it's great the the general reddit page now like when i still occasionally open the app and look at like the main feed it's just trash these days yeah yeah and my question is like so my rudimentary understanding of the upvoting system right is like the more upvotes minus the downvotes the better the rank of the post is.
00:36:12
Speaker
But now it seems like new posts and it's not my sorting. It's like new posts on the like any of of the fucking fashion subs are like, what should I wear with my scrubs?
00:36:28
Speaker
You know, just like the most inane and repetitive also questions. And I thought that the main point of the upvoting system was to weed that kind of shit out.
00:36:40
Speaker
And it doesn't seem to work at all anymore. Much like everything else. No, that's right. That and I think the addition of of bots and fake accounts. And I think there's so many outside actors ah pushing things to the top of Reddit.
00:36:55
Speaker
But I mean, that's kind of social media in a nutshell these days, right? I mean, Instagram has its own algorithm shit that you have to deal with and and think about. And, you know, it's like, when do post it? How many likes does it get in the first whatever minutes? Do you get comments? Like, who
Social Media Algorithms and Platform Changes
00:37:08
Speaker
cares? Like, you know, and like, you can't even see the half the people that you follow. I think I follow like 1200 people, but my feed always seems to be the same, like 30 people. Yeah, right. Yeah, no, that's funny too. Like, I feel like I see people who I never interact with and people who I interact with like on a daily basis on Instagram.
00:37:25
Speaker
I didn't see their posts at all. The intranetification of the internet and everything that we love. Yep. Yeah. Well, it's got to stop. I mean, it's either got to stop or it's going to just like, like implode at this point.
00:37:43
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think, I think the social security thing is like inevitable because like those people haven't really been fucked with at all. give Give me two seconds. There was a ah fruit fly flying around. i don't my yeah i my bo what's your What's your elimination strategy?
00:38:00
Speaker
Well, so here's the thing. I've already eliminated it on accident. I tried to swat it earlier and it disappeared and I didn't see it. And I just went to take a drink of the rest of my sweet tea and there's a fruit fly in my sweet tea.
Exploration of Vintage Fashion
00:38:12
Speaker
What a southern exchange. ah Give me one second. Yeah, yeah, of course. So... so ah Can I go down a weird rabbit hole?
00:38:24
Speaker
Of course. We love weird rabbit holes. So I have, i I don't even know what kicked this off. I think just being interested in Ivy in general, you you always read about like the myth of vintage Oxford cloth on down shirts, right? and Like the sixties or seventies. It's like this, like holier than anything else. Perfect shirt.
00:38:45
Speaker
Yeah. but anyways, i ah over the last like you know a year or so, I've been trying to track down shirts from all the different decades. um and And I've i've done a pretty good job of collecting them. And I just recently got one from the 1950s.
00:39:01
Speaker
um But they're all kind of underwhelming. I don't know. Like, I don't know where this like th thought of like super heavyweight old shirts has really come from with these great collar rolls and stuff like that. Or maybe I just continue to get ones that they just did a shoddy job on at the factory and and they're awful. But they're all super thin. Right. And I mean, some of that may just be from the fact that they're 60 years old and have been washed. Who knows how many times.
00:39:28
Speaker
the The fit's weird on them, and they're all like crazy long. yeah Yeah, because were meant to be tucked in. Yeah, I was going to say, I always figured that those were features, right? Including the thinness of the shirt, because I always thought like the point of this is to be wearing as little as possible.
00:39:46
Speaker
Right. And like, I actually liked the fabric, but like when you, I said, well, I've been going down this rabbit hole because I have this like dream of, of like building out the perfect shirt. And it's, it's always interesting reading at like what different makers are doing.
00:40:00
Speaker
ah Cause like a lot of the, i don't know if you want to call them heritage brands or whatever you want to call them. Like, like why it's right. Why it has like a ah whole thing. And they're like, Oh, like we, hate we built this shirt off like a 60 shirt or whatever.
00:40:12
Speaker
and um And it just doesn't match up with what I have found in shirts. And so I guess that's where this like weird thing in my head has come from these days on on like the myth of like the perfect Oxford and and what it is. is but But yeah, i mean like the 60s and 70s shirts, I mean, I'm six feet tall, and they're like way too long on on me to even wear untucked.
00:40:34
Speaker
um You can't wear them untucked, for sure, I don't think. I mean... No. Yeah. yeah Right. And like the 50s one is even longer. And I'm like, who? Right.
00:40:46
Speaker
Right. And then they they didn't add the, ah though what is it, the sixth or seventh lower button until I think the eighty s Yeah, yeah. So, like, this is where the part of this really, and this is going to be, like, super nerdy, so stop me. Well, come to the right place.
00:41:04
Speaker
<unk>s It's been kind of fun because I've been able to kind of document all the different subtle changes over the years. But anyways, Matt, i I have found some shirts that still have, like, the factory production stamp on them.
00:41:18
Speaker
Oh yeah. Which is kind of cool, but they will have like the actual date stamped on them from when they were produced. So anyways, I say all that to say I have an 85 shirt that was six buttons and an 87 shirt that's seven buttons.
00:41:31
Speaker
So somewhere between those two, um, it changed. Um, But then like the 50s button shirt has five buttons on it. um Yeah. So anyways, so I want to I want to take them all my my current project, Matt. No, actually, i don't think I talked to you about this Yeah, we talked about it. and i did Yeah, we did.
00:41:48
Speaker
My current project is to try and and make at least what I think is the perfect shirt and and mash up a bunch of different things. But the hardest part is is finding good fabric, right? Yeah, and everybody's got like the same basic fabric. And if I'm going to try to do anything, I want it to be somewhat interesting.
00:42:03
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. As you and I have talked about, like Japanese Oxford cloth is, in my opinion, in the most superior. like Smelis in Portugal also makes a really good one that, from my experience, feels like what I would i guess what i would assume was the original cloth from a 60s, 70s Brooks or J-Press Oxford.
00:42:29
Speaker
um it's It's heavy. It washes down beautifully. But yeah, it's really fucking difficult to find. And it's also like very not affordable for the most part.
00:42:41
Speaker
No, it's it's crazy. And I mean, even buying the good ones off the rack is crazy expensive. The Mercer shirt as is like what I think. People probably talk about like the heavyweight fabric being because it seems to be the heaviest of all the ones that I've found. Right. Yeah. Full.
00:42:57
Speaker
So like you can find like ah the cool details, right? Like I really like J Press's flat pocket. um i really like the the button stance of like the older Brooks Brothers shirts, but I think the collars are kind of lacking and they're too long for me to wear untucked.
00:43:10
Speaker
Mercer's is is a pretty cool shirt. um It's huge in its cut. Yeah. Yeah. And then actually i finally managed to get my hands on a, on a Jake's London shirt. ah Somebody, somebody in the area actually thrifted a Jake's shirt and four Drake's shirts.
00:43:25
Speaker
Oh shit. My size. So I've got that one coming tomorrow. So once, I think once I get that one, I will have all like the, the big main ones and, and, Yeah. So anyways, so that's been the rabbit hole I've been going down and trying figure out like, what is like the perfect shirt?
00:43:38
Speaker
I mean, i think like being a person that's, know, sells vintage for a living and especially being, uh, also super nerdy about shit. Like I've come to realize, and I think this probably applies to Oxford cloth, but now it's due.
00:43:54
Speaker
There's like, there's not a standard. And all these factories, especially like post-war, you know, post-World War II, were pumping shit out at volumes that your brain can't even comprehend.
00:44:10
Speaker
Right. And so, like, there was there was no normal. there was There was, hey, we need to make 50,000 of these. How can we do that?
00:44:20
Speaker
And so, you know, like military stuff, you know, like the factories use what they had on hand. and It might be the same cut, you know, ah a 65 Brooks brothers might be the same pattern as 68 or whatever.
00:44:35
Speaker
But if they were out of cost, they just substituted what they had on hand. If they were out of buttons, they substitute what what they had on hand. So like I've said it maybe on this program a lot, but definitely and in like person to people,
00:44:49
Speaker
that there were no real rules and, and it all just kind of came down to what was available at the time. And so, you know, any, any hard and fast thing about any vintage garment, you can pretty much just write anyone off that thinks that's a thing.
00:45:06
Speaker
Right. Yeah. I will say though, I think that's one of the things that I find more interesting of vintage clothing is being able to, to kind of see the changes over the years, right? Like the bigger changes, right? And like, you You talk about like the jungle jacket and the different patterns. Like, right? Like, those are obvious concrete changes. Yeah, I mean, honestly, like, you know, being into military stuff, like, there's, I guess, five different patterns, quote unquote, of jungle jackets.
00:45:30
Speaker
And like, aside from the first and the second, you can't tell shit apart from... three through five unless it's you know oh this was poplin or and this was ripstop like there's no like there's no way to to actually tell any of this shit yep yeah and it's cool too to see the influence those pieces have had on other things right like you you see a lot of people doing the jungle jacket stuff and and not just the reproductions right like people putting their own spin on it yeah hunting
00:46:02
Speaker
gets in the old car quorum parka like you when you kind of understand the history the of the pieces themselves from like a design perspective you really see the influence that it still kind of continues to have today and i think that was um at least part of the reason why i went down the rabbit hole to begin with not to bring this full circle but no no that's i mean that's i feel like that's how it should be for most you know especially with men's clothing like or masculine clothing for ah better frame like there's There's not a whole lot that can be done.
00:46:35
Speaker
Like you're not reinventing the wheel every single time unless you're you know making runway pieces that are like Tom Brown and and just like totally absurd for normal everyday wear. But like, you know, most most people are even still to this day are playing off of stuff that's already been a thing.
00:46:55
Speaker
And that's like, it's both cool. It's really cool. And seeing, you know, like you said, someone take put their own spin on it is rad.
00:47:05
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and I think that's like the I think there is like an an overlap between innovation and like necessity. Yeah, totally. Totally. I mean, a lot of, you know, in going back to like clothing in general has has always mostly been utilitarian.
Thrifting and Vintage Fashion Finds
00:47:31
Speaker
like what Unless you're super rich. Yeah, unless you're super rich. But, you know, like like Brooks Brothers, Ivy, J Press, military stuff, like there's so many roots of that being like, oh, we need you know we need X for X climate.
00:47:50
Speaker
Like we need Y for Y climate, which is where the Jungle Jacket in particular comes in. Right. yeah And it's it's so hard these days to find... Interesting takes on that. I mean, certainly at any price point that's, you know, quote unquote affordable.
00:48:06
Speaker
Right. you know You're not going to get anything like that unless you really spend a lot of money. So you might as well just go buy vintage. I mean, you know, yeah just on the original. Yeah. I mean, unless you want, and you know, an original Vietnam tiger stripe or some rare, actual rare shit, like you can pretty much find whatever you want at, at like a fraction of whatever design or retail is at this point.
00:48:28
Speaker
Yep. And that's actually one of the things on my wish on my wish list that I can't find. oh Tiger Shrine. Yeah, it's it's been a couple of years since I came across any reel. but yeah But I mean, I think that's also part of the the fun, right? I mean, if you if you have this as a hobby, that that kind of hunt and and finding the kind of perfect piece for you, whatever that may be. I mean, even even for me that like does this for a living, like the thrill of the hunt is my favorite part.
00:48:53
Speaker
The selling settling is not the most fun part Other than the fact that it means i can eat.
00:49:01
Speaker
Right. So you've been ah you've been doing some story sales and and flipping some, you know, some thrift finds. How how's that been going for you?
00:49:13
Speaker
It was going really well. um You know, the one of the nice things about being remote is that I could go to the thrift store that's like 10 minutes from my house on my lunch break. And I you know i could be in and out in 30 minutes and find a bunch of great stuff. Right.
00:49:26
Speaker
um And I haven't been able to do that for the last like month or so. so So the actual finds um have been stopping. And i've I've cleared out, I think, most of my my really good stuff.
00:49:40
Speaker
Uh, but it's, you know, it's, it's opened the door for me to make some, some other purchases, uh, which is always nice. So, yeah, I mean, I really enjoy finding those things and then, um, and then turning them around to friends. Right. yeah so sorry There are a lot of vintage dealers out there that, you know, do this for like a living. Um, but you know, if you're selling a pair of like polo shorts for like 150 bucks, um, you know, I might sell them to a friend for like 30 Yeah. Yeah. Right. And this is, you know, that's, that's the Matt to your point. The fun part is finding stuff in the store, right? Right. Right.
00:50:13
Speaker
Finding like a really cool, I found like a, an M43 jacket, um, like an old world war two jackets, like stuff like that. Finding that out in the wild is, is really cool. Um, And then finding old pieces like that out in the wild is really cool. Like I found really cool old Brooks Brothers, um you know, three to triple patch hopsack blazer um from a line they used to have called a University Shop.
00:50:36
Speaker
Yeah, I forgot about that. Holy shit. Yeah. So that was that was one of my cooler finds. And then being in D.C., I find a lot of like Alden and stuff like that, too, which is really nice. um so yeah it's fun i and i enjoy doing that stuff um and like i said it it helps uh fund other purchases right well the the alden mention brings up a a question that connor and i have discussed a lot recently no is the alton retail in 2025 worth it in your opinion
00:51:09
Speaker
I don't know that it's ever been worth it. I mean, I can also see that point. But, you know, like a $450 Indie being $600, $700 at this point, like just for the basic six seven hundred dollars at this point like just for the basic like No, no. I mean, I appreciate the people who buy them new and then sell them on eBay.
00:51:28
Speaker
Right. um Right. those were Those are my favorite people. um No, I mean, I think if if you have the means to do it. um Yeah, right. and And this is a topic that comes up a lot. And I think Alden catches a lot of flack for it for the price point, ah rightfully or wrongfully.
Footwear: Alden Shoes and Sneakers
00:51:45
Speaker
I don't know. Yeah.
00:51:47
Speaker
But I mean, you know, you've got English brands like like Crocken and Jones doing their shell stuff for, you know, starting at like a grand. Right. And then you've got brands like Grant Stone doing their shell stuff for like $600 or $700 now. So, you know, Alden being made in the U.S. for shell stuff.
00:52:02
Speaker
I mean, $900 is outrageous for a pair of shoes. but Yeah. And most mean mostly in colorate and black because, you might yeah, they have to have a perfect shell to make like Ravello or whiskey or any of this shit.
00:52:16
Speaker
Right, and like the the rare shell stuff, I've been fortunate being here in D.C. to like get on some of their lists for that stuff, and like those are some of the the few pieces that I've ever bought like at at retail. Right.
00:52:27
Speaker
um But, I mean, with that being said, too, it's it's really hard. I mean, for me, i think like a lot of what Alden does is strikes a really good balance between being you know dressy and casual. right like I think the the LHS is something that you can wear with a suit if you want to, or you know wear with shorts and a T-shirt if you want to, and I think A lot of makers don't get that right. Yeah, totally.
00:52:50
Speaker
i mean, yeah, there are a few things that I would probably tell somebody that it's worth spending the money on, right? Like the suede LHS, the shell stuff, and their tassel loafers.
00:53:01
Speaker
Other than that, probably not. Yeah, yeah. The tassels and the all-weather walker have have been my favorites for a very long time. Yeah. And I mean, the the tassels are their kind of original design, right? I mean, someone approached them back in like the 50s or whatever and was like, yo, I found these pair of shoes with tassels in Europe.
00:53:18
Speaker
Can you make me like a loafer version of it? And Alden made the tassel loafer as we know it today. Right. Right. So, yeah. The kid asked me what they were. Like, not what are those, but like, what are those tassels?
00:53:32
Speaker
um And it's like, what do you even say? Of course, there is an answer, right? But like some rich person long ago thought my shoes are unadorned.
00:53:46
Speaker
Could you wear them with little leather bobs and weave it through the shoe? i don't know. I said their decoration.
00:53:58
Speaker
yeah Not satisfying for him or for me. my ah My kid gets excited anytime I pull out a pair of shoes that he hasn't seen me wearing before. He's like, oh, new shoes? And I'm like like, I've had these for a while. He's like, can I have a pair? And I'm like, no.
00:54:14
Speaker
Yeah, maybe maybe when you're 18. Although I did with him a pair of Jordans. I'm waiting for him to grow in today. Which model Jordan? The the Chicago's the lost and found ones. Nice.
00:54:26
Speaker
Solid. Solid. i'm I'm really, really excited because I've got a pair of those and I've i've been hyping them up on them. Oh, my God. It won't be long. We can wear our shoes together. And I thrift him a pair of of New Balance. They're like 990 V6s or something like that that. He started wearing recently.
00:54:39
Speaker
and And that's I wear like 990 V2s. And he's like, we have the same shoe. ah So that's that's always ah a fun little thing. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. a Jordan. a Jordan one is a good good starter into that world, too.
00:54:53
Speaker
yeah And I think the best of the shoes. like ah Yeah. I would say one, three, and four in my mind are all pretty much like equal.
00:55:04
Speaker
but well But the one is the one because it's the one. i ah' know this i'm I'm one and then like four and five. Yeah. first Fives were my first pair in like fourth grade. I don't have them on i don't have them in my memory in that way.
00:55:20
Speaker
I saw a guy wearing a pair of Iverson. What are they called? The the question? What were his zip up shoes? Oh, yeah. Last week on the Metro. No, not the question. um I don't know. Whatever the old Iversons were, the zipped up that like I had a pair of and like what must have been like 2000 or 2001 or two. Right.
00:55:39
Speaker
right and I saw dude sitting on the Metro platform wearing them. And I was like, yo, I was like, I love those Iversons. I was like, I haven't seen anybody wearing them. 25 years right right and i think it made his day yeah of course of course because anyone noticing for like someone that actually knows what the fuck they're wearing um i'm sure is is like ah chef's kiss type of compliment yep yeah honor were you the one that that was telling me about the new balance shoes being a dc thing no Somebody, was somebody i or maybe who was um Jared from Oxford Club on down. were talking about New Balances the other day.
00:56:16
Speaker
And somebody shared an article about how like New Balances are, like DC made like New Balances cool in street wear. um And I had no idea of that history, but once I read the article, i was like, that makes perfect sense because you see them everywhere here in DC.
00:56:33
Speaker
Everybody is rocking New Balances. And i get bad down yeah I get a ton of compliments on my New Balances out and about. And I'm always like, what's up with people here in New Balances? Well, because they're the most boring shoe of all.
00:56:48
Speaker
i actually just ordered a new pair today. that i'm Nice. Which model? What color are they? Gray? they're They're gray and brown. Oh, hu oh. ah New Balance just brought back the 992s.
00:57:02
Speaker
And I think this is like the last of the the Teddy collab. So it's like the 992 Mushroom and Moonrock or something. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm very excited to have something that's ever so slightly different from my normal gray New Balances.
00:57:16
Speaker
Yeah, they I mean, in all honesty, like I still have a pair of nine nine eights like made in USA and they're they're starting to fall apart sadly. But like that is that is one of my favorite sneaker shapes of all time.
00:57:32
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, they're cool, but they're boring. I mean, they are boring, but I'm also a pretty boring dresser like. Your, like, Reeboks are not boring, i would say, at all. ah Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:57:44
Speaker
But, you know, I wear, like, some variation of basically the same shit every single day my life, so... Well, so does everyone. I think the the cool thing about like the 99X series is there's kind of a silhouette for any type of fit, right? I mean, you've got like retro runners like the 998s, and then you've got like the 993s that were super popular during the chunkier era, and I mean, they're still pretty popular.
00:58:08
Speaker
um And then their whole resurgence with ALD, with a lot of bringing back like the retro silhouettes. Right, right. And then like the 550s took off in an art core everywhere for a while.
00:58:21
Speaker
um yeah i i mean i think my what's funny though is my uh i went to pick up my mom from there my mom's like 78 with neat problems and i picked her up at the airport last summer and she was but wearing a pair of 550s she cracked me up that's awesome Yeah, they they're also like, I will say, as far as sneakers go, New Balance are some of the the most comfortable that I've ever worn in my life.
00:58:47
Speaker
And like, even at, you know, 41 with pains that weren't here 10 years ago, like, they're still great. And I can i could wear them all day and my feet don't feel like shit.
00:59:02
Speaker
That's right. Yeah. and i mean it was I got Blundstones and they're great. I'm going to return them. They're great. They are so comfortable. How did they make a shoe that was that comfortable?
00:59:12
Speaker
Yeah, Bluntstones are... I wish that their retail wasn't so high at this point, but they're... I got them for like $150, which is below, right? But it still is like, I don't know. My last pair lasted like almost nine years.
00:59:28
Speaker
And for me, and for anyone that knows me, that is a fucking long time to wear anything because I destroy shit. Well, that's the good thing about those shoes, though, and New Bounce, right, is they're so kind of boring and innocuous that that you can wear them with whatever and kind of to any situation. And, and you know, you can wear something that's kind of cool, but nobody's going to think twice about, right? Like, I'm going to my kid's football game tonight, and I can put on my 990s, and and they're they're cool shoes, but nobody's going to be like, why is this dude wearing, you know, Jordan 1s?
01:00:01
Speaker
yeah its based Yeah, or Yeezys. You're not wearing Yeezys. Right, yeah. We could have an entire an entire discussion on Yuzi and Ye, but we who will not do that.
01:00:12
Speaker
Yeah. very We're done platforming i whatever. Yes, yes, yes. Let's just all take it in at this point.
Conclusion and Farewell
01:00:26
Speaker
Anyway, ah John, dude, thank you for coming on. been ah It's been fun and and just... Very chill. We like having chill friends on.
01:00:37
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. first talk to you guys i was waiting I was like, oh, I haven't talked to Connor and Matt in a long time. Yeah, it's been a while. It's been a while. Maybe maybe you you will be one of our recurring guests or something.
01:00:49
Speaker
Yeah, we appreciate the the character. And I mean, earnestness aside, it is it is good to know that there are good parents out there. True, true.
01:01:01
Speaker
ah So, yeah, John, shout out um you know what you what you do, what you want to, and we'll call it a day. um You can check out my personal Instagram account at leisurely loafing or the Weejohns account, W-E-E-J-A-W-N-Z.
01:01:23
Speaker
hope I spelled that right. Account is the far more interesting one um that's really worth checking out. It's funny how how often I get people reaching out to me and being like, oh, like I really love what what that account's doing. So um yeah, check it out. you know we're We're trying to take the...
01:01:41
Speaker
know conservative edge off of Ivy, right? And yeah show that it can be cool and and it can be kind of contemporary and and whatever else. So yeah. So check it out, you know, hit me up if you want to chat. Yeah. one One day soon we'll have Dan back on too.
01:01:55
Speaker
Yeah. Personally, not, not with both of you, even though that's, that is one of the funnest episodes I think we've done with yeah the four of us. That's a good time. But ah yeah, um everyone, thank you for listening.
01:02:08
Speaker
I am Matt Smith at Rebels Rogues. And I am Connor Flower at Connor Flower. If you would like to follow us on Instagram, it's at Apocalypse Duds.
01:02:21
Speaker
Apocalypse Duds at gmail.com. If you want to send us an email or whatever. We're also on YouTube. We keep getting comments and subscribers on there, which I always kind of forget about, but yeah Check us out wherever you listen to this shit.
01:02:37
Speaker
And we will see you next week.
01:02:41
Speaker
Ta-ta.