Something like an Introduction
By this point, I’ve sent out two newsletters. And I think most of you already know or at least get the gist of what this is and what’s it’s gonna be. But before continuing, I wanted to answer some FAQs I’ve been getting. In the meantime, the discussion threads are wide open. Have at it kids!!
Who I am—in case you were wondering:
I grew up in New York, Paris, however many other places and, by what can only be attributed to a clerical error of some kind, managed to claw my way into a small community college in the dirty Jerz called Princeton, where I graduated at the top of my class a few years back. While there, I wrote a book I thought nobody would read—a memoir about my dirty life and times called The Night Before the Morning After. For reasons that continue to elude me, they did read it though. And the book went on to four first-place Firebird Book Awards and a first-place Pencraft Book Award. Then I landed a job at an internationally syndicated arts and science magazine called Quillette and ran the thing with three dope colleagues—Jon Kay in Toronto, Jamie Palmer in London, and Claire Lehmann in Sydney. The four of us had our creative and ideological differences, but at the end of the day, these were smart, good people doing important work. And I’m proud to have been a part of the team. When I was there, in the thick of it, we had millions of monthly readers, hundreds of writers working for us, and tens of thousands of subscribers. It was great. And along the way, I met a fantastically interesting cast of characters, many of whom I now call friends. But nothing gold can stay. I’m an extremely curious individual with an eclectic bouillabaisse of interests, and recently, I left Quillette to focus on a number of exciting projects including 27 Rouge—a podcast, a substack, and a personal brand. I’m also actively working on three multimedia books, a Tiktok travel channel, and some cool stuff that will reveal itself in time.
What is 27 Rouge?
27 Rouge is a column about nothing in particular, a sort of renaissance man’s guide to conversation named in tribute to James Dean, Janice Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, and the many other beautiful souls and kindred spirits vanquished from existence at the shared all too ripe and tender age of 27. This is not some polemical bullshit on the right or the left. It’s history, cultural commentary, and creative storytelling from and about the mavericks who have taken to heart what William Earnest Henley once said. They are the masters of their fates, the captains of their souls.
27 Rouge is also the name of a popular podcast I started about a year ago. I didn’t expect it to be much more than a hobby, but as all great things do, 27R took on a life of its own, and here we are—some two dozen rappers, rockstars, directors, boxers, tango dancers, founders, journalists, and poker players later.
27 Rouge💄 is a reader-supported publication. My independence as a writer, podcaster, and idea sharer affords me the freedom to write, speak, and produce unencumbered. If you find my work to be engaging and useful, please share 27 Rouge and consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a one-off or recurring donation. You won’t regret it. Or maybe you will :D