I'm a product of the '80s; I grew up watching Alan B'Stard and Del Boy, and listening to Duran Duran and the Cure. It was a generation that either aspired to be wealthy, brash but unashamedly brash, or didn't. Quite simple, really. 

 

 

Stock Aitken and Waterman (in case you've been living under a rock) were the pop sausage factory of the 80s, churning out one-minute wonders while inflation went through the roof. The country was divided, leadership across sectors was megalomaniacal, and the media had lost all dignity. Templates were being created, and formulas were being used to manufacture business success everywhere. Sound familiar? Feel familiar? Of course, it does; it's that awful synthetic feeling of polyester on your skin or that grating sensation of eating yogurt from a wooden spoon.

 

Well, welcome back. The year isn't 2023; it's 1983 again; we've forgotten everything that came before (again), we're listening to the same music (again), fast fashion is the same and megalomania is pumping through every Instagrammers veins. We all have access to the tools and media to get rich quick. And as before, we are applauding those who ‘make bank.' 

 

“You should meet Ben he's created and sold 5 companies in the last 5 years he's incredible.” Is he? He's just a flipper. Or is it a fluffer? 

 

“Kim has more than 1m followers on Instagram and has started her own Gin brand.” We needed another gin, didn't we? Why did she only do gin and not a cosmetics line as well? 

 

There is a difference, though. This time around, it's not just the politicians, business people, and the tabloids we can't trust but every digital asset ever created. Is that really Kim Jong Un with Bill Gates onboard Jeffrey Epsteins yacht? Is that Dolly Parton putting a kitten in a blender? Is that Stephen Bartlett being….yes it probably is, actually. 

 

The worst of it today; Greed + The Internet + Ai = Stock Aitken Waterman and Madeoff ² 

 

It's batshit. Or is it? It is for now, but it won't last. This time around, I fundamentally believe we will see a reset. Our kids will look back on us dumbfounded that we shared every trick, business skill, image, video, and private part online. We will be known as the ‘public,’ and our kids will be defined as the ‘private generation.’ 

Platforms will vanish, and the kimono will close. We're starting to see it already; within 24 months, we'll see less and less published to the major platforms and the rise of deletion services. 

 

Get ready, kids, Charles may be king, but I sense that things will feel quite restrained and Victorian around here.

 

 

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This newsletter is brought to you by Monster Munch. Possibly the most extraordinary crisp in the world. 

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🧁 = (cupcake) Treat brain – easy to consume

🦪 = (oyster) More challenging - not for everyone

 

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This is no ordinary book nor an ordinary story. Luna Luna was an art amusement park created in Germany back in 1987. The original amusement rides created by Dali, Haring, Lichenstein, Basquiat, and Hockney were locked in containers for decades until recently. A team is being assembled to bring it back to life, and I cannot wait. This is possibly the most exciting project I have seen, and I want in! You can read more about it here.

 

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What would come to be if every imagined rumination, woe, torment, or thrill were to play out in real life? What if each thought you divulged to your therapist in the utmost secrecy was recorded and shared with your loved ones? 

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This film is worth watching even on silent. It's just gorgeous. Please don't watch it on your phone. A simple story of friendship.

 

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Life is complicated, and I am very aware that I always veer toward melancholy. So here is something a little more playful. A game of cat and mouse and a covert lesson in marketing from one of the most outstanding marketers of all time, Banksy. AKA Robin Gunningham.

 

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Two artists I have been following lately are Nicolas Coleman and Fiza Khatri

You should follow them as well. Or better, buy their work. Or buy two and give me one. 

 

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English? On the fence about how great Great Britain is? Then as your cultural GP, I prescribe a trip to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Oh my god. What a place! Built by hand by a lady called Rowena Cade at the turn of the 20th century, there is no other way to describe this place other than magical and undeniably generous. 

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We have been working with Neil Bartlett and Russell Tovey on a retelling of Derek Jarmin's final film called Blue Now. 

 

 

 It has been touring the UK and will be at the Tate Modern (London) on 27th May; I have two tickets for this sold-out event. 

 

The first to answer this question will be the lucky winner: In which part of London can you find a blue plaque dedicated to Derek Jarman?

 

That's it. Cheerio.