What's Contemporary Now?

Chris Black has made a career out of having opinions, trusting his instincts, and finding ways to turn his interests into a living. Best known as one half of the podcast How Long Gone, he has also built a career as a creative consultant and entrepreneur, most recently with his American-made clothing brand, Hanover. But working independently isn't quite the carefree proposition it can look like from the outside, and Chris is refreshingly candid about the uncertainty, discipline, and stomach for money it requires.

In this conversation, we get into his reverence for legacy media and why he still believes in the value of gatekeepers and specialists in an increasingly generalist culture. We also talk about the late Glenn O'Brien as a model for making a living across creative worlds, the disappearance of sellout culture, and what it means that everyone has become a creator. It's an entertaining, opinionated conversation about independence, ambition, media, and the cultural habits we may be ready to leave behind.

“Everyone wants to quit their job. I see people with these jobs and I'm like, bro, you're making 300 grand a year and it doesn't seem like you have to do that much. Like, just do that. [...] There's no reason to throw that away unless it's really teed up for you.” Chris Black

Episode Highlights:

00:00 | Intro

00:45–03:22 | Discovering Punk, Hardcore and the DIY Ethos That Shaped His Career

01:45–03:22 | Why Everyone Should Work in a Store at Some Point

03:22–03:51 | The Financial Realities of Working for Yourself

07:49–09:31 | The Stomach for Money and the Realities of Consulting

09:31–10:20 | The Freedom of Working Independently Versus the Security of a Salary

10:20–12:19 | In Defence of Gatekeepers and the Value of Editorial Curation

11:20–12:19 | Everyone Is a Generalist, So Where Have All the Specialists Gone?

16:17–17:39 | Glenn O’Brien and the Art of Doing Whatever You Want

17:48–18:44 | Has Sellout Culture Become a Thing of the Past?

20:40–21:29 | Why Getting High on Your Own Supply Is the Beginning of the End

21:19–22:42 | The Secret to How Long Gone Is Simply Showing Up

24:40–26:24 | How Celebrity Culture Changed the Podcasting Business

26:24–27:40 | Why Being Surprised Is the Best Part of Having a Podcast

29:29–31:37 | Letting Go of the Legacy Media Dream and Embracing YouTube

39:25–39:58 | Sobriety as a Natural Ending Point

40:09–42:15 | Why Chris Black Started Hanover and the Case for a Baseline American Wardrobe

47:44–49:12 | The New Luxury Is Being Able to Disconnect

48:46–50:10 | The Problem With Optimising Every Second of Your Life

49:12–50:10 | Does Botox Fill the Black Hole in Your Heart?

50:17–51:19 | We're All Thinking About Ourselves Too Much

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Adam Baidawi may be in the early days of his role as GQ’s global editorial director, but he’s already making headlines with some controversial, if not questionable, choices in cover subjects. Whether you thought Tom Cruise was the right choice, thought he looked good or bad, or questioned if the timing actually made any relevant sense, it’s hard to deny the scale of attention and conversation the cover and interview generated. In this episode, Adam shares how he reverse-engineered his ideal career, how he plans to tackle the idea of modern masculinity as the editor of the most recognized men’s title, and why he believes candor is essential to cutting through the noise. He even pushes back on a few of my own points, which, for me, is always the sign of a great guest.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 | Intro

01:31–02:19 | Growing Up Australian While Holding On to His Family’s Cultural Identity

02:20–04:52 | The Sisters Who Shaped His Cultural Education

04:52–06:48 | Putting His Hand Up for Literally Everything

08:00–10:01 | Imagining a Career in Reverse

10:03–11:29 | Flying from Melbourne to England for a Chance at British GQ

11:31–13:47 | Finding His Own Leadership Style Through Experience

14:21–15:35 | Why Curiosity Is the Essential Prerequisite for an Editor

17:50–19:09 | We have More Access to Information, but there’s Less Discovery

19:46–21:29 | The Editor’s Responsibility to Inspire a Reaction

22:41–23:56 | Is the Monoculture Dead, or Have We Lost the Power to Create It?

25:20–26:10 | An Editor’s First Responsibility Is to the Audience

26:59–28:00 | The Editor’s Role Is to Curate

29:17–31:51 | Why Lecturing an Audience Rarely Changes Minds

32:28–35:05 | Rethinking the Guest List and the Value of Intimacy

34:00–36:25 | Why Intimacy and Curation Matter More Than Scale

37:02–37:38 | Expanding GQ Beyond Fashion and Entertainment

38:00–39:52 | Meeting Audiences Wherever They Choose to Engage

40:35–41:43 | Why Video Journalism Deserves the Same Rigor as Print

41:57–43:41 | “Candor Is What’s Contemporary Now”

43:41–End | The Value of Honesty in Contemporary Culture

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Selena Forrest's journey from “wrong” to “right” has been marked by a series of peaks and valleys. Her beginnings weren't easy, and success wasn't a cure-all, but somewhere between the two, she's managed to find herself in the lessons along the way.

At the height of her career, Selena hit an all-time low, walking out on a show she was set to close and seemingly setting proverbial bridges ablaze with some of her longest standing supporters. Choosing to enter rehab and embark on a different path, she's since come to see herself in a new light, both personally and within the industry at large. In this conversation, she reflects on the challenges of her childhood, the extraordinary opportunities modeling afforded her, and the perspective, growth, and newfound wisdom she's discovered through sobriety.

A rare glimpse behind the curtain of one of the industry's most recognizable faces, this is a conversation filled with candid stories, hard-won perspective, and valuable takeaways about what it means to find your way back to yourself.

“Are there really any failures? If you learn from it, are you really failing?” - Selena Forrest

Episode Highlights:

03:20–05:31 | Meeting Her Mother for the First Time at Seven

05:33–06:55 | How Childhood Trauma Shaped Her Ability to Trust

06:57–08:33 | Being Discovered at 15 and Told to Get a Nose Job

12:49–13:57 | Choosing Recovery Over Walking a Fashion Show

14:34–15:34 | “The Alcohol Wasn’t the Problem. It Was My Solution”

16:44–18:11 | Why No Amount of Covers or Campaigns Could Make Her Feel Beautiful

18:23–19:07 | Healing as a Daily Choice

20:25–22:24 | Why Representation Matters for Girls Who Look Like Her

21:34–22:29 | Why She Believed One Person Who Called Her Ugly Over a Thousand Who Said She Was Pretty

22:29–24:30 | The Danger of Reducing Someone to a Single Moment

23:21–24:30 | How Other People’s Judgments Reflect Their Own Insecurities

24:30–25:44 | Curating Ourselves Versus Actually Knowing Ourselves

24:30–25:44 | Learning to See Herself Through Kinder Eyes

25:54–26:45 | Finding Community and Reciprocity Through Recovery

27:46–28:51 | Redefining Failure and Choosing Herself Over Professional Success

29:00–30:10 | When the Fashion Industry Knows Your Story but Doesn't Ask How You Are

31:16–32:46 | Separating Her Identity From Her Modeling Career

31:22–32:46 | Sobriety as an Accomplishment No One Can Take Away

32:46–35:19 | Why Friendship, Therapy and Mutual Care Matter Now

32:46–35:19 | What Is Contemporary Now? Connection and Friendship

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Alastair McKimm returns to What’s Contemporary Now?, this time on camera, to discuss life after 23 years at i-D and the launch of Prototype, a new creative venture bringing publishing, product design, and creative services under one roof. Now also Chief Creative Officer of Visual Talent Group (VTG), McKimm reflects on building a new model for creative businesses, his work with Gap, Marc Jacobs, and Miley Cyrus, and the role of curation in navigating an increasingly saturated world. From editing creative work to editing our own lives, we explore instinct, ambition, insecurity, and the challenge of sustaining a career without losing sight of ourselves.

“What's contemporary now is curation and editing. Whether it comes to work or your own life or how you make your way through the world.” - Alastair McKimm

Episode Highlights:

01:12–01:57 | Leaving i-D After 23 Years and Building Something of His Own

01:59–05:04 | Why Print, Curation and Editorial Judgment Still Matter

05:28–05:52 | Filtering the Noise in an Overwhelming World

05:58–08:17 | Giving Artists Creative Freedom Through Prototype

08:21–10:18 | Rethinking the Magazine Format and Business Model

10:18–12:03 | Building a Democratic Publication Without Hierarchies

18:04–20:39 | Finding Inspiration in the Everyday and Reimagining the Ordinary

21:03–22:35 | How We Give Meaning to the Things We Create

22:35–25:10 | Why We Still Need Physical Objects in a Digital World

25:34–26:51 | Finding His Own Creative Identity After i-D

27:50–29:28 | Learning to Embrace Uncertainty Through Marc Jacobs

29:29–30:40 | The Expanding Role of Creative Direction With Miley Cyrus

34:29–36:55 | Dealing With Criticism, Negativity and the Pressure to Please

36:56–38:14 | Staying Open to the World Beyond the Screen

38:14–39:48 | Creative Ambition, Insecurity and the Need for Validation

39:48–41:13 | Finding the Next Chapter When Your Career Defines You

41:18–44:32 | Work-Life Balance, Recovery and the Danger of Abandoning Yourself

44:11–44:32 | When Bad Habits Become the Price of Professional Success

44:45–45:34 | AI, Print and Why New Technologies Don't Have to Replace the Old

45:44–46:22 | What Is Contemporary Now? Curation, Editing and Clarity

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It’s all about the Big Willy energy these days. What was once an independent, primarily menswear label showing at New York Fashion Week has become a full-blown fashion brand known for staging high-quality productions and often politically charged shows during the Paris men’s collections. The paradox of Willy Chavarria is that, despite the wide reach of his media storms, he’s still being discovered by new audiences even now. The illusion of overnight success is almost always backed by stories of hard work, an enduring willingness to prevail, and a commitment to learning everything one can along the way. His story strikes all of the favorite chords in any good human interest story: growing up as an outsider, learning to live with no regrets, and realizing that we always stand to benefit from thinking big.

“It's not like I haven't been beaten down to shit a million times in my life, because for sure I have. It's just that I've continued to get back up.” - Willy Chavarria

Episode Highlights:

02:18–03:17 | Growing a Fashion Brand From the Ground Up

03:58–06:20 | Growing Up an Outsider and Finding His Imagination

06:20–08:25 | How San Francisco’s ’90s Club Culture Changed Everything

09:54–12:24 | Why Personal Style Matters More Than Fashion

12:24–14:06 | Fashion as Perception, Storytelling and Self-Expression

14:07–15:58 | The Work History That Taught Him How to Build a Brand

15:58–17:40 | Starting a Brand at 40 and Knowing When You’re Ready

17:40–19:24 | Letting Go of Regret and Taking Control of Your Destiny

19:45–22:32 | Building a Brand Around Positivity, Inclusivity and Human Dignity

22:32–25:11 | When Political Conviction Becomes Part of the Brand

25:27–28:40 | Finding Joy in the Middle of a Horror Show

32:17–34:09 | The Ambition to Become the Next Ralph Lauren

34:10–38:42 | Redefining the Boundaries Between Menswear and Womenswear

41:47–44:04 | Why Loyalty Is Radical in Fashion

44:14–46:12 | Casting as Emotional Storytelling

48:34–50:57 | Why Paris Represents a New Chapter for Fashion

53:38–55:27 | Taking Fashion Beyond Clothes Into Music, Film and Entertainment

55:27–57:21 | Silencing the Inner Saboteur and Learning to Say “So What?”

57:23–58:38 | Taking Willy Chavarria Global

58:38–01:02:38 | Building a Life and Business With the Person You Love

01:02:40–01:04:39 | What Is Contemporary Now? Thinking Bigger Than Ourselves

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