Tasteland

The Cut ... for men

In a new format for Tasteland, hosts Daisy and Francis spoke to three expert guests about the state and future of men's media. We set out to discuss a notion posed by our first guest, John McDermott — that we need The Cut for men. Over three guest conversations, woven together here, we cover the business, output, and social implications of that position. John McDermott [https://x.com/mcdermott] is a Los Angeles-based journalist covering arts, entertainment, business, and media, with bylines in The New York Times, WIRED, Esquire, the Chicago Tribune, and more. He was an early staff writer at MEL Magazine and previously covered the digital media industry at Digiday. Alana Hope Levinson [https://www.instagram.com/alanalevinson/?hl=en] is a features editor at WIRED and a writer and editor with deep roots in digital culture, gender, and longform journalism. She previously served as deputy editor at MEL Magazine, overseeing features and special projects, and spent five years running her own editorial consultancy before joining WIRED in late 2025. Chris Gayomali [https://www.instagram.com/chrisgayomali/] is a writer and editor currently serving as editor of SSENSE. He was previously articles editor at GQ — and before that, site editor of GQ.com [https://GQ.com] — where he edited features and longform work. He also writes HEAVIES [https://heavies.substack.com/], a newsletter about health, wellness, and modern ways of feeling good. Finally, Chris is the host of a new podcast about steroids and the "Enhanced Games," SUPERHUMAN [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-superhuman-331753605/]. Find a full, linked syllabus of all articles mentioned in this episode here. [https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vS-DPtWeEFAjOgTBJD1MQmlCgcWE5UBveCrrWhi5LvuVRUIXhdN6qacYmmfJZc0jEFHVRDJmIXShthr/pub?urp=gmail_link] 00:00 We're Exploring the Future of Men's Media 03:09 The Need for Quality Men's Content 06:07 Woke and Men's Media 09:08 First-Person Narratives in Men's Magazine Writing 11:54 Masculinities in Modern Media 15:07 Social Media's Influence on Men 17:57 Male Representation in Publishing 20:50 The Intersection of Gender and Media Economics 23:57 Opportunities and Challenges Facing Men's Media 39:44 Consumption Patterns in Men's Media 42:30 How Media is Shaping Masculinity 45:49 Economic Anxiety and Male Identity 52:42 The Crisis of Male Identity and Radicalization 57:40 The Need for a New Narrative in Men's Media 01:01:20The Future of Media Consumption and Male Identity

Ep. 87: The Great Slowdown

No guest this week. Daisy and Francis discuss the concept of 'The Great Slowdown' as a response to media overload and the desire for deeper engagement with content, the idea of 'vibes gambling' in media, and Dirt's recent contest for essays on health and wealth. 00:00 Transitioning to a New Format 03:11 The Great Slowdown: A Response to Media Overload 05:58 Vibes Gambling: The New Media Economy 09:02 Creating Meaningful Engagement in Media 11:59 Exploring Wealth and Health Through Personal Narratives 15:50 The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health 21:59 The Future of Digital Interaction and Content Creation

Ep. 86: #GuyHobbies ft. Raihan Anwar

Raihan Anwar is a marketing leader for web3 products and communities at scale. He was a co-founder of FWB and also has his own fragrance business in addition to being a coffee connoisseur – all things we love talking about on this pod. Twitter [https://x.com/raihan_] Desire Paths [https://www.desirepaths.co/p/raihan] - 00:00 Navigating Travel Chaos 02:25 Enter Raihan: The Intersection of Culture and Business 06:01 Exploring Fragrance and Identity 08:53 The Art of Taste and Experience 12:11 Podcasting Landscape and Market Dynamics 15:34 The New Media Landscape 17:16 Web 0.5 and Early Internet Ventures 19:22 Coining Terms and Cultural Commentary 25:37 The State of Web3 and Cryptocurrency 30:03 Guy Hobbies and Their Cultural Significance 31:45 Stripe Press and Innovative Publishing _ Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by

Ep. 85: Artifacts of scenes ft. Elliot Aronow

Elliot Aronow is the host/producer of minor genius [https://www.minorgenius.xyz/], a culture imprint that publishes zines, hosts parties, and occasionally produces very handsome neckties. Inside that there's also a very discreet private studio where he works as an editor/co-conspirator with visible weirdos to ship finished artifacts. __ Elliot Aronow Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/minorgenius.xyz/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotaronow/] minor genius [https://www.minorgenius.xyz/] __ Timestamps 00:00 A year as a degenerate gambler 04:00 What is minor genius? 08:25 The tension between punk and preppy 18:46 Reading in public 22:25 Scene vs audience 24:49 Jiu jitsu midlife journey 27:25 A scene memoir 33:08 Never going to be a Beastie Boy 37:42 Artifacts of the 2020s 41:18 What sucks about menswear? __ Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers

Ep. 84: Stomp clap hay ft. Jesse Hirsch of Offrange

Jesse Hirsch is editor of Offrange [https://ambrook.com/offrange]. He has spent years working as a journalist focused on food and agriculture, most recently as managing editor at The Counter. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle, Bon Appétit, Eater, and other outlets. Offrange is a digital publication covering American agriculture, food production, and natural resources. We publish three original stories each week, a monthly podcast, and a weekly newsletter. __ Jesse Hirsch  Offrange [https://ambrook.com/offrange] Twitter/X [https://x.com/Jesse_Hirsch] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jesse.hirsch/?hl=en] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessehirsch/] __ Timestamps 00:00 Laptop at the cinema 04:15 Sod and cranberry bog 07:15 Offrange and its mission 15:35 Knowing when to rebrand 19:57 The best meal of 2026 21:45 Covering agriculture vs food 27:27 The farming and agriculture audience 33:40 Diversification of writers and contributors 35:45 The evolution of agricultural journalism __ Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers