The Monday Media Diet with Tyler Bainbridge

On Walter Pearce, preferred notes apps, and Big Star

We’ve been fans of the interview newsletter Perfectly Imperfect for a while; it is a spiritual cousin to our MMD feature. Today, we turn the mic to Tyler Bainbridge (TB) to see what is capturing his attention. Have a great week. -Colin (CJN)

Photo credit: Jennie Ross

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Tyler and I'm one of the founders of Perfectly Imperfect, a free culture newsletter that highlights a taste of someone’s taste in the form of recommendations. It's less about "what to buy" or "what to like", and more about getting a glimpse at what interesting people, like John Wilson, Dasha Nekrasova, Sarah Squirm, Chris Black, Hunter Harris, Kaitlin Phillips, Samuel Hine, Brynn Wallner, and The Ion Pack, are into. You’ll like it if you enjoy finding new rabbit holes, which is probably the case if you're reading “Why Is This Interesting?”

Outside of the newsletter, I'm a college dropout, open-source developer, occasional writer, and photographer living in New York City.

Describe your media diet. 

I personally love being overwhelmed with stuff to check out, so that’s how I structured my “media diet”. Sift through it all and find what clicks with you.

When it comes to opening emails I’m pretty stingy (a bit ironic right?), but the newsletters that usually make the cut are Sitting Pretty, Paul From The Bible, Coolstuff.nyc, Hung Up, SNAKE, Writers Life Tips, Public Announcement, Embedded, Magasin, Dirt, 8Ball, Screenslate, walt’s Important thoughts, Deez Links, Angelicism01, Opulent Tips, and Blackbird Spyplane. 

I love podcasts, not just for the audio component, but for the communities of like-minded people sharing mutual interests in culture, people, and humor that form around them. I’ve been put on to all kinds of stuff from pod Discords and even made some real-life friends through them. My favorites include The Ion Pack, Nymphet Alumni, Red Scare, Wet Brain, How Long Gone, Contain, Director's Commentary, and Throwing Fits.

Unfortunately, I’m more or less addicted to Instagram and Twitter. They just happen to be the main entry points for most of what I consume whether it’s news, podcasts, music, writing, inspiration, etc. They’re also just plain ol’ fun, even if social media tends to drive me insane. But what can I say, I love to post.

Anyways, here are some people I think you should follow.

On Twitter it’s @lunch_enjoyer, @alivegirl001101, @hunteryharris, @patriksandberg, @sartoriallyinc, @dan_allegretto, @bettinamak, @deankissick, @walt_knows_best, @credenzaclear2, @skinnyyoungthug, @mannfacts, @yoloethics, @petcortright, @textile_ranch, @layajospe, @brynntrill2, @frynaomifry, and @mads_foods. I made this list by just scrolling through some of my recent likes so if I missed you, I’m sorry!

And on Instagram it’s @misc_en_scene, @mustarrrrd, @miwasusuda, @frankdorrey, @markfisherquotes, @liana_ava, @servideo, @wetbrainupdates, @brandon.a.mahler, @actorscellectuals, @arnold_daniel, @em.info, @directorfits, @hollywoodgifts99, @kanyewest, @chrismaggio, @tom_tuna_tossed_salad, @intramuralshop, and @favetiktoks420. A good mix of cool people, “meme accounts”, art, fashion, etc.

When I read print it’s usually Editorial Mag, Interview Mag, Sex Mag, 032c, Apartamento, Record Mag, The Drunken Canal, or Forever Mag.

I find a lot of films and music through the Discords of the aforementioned podcasts, by Perfectly Imperfect recs, and the people I follow online, but I also love Letterboxd even if it often pisses me off, and listening to WFMU and NTS Radio.

Okay, I should probably wrap this up now.

What’s the last great book you read?

I don’t really follow the alt-lit scene very closely, but all the discourse around Sean Thor Conroe’s Fuccboi finally got to me. I ended up finishing the whole book in a few days, which is huge for me. It really feels like a special and important novel. I love Sean’s unique writing voice. You might love it, you might hate it, but you probably haven’t read much like it— which is what I usually look for.

What are you reading now?

I just started reading Meet Me in the Bathroom which is the story of The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Vampire Weekend, and the 2000s New York City music scene as a whole. Really enjoying it so far.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I’ll usually skip to pieces I’m interested in or are written by someone I like, then I like looking at all the pretty pictures, which will usually lead to me reading more articles out of general curiosity.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

You should be reading all of the newsletters I talked about above, but I especially love Walter Pearce’s Substack, walt’s Important thoughts. It doesn’t seem like he’s writing much these days, but when he does post it’s totally pure, honest, and beautifully stylized with his quirked-up capitalization.

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone? 

I take a bunch of notes in Bear, which is a pretty (uh...very) nerdy markdown note-taking app. It’s just so simple, fast, and clean, which keeps me coming back. I like BeReal too, Chris Maggio recommended it on Perfectly Imperfect and it feels like a special app to me. And I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with these, but I use PocketCasts for podcasts, DarkSky for weather, and 1Password for passwords. Otherwise, I only use a page or so worth of apps.

Plane or train?

I moved to NYC a little over a year ago and I’ve since grown to love taking the train back to Boston when visiting loved ones. I like to watch the world zoom by, take a nap, get some work done, read a book, sit in the cafe car, or have a few drinks,…probably all of the above. It’s such a peaceful and calm environment for me. I could see myself becoming an adult obsessed with trains. Trains rock.

What is one place everyone should visit? 

Portland, ME. I think it’s a really special place, and not just because my girlfriend and I have spent nearly every anniversary there. There’s incredible food, scenery, and kind people there. Just try to avoid the touristy spots and ask a local for recommendations.

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into. 

A lot of my rabbit holes relate to music, I’ll spend hours and hours digging into Discogs of bands and all of their influences. Recently I’ve been into Power Pop, but specifically artists like Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements, Big Star, The Pillows, Nick Lowe, The Cars, Kleenex Girl Wonder, and The Jam. And Jangle Pop bands such as Felt, The Sundays, Lloyd Cole and The Commotions, The Go-Betweens, The Smiths, The Church, The La’s, and The Cleaners From Venus. (TB)

—

WITI x McKinsey:

An ongoing partnership where we highlight interesting McKinsey research, writing, and data.

Creating value in the net-zero transition. As more institutions step up in their commitments to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, new business opportunities are emerging. Explore how decarbonization is transforming portfolios, operations, supply chains, and the economy at large. Now’s the time for bold moves; a new article can help companies to spot green growth opportunities and take action.

–-

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Tyler (TB)

—

Why is this interesting? is a daily email from Noah Brier & Colin Nagy (and friends!) about interesting things. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you’re reading it for the first time, consider subscribing (it’s free!).