Category: ZG

Anderson .Paak is sitting at home, smiling (presumably, because he always is?), when he sees the announcement on social media for Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl…

Scott Bradlee just wrapped up a 12-part lecture series called MusicX. They’re all on his Substack, Musings From The Middle, and if you’re a music dork…

Patterns are just repeating variables you happen to notice. Finding one nobody else has found before can be worth a lot. Harnessing one – whether…

The Trap of Validation. The Pursuit of Mastery | Bill Stephney & Lawrence Yeo JUST PRESS RECORD In this powerful conversation, hip-hop legend Bill Stephney…

Do you know Bill Stephney? He’s the executive producer who helped launch Def Jam Records, discovered Chuck D in an Adelphi University cafeteria, and played…

Do you know Lawrence Yeo? He’s the creator behind More To That, a writer who moved from Wall Street to the LA beat scene to become one…

Lawrence Yeo once committed 100 hours to write a single story. He just wanted to know what would happen if he put that much time and…

Eric Markowitz shared this Nassim Taleb quote in The Nightcrawler last weekend and it’s rattling around in my head: The more rational we become, the more blind we…

Engagement’s a trap. Or maybe it’s a myth. All I know is – it’s real, but it’s also not reality, and if you’re confused, you’re…

I am impossibly betting that sometime in 2002 I saw Atmosphere on the God Loves Ugly tour in the 300ish person room below Pearl Street…

Name Your Critic The most paralyzing creative fear isn’t real criticism – it’s the imaginary collective judgment we carry in our heads. James Clear’s insight…

Do you know Morgan Ranstrom? He’s a wealth advisor at Trailhead Planners, author, musician with Stone Arch Rivals, and someone who thinks deeply about compounding in all…

Do you know Rupert Mitchell? He’s the founder of Blind Squirrel Macro, a French and Spanish literature major who became one of the most thoughtful macro observers…

Every time I talk to Morgan Ranstrom, he works a little idea into the conversation that takes over my brain for weeks. So when I…

I don’t think it’s the standout track. I don’t think it’s anything new. I don’t think it’s anything you need to spend more than 30…

Grow Your Network: Laurie Kaye Is A Rock Radio Pioneer Who Conducted John Lennon’s Final Interview Laurie Kaye’s journey from transistor radio sanctuary to rock…

Do you know Laurie Kaye? She’s the rock radio pioneer and author who conducted what tragically became John Lennon’s final interview on December 8th, 1980 –…

Do you know Kevin Alexander? He’s the author of the brilliant “On Repeat Records” Substack, a weekly music discovery newsletter that’s become essential reading for anyone…

When Laurie Kaye was a kid, in – let’s just call it a less-than-perfect home situation, she’d often retreat to her room and hide under the covers.…

A friend and I were chatting about patronage and the arts. I’ve been having a version of this conversation with my creatively-minded friends my entire…