Rock* by Chuck Klosterman

I was first acquainted with Klosterman’s work when I was in high school, doing absolutely everything I could to seem cooler than everyone around me. I figured a book called Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto gave me the street cred I was looking for among my Pitchfork-reading, Urban Outfitters-wearing peers. And you know what, dear Reader? It absolutely did.

I haven’t thought much about Klosterman since around 2009, but his new book, Rock*: A Mainstream Alternative History of Alternative Mainstream Music, sounds intriguing. The premise begins in 1967, imagining a world where The Velvet Underground & Nico becomes a massive hit and the Velvet Underground supplants the Beatles as the defining band of the era. The book runs roughly from 1967 through 2002 and is narrated by a fictional version of Lester Bangs who survives into the 21st century and becomes a successful older rock editor. Klosterman tells GQ writing it required him to first work out a conventional history of rock over that period and then “reverse engineer” it around the Velvet Underground’s altered success, accounting for how one change would affect everything that followed.

Though I do have a mental allergy to most modern books (this is another pretension of mine, of course), I have to admit the premise is pretty intriguing. And anywhere that Nico is preferred over Yoko is a universe I want to live in.

GorillaSharpener

I have to be honest with you, I have mixed feelings about the GorillaSharpener. Mostly for how muscular the arms are. And how flat the face is. And having to put a pencil in the hole where the face should be. I could see this in a Stephen King novel as an objet d’art that sits on a writer’s shelf and one day attacks him as he slowly goes mad. I don’t know. Maybe I’m projecting here.

In any case, the GorillaSharpener comes from a collaboration between MB&F and Caran d’Ache, created to mark the 15th anniversary of MB&F’s M.A.D.Gallery. Designer Maximilian Maertens started with Caran d’Ache’s classic hand-cranked sharpening machine, which dates back to 1933, and added stainless-steel and cast-iron limbs that give it its knuckle-walking stance. Finished in Alpine Frost blue, it remains a fully functional sharpener and comes with Caran d’Ache pencils, a securing clamp, and its own case.

The GorillaSharpener was released on World Gorilla Day and is limited to 300 pieces, priced at CHF 850, or around $1,165. MB&F is also supporting the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund through the project, including the symbolic adoption of Rwanda’s Pablo mountain gorilla group. You can grab yours here, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the whole coming to life and attacking you thing.

Beats 360

Coincidentally, I just printed the return label for a pair of first-generation AirPods Max after finding the microphone a little too tinny for my liking. Maybe I should have just splurged for the second-generation model, but in any case, I’m officially back on the hunt for a good pair of over-ear headphones. Perhaps the new headphones by Beats are what I’m looking for.

The Beats 360 are the brand’s new flagship over-ear headphones, with a redesigned acoustic system, active noise cancellation, and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Beats has also made the ear and headband cushions interchangeable, offering both Performance Knit and UltraPlush options in different colors. Battery life comes in at up to 32 hours, and the headphones are IPX4-rated for sweat and water resistance.

The Beats 360 are available now for $349.99 in Black, Cloud, Pink, and Sky, with the interchangeable cushion kits sold separately.

The Arguments For (and Against) a Dumb Phone

I don’t think there’s any denying that less time on my iPhone would be a very good thing. While I don’t think I’d categorize my usage as an “addiction”, I know there are many better ways to spend my time than scrolling through Instagram – basket weaving, learning a new language, interpretive dance, to name a few.

Even so, my entire career is through my phone. I only really have my writing work from connecting with editors on social media. And, working remote, I need to have Whatsapp readily available. And, let’s face it, where else can I shallowly brag when I’m on vacation? Because of this, I’m shackled to my iPhone, never far from my grasp.

But after reading this New York Times article, maybe there’s a better way to balance – maybe it’s not all that bad to have a smartphone. Writer Stephanie H. Murray gave up her smartphone more than a year ago and says much of the experiment worked. She scrolls less and spends more uninterrupted time with her family, all the things you want when giving up a smartphone cold turkey. But there was a problem: opting out of a smartphone often means relying on everyone else’s.

Murray found herself asking her husband to order Ubers and friends to pull up tickets or scan QR codes. Other dumbphone users she spoke with ran into similar issues, from falling behind in group chats to leaning more heavily on spouses for basic communication. As someone who already relies on his husband to do every boring task I don’t personally want to do, I could definitely see myself falling into a self-imposed uselessness. So I think I’ll stick to complaining for now and I’ll keep testing out my Brick to see if that’s a happy medium for me.

Gennai Pen SL01

Working in the pen industry for over five years has afforded me the luxury of seeing a variety of pen styles over the years. There’s your classic cigar-shape, pocket pens, stick pens. Ballpoints, rollerballs, and fountain (oh, my!). There are even pens with articulated arms like an action figure. But I don’t think I’ve seen anything like the Gennai Pen SL01.

Somewhere between a tattoo gun and a steampunk movie prop, the Gennai Pen SL01 is definitely one of the most interesting pens I’ve seen in the market. Designed by Japanese artist Hidetoshi Nakayama in collaboration with TACTICALGEEK, the stainless steel ballpoint uses a mechanism inspired by an old telegraph key. Press the button at the top to extend the refill, then use the lever along the barrel to retract it. Even the pocket clip has its own mechanism, opening with a press and locking back into place when released.

The SL01 is CNC-machined from solid stainless steel, hand-finished, and takes standard Parker-style G2 refills. Along with the natural stainless version, there are Cerakote, Timascus, and hand-engraved editions. It’s currently available through Kickstarter starting at $189.