Happy Saturday! ☀️
Hello from the French countryside near Bergerac where I’m spending a few weeks with friends for a mix of work and recuperation. I spent the day driving yesterday, hence the delay. I travelled from Bavaria where we spent three days on our first internal ForChiefs mountain retreat, hiking, climbing, and connecting.
What I’m reading 📖
Hrishikesh Hirway is a role model to me. I’ve shared here before that I am a fan of his podcasts ‘Song Exploder’ and ‘West Wing Weekly’. I admire his astute attention to detail which edges on perfection, his voice, and thoughtful way of speaking. In Song Exploder, Hrishi follows his curiosity and dissects one song by one artist in such a surgical way that shows his passion for music and interest for how art is created. Learn more about Hrishi and his story in this New Yorker profile.
What I’m listening to 🎧
It’s June which means my monthly playlist for May is complete. Here are the songs that were on heavy rotation last month, including from bands like Gang of Youths, Sam Fender, Manchester Orchestra, and a fantastic new song by the band BOY.
What I’m watching 📺
Made You Look is a true story about fake art. It’s a documentary about nothing less than the most successful forgery scam ever brought off in the high-end art world. Picture a random person entering a prestigious New York City art gallery with a painting allegedly created by Mark Rothko, making a profit of more than 600% on a painting with no “provenance”, and deemed authentic by experts. Fascinating! Watch the trailer.
What I’m thinking about 🧠
Spending three days in nature with my ForChiefs colleagues was a special experience. The purpose was not to talk about work but to connect deeply on a personal level and get to know each other on a whole new level. What I didn’t anticipate was that it would illicit clarity about a set of topics that have been on my mind. We all realized that after more than 1,5 years, we were craving connection.
What else?! 💯
Little Island is a new park in New York City along the Westside Highway. Formerly known as Pier 55, it’s not just a new oasis of quiet and peace but also an architectural statement. Financed by Barry Diller and his wife Diane von Fürstenberg, it includes an amphitheatre and diverse vegetation. Take a look.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
David
P.S.: if you liked this, your best friend might too. Thank you for sharing: https://davidnoel.substack.com