The main storyline of the recent, maybe final, fall of VICE coverage is that the company took on too much debt, was over-valued, and the leadership grabbed way too much money, dooming the brand to the fate of so many media startups of a certain age. I don’t disagree with any of this, but there’s another part of the eulogy that’s been missing from most of what I’ve read and that’s that VICE, for a bit, was fantastic.
VICE was courageous, rude, loud, adept, boundary-pushing, pioneering, ballsy, cool and fun. FUN! I haven’t heard of a fun media company since. Don’t expect to anytime soon either. For some of us, VICE spoke right to us at a time when the larger media brands were failing to fulfill their journalistic duties. I’m talking post 9/11 when the major outlets were banging the drum hard for invading Iraq and Afghanistan. Remember that? They helped lead us right into a boondoggle that cost trillions of dollars and millions of lives. Never forget how bad post-9/11 media was.
VICE reporters weren’t afraid to report from some scary places and speak truth to power. Yes, occasionally foolishly, as David Carr famously pointed out, but respect still needs to be given.
VICE threw crazy parties too. I remember one in a big tent in DUMBO long before DUMBO was West Elm and cupcake spots. I watched M.I.A. perform to a raucous crowd. I honestly couldn't tell you when this happened. 2006? ‘07? It’s all a blur now. This was when VICE had the location next to Brooklyn Brewery and would throw great parties there too. They figured out how to combine media, music, news and culture effectively, and that’s why they got so much funding.
VICE was way ahead of its time with VBS TV too. Trace Crutchfield? The man! He reported stories you’d never see anywhere else with style and spoonfuls of deadpan, self-aware delivery. VICE magazine? Fantastic.
VICE represented a golden moment in journalism that’s long been completely cooked for me. It will come back someday, for a younger generation. I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed VICE.
Finally, a housekeeping note this week. Thanks for bearing with me. I’ve been off the regular newsletter cadence. I started a new job in December and I’ve been wholly focused on that. Now that I have my sea legs under me, I hope to start delivering untimely media and content musings again with semi-regularity.
Let’s get to it.
Watching This Week
I REALLY want to know the backstory of the LA Times doc about music repair shop in Los Angeles. The production levels are all the way up. No wonder it’s Oscar-nominated.
Storytelling+ with this one.
Inside a recording studio at the edge of the Arctic Circle.
“I love film photography…I just like doing it and I almost don’t care about the results. Film photography is one of my hobbies, and hobbies are for fun.”
Amen Van.
Reading This Week
This is proof that a strong interest, a firm POV, and deep research can make the mundane deeply interesting. Why Are Pants So Big (again)? (New York Times)
It’s interesting to me that design and media are both having big falling-down moments. I don’t think it’s all attributable to AI, but there’s some of that. The big design freak-out: A generation of design leaders grapple with their future. (Fast Company)
Meet the Artist Delighting Amsterdam (New York Times)
Fortune, Coincidence, and Karma: The Return of Dylan’s Guitar: The Return of Dylan's Guitar on Newport Folk Festival's Folktakes newsletter. Also see James Brown at Newport 1969 from the excellent Newport Jazz newsletter, Storyville.
Listening
I took a long walk across the Brooklyn Bride last week on Friday night long after the tourists were gone. I listened to the entirety of Springsteen’s Nebraska album. It’s amazing what the right music will do for a long walk. Worth revisiting if it’s been a while for you.
Content Coverage Submissions
Worked on an interesting project? Seen a good video or have a photo project to suggest? Share your favorite pieces of content here and I’ll include the best in this newsletter.
VICE was a fresh idea that opened a whole new era in content production but IMO they peaked too soon and got too drunk of their own success.