DIGEST 70: Friend of Mine
At Auction June 4-10, 2025
David, face swollen and bruised, lips engorged; behind his ears, the incisions weep (they should still be bandaged but are clearly visible); hairline raw and tender, peppered with new follicles (scalp red and angry at the donor sites); he wears an evening jacket (BBQ sauce on brocade lapel, *mystery stains* on shirtfront). He is recording a video on the the front-facing camera of an iPhone 7; his battery is perilously low:
Good news! My brush with fame has not changed me. (Big smile, revealing chiclet-sized veneers). Still the same ole, small town David you’ve all come to know and love. (He begins tearing open packets of Sweet and Lo and pouring them into a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee) even though, yes, it is true I did appear in the online-only pages of PIN-UP magazine. So yes, it’s true that I am now an established player in the world of interiors and, yes (he spills the iced coffee on his pants) I did decide to make a few “renovations” of my own in Turkey (he tries to wink) but at the end of the day—I’m still just plain ole me!—
Bus Driver: Sir, Ma’am, whatever, you NEED to get off my bus!
In all seriousness, thank you Tony AKA Skype who has been a Day One Arcades supporter for the kind interview in PIN-UP. Tony is a renaissance man—gallerist, writer, DJ, and man of taste. I’m delighted that he’s also a reader. Do click through to read about my childhood on Staten Island, my compulsive shopping, and why my mother was correct when she said the Staten Island Advance played me. I choose to not look at who opens these emails so that I’m not quietly seething at my friends, the downside of which is that I really have no idea who, if anyone, reads this. And it’s genuinely heartening to know that some of you do read it. Shout out to you for that!
A few recommendations this week:
(1)
’s And Just Like That piece is very good. Like her, I am fascinated by the leaden writing, which seems to be in a Flowers for Algernon state of decline. There is something about the obscene displays of wealth coupled with the gossamer thin race politics that makes it feel like the defining self-caricature of today’s Democratic Party. And as Natasha observes: I could not be more excited to watch!(2) Steven Philipps-Horst’s white wine trend piece for Bustle is also very good. For the record I don’t like a buttery wine, but I do want what is essentially an obscenely cold glass of tears. No more barnyard funk, put that shit away!
(3) Rihanna’s Friend of Mine (from the Smurfs soundtrack) is my official summer anthem. It answers the question: what if the smurfs made a song you could G out to? It is tanking on the charts which is sad for Rih, so come on boys, let’s pop on those speedos, ignore the way that elastic cuts into your lower back, and pump up the volume! Dem babies need that streaming revenue.
(4) https://www.instagram.com/the_arcades_/ I am exploring using IG to post stuff I will not be bidding on day of. I am also exploring being more rancid online, something that felt sorely missing.
I am selling this and more at Maiden here. For my precious new subscribers: Landed cost (the final cost you pay) = the hammer price (the highest bid) + the premium (a set percentage added to the hammer price that the auction house takes) + shipping (you’re always on the hook for this) + sales tax. To the listings!
In Basel from what sounds like a rather spooky rich Swiss couple’s collection. Cursèd for certain. May the Igbo nation one day pillage Zurich and fill its coffers with looted Emmental and cuckoo clocks!
Leopold Loewy (1871-1940) was an Austrian chess player and illustrator. There are a bunch of his drawings at this auction and they’re all fun. I personally would love one, if any big strong daddies want to buy one for me (crickets). He was an interesting character—the son of another famous chess player, brilliant, clearly had a sense of humor. Apparently, he killed himself when the Nazis dispossessed him of his home in Vienna.
Now and forever, Ruth (1919-2009), our Arcades queen.
Oil on glass, reverse painted, in a leather case with velvet lining. I find it heartening to know that the great human community is bound together by a desire to see preeeettty explicit pics of p in v.
A designer showroom is liquidating their store fixtures and selling these Gaultier stools. Kind of sexy Paris steampunk. I would like them.
I would reupholster the chair. I like desks that have this shape because they actually do make sense. Baughman was a Mormon and apparently there’s lots of his work in Utah for that reason. Who knew.
This is cute. Starting bid $100. Why not?
I really would.
Mirrors are hard. I like this one. It’s antiqued which is annoying but I like *the idea.*
MCM Chair
Horseshoe theory of design: you like MCM then you think it’s corny and Greenpoint, then you’re like, actually IDGAF and I do like this chair. (I actually think it’s corny and Greenpoint but this one is cool because it’s fucked up.) Enjoy your pancakes at Chez Ma Tante, Hannah Horvath!
May the hammer fall ever in your favor!