I Got Paid to Spy on People While They Worked |
At the kitchen table of my fifth-floor Harlem walk-up, a roach trap beneath my foot, I stare at a printout titled "CHEAT SHEET." I read from a script; the responses might determine whether or not this saleswoman gets fired. As Linda, I am a mystery shopper—a euphemism for corporate spy. Mystery shopping companies, which serve as middlemen between mystery shoppers and retailers seeking to review customer service, contact me to evaluate employees. I time how fast they make hot chocolate, rate their enthusiasm while scheduling appointments, and verify if they mention specific cord-blood benefits. Over the six months I'd spend as a shopper, I'd discover the free meals and easy cash promised by mystery shopping providers would come at a cost—taxing my morals until, ultimately, I quit. |
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| Murder, Muggers, and Rottweilers: Stories From My Best, Worst Apartment |
The Fender Stratocaster my brother, Gene, had given me was my only possession other than a chair and a mattress. I had no dresser. The clothes I wore were primarily bought from the open bins in front of Canal Jean Co., a remainder store on Canal Street (it would eventually move to a building on Broadway in SoHo). Shirts, trousers, and shoes could be had for a dollar a pop there. They were all "irregulars," mistakenly sewed such that buttons didn't quite match buttonholes, for instance. They weren't considered very hip by any contemporary boutique standard, which at that time favored either hippie-funk flash or colorful-disco glam. The "look" of downtown no wave wasn't retail-supported. If it aspired to anything, it was the uptown aesthetic of Fiorucci or the London-punk influence of Trash & Vaudeville on St. Mark's Place. But those places were prohibitively expensive, especially compared with Canal Jean, and people on the downtown punk streets tended to struggle to make ends meet. The clientele at CBGB and Max's didn't dress punk in any way that would have been endorsed by London's King's Road—no bondage gear, safety pins, or teddy boy accoutrements. If you walked into a club looking like that, it would be obvious that you were from way out of town or had seen pictures in magazines and thought that was what punk was. Or else it simply meant you had money. |
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The 60 Best HBO Series of All Time, Ranked |
On a weekly basis, HBO viewers will tune in to see massive dragons, a post-apocalyptic zombie drama, a giant media conglomerate takeover, and a British guy cracking jokes about the news. Chances are, you knew that those shows are Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Succession, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Somehow, the network has figured out how to make TV good no matter what's on screen—and they have us all hooked. The old slogan used to be that "It's not TV, it's HBO," which basically just meant that it's damn good TV. Even with HBO's revamped streaming service, Max, HBO's original shows are still gripping the attention of audiences enough to recall the days of a water-cooler monoculture. After all, a little ol' show about a depressed mob don went on to become one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Now, everyone and their parents are trying to figure out how a video game became a spectacular television show. Until you find the answer, here are the 60 best shows ever made by the house of peak TV. |
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The Most Luxurious Duvet Ever Made |
Unless you have $50,000 to drop on a bed or you've watched Emily in Paris, you probably don't know what Hästens is. Maybe you've seen the mattresses' signature blue checkerboard pattern, but it doesn't really click for you. Well, it's the most expensive, outrageous mattress brand in the world, and as much as you might want to exit this page thinking it's not for you, think again. The price of a Hästens bed starts at around $15,000 and goes all the way to $400,000 (Drake owns that one, obviously). I won't be splashing out my salary on one of those anytime soon, but its over-the-top bedding accessories aren't to be ignored. Most of all, the duvet. |
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What I've Learned: Gay Talese |
Gay Talese, 91, is a living legend of journalism. He wrote what is considered the greatest magazine story ever published, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," which appeared in the April 1966 issue of Esquire. His latest book, Bartleby and Me, is out now. Talese spoke to Esquire at his home in Manhattan. I didn't want to be a five-w reporter—who, what, why, where, when. I didn't want to be a hard-news reporter. I wanted to be a fucking writer. My real stars were fiction writers. I wanted to be a fucking writer of nonfiction, but I wanted to have literary status. I'm not sure I ever got it, but I wanted it. |
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Five Fits With: Zane Lowe, Who Loves Great Style Almost as Much as He Loves Music |
For me, Five Fits With is particularly special this week. As a music obsessive, I can't think of anyone more fun to talk to then one of the most documented obsessives in the world: Zane Lowe, Apple Music's global creative director and Apple Music 1 host. No doubt you've seen his interviews with some of the world's most famous and exciting artists. What's most fun to me is how wide-reaching this series has become. The through-line is style, and while we sometimes discuss "fashion" in these interviews, the most important thing is that the subject has his or her own, honed through years of experimentation, joy, and appreciation. Brand names really aren't important here. I love these outfits Lowe put together. Yes, there are a few notable luxury brands, but nothing he wears is emblazoned with logos, and you can really tell these are clothes he wears daily. I'd add Zane is exactly the same person that you've seen conduct those interviews, and it's why he's able to elicit such comfort and openness from his guests, regardless of who they are or how much success they've had. Below, Zane and I discuss how how he's able to continue such a prolific interview output with the same standard and integrity, his favorite albums from 2023, his own style journey, and plenty more. |
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