Pizza Clubs • Harry Belafonte’s Most Neglected Album • Strange Words for Horses • Secret Valleys of the Italian Alps • Wu Tang and Ice Cream Trucks • Small Talk, but Not Really
Suggestion for a grownup small talk game that quickly transcends small talk. If I’m hanging out with new people, I like playing a game that involves social media and identity. This game works especially well if you don’t know the people very well. The concept — pick a friend and try guessing what algorithmic content is delivered to them via instagram or tiktok. You don’t know the person super well, so you need to make guesses based on subtle clues. The algorithm, of course, may understand you better than you care to admit, and the revealed preferences can be quite interesting. Whether you are accurate or not, you will likely learn something about the person.
Angels and hope. Hark ‘e Angels - Watchers Shout - Harry Belafonte and Chorus (a link to an mp3). In the 1960s, Harry Belafonte assembled a talented group of folk musicians, singers, and historians to capture the deep and tragic story of African American music. Starting with Nigerian and Ghanian origins, and then moving through prison songs, gospel and blues, the studio recording captures some of these folk musicians in an authentic, crystal clear high fidelity recording (a quality often absent from the field recordings). Sadly, the album is not fully available on streaming, but can be purchased via CD. With Hark 'E Angels, the chorus and syncopation heighten until the sound transcends body and space. Search “The Long Road to Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music” for more.
Everyone should be in a club. I’m in 3. And wish I had time for more. Pizza Club, Running Club, Cold Water Swim Club (although this last one is not so active). For the Chicago Pizza Club, I had to submit a written application and provide references (yes, they were requested). After an initial “vibe check”, I had to submit an artistic dedication to pizza culture. After tossing out the concept of hiring a mariachi band to sing an original song, I settled on a simpler idea. My project was called Pizza Bumps, originally a series of bumper stickers that ultimately became postcards with pizza slogans and illustrations. Inspired by the terrible cliches of Etsy crafts, I spun up a series of, let’s call them “motivational” statements about the beloved cuisine from Naples. Above you will find a sampling.
This past week I traveled to Alagna, Valsesia in the Italian Alps after a week teaching workshops in Milan. The higher elevation and the shaded forests were a relief after a heat wave in the land-locked City. The road to Alagna follows the river Sesia, past mountain hamlets, deep gorges, and traditional stone and wood houses. Yvonn Chiounard of Patagonia said that traveling to this region changed his life. I wanted to understand why. More on this topic soon.
Paint color requirements. Did you know that in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, that all of the cars are required by law to be pure white? That was news to me. Further, the largest hand-woven carpet in the world is located in the capital, on display at the Turkmen Carpet museum. It is displayed vertically, making it difficult to walk on. Source via Tyler.
Arthur Russell - Goodbye Old Paint
Townes Van Zandt - Old Paint (Sunshine Sessions)
More about Paint. Old Paint is a folk song from a time when horses were a primary form of transportation and companionship. "Paint" here, refers to a specific type of horse (a reference to paint splashes on the coat). Dan, also a reference to a horse. Dogie, a reference to cattle. The coded language here is almost uninterpretable. Intriguingly, the lyrics circle around death, but the subject changes depending on the song. In some, “Goodbye my little pony / no longer to stand,” and in others, “When I die, take my saddle from the wall / Place it on my old pony, lead him out of the stall.” The author, foreseeing his own death, is the more common. Perhaps the alternative is a scene too sad to bear. Here are two very different, very good versions of Old Paint.
What does a $35,000 loudspeaker look like? Note that this does not include the amplifier or the player. The description!
Ice cream and Wu Tang Clan. Speaking of loudspeakers, we are entering the sonic season of “The Entertainer”, “Turkey in the Straw” and other Pavlovian jingles that draw kids to ice cream trucks. Here, Good Humor commissioned RZA to reimagine the jingle. I applaud Good Humor’s innovative branding partnership.
—Michael Neault • June 2026 • Mostly written on the return flight from Milan
PS. I am still learning to use this platform (Ghost), but I’ve made a few updates. Now, if you have something you’d like to share, just reply to this email. OR, comments are now open on posts. Do you have a better version of “old paint”? Something more I should know about Turkmenistan? Do tell.