The Art of Not Explaining Everything with Jon Klassen

Jon Klassen makes children’s books, but this isn’t really a conversation about children’s books. Jon recently won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (one of the biggest honors in children’s literature), and we start there before getting into what makes his work so compelling in the first place. We talk about why he leaves space for readers instead of explaining everything, how kids are smarter than we often give them credit for, the value of ambiguity, and why making work for yourself is usually the only way to make something honest. And of course, we get into running, menswear, Studio Ghibli, Maurice Sendak, creative insecurity, and the weird pressure of trying to make good work over and over again. Jon's acceptance speech * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joe Wengert is a comedian, writer, and actor whose work spans Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Onion, and Big Mouth. But this conversation isn’t really about comedy. Joe joins me to talk about getting older, making new friends, becoming a parent, and the strange process of trying to hold onto who you are while continuing to grow. We discuss his new animated series Kevin, co-created with Aubrey Plaza, why game nights matter more than ever, the terror of becoming a hat guy, and how a night guard can become an unexpected symbol of middle age. * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Patreon Preview from Blamo! It's Die, Workwear! Derek and Peter take a break from their Wardrobe Series to chat with Matthew Gonzalez, a Southern California native who made his way from an alterations room in Irvine to London, Huntsman, and eventually his own bespoke tailoring business on Savile Row. Matthew’s work sits at a fascinating crossroads: classic American style, British tailoring tradition, and the realities of making clothing for people today. The conversation gets into his path through the trade, what makes tailoring feel American without becoming costume, the romance and economics of Savile Row, why bespoke still matters, and how the best clothes are shaped not just by rules, but by the person wearing them. https://www.matthewgonzalez.co.uk ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Singer-songwriter Alex Amen joins me to discuss his debut album, Sun of Amen. The first time I heard the record, I couldn’t believe how young he was. Not because the music sounds old, but because it carries a level of patience, craftsmanship, and emotional weight that feels increasingly rare (especially now!) Alex and I discuss the disappearing influence of regional culture, studying the great songwriters, recording live to tape, and how tradition can serve as a foundation for creating something entirely your own.  We also talk about clothes, Patagonia, Texas style, California dirtbag lore, The Beatles, parenting, and the lifelong pursuit of finding your voice. BIG TUNES AND BIG FITS! End Song is "Diamonds" from the Debut LP, Sun of Amen * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Patreon Preview from Blamo! The Wardrobe Series continues, and this time the budget gets tight. With just $1,000 to spend, Derek and Peter attempt to rebuild a wardrobe from the ground up—making hard choices about what matters, what can wait, and where to stretch every dollar. The result is less about shopping and more about priorities. What are the pieces you actually need? Which ones earn their place? And how much style can you really buy on a budget? Plus: the Met Gala, menswear rabbit holes, and a few recent obsessions. ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My guest this week is the actor Oliver Platt. You know him from The Bear, Chicago Med, The Three Musketeers, Beethoven, The West Wing, Frost/Nixon — honestly, the list goes on forever. He’s one of those rare actors who somehow exists in every lane at once: beloved by movie people, television people, theater people, and apparently menswear guys too. We talk about growing up as the son of a diplomat, moving from Hong Kong to Japan to Washington D.C., discovering acting as a survival mechanism, early days in New York with Stanley Tucci and Hank Azaria, body image, GLP-1s, Paul Smith, Japanese denim, heritage workwear, and why sometimes you need to “give yourself the fuzzies.” * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My guest this week is Mickey Drexler. You probably know him as the guy behind Gap Inc., J.Crew, Old Navy, and now Chairman of Alex Mill — but this conversation turned into something much bigger than retail. Mickey thinks most modern fashion has lost its taste level. He thinks cars all look the same. He thinks corporate boards ruin creativity. He hates AI slop, overdesigned luxury, cheap packaging, bad customer service, loud gyms, and logos for the sake of logos. We talk about why Costco might secretly be one of the best brands in America, what made Rolex such a powerful marketing company, the importance of storytelling, why details matter, and what happens when companies stop caring. Plus: a wild story about getting fired from Gap after a call from Steve Jobs Mickey absolutely destroying Allbirds thoughts on vintage cars, vintage clothes, and why “if you know, you know” still matters * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hrishikesh Hirway — the creator and host of Song Exploder — joins me this week. We talk about the strange identity crisis of becoming known as “the Song Exploder guy” while still trying to reconnect with himself as a musician and songwriter. We also get into collaboration, writer’s block, vintage clothing, obsessive music listening, and the making of his beautiful new record, “In the Last Hour of Light.” Hrishikesh opens up about interviewing hundreds of artists, how Song Exploder changed the way he thinks about creativity, and why working with other people ultimately helped him fall back in love with making music. We also talk about recording live with almost no takes, working with Iron & Wine, the emotional weight of memory and grief, and the challenge of making deeply personal work in public. This is one of my favorite kinds of conversations — two people trying to figure out what it actually means to make things for a living.Listen to "Stray Dogs" * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Patreon Preview from Blamo! Welcome to the first installment of Die, Workwear!’s new series on building a wardrobe without taking out a second mortgage.    The premise is simple: if your closet disappeared tomorrow and you had $3,000 to rebuild it from scratch, what would you actually buy?   Not fantasy grails. Not “quiet luxury.” Real clothes Derek and Peter would genuinely wear themselves: sport coats, tropical wool trousers, vintage eBay overcoats, loopwheeled T-shirts, Cone Mills denim, penny loafers, and a surprising amount of discussion about sweatshirts.   Along the way, Peter tries to justify $140 OCBDs, Derek explains the perfect vintage-straight jean fit, and both make a compelling case for buying old Ralph Lauren off eBay instead of almost anything new. ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on Blamo!, I’m joined by Kevin Morby. We talk about his new record Little Wide Open, out May 15, and how ideas of home and place show up in his songwriting. From writing in different cities to figuring out what “home” actually means, Kevin gets into the rhythms behind his work. We also talk life on the road—running, watching movies, and the routines that keep things steady—plus stage clothes, residencies, and the “most him object” he owns.Kevin Morby's SubstackKevin Morby.com * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.