Mariah is (Legally) Not the Queen of Christmas
Big Comfy Couch, "Made In Italy", and Gilly Hicks 🪩
We’re taking a short break from the podcast this week. Next Thursday, the newsletter will include a new podcast episode with Nicstalgia’s first returning (!!) guest. Starting the first week of December, you can expect some Christmas fun!! ✨🎄
Then and only THEN will I be sharing my newest Spotify playlist, The Longest Christmas Playlist Ever, and later, a Christmas movie calendar and a Nicstalgia gift guide. I’ve curated gift guides for the past 2 years or so and it’s always super fun because I like to 1. highlight small business owners and creator friends 2. give actual, realistic options (everything will be under $100). Stay tuned!!!
I would love to hear from you! Is there anything else you’d like to read about in this newsletter? Book or movie recos? Fashion archive? In the inspiring words of S Club 7, “the sky’s the limit”. Send me an email or a DM on social, and thank you for reading 🙏
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🛼 Haven’t You Heard?!
My fav things from the internet rn:
Last week on Nicstalgia, me and Shaleena from the Everything 90s podcast talked about Canada’s best pop culture exports: Celine Dion, Degrassi, and of course – The Big Comfy Couch! Star of the show, Alyson Court, doesn’t do too many interviews, but she caught up with E! earlier this year. No, she was not dating Steve Burns of Blue’s Clues LOL. Now we just have to figure out how to get her on Everything 90s (and Nicstalgia while we’re at it)!
Is Mariah Carey the queen of Christmas? Not according to Elizabeth Chan, “known as the world's only full-time Christmas recording artist”. Mariah’s attempt to officially trademark “Queen of Christmas” was blocked, in my opinion, rightfully so. (And you know how much I LOVE Mariah.) Darlene Love came out of the woodwork for this conversation, but she would agree.
“Christmas is a season of giving, not the season of taking, and it is wrong for an individual to attempt to own and monopolize a nickname like Queen of Christmas for the purposes of abject materialism.” -Elizabeth Chan
There is plenty to be said about the toxic, negative, and destructive side of TikTok, but I enjoyed reading about this diverse group of changemakers, foodies, icons, innovators, and originators from all around the world on TikTok’s Discover List 2022. This app has truly changed countless lives for the better and totally shifted the perception of ‘authenticity’ and identity on the internet. It makes me happy knowing that so many creators, especially those who have struggled to find their voice or have not been represented in traditional media, have built platforms both personally and professionally that make them proud to be who they are.
I love having conversations about consumer behavior and perception, and I think it's fun to see brands think outside the box in order to define and shift cultural paradigms. Subversive, controversial art collective MSCHF (behind the Lil Nas X 🩸 sneakers, and more importantly, the Boosted Packs: Mariah Carey Edition) has a new drop. It was Made in Italy….Italy, Texas, that is. In the thread below, I break down what it’s all about.
💿 Hey Mr. DJ, put a [playlist] on
Playlist of the week:
My first job in retail was at the one, the only, the very dimly lit Gilly Hicks: The cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch. (Yes, we had to say that to customers.) I made a video this week about GH’s high turnover and how I’d cover shifts for girlies who literally just ~didn’t come back~ from their break, probably from Pretzelmaker (née Pretzel Time), which is honestly fair.
When I worked in retail, the playlist would only be about 90 minutes long. Hence, you would listen to a loop of the same 30 songs approximately 5 times per 8-hour shift. Before Shazam, I literally MEMORIZED these songs and made a mix CD for my managers when I went away to college (!!!!) Artwork featured below 💀
Am I going to buy a La Perouse eau de parfum for $500 on Mercari? No. Do I love the power of music to immediately transport me back to dancing to disco music in 2 layered navy tank tops and flip flops, spritzing said perfume until someone (me) inevitably started coughing??? Absolutely.
It’s almost the end of 2022. (How did that happen??) You know what that means! Who will be your most-played artists of the year? What about your top podcasts? Listen to (or watch) Nicstalgia on Spotify so your 2022 Spotify Wrapped is as fun and nostalgic as all those 2000s playlists you have on repeat. Make sure to subscribe while you’re there so you never miss an ep!
🏆 Nicstalgia Trivia
I am currently going through a physical media renaissance, from my repurposed CD coasters to my newfound CD and DVD collection that I’ve procured from vintage stores and library sales. (Yes I have a DVD player!!!) Discovering these nostalgic items is my new favorite pastime, and vlogging these adventures is my new passion. Which one of the early 2000s CDs above did I recently re-buy?
Keep your eyes peeled for the answer on Instagram! Also over on IG this week, I’m exposing my camera roll, from a $90 Etsy painting of Britney’s Fantasy perfume to Claire’s glittery picture frames.
Last Week’s Answer
In 2006, I named our family dog after which Canadian actor of Degrassi fame?
Jake Epstein, aka. Craig Manning. Jake (the dog) lived a very long and happy life, likely in part because he knew he was named after 00s teen drama pop culture royalty.
Watch last week’s episode, We Met at Spice Girls Trivia with Shaleena from the Everything 90s podcast, on YouTube!
🧨 Spice Up Your Life
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