The Future
Molls issue 3 fall/winter 2013
2
“She said she knew she was able to fly because when she came down she always had dust on her fingers from touching the light bulbs.” - JD Salinger, Franny & Zooey
3
page #
01 Interviews
70
Molly McAleer Joanna Harkins
88
Emotistyle Taylor Brogan
90
DailyGrace Taylor Brogan
92
Alie & Georgia Joanna Harkins
44
Sam Phillips Taylor Brogan
94
Morgan Murphy Megan Lent
36
Jeepneys Judith Jones
37
Essiebutton Alejandra Buitrago
62
EmilytheBrave Taylor Brogan
81
Quay Quinn-Settel Margeaux Perkins
10
If you could invite any five people-- dead, alive, real or fictional-- over for dinner, who would you choose?
Gavin McInnes
Gavin McInnes with Norman Borlaug and MĂśtley CrĂźe, at Gavin's restaurant the Cardinal, eating Southern food and drinking bourbon.
This page: illustration by Clare Drummond Opposite: illustration by Esme Blegvad
11
Charli XCX
Charli XCX with Ninja and Yolandi (from Die Antwoord), Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsborg, and Fairuza Balk.
12
The Future of TV Gabrielle Ross Television has been a constant throughout my life. The event in the past that changed how I consume television in the present can be summed up in one word: Twitter. With Twitter, I discovered hordes of fans that revelled in and enjoyed the same shows I did. This was a great novelty, as not many people around me in Moncton, New Brunswick enjoyed Smallville. Twitter brought me more than fellow fans-turned-friends, though. It also initiated me to the wonders of TV criticism. By following countless TV critics and bloggers, my appreciation of TV changed, as my eye was sharpened through the prism of recaps and reviews. When I started pondering the future of TV for this issue, I knew I couldn’t flesh it out on my own. The following TV critics and bloggers have greatly inspired my writing and my TV choices. Now, heed their wise words as they peek behind the curtain and reveal what they think the future of TV will look like.
Jessica Rae @thisjessicarae smallscreenscoop.com
I see TV going in two different directions. On the one hand, technology is advancing and letting us be more selective about the quality and theme of what we watch. You can't discount web series, as many (The Guild, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries) are becoming incredibly popular for their content as well as easy-to-digest format. We're also in early days with Netflix Originals. Highquality TV shows, sans commercials? Sign me up! They release a series like Hemlock Grove or Orange is the New Black in its entirety, meaning you can have a Netflix binge over the weekend and watch the whole season.That's what people expect these days - flexibility and ease of access. Whoever is bringing it is going to get the most attention. Right now it's Netflix. It'll be interesting to see if they stay in the lead with viewer popularity. Now, the other main direction that TV is going.... is a less encouraging path. Reality TV is spreading out its life-sucking tentacles further than ever before. These guilty pleasure TV shows are the equivalent of fatty junk food...and Americans are simply gorging on it. (I'll confess: I'm drawn in by many a Bravo and HGTV show starring a preternaturally tan housewife or millionaire designer with a penchant for novelty pocket squares.) Reality TV lets people "hate watch" shows, fixing carelessly judgmental stares at everyone from naive bachelorette's to aspiring models with amputated legs. Touted as a way to understand other walks of life, reality TV is less of a documentary and more of a way to breed a nation of cold voyeurs. So, be accountable and self-aware when you're deluged with more TV options in the future. Make sure your ratio of quality dramas and comedies is higher than that of reality TV. (But indulging in a caramel-coated hour of Texan celebutantes starting their own eyelash bling company now and then is fine.... in moderation.)
15
"ice-cream of the future"
bubblegum flavored dippin' dots; metal monk necklace; nervous system cuff; raf simons for nike; vintage sweater; Viktor & Rolf spring 2012 rtw.
20
21
Photos by Rafiki
26
If Claire Underwood Is An Angel Meaghan Murphy
House of Cards has begun. The first chapter of Netflix’s House of Cards is the rulebook to the game that is the entire series. Frank (Kevin Spacey) and his stunningly beautiful, equally cutthroat wife Claire (Robin Wright) weave through the president-elect’s New Year’s gala. Frank passes through the glittering, yellow-lit crowd as if he has the power of invisibility, addressing the camera and introducing the players. The president, the VP, the Chief of Staff (she’s the one we see the most of; a woman and a Latina. Check). Frank confesses he’s just the plumber, the lowly House Majority Whip. He’s a man with the job of making deals and running plays. He’s the man, he tells us, who gets things done in a petty and gridlocked Congress. But he doesn’t plan to be that man for much longer. “I’ve done my time, I’ve backed the right man. Give and take. Welcome to Washington.” Welcome to the game. House of Cards is just one of many shows dedicated to telling the stories of the politically rich and powerful. And it’s the most fantastical by far. House of Cards goes beyond the sanctifying speeches of The Newsroom or The West Wing. It goes beyond the heightened but hyper-realistic (and frankly unsexy) comedy of The Thick of It or Veep. It goes way beyond thrilling pace and pressure of The Hour and crosses subtly into thriller territory. That doesn’t make it good television, neces-
sarily. It just makes it a break from the genre. From Frank’s excessive fourth-wall-breaking commentary (filled with lines like “What, am I? A whore in post-war Berlin salivating over stockings and chocolate?”) to the slow-motion glances in the Capitol Hill cafeteria, everything about and in House of Cards is an inch off of reality. And it’s almost easy to miss, the first binge-watch through. The universe of House of Cards is so enthralling, so entrancing and enticing in that first marathon run through, you could easily come to accept it as true reality. But as a friend of mine with a whole summer of Washington experience on me pointed out, there is a moment in that pilot. And in that moment, Claire tips her hand. She and Frank glide into the Kennedy Center lobby—a soaring orchestra scoring the stoic couple. Frank asks, “So I’m curious, are we patrons, benefactors, or lepers?” Claire responds, “Believe it or not, we’re angels.” Angels, Gods. Game makers. Frank and Claire are far from human. The first chapter ends with the hit-and-run dog killer picked up by police. The second chapter begins with Frank smearing barbecue sauce over the front page of the Washington “Herald,” spreading red over a picture of the freshly minted president’s inauguration wave, like fresh blood. It makes sense, then, if Claire is an angel, that she is unlike any “strong female character” I’ve seen on television. Claire is the ruthless executive director of a clean water NGO, of all things. Yet she is just as tied to cutthroat politics as her husband. Her organization, big business donors, lobbyist obligations, and personal ambition tether her to the power broker-
Illustrations - Ilenia Madelaire
Frank Underwood steps out of his house. In tuxedo suspenders and what I’m assuming is a very expensive pair of shoes, he performs an act of mercy on a dog just hit by a car. An unpleasant, necessary act as he describes it to the camera. An act that requires a certain kind of person. Frank Underwood washes his hands of the blood.
44
SAM PHILLIPS Sam Phillips is a name you might not recognize, but you’ve more than likely heard her voice. She supplied the infamous “la la las” that accompanied the Gilmore girls as they walked arm-in-arm through Stars Hollow. Sam’s career, though, is so much bigger than her long-standing professional friendship with Gilmore creator Amy Sherman-Palladino (Phillips also scored ShermanPalladino’s Bunheads). Phillips’ catalog spans decades and mixes elements of folk, pop, rock, and bluegrass to produce something uniquely bittersweet. Each album in her 30-year career has been a step forward, but her latest release, 2013’s 'Push Any Button', is what she calls “looking at the future through the past.”
a wide open thing in some senses, if you have something to say and you’re an optimist - because the networks need content. Original content, especially. Yes, and battling that sometimes is difficult, but it’s a worthy fight. As I’ve just seen my friend Amy Sherman-Palladino do with her show Bunheads. And I saw her fighting for what she wanted to do with Gilmore Girls. She’s an inspiration to me because she’s tough, she won’t compromise. And she doesn’t tell off her friends, which I love as well.
Yeah, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about Bunheads, just because I was a big fan of that show, and it’s such tragic news that it got I had the chance to speak with cancelled. her about 'Push Any Button', her relationship with Amy Sherman- I know! You know it’s funny, having Palladino, and her vision for the fu- been in the record business for 20ture of the music industry. Before some odd years, I’ve seen it happen I could ask her the first question, with labels. They’ll find somebody, though, she was quizzing me on and they won’t quite understand my own goals. what the music is about or how to market it and how to get it out to Taylor: I’d like to go into screen- the people who would love it, and writing, or something like that. everyone is unhappy, and they end up getting dropped from the label. Sam: We need that, please do And I think that nothing is more that. I was just talking with some- true than that in this case. I think one about, you know how it’s such they [ABC Family] were just more
comfortable with shows like Pretty Little Liars. Amy was challenging their demographic. There were older people in her show, smarter things in her show, and she really stuck to her guns about having the budget to do a show that looked beautiful and was high quality, and that just wasn’t their MO. They’re more comfortable with things that...are not gonna rock the boat - Amy is a boat-rocker. I’ve been a fan of your music since I was a fan of Gilmore Girls, actually, which I grew up on and was so obsessed with. I loved Gilmore Girls, and I don’t know if you related more to Rory or to Lorelai, but during the course of that show - my daughter was born right before I took on the music, and during the course of that show I became a single mom. So, at some point, I felt like the writers and Amy were reading my mail. I looked forward to the episodes as much as anybody else, because they were funny and relevant and a little heart-wrenching sometimes. There was nothing like Gilmore Girls on [The WB] at the time, and there still isn’t much out there like what Amy does...There are shows like Girls - there are shows that are outside the box, and you might
53
54
Photographed by Lindsay Gray
65
Yuli Sato - Photographer - yulisato.com
Allison Staton - Photographer - allisonstaton.com
Sonia Choi - Artist - malaises.tumblr.com
Amanda Craig - Artist - anc-art.blogspot.com
66
Ann Friedman Freelance Editor + Writer
[Ladyswagger] is about owning the situation, being unashamed to display your expertise and prowess, and generally being your best self. So many women are hobbled by self-doubt when they could be loud and proud about who they are and what they've accomplished. I see "ladyswagger" talking about yourself the way you talk about the women you admire. And I think that has the effect of pushing you to demand better from both your professional and personal lives. I've been continually shocked at how my network comes to my aid. When I was fired from GOOD, when I've been in a tight financial spot and need a quick assignment, when I need people to interview for a story, whatever it may be-my network usually provides. I shouldn't be surprised, because I try to invest a lot in my professional colleagues and personal friends. But for some reason I'm always shocked and pleased every time they come through for me. I went to a pretty traditional journalism school that taught us to not make ourselves (our personal details, our opinions, our point of view) a major part of our professional work. I also got advice from some older women that putting my personality out there would leave me open to criticism or somehow make me seem less serious. I followed that advice for the first several years of my career, and was very guarded about who I am. But I've learned that the more open I become, using all facets of my personality in my professional work, the more successful I am. And it's more fun, too.
Isabella MarquĂŠs de Castilla
Deputy Director, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress
To someone starting out, or a veteran in the professional world, I would recommend being flexible, adaptable, curious, a quick study, and to contribute creative and innovative ideas while guided by principles that involve people, processes, and communication and apply those principles in support of the organization. Additionally, I would advise gathering lessons learned, reflecting on them, and applying them to the appropriate situations. I am not sure if I have had surprising moments in my career because, while I do set goals and strive to achieve them, I do not ignore possible detours and instead see them as exciting opportunities for learning something new or enhancing my existing skills set. I am at a place in my professional journey as a result of remaining open to new challenges and opportunities when they appear. I have been fortunate to have wonderful role models and mentors that have guided me along the way.
Title illustration - Esme Blegvad Human illustrations - Rachel Sullivan
We asked some interesting and inspiring people to give us their advice and general musings on carving out a future for yourself, with the goal in mind of helping to demystify the overwhelming notion of 'the future'. Here's what they said.
72
M
olly McAleer is not the type of person you can easily figure out. Beyond the personality that the Internet has come to know as “Molls”, there is a woman whose ambition is fueled by a genuine hunger to do it all. As both a writer for 2 Broke Girls and the co-founder of HelloGiggles, she’s wearing many hats, calling all the shots, and not planning to stop anytime soon. I sat down with Molly to talk about how a girl from Boston came to LA and became a woman with a limitless future. Joanna: If you were just entering the world of vlogging and writing on the internet today – based on how things have changed, would you do anything differently? Do you think it’s harder today? Molls: I wouldn’t do anything differently because I feel like it happened very organically for me. I think that if my goal was to be a successful blogger, I probably would have thought more about what my “brand” was. I think that’s very important if you’re not a personal writer. If that doesn’t come naturally to you, I do still think you can be a successful blogger, but you need to have an angle. I’ve always had very clear boundaries about what it is I’m willing to write about, what it is I’m willing to share. I feel confidently that I did it the right way. I think that people tend to write shorted pieces now online – especially in the Tumblr world. It’s considered an annoyance, like a “tl;dr” sort of thing if you write more than three paragraphs. I feel like I came from a very “pure” era of Tumblr when people were just writing their feelings, and being honest and doing the type of blogging that they would have done on a Wordpress or a Typepad. I guess my own advice to myself would be to try and not fall into that trap of just reblogging gifs all day… In your own eyes, have you seen your personal brand change
over the years? Did you have any sort of plan for how you wanted to be perceived? No, I mean I was just writing about my life. It wasn’t that I had a plan for how I wanted to be perceived but more that I had a plan for what I was willing to share. I don’t write about my family, I try to stay away from that. I try to stay away from writing about any current relationships. For the most part even past relationships – just because I don’t think it’s fair to the guy. But no, I wouldn’t have done anything differently because it was very pure – writing the truth about my life. Definitely only small percentages of my life.
I feel very strongly about being a single woman who takes care of herself – nobody’s going to buy me jewelry, I’m going to buy me jewelry. Has your Internet presence ever been detrimental to relationships? Are men ever intimidated by your success or your work? I would say…no. Occasionally there can be the wrong type of guy. The right type of guy has never held anything I’ve ever done against me. They’ve understood that it’s all a part of a greater thought. It’s not just a vomitous, teenage self exploration type of thing. I’ve dated guys who thought that, but they weren’t the right type of guy. The guys I’m drawn too now seem to appreciate what it is that I do. I will say though, that ever since I got the job on the show, my financial situation has changed a great deal. Cause I didn’t make much money blogging... I made enough to pay my rent and my cellphone bill but I didn’t have a
Text by Joanna Harkins
lot of extra cash. Now I’m literally in a different tax bracket and that makes dating a little bit harder. That brings a certain judgment… because I like nice things, and I’m open about that, and I treat myself to things. I feel very strongly about being a single woman who takes care of herself – nobody’s going to buy me jewelry, I’m going to buy me jewelry. That freaks guys out, I think, way more than anything. Going back to when you were blogging and just starting out… Once you moved out to LA, did you know what you wanted to do? You have said before that you’ve always wanted to be recognized as someone who was funny but you didn’t really know that necessarily meant through writing. Well I went to LA because I interned there the summer before. So I thought that I would be a publicist by day and then at night I would work on my sketch comedy and my stand up, and find my way in LA through that. And then I quickly realized that performance was just not my thing. I’m cool with a little bit of performance art – but I am not an actress, I’m not a stand up. I kind of realized very quickly that an office job means I didn’t really have a lot of time for art, and the only place I could turn to as an outlet was the web. So I decided I would find my audience on the web. Cause I don’t want to go to the comedy store and try to get an agent. I want it to happen organically. At the time I had been blogging for my whole life, since I was like eleven. It seemed natural to start a new web presence. I got on Twitter December 27th in 2006, so I’ve been on there since the beginning. And all that was perfect timing. I guess there was a moment when it clicked when I was at Defamer. I had a link to my personal blog next to my name on the masthead, so I started to get a lot of traffic on my blog and started to build a fan base over there.
73
83
Anastasia (Models International Mgmt) wears Clothing c/o: American Apparel Locations worldwide. americanapparel.net Young Janes 223 Dalhousie Street, Ottawa Ontario (613) 794-6452
emotistyle
Photo by Kellie Hogan
Molly Austin and Shamikah Martinez are aesthetic gurus, but they are not your average Streaming Fashionistas. Their channel Emotistyle is like a Beauty Guru TARDIS, transporting their audience to a dimension in which fashion and comedy are one and the same. Every week, they answer viewers’ pressing style questions with equal parts inherent fashion sense and straight up fucking hilariousness. But if you were to ask these New York-based comedians what Emotistyle was all about, they would tell you to look beyond their bodacious (and totally well-dressed) mannequin PatrĂcia and see that it really is all about the comedy. Taylor: Who are your biggest influences, both in terms of fashion and comedy? Molly Austin: For comedy I would have to say Lucille Ball, Carol Channing and Maria Bamford. For fashion, I would have to say Cher (WWCD, What Would Cher Do), Vida Boheme from To Wong Foo, The Nanny and Pru from Charmed. Always Pru... Shamikah Martinez: Comedy - Gilda,
Lucy, Whoopi, and Tina Fey, Tracey Ullman, JOAN MF'ing RIVERS! I also enjoy the musical comedy tunes of Garfunkle & Oates and hope that Emotistyle can do a collab with them one day. Fashion: Rita Hayworth, Di from Clueless, Hilary from Fresh Prince (love those 90s). How has YouTube helped you to achieve your goals? MA: I love to make people laugh. YouTube has helped me reach a lot of people and tickle them in their armpits and touch their belly buttons. SM: We've reached a large audience of young women, something I've always wanted to do - but never thought we could reach such a large number of them through the YouTubes! Would you be willing to give up the internet for magical powers? MA: I can speak for both of us when I say we would never be faced with that decision. We both already possess magic powers. We are kind of like witches. You ever watch Charmed? It's like that. It is
DailyGrace
Photos by Jon Kondrath
Grace Helbig’s DailyGrace persona has become the designated inspiration for a generation of smart and funny ladies on the internet. But for those of you who are uninitiated, there are a few things you should know about her. For one, she’s amassed over 1 million subscribers in her five years of daily video blog making. That’s five videos every week for five years. Grace has not gone on hiatus, and she hasn’t lost steam. It takes a real kind of genius to keep the jokes fresh and relevant when there’s so much content being produced, but Helbig has managed to do it.
and at MyDamnChannel.com, is just the genesis of Helbig’s career. Book deals, feature length films, national commercials, acting jobs - these are all part of Helbig’s reality. Grace got her first big acting gig playing Idol on the Fine Brother’s critically acclaimed interactive web show, called MyMusic (all while filming and editing her own daily web show). Have you seen that My Lowes commercial? Because that’s Grace. What about vH1’s Best Week Ever? G4’s Attack of the Show? Been to a UCB Comedy show? Grace has done it all. She and her best friends, Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart, The DailyGrace vlog, though, brought their own brand of comwhich exists both on YouTube edy around the country on the
#NoFilter tour (all while filming and editing daily videos). Helbig, Hart, and Hart are also starring together in the upcoming feature-length film Camp Takota (during which Helbig continued to upload her daily videos). Are you starting to get it? I can think of few people who have it in them to be as consistently funny and smart in as many arenas as Grace has been. And with that, here is a brief Q&A with the soon-to-be legend herself. Taylor: If you had a boat, what would you name it, and why? Grace: Car. BECAUSE I'M SO QUIRKY.
Alie + Georgia
Illustration by Ana Grimal
Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark are living a dream all too familiar to many of us - not just making it ‘big’, but doing it all alongside your best friend. On their new Cooking Channel show Tripping Out with Alie & Georgia, they eat and drink their way across the US - all the while putting Mad Men to shame in their A+ vintage duds. They then come home and do what any fabulous bffs would do - throw a giant party for their friends full of snacks-on-snacks inspired by their travels. If you know them from their famed “McNuggetini” cocktail video that launched them into YouTube fame, never fear, there are plenty of cocktails to go around here. These two bring us something that is surprisingly hard to find on food related tv shows these days - a genuinely enjoyable experience that is refreshing to watch because of their natural chemistry. The fact that they’re honest and wickedly funny also helps. We got to talk to these two wonderful ladies about karaoke, authenticity, and of course, the future.
Joanna: How have your lives changed since Tripping Out premiered? Anyone ever recognize you at the grocery store? Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark: Since the show has aired, we've been recognized quite a few times, which is something we can't imagine ever gets old. We're usually asked "are you those cocktail girls?!" and sometimes told which episode of “Tripping Out” is their favorite. It's pretty surreal and exciting. But we’re learning very fast that having terrible hair and wearing stretch denim is the best way to go incognito since no one recognizes us that way. Also that going incognito isn't as much fun. So if we need an ego boost, we have to actually do our hair and wear makeup. We call this the “Paul Reubens vs. Pee Wee” effect. Obviously the two of you wouldn’t have your own show if you didn’t work so well together – but doing business with your best friend has its advantages and its disadvantag-
es. How do you keep business and friendship balanced? AW: Whenever we get together to write or do work, there's always a 15-minute debriefing session about what happened last night, the current state of our romantic lives, how our parents are doing, what new book we're reading. It's nice to start your workday with a therapy sesh with your best friend. GH: We joke that we've monetized our friendship which, while true, is also one of the reasons it's so important for us to maintain a good balance. This friendship has more at stake than one usually would, and because of that, we've both had to learn to listen and be more understanding. We've had our rough moments but think it's made us better friends and made us both better, more empathetic people overall. We get a lot of comments on our great chemistry, and we think the sincerity and connection people like so much about us is due to both
Morgan Murphy
Illustration - Ilenia Madelaire
Morgan Murphy is pretty damn impressive. Starting as a standup comedian in her late teens, she’s gone on to write for Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and now on the sitcom 2 Broke Girls. And all the while she’s been one of the coolest ladies in the business. Here, she talks to us about jokes, dreams, and diner coffee. Megan: Interviews are difficult, and you’re definitely the most successful person I’ve ever talked to. So, if you could ask a stranger anything, what would you want to know? Morgan: I’d want to know who the 2nd most successful person you’ve ever talked to is. What’s something that’s never not funny to you? When a friend tells a true story about crapping their pants. You have one of the best twitters. How do you decide whether something is tweet-worthy? Like I’m assuming you have great thoughts all the time, but how you do determine what to
post?
nally started doing it, I was lucky enough to make some good I post most of the stuff I think of. pals. If other comics had been It’s just throwing stuff against a mean to me when I first started, wall and seeing what sticks. I don’t know if I would have had the guts to push through that. What was it like starting in comedy as young as you did? You’ve been involved with working for multiple late-night I didn’t feel young, but I felt shows. How did this happen? new. I think a comic who starts at 18 isn’t gonna feel that differ- I got hired to write on Crank ent from a comic who starts at Yankers when I was 21. Jimmy 28. The jitters and nervousness Kimmel knew me from that, have much more to do with lack and hired me on his talk show. of standup experience than age. I worked there two years and loved it. I wasn’t sure what I Everyone at inconnu thinks wanted to do next so I floated you’re a totally boss bitch babe. around for a couple years and Could you tell me just briefly then the Fallon offer came how you got to be so rad? I’m through my friend AD Miles, talking about early influences, who they’d hired as the head childhood heroes, magic pow- writer. I stayed there two years ers. Any and all of that. as well. I’ve always had this two year mark where, no matter how Haha. I have never been rad. fun or rewarding a job is, I want I was a weird kid, didn’t have to go try something new. many friends as a teenager, and I moved around a lot as a kid How did you get to be where (those are my magic powers). you are? I know this is a broad As far as influences go, when I question, but you’ve done a was really young I watched any lot and gotten to a really great standup that was on TV. I was al- place in a short amount of time, ways fascinated by it. When I fi- and it’s super impressive!
inconnumag.com