Canal Street Dreams – Eddie Huang & Natashia Perrotti
Episode: Isaac Likes on Canal Street Dreams
Date: August 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This vibrant and candid episode of Canal Street Dreams features Eddie Huang and Natashia Perrotti in lively conversation with Isaac Hindin-Miller, known for his influential "Isaac Likes" series. The group dives into Isaac’s journey from skateboarding in New Zealand to infiltrating New York’s fashion and nightlife scenes, DJing, surviving the pandemic by shifting to viral TikTok content, and the evolving intersections of culture, class, and authenticity. The conversation bounces between personal storytelling and sharp cultural analysis, rich with nostalgia for New York nightlife—and a dose of unfiltered humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Isaac Likes: From New Zealand to NYC Nightlife

• Isaac’s Early Ambitions ([00:51]):
  • Grew up in New Zealand; skateboarded, inspired by the movie Kids to move to NYC.
  • Started a fashion blog in 2008, traveled worldwide, moved to New York in 2011 with a dream to write for The New York Times.
  • Got a job at NYT on arrival, but “I was getting paid $50 a story…I cannot pay rent. And sadly, I am not a kid who comes from money.” ([01:14], Isaac)
• Pivot to DJing & New York Clubs ([01:38]):
  • Couldn’t live on journalism, so he became a DJ and partied in legendary New York nightclubs.
  • Notable club memories include run-ins with Leonardo DiCaprio, Busta Rhymes, Jay Z, and Ja Rule.

The Pandemic Pivot: TikTok & The "I Like You Party"

• The Rise of Social Media Parties ([03:24]):
  • Started making every kind of TikTok trend content during lockdown.
  • “2021, I posted a Day in the Life video…800 people showed up off that TikTok video.” ([03:38], Isaac)
  • Launched the "I Like You Party" with DJ Amrit; drew thousands, becoming a phenomenon.

The Clubbing Lifestyle & Getting Older

• Reflections on Aging in the Scene ([05:00]):
  • Both Eddie and Isaac reflect on the “forty-year-old in the club” dilemma.
  • “There's something kind of like sad about an older guy being in the clubs non stop.” ([05:02], Isaac)
• Burnout & Disconnection from Audience ([06:03]):
  • Isaac describes DJ burnout: “I started becoming resentful of the audience…if I played Dancing Queen one more time, I was gonna, like, blow my brains out, shout out Abba.” ([06:03], Isaac)

Internet Virality & Comment Section Wars

• Transition to Street Interviews, Social Content ([07:13]):
  • Inspired by viral TikTok trends, Isaac started asking New Yorkers about favorite nightclubs, which blew up online.
  • “It goes crazy. People have strong, it like, incites violence [in the comments].” ([09:26], Natashia)
• Modern Comment Section Energy ([09:24–10:47]):
  • “Now it’s people going out there with their full chest, being like you, leave the city!” ([10:11], Isaac)
  • Men’s fashion and memecore comment sections are especially cutthroat, with men now out-gossiping the girls.

Social Media Ruin & Self-Care

• Coping with Toxicity & Doomscrolling ([11:45]):
  • “I've been deleting Instagram and TikTok off my phone in the evenings, so I'm not like doom scrolling every night before I go to sleep.” ([11:45], Isaac)
  • Natashia and Isaac both recognize staying engaged with content they don’t even like—an “I need to go read a book” moment.

Journalism, Class, & Authenticity in NYC

• Media Inversion & Access ([15:26–18:39]):
  • Legacy publications like The New Yorker now aggregate meme content; “Kids with cell phones” are lapping traditional journalism.
  • The economy of journalism favors those with financial support: “You have these rich kids…that's why they can get paid $50.” ([18:53], Isaac)
  • “The club is a democratized space…be cool and drink for free at the tables.” ([19:23], Isaac)
• Loss of Democratic NYC Spaces ([20:15–21:47]):
  • Spaces like Soho House and private clubs have replaced open, eclectic clubs—“nobody cool is ever going to hang out” at these.

Working-Class Roots, Money, and Imposter Syndrome

• Navigating Class Mobility ([23:00–25:44]):
  • Isaac and Eddie share how chasing success distanced them from their roots, leading to “imposter syndrome” and discomfort.
  • Isaac admits: “You can't make a lot of money without selling yourself out.” ([25:17], Isaac)

Nostalgia for NYC Nightlife: The Clubs, The Eras

• Favorite Clubs ([32:52–34:39]):
  • Isaac: Derby (“the best New York club of all time”), One Oak (“darker…got sober in 2014”), Little Sister (“modern era standout”).
  • Socialista “best precursor to a night”; memories of DJing at Never Never with Virgil for Yeezy Season 2 afterparty ([35:10], Isaac).
• Legends & Scenes ([35:47–38:28]):
  • Name-checks of Le Bain, Provocateur, Apt, Bob Bar, Santos Party House, Greenhouse, and Perfections in Queens—with tales of wild debauchery, celebrities, and “dirt bag corners” that made NYC nightlife unique.

Party Culture: Past, Present, and Global

• Changing Party Landscape ([21:12–21:52]):
  • Gen Z less interested in “getting fucked up”; more about social content and self-documentation—partly due to surveillance anxiety.
• Favorite Party Cities ([41:51–45:45]):
  • New York is king, but shout-outs to Miami, Paris in the summer, Tokyo, Toronto, Melbourne, and New Zealand (“no feeling like that in the world” when you’re a transplant chasing your dream).

Manifestation & What’s Next for Isaac

• Isaac’s Iterative Dream-Chasing ([49:47–50:12]):
  • “For a transplant to arrive in a city like New York and start doing these things I've only imagined…there is no feeling like that in the world.” ([47:48], Isaac)
  • Next up: YouTube mini-documentaries (“the rise and fall of the Meatpacking District nightclub scene”), and storytelling about under-recognized figures like Bottega Veneta’s first ready-to-wear designer.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Journalism’s Hidden Costs
  “You have these rich kids whose parents pay their rent, walking around with Chanel handbags and shit like that. And that's why they can get paid $50.” — Isaac ([18:53])
• On Club Burnout
  “If I played Dancing Queen one more time, I was gonna, like, blow my brains out, shout out Abba.” — Isaac ([06:03])
• On Viral Content and Modern Internet
  “It goes crazy. People have strong, it like, like incites violence [in the comments].” — Natashia ([09:26])
• On Comment Section Wars
  “Menswear boys are the worst. The worst. Like fighting over which socks to wear with your loafers. We're in an era of gossipy men.” — Natashia ([11:14])
• On Club Privilege & Authenticity
  “The club is democratized…You can be rich and buy the tables, or cool and drink for free at the tables.” — Isaac ([19:23])
• On Selling Out
  “You can't make a lot of money without selling yourself out...and then you extremely chase that authenticity again.” — Isaac ([25:17])
• Iconic New York Memory
  “One of the first nights I ever went out [at Darby]…I dapped up Jay Z. Like, how is this possible? Like, he let me touch him. So, yeah, I have touched Jay Z. Touch my hope.” — Isaac ([32:52])
• On Manifesting Success
  “Everything I ever wanted, I got.” — Isaac ([39:38])
• On Club Life Evolution
  “You could be broke in New York and have…what other people would consider a great night…there's nothing like being broke in New York, having these crazy experiences, and having the opportunity to look down on rich people.” — Isaac ([28:53])
• On Next Chapters
  “Really, the thing I want to do is these, like, YouTube mini documentaries…mini documentaries that focus on the things that I was so obsessed with, that made me want to move to New York in the first place.” — Isaac ([50:12])

Important Timestamps

• Isaac’s Origin, NYC Journey – [00:51] – [03:54]
• Rise of TikTok & "I Like You Party" – [03:24] – [04:17]
• Burnout, Club Life Reflections – [06:03] – [07:13]
• Social Media Comment Section Culture – [09:24] – [10:47]
• Class, Media, and Authenticity in NYC – [15:26] – [21:47]
• Nightlife Nostalgia: Clubs & Scenes – [32:52] – [38:35]
• Global Party City Favorites – [41:51] – [45:45]
• Isaac on What's Next – [49:47] – [53:23]

Tone

The vibe is direct, playful, and reflective. Eddie, Natashia, and Isaac mix sharp candor about social class and authenticity with unrestrained stories of debauchery, imposter syndrome, and navigating Internet culture’s shifting tides. Their chemistry brings warmth, wit, and bounce to every personal anecdote and cultural critique.

Summary Takeaway

An unfiltered look at how New York nightlife, social media, and class structures collide—and how creative people like Isaac ride those waves, evolving, burning out, rebounding, and dreaming up “what’s next.” The episode’s blend of nostalgia, critique, and hope is both a love letter to NYC culture and a real talk on what it actually means to "make it" in the city (and on the Internet) in 2025.