Isaac Likes on Canal Street Dreams

Summary

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

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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.

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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.

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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])

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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]

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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.

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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.

Transcript

[A]

Yo, welcome back, Canal Street Dreams. We have one of the Internet's hottest celebrities on the show today, Isaac from Isaac Likes. No, man. Honestly, like, real shows have been so popular the last couple of years. And like yours, yours might be my favorite real show. I say it's neck and neck. You and Subway takes are my 2 favorite.

[B]

Shout out, Kareem. We love Kareem.

[A]

Yeah. Shout out Kareem. Also. Also a friend of the show. But talk to us. How. How did this happen? Because I also. We. One of the prerequisites to being a guest on our show is that you were a DJ at some point of your life.

[C]

This is a show about DJs.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Either you were a DJ or, you know, a Ron. You know, you could be on the show.

[B]

Okay, that's two for two. Okay, So, I mean, how far back do you want me to go? If you just want to hear about.

[A]

The show and your father.

[B]

Yeah. Okay, cool. Okay. So I grew up in New Zealand. I desperately wanted to travel the world and get out of the small country. I discovered skateboarding early on. I saw the movie Kids and I was like, holy shit, I need to be in New York City. So it's pretty classic story of somebody who moves to downtown New York. But I started a fashion blog in 2008, and that took me around the world and moved to New York in 2011. My lifelong dream was to write for the New York Times. I arrived here. The day that I arrived, I got a job writing for the New York Times. And so I was a journalist for a long time. And then I was like, like, I'm getting paid $50 a story for the New York Times. I cannot pay rent. And sadly, I am not a kid who comes from money. So, like, I'm not a person whose parents could pay his rent. So I had to figure out other things to do. So I was like, how do you make money? You become a dj. And I was like a club rat. So I was a guy who went out, like, nonstop. I. You know, when I got to New York, I went out one of the first nights and I went to, like, derby back then, which was like, up and down, you know, and then to one oak. And, you know, I saw Leonardo DiCaprio. I saw Busta Rhymes, I saw Jay.

[A]

Z. I celebrated my birthday with ja rule on March 1 up in UP and Down once one year with Shout Out Ja Rule. Shout Out Ja Rule.

[B]

Ja Rule. I know you're watching Shout Out Ja Rule. And yeah, because I was, like, out so much a Lot of those clubs were like, hey, you should, like, you should. You should be a promoter. And I, like, I just knew that I was, like, going to sell my soul. If I became a promoter, I think, like, the two jobs that I would have been really good at were, like, paparazzi photographer and promoter. And I just, like, could not bring myself to do either of them. And so I was like, I'm not going to be a promoter, but I will throw a party and I will DJ it. So I started DJing and that, like, started to, like, really, really, like, pop off. And Because I'd worked in the fashion industry, like, I was a fashion journalist. I was, like, traveling around on the fashion week circuit, and I would DJ for all these fashion companies and. And then the Pandemic hit. Obviously, like, everything shut down. And I was like, well, fuck, now I've got to figure out something else to do. The kids are making TikTok videos. I started making TikTok videos. And, yeah, I, like, build a following on TikTok. I did every trend you can possibly imagine. Like, if. If you're growing plants in your apartment, you know, like, I was going to propagate some lemon trees. You know, like, if it was like whipped coffee, I was going to do that. If you're baking chocolate chip cookies, I was going to do that.

[A]

Sourdough bread.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. I did banana bread. Actually, it was banana bread, not sourdough.

[A]

Damn, you different. This one's different.

[B]

And then, you know, the pandemic ended. 2021. I posted a Day in the Life video. And at the end, I was like, by the way, I'm DJing @Short Stories on Thursday night. Consider this your invitation. And, like, 800 people showed up off that TikTok video. And I was like, damn. Then two weeks later, Amaranth and I decided to throw a party on Avenue C. And I was like, oh, we should call it the I like you party. Because I'd always said I like you at the end of my things, and I had the sticker and we did that, and it was just like pandemonium.

[A]

Like, so many people started this with Amrit, kind of.

[B]

Yeah. So, I mean, Amorett and I had been, like, DJing together for years.

[A]

Like, I'm telling you, we have been reporting on the DJ Apocalypse for the last five years. I, like. I swear, everyone here is. Was a dj. Then the Pandemic crushed their careers. And now we're just reporting on what you guys are doing after. This is incredible. I didn't even know that Armored was Part of that party.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Emorett and I played together for years, like years before that as well. We threw a party all over New York called your mate, which is like a common like New Zealand, Australian, English expression. Like if your friend is being embarrassing or somebody's being embarrassing, you're like, that's your mate. So we called it. Yeah, we did that and then, yeah, so we did the I like you party. And then like we threw a party at the Jane and Fashion Week, September 2021, and 3,000 people showed up and all of a sudden like, I'm tiesto, you know, and like, I like, I cannot like miss. I'm like shooting threes from all over the corner, like, you know, like. And so then we traveled it, you know, and it was this incredible thing. But at this Stage it's like 2022, I'm like 38 years old, like deep back into the clubs. And like before the pandemic, I'd been like pulling out of all the club gigs, you know, like I was just doing events, I was doing weddings, I was only doing corporate stuff. And I was like, damn, like I am so deep in the club again. Which is like, it's fun to go from a person who like posts a party flyer on your story, you know, pre pandemic and like 10 people show up to like, you know, throwing a party in a thousand people show up. Like that is incredible. I'm very grateful for the opportunity. But like there's something kind of like sad about an older guy like being in the clubs non stop.

[A]

Yeah, I agree. I was like out of my entire friend group. Probably like the second to last guy in the club. I have one friend still left in the club and I'm just glad I wasn't the last one.

[B]

Are you older than me or you younger than me?

[A]

I'm 43.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, I'm 41.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you could still be in there. I was, I was there till I was 40.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And when 40, I was just like when I was a kid I told myself, don't be the 40 year old guy in the club talking to like 23 year old women like, you know, I'll help you with your taxes.

[B]

Yeah, true. For real? No, I mean it's so true. And it's like, you know, you're, you're in those environments, you're like, you're looking at these people and you're just like, oh my God. And what happened for me is that like I started becoming resentful of the audience, you know? And once that happens as a dj, like, you kind of. You've lost, like, you're kind of like, trying to spoon feed them all this, like, bubblegum music that you, you know, like, you've gotten to a point where you just, like, hate yourself every time you, you know, click, play. If I played, like, Dancing Queen one more time, I was gonna, like, blow my brains out, shout out abba. I love abba, but you know what I'm talking about. And I like, dug myself into this, like, hole because after ABBA with her.

[A]

Mother, when her mother's getting ready.

[C]

Appropriate.

[A]

That's fly. I don't want to be out with, like, the homies listening to abba.

[B]

No, for real. And so, like, I came. You know, the pandemic ended and everybody was so, like, wildly obsessed with partying that, you know, like, you could just drop, like, banger after banger and you'd be like, the heaviest hip hop song into, like, the corniest pop song. And people just, like, lose their minds.

[C]

We're just happy to be outside.

[B]

Exactly. But then, like, to hear music two, three years later, I'm like, still doing this shit, and I'm like, oh, my God, I want to kill myself. And so, like, you know, you just feel, like, numb going in there. And I'd, like, start hating the crowd.

[A]

It wasn't fun being Tiesto.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So shout out Tiesto. But, like, that can't be my life. And so, yeah, in 2022, there was this trend going around TikTok, of people going around, like, colleges and high schools being like, who's the cutest boy at this college? Who's the cutest girl at this college? And I was like, that's so smart. Like, that's so, so good. And they were going so viral. And I was like, what? Like, how can I use that format? What do I know about. And I was like, I know about New York City nightclubs. Cause I've worked at all of them. So I started going up friends on the street and surprising them with an iPhone, being like, what's the best nightclub in New York City? And I posted one. It was like 4 million views. And I was like, ah, okay.

[A]

No, that's the thing that I think does work on the Internet and I love now is that it has gone back to the style of, like, high school television production class. Like, the stuff that you do. Like, hey, who's the hottest girl in biology class? You know, like, what's your favorite place to go get lunch? I'm like, that's hilarious because that is kind of like where everybody starts making. Yeah, it's like high school television production.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

And then the kid steals the camera and then shoots his friends like skating in the park. And then now you're making kids 10 years later.

[B]

I'm just this guy who's like rolling around Queens and he's like, Jim Jones or Nas. Like Jim Jones or not. And it's just so good. Like it's so such brilliant content when you surprise somebody with a camera but you ask them a question that they like really have to think about. Like, it's so fun.

[A]

Kind of gotta go with Jim Jones.

[C]

That's crazy.

[A]

That's like Nas is definitely the better rapper. But like the last time I listened to Nas is so much longer than. I mean I listened to Eastside Bird Gang like three days ago.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

You know, so I, I, if, if it's going by who I'm listening to more is Jim Jones, who I want.

[C]

To hang out with more Jim Jones.

[A]

Yeah. Who I want to dress like. More Jim Jones. The tru. He's on like the terrible belt.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like the iller Jim Jones looking uncle fit and shit. Like Jim Jones.

[C]

But you know what's cool about the like you're saying the high school format now we have the comment section that I feel like takes a life of its own, which like is the third party. Like you have the people in the video talking about what they like and then the comment section.

[B]

Yeah, that was what really made it.

[C]

They just, it goes crazy. People have strong, it like, like incites violence.

[A]

It's crazy because it's such a benign concept that I love. Hey, what do you like? You know, like this should be great. And then people in the comments, you, you stupid son of a. What the. That place sucks, man. The place sucks. You know that barista curved me gentrifier.

[B]

Yeah, it's crazy. You are ruining New York City.

[A]

Did you, did you think that it wouldn't like Isaac likes would incite this much violence in the comments?

[B]

I came from the pre2010 blog era. So like I exactly what it's like when comment sections go nasty. Like that was. It was all anonymous keyboard warriors back in the day. And now it's like people like going out there with their full chest, you know, like with their name verified accounts being like you leave the city, you.

[C]

Know, main account vibes.

[A]

I'm just like fitz brain. Yeah. Shout out the guys. Yeah. Because their comment section is also just like World War 75.

[B]

Crazy. I went I went on their Reddit. Yes. I actually wish I hadn't said that because my girlfriend's gonna watch this and she's gonna like, she's gonna be like, you're banned from Reddit. People write very nasty things about this. Throngfoot's Reddit is crazy. Whoa.

[A]

What's going on in there?

[B]

Oh, it's just like, like ranking how awful anybody who makes, like, men's fashion content is in New York City.

[A]

Wow. Where do you rank?

[B]

Oh, no, I wasn't. Thankfully I wasn't mentioned. You know, like, keep my name out your mouth. But, like, these are men writing about other men on the Internet saying, like the nastiest, snarkiest stuff. I'm like, this is insane.

[A]

It's gotten crazy. Like, it used to be like, women were the gnarliest and cattiest. And I'm like, no, the. The menswear boys are the worst. The worst. Like fighting over which socks to wear with your loafers.

[C]

We're in an era of like, gossipy men.

[B]

Yeah, that is a sassy man.

[C]

It's a sassy man pandemic. Men are gossiping more than the girls, I think. And like, about fashion with toxic masculinity.

[A]

It's like the worst.

[C]

Your loafers.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm like, damn.

[B]

And yeah. And you're not allowed to react. You're not allowed to get upset because then you're a. Yeah, you just have.

[C]

To like, take it on the chin. Be like, that's fine.

[A]

Yeah, man. Men need to get off the Internet, like straight up and down. Just get off.

[C]

There's a little timeout. Let things heal. Let the environment heal a little bit.

[B]

Yeah. You know what? 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 because I'm in a long distance relationship. Right.

[C]

Hi, Brenda.

[B]

And shout out Brenda. Shout out Brenda. I know you're watching. And so she's in Berlin, I'm here. We're together like two or three weeks, a month. But like, when I leave, it's so easy for me just to like scroll to numb the brain. Right. And it's ruins my mind. And I've had to start deleting Instagram and TikTok every night. So I'm just not like. Also, like, you engage with the most toxic content.

[C]

Totally.

[B]

I'm like 40 minutes deep and it's like, this is how I found out my husband was cheating on me.

[C]

It's also who the Fuck Did I Marry? Part two. But then you start, truly. Like, I've reached a point too, where I feel like I've scrolled so much that I'm actively. Like, I can catch myself watching a video. I'm like, I don't like this. Like, I don't like this person. I don't like what they're talking about. But I'm here, and I will not scroll away. And that's been my. That's my cue. Like, I'm like, I need to go read a book.

[B]

I started getting rsi Like, I started getting, like, carpal tunnel syndrome. And I'm just like, this from, like, holding.

[C]

Like, you know, I feel like my eyes are going to shit too.

[A]

And it's wildly competitive. And just the amount of jealousy on the Internet's crazy. Like, reading your comment section before you came on the show today, I was just scrolling them, and people are like, I hate this take. Yada, yada, I should be on the show. And I'm just like, what? Like, why don't you just celebrate this person on the show telling you something that they like? They're just saying something they like.

[B]

Yeah. And it's funny, like, certain cities are much worse. Like, Los Angeles is insane. Like, you cannot get it right about Los Angeles. Like, you can have, like, a black guy from South Central and somebody from another neighborhood will be like, fuck that guy. You can have, like, a Mexican guy. Fuck that guy. Have a white guy. Absolutely. Fuck that guy. Like, it's like, you cannot get it right.

[A]

Yeah, the LA episodes, the people in the comments, it's almost like they're like, he got the role over me, you know? You know, I mean, I'm like, bro, it's.

[C]

It's.

[A]

It's a real show.

[B]

There's nobody. Like, you cannot be authentic enough in la. And New York can be like that. But I also think there's just like. Yeah, I don't know. I think that people also don't care as much in New York.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's funny, I rarely find authenticity in L. A, but you were saying?

[C]

I was going to say L. A feels like a city in which, if you ask anybody an opinion on anything, you can never get. You can never please everyone. Because L. A is like, every city is a different country. Like, within. Like, you're going to get people that are like, sgv. You left out sgv. You left out Glendale. You left out Burbank. Like, those are different states.

[B]

What is sgv?

[C]

San Gabriel Valley. But, like, the best Asian food is so every time when I see you're doing your show, it's like, la. You're never. Because everyone's in a different state. You're, like, in the same county, but you're not experiencing the same life. You will not be going to the same places.

[A]

North Hollywood is like, Sacramento. Yeah. You know, so I'm like, if you.

[C]

Get a girl who grew up in, like, Beverly Hills, people are going to be like, what? Where do you live? You don't live in Los Angeles.

[A]

Yeah. It's not a city that's unified over anything 100%. Like, it's really crazy there. But it's. What other. The other thing that's crazy that I've started to see is how the Internet has completely, like, inverted journalism. Right. Where now the New Yorker is doing, like, starter packs of performative men. They wrote an article the other day about, like, Labu Boos and Matcha, and the meme account people were in the comments, like, we've been reporting on this for six months, which they have, and they've been doing the starter packs. Like, wait, the New Yorker is now just an aggregator for meme accounts?

[B]

Is that new, though? Because, like, I feel like the. The. The constant cliche is that the New York Times does an article being like, williamsburg is the new cool neighborhood. You know, like. And that's been happening for 25 years.

[A]

Yeah, no, that has been happening for 25 years. I think it just went to a level I had never seen before, where the New Yorker put out a starter pack Meme.

[B]

Well, it's because the own, like, that desperate for views. Right. And, like, getting destroyed by, like, kids with cell phones.

[A]

Yeah. And I'm just like, maybe you just. We don't need you on this anymore.

[B]

Yeah. But, I mean, I don't think we need them on that. But we desperately need, like, real journalism, you know, reporting the facts, you know, because this is the other problem. Like, I come from a journalism background, and I know what it's like to get a story wrong and then have to, like, retract or have to apologize to people. Like, that is a horrible feeling. And you've got all these kids, like, reporting news without checking with sources, you know, all this stuff. And so I think that is also, like, super dodgy. Like, I've seen some crazy, like, news reports on TikTok that I, like, went on the Internet. I was like, oh, my God. Like, they're using a video of, like, a factory in China blowing up and saying it's in this other part of the world. You Know, like, this is crazy.

[C]

It's also scary with the rise of AI.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And, like, just our parents generation. Like, my mom will send me a video and the cliche story where I'm like, that's AI. That's not real. You, like, need to. The art of discernment, babe. Like, it's gonna get scary. There's things floating around that are not real. Like you said, they're using videos from other places and then, like, pictures even. It's. It's a scary time on the Internet.

[A]

Yeah. I'm very pro journal. Like, I think we need more of it. I write for New York magazine. I have a column there. But the thing for me is that I get discouraged when I see real journalists going to report on things that Instagram and Substack and TikTok are probably better for, but then not doing what we actually need. For instance, this week, like, Hurricane Aaron was coming. We turn on the weather Channel. No one was talking about it. We had to wait 20 minutes for the Hurricane Aaron update. You know, you read the newspaper, didn't really have great updates. We had to find this guy, Meteorologist Mike on TikTok, Weatherman Mike.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And I'm like, okay, Legacy media should be doing weather, and you should leave the Labubus to, like, substack and Instagram. And Isaac likes, you know, like, I just think it's been inverted because now they're like, wait, we want clicks and we want to catch up. So now legacy journalism is doing what the Internet is just better at.

[B]

Yep, totally. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah, I agree. And I do feel there is a lot of people that have, like, Weatherman Mike. He's a meteorologist. He's like a. An acclaimed meteorologist. He has certificates. I'm not the right person to explain what he has, but he has on.

[A]

The wall certificates in the background.

[B]

Something has happened some way.

[C]

He's real. Okay. Like, I know, but he's. I mean, he's. I don't think he's working for Weathered Channel actively. I think he's like, I'm going to report on this. On TikTok, we've kind of, like, democratized people in that way where if you do have an expert opinion on something or you're knowledgeable about something, you can go report on it. On TikTok, like, most of my fashion news, I'm not, like, looking at the cut to be like, what's the trend? I'm like, no, there's a girl on Tik Tok who's reporting, like, live. She's like, what are people wearing in New York today? And she's posting a video, and there's like. I'm like, cool. That's the inspo now. So I do think while it's inverted, it's also interesting to see the shift. I'm like, it's scary, but it's. It's what happens when you don't pay people. When you don't pay journalists. They can't make a living off of what they're passionate about doing, and they have to go do other things and find a way to pay their rent. Like, of course they're gonna go on Tick Tock. Of course they're gonna. There's other ways. They're like, okay, well, I'm gonna struggle here. I'm gonna go, like, figure it out.

[B]

Yeah. And I came. You know, I came into New York City and I was like, oh, this is how it works. Like, this is what the internal economy is like. Yeah. You have these rich kids whose parents, like, pay their rent. They're walking around with, like, Chanel handbags and shit like that. And that's why they can get paid $50.

[A]

Yeah. And they're. They get to be journalists because their parents will subsidize it. Because then their parents get to talk about their kid being New York Times journalists at brunch on the weekend.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And then the mix of people in journalism is from a very small segment of society.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I think that's, like, really fucked it up, because journalism is not a viable career for a lot of people now.

[B]

Totally. Yeah, I agree. And, you know, more importantly than that, I had the biggest chip on my shoulder against rich people when I moved to New York City. You know, like, I just, like, when I arrived and I was just like, this is like. I'd never seen money like this before. You know, I grew up in New Zealand. Like, we do not have, like, that level of wealth. Right. And so I saw these people, and it's like, it is pervasive. You know, it's like, it's. The entire fashion industry is populated by these people who just, like, are wildly wealthy and then don't really have to do anything. And they get all of the jobs. And I was, like, so angry about it. And this is also, like, the club is a democratized. Sorry. The club is a democratized space because you can be rich and you can buy the tables or you can be cool and drink for free at the tables, you know?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That's why I was in the club all the time, because I'm like, I'm at home here. I got a chance here to catch a fish. 100 I can catch a fish. It's democratized. I love the club. I love playing basketball because it doesn't matter who you're parents are.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But there's very few spaces.

[B]

Yeah. And also the clubs don't. The clubs don't exist like this anymore. Now we have membership clubs. We have to buy access to these spaces where like nobody cool is ever going to hang out. Because who the fuck wants to hang out with a bunch of rich dudes? It's like Soho House Meatpacking district. Remember that? Like when I arrived here like 2010, it was so corny because it was all like lawyers and finance guys.

[C]

And then was came and he was like, that's the membership right there. Like if you got was on your side to let you in, then you're good.

[B]

Shout out was.

[C]

Shout out.

[B]

I have had was on the show.

[C]

Oh, I love that.

[A]

Yeah. And that's the thing is that like people, like people always complain there's no great club in New York now. And I'm like, it's because all of these not cool rich people have taken over the scene, made it private. And then the people writing newsletters being like, oh, the Crane Club is open. Here's our review of Crane Club. I'm like, you belong to the same segment of society as these people that are privatizing the club community, which completely sucks.

[C]

Yeah. I just. And I don't think young people, I guess Gen Z, I don't think they're out. Like we were like, I don't think they're drinking as much. I don't think they're partying as much. I don't think it's as important to them. Like my generation, it was like the number one thing was like, we're going get fucked up.

[B]

I think that now it's like you go out to take photos of being out. Like, I mean of course there are people who go out to like to party. But I really think it's so much more about the content now than anything else. And also I think because it's like the surveillance economy now that like everybody's afraid of getting caught. You know, everybody's afraid of looking stupid or looking ugly or like dancing like a fool. And so like if you're getting filmed constantly, of course it's going to like make big personality smaller.

[A]

But also it seems like you're from a working class family.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. The club was Democrat. That was a place anyone if you cool you get in now. I'm part of this thing. But I want to ask you because you mentioned, like, yo, I was tiesto for a minute. You had this big moment. If you just continued to do that, you could have made a ton of money, but you got out of it.

[B]

Because, I mean, I did make a ton of money, is the honest truth. Like, I'm not gonna lie. Like, I was. Suddenly, I went from getting paid, like, $200 to work in a nightclub in New York City, like, to getting paid $5,000 to work in a nightclub. And then, like, corporate gigs are incredible, you know, like, not to be tacky and discuss money, but, like, like, I think, you know, Mike really talked about this in his episode, right? Where you have these dudes who have been working clubs for so many years and just making kind of, like, not very good money, or the money has never changed. But, like, when you come in and you have, like, a public profile and you're doing these jobs, like, the money really, really skyrocket. So, like, I made great money, and then I got to a point where I was like, I hit a wall, and I was like, okay, I've got to get out of here. But I'm, you know, luckily enough, like, Amorett, I can still do corporate gigs and still make that great money. But, like, the money in content is, like, wildly, wildly bigger than the money in DJing.

[A]

Yeah. But the question I think I wanted to ask, it's, like, a little esoteric. It's like being working class, right? And then you get that moment where you are, like, ts still making tons of money. It feels like my experience was I got imposter syndrome all of a sudden, because when you start to make money, you're not around the homies that you came up with. It's harder to, like, there's that video.

[B]

On TikTok where it's like, you know, like, if you come to New York and you make it, do not forget to switch up on the homies.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That is so true. Like, yeah, okay.

[A]

I couldn't do it.

[B]

The most accurate thing for me, because I did it. I did. I switched up. I'm not gonna lie. But I. I didn't switch up in later life. I switched up, like, as soon as I arrived in New York, right. And I was like, the most accurate movies that I've ever seen are Sweet Home Alabama and Hannah Montana. When they go back to the farm, and all of a sudden, they're, like, too good for everything, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That was so me, like, going back to New York into New Zealand. Right. Hang out with my friends, be like, oh, you guys don't even have bottle service here. What was I talking about? I was such a nightmare, you know, like, and I couldn't, like, I was the guy who. The way back to New Zealand, Sit on the couch with my parents. They'd try to talk to me, and I'd just be obsessively looking at what's happening in New York, you know, Like, I don't want to talk to my parents. I want to be, like, on the screen. It took me a long time to, like, get over myself, but, yeah, when I made a bit of money and, you know, and coming from this, like, thing I did, I did get this. I'm not sure if you can, like, zoom in, but I. This was the first thing I did when I got money back.

[A]

I stout. I like you.

[B]

I doubt. I like you, pendant.

[C]

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

[A]

Very tasteful. Very tasteful.

[B]

You know?

[A]

No, my. My thing was, too, is, like, I spent money, but I did stay in touch with most of my homies. I still talk to, like, homies from high school and things like that. There's one dude I used to hustle with that started selling crack who, like, I had to block. And I can't talk to him anymore. But I think that's valid. You know? I think that's valid. But I had a problem, like, ascending in my career because it culturally didn't sit well with me.

[B]

Yeah. Because, like, rich people are the worst.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Rich people want to be cool. Cool people want to be rich. And you just get caught up on.

[A]

That little wheel, and people make it seem like it's easy to do. Like, oh, just do the smart business move. Like, okay, I could do the smart business move, but then my entire lifestyle changes. I have to change the group.

[B]

You can't make a lot of money without selling yourself out. Like, that just does not work.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, and then, of course, what happens is then, like, you make more money. You get confident with the money that you've made, and then you extremely chase that authenticity again. And I think that, like, that's what I have done. And definitely, I'm sure that, you know, I don't want to say that you ever sold out, but, like, you know, like, this is what we got to do. We got to, like, you make it, and then you're like, oh, okay, I got too far away from, like, where I was supposed to be, and now I have to go back every time.

[A]

I got to the precipice of Selling out. I burned the entire house down and went back to zero.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, like, that's kind of my move. Just go all the way there now. I can't do it.

[B]

As soon as they, like, you make them. Unlike you.

[A]

Yeah. And that's the thing. Our relationship has been incredible for me because it's also like your career and dating, Right. When you're dating, if you're dating someone from a completely different, like, segment of society, especially on like the wealth ladder, it's very odd when you meet their parents. You're like, how are our families going to join together? And then when I go see your family, oh, these, these are like my homies from Orlando.

[C]

Yeah. Very, very same vibe. We're on the same wavelength. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. My family just like outside smoking cigarettes and playing dominoes.

[B]

Nice.

[C]

And we're like, what's up?

[A]

Yeah. You don't talk to your dad? I don't talk to my parents.

[C]

The same family member. They're like, that guy, we're like, yeah, him.

[A]

Yeah. Potlucks. And that's the big thing too. It's like most people, working class, immigrant, just normal people, you do a barbecue, it's a potluck. When, when you get, when you start to do well and the people around you are not really friends, they're there because of stuff. They show up to your house empty handed, they expect you to serve them 100% and you're. The barbecue is yours to pay and cater for. And I was like, whoa, that's. That's the, that's the line where I was like, nah, this shit is a potluck.

[B]

Yeah. The biggest lesson that I learned as well was that, like, when I moved to New York, you know, I was like, broke. I had such little amounts of money, and I realized that I could go and have these like insane restaurant dinners for free by hanging out with promoters. Right? And so, like, I really, like, ran that promoter thing to the ground. Like, I was like, I'd bring girls with me if I, if it would get me a free dinner, you know, Like, I would, I would do whatever it took to like get the free alcohol, get the free dinners. And, and it took me a few years to be like, oh, actually I enjoy myself when I'm paying for my own dinner.

[A]

Yes. Same with sneakers. It used to be like, yo, I'm gonna do this thing so I could get the free sneakers. I was like, I'd rather just work and buy my sneakers, get the sneakers I want. Instead of being like, I hope they send Me. The gray ones.

[C]

I guess I'll wear the purple ones. I fucking hate. I feel you, though. When I first came to New York, I was at every promoter dinner. I was at every.

[B]

What were your clubs?

[C]

One. Oak Avenue. Darby. PhD.

[A]

Expensive. Shorty. Shorty was expensive.

[B]

What do they call it?

[C]

The sunset party. You would, like. You would have to, like, do the rounds, and if you were with, like, the. The kind of thing, and. And then I would sometimes.

[B]

Did you ever jump in the pool?

[C]

Yeah. And I was on, like, a lot of Molly at the. And I would just be like, we're swimming. Like, just. Just le.

[B]

Who did you focus on? Yourself hom the gym?

[C]

No, but there was a time, and if you were a girl, too, they'd be like, we'll throw you, like, 200 bucks to stay at Avenue for an hour. I was like, period. Like, I'll stand at this table for an hour.

[B]

I got my BlackBerry stolen at Avenue back in the day.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

Damn.

[C]

Avenue was great. And then, you know, you're, like, doing coke at artichoke pizza. You're just like, things are, like, so wild. But it was. It was a different time, like, in that I was just like, you could be broke in New York and have. Have the best. Like, you could have, like, what other people would consider a great night.

[B]

Also. There's nothing like being broke in New York, having these crazy experiences and having the opportunity to look down on rich people.

[C]

Yeah, while I'm spending your money.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Damn. He's still got Kenneth Cole reactions on straight up.

[C]

And you're like, you know what? Another bottle, please.

[B]

Thank you so much.

[C]

Your shoes. Yeah, no, I mean, it was great. It was. It was a time.

[A]

I remember one time I was doing, like, a h. It was. It was for the Vice on HBO show, and this was when Vice was making a lot of money and I started to get annoyed from the higher ups. And the scene was I had to be a paid boyfriend. Meaning, like, a woman paid for me to be her boyfriend one night in a gigolo club. Everyone in the gigolo club was, like, fit and had hair like Justin Bieber, but was Japanese. I was just, like, fat in there with the skin fade. But I had the Vice budget, and I was this woman's paid boyfriend for the evening. And I seen, like, an ancient, like, $25,000 bottle of cognac. It was either $15,000 or $25,000. An old bottle of cognac in this, like, insane medieval bottle. And the producer wasn't looking, so I turned the waiter. I'm like, get this bottle. And he brings it, and he brings it and does the presentation. And the producer's head just starts to turn. Like, wait, that looks crazy. What did Eddie just order? I locked eyes with the producer and was just like, fuck you, bro. I took the top off and just juicy lipped it so that they could not return it. And then they told like, you've just bought a $25,000 bottle of Kodiak. And I was like, I love it. I love. I stuck it to these motherfuckers advice. It was probably my favorite moment.

[C]

Wait, I was thinking that homegirl had to pay for it.

[B]

Yeah. Did she enjoy the date?

[C]

No, she didn't have to pay for it, but she.

[B]

Did she have to pay for you. What was your rate?

[C]

I was gonna say, I'm like, isn't that included? Like, if you're doing the boyfriend experience? Like, isn't she like, I'll get you whatever you want, baby.

[A]

I think what happened was she went through a booking service and was like, I want a boyfriend. And they're like, would you like to go with this guy that's filming? They'll pay for the thing.

[C]

And then.

[A]

So I was her boyfriend for the evening, but she was a client.

[C]

Yeah. Falling on a budget.

[A]

She was balling on a Bud. That's like.

[B]

She was awesome.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'll do it.

[A]

Praying for Japanese Justin Bieber and got.

[C]

Me, you know, I think you're a good deal.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

If I was looking for a boyfriend for the night and I got you and a bottle of 25, 000 old cognac, I'd be like, okay, period. I'd be like, here we go.

[A]

That's a nice night.

[C]

Yeah, it's a beautiful night.

[A]

Speaking of artichoke, there's a video. I remember now. Taylor has a video of me at Artichoke after One Oak, where I passed out into an entire pie. I just fell in. Into the pie. But artichoke was crazy.

[C]

I was. It was crazy. It was like nothing I'd ever had before. It was, like, so innovative to me. Like, that slice of pizza, especially the artichoke slice. I was like, this is like artichoke dip.

[B]

Okay, so for the kids. For the kids. Let's explain. So on the corner of 17th street and 10th Avenue, you had One Oak. You have artichoke pizza next to it, and then around the corner on 10th Avenue, connected to the same building we had Avenue. So you'd basically, like, come out of One Oak, you'd get your pizza, you'd gone To Avenue. You'd go and come back out, you get your pizza, you go back to One Oak.

[C]

It was so it would be like that at times. Like, you would have a friend at Avenue and be like, oh, I'm just gonna go pop over and, like, say, what's up? And then you, like, go back to One Oak, and then it's like you're. That corner was a portal to something else to, like, very dark party people. Like, that was just. If you were on that corner, things were happening.

[A]

Dirt bag. Dirt bag corner.

[B]

When you got into the D. Downstairs room in One Oak, though, that was incredible.

[A]

The booth at 1Oak is fun, too. That's one of the few fun DJ booths.

[C]

The booth.

[A]

Yeah, the booth is good. All right, we want to. Isaac. Isaac, what are your favorite all time downtown New York? Would not say. All right, Isaac, what are your favorite New York clubs? Historically?

[B]

Okay, so Derby was my favorite of all time, right. Because I arrived there, like, I had never experienced anything like that before. And I remember one of the first nights I ever went out there. I saw Jay Z, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Jessica Biel, and I was just like. Like, this is insane to me. Like, absolutely insane. And, like, it was back in the. Like, I'm sure you couldn't do this now, but, like, 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. But, yeah, so, like, Darby was my favorite of all time. I liked One Oak, but, like, One Oak was in my darker club, so I got sober in 2014. So I was like, like, using a lot of drugs back in those days, and I would basically just like, go to the bathroom, do my thing, and then, like, go upstairs and then go downstairs, then go upstairs and go. I was just, like, on this, like, you know, like, merry go round and, you know, with the chaotic music in the background. So, yeah, like, up and down wasn't my favorite, but, like, I think One Oak was fun as well. But, like, One Oak was definitely, like, darker energy for me. Derby is the. Is the best New York club of all time. And then in the modern era, I would say Little Sister was the best club up.

[A]

Fantastic.

[B]

And then if you want to go out, though, like, I think the Socialista was the. Was the best, like, precursor to a night.

[C]

I love Socialist.

[A]

It's hard doing. Isaac, Likes, I was going to interject and because you know how you, like, build on a question, and in my head, I was like, I can't do it.

[C]

Oh, you Couldn't inter. You wanted to interrupt?

[A]

Yeah, I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. Isaac likes is very hard. What you do is very difficult. Respect, brother, respect. Like, all right, what are your favorite.

[C]

New York clubs I'm going to? I mean, Darby one, Oak Avenue. Those are my favorites. And I will say Socialista as well. I didn't. Like, I never ended the night at Socialista.

[B]

No.

[C]

I was a start. The night at Socialista and I. Darby, for sure. I have so many similar stories.

[A]

You guys are the same.

[C]

You're hanging out. We were definitely doing this at the same time. I'm sure we've, like, run into each other, but yeah, it was the same. Like, I'd be at the Darby, like, smoking a blunt with, like, Robin Thick, and I was like, why am I smoking this blunt with Robin?

[B]

Robin Thick. So tall, by the way. I never knew this. He's like 6, 2.

[C]

And you just do crazy things like, that would happen at the Darby because it was. I mean, the Darby turned into One Oak around. What Turned into up and down, around, like, 2017, 2014, I think.

[B]

But also, I forgot to mention never, Never off the side of. And I used to DJ every week.

[C]

You can do anything down there.

[B]

Yeah. And so, like, I played, like, The Yeezy Season 2 After Party with Virgil at Never Never. Like, it was.

[C]

Yeah, but it was those type of places where, like, nobody cared. Everybody was out. It was like pre. Everyone had iPhones, but it was, like, pre crazy. Like, nobody was.

[A]

And you guys are also very meat packing.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

It was meat packing every night. It was like, this party this night. This party, this night, this party, this night. I think the only night, like, One Oak was closed was like a Sunday or Monday.

[B]

And if you were. If you walked in, like, back in the day, like 2012 or so, like, if you walked into a room and Beyonce was in there, like, they would say to you, you touch your phone, you'll be kicked out immediately. So nobody was taking photos.

[A]

I'm surprised neither of you said Le Bane, you know?

[B]

Yeah, that was that. I feel the era of lebane was earlier than I was around. I think that was more like 2006, 2008.

[C]

I feel like provocateur.

[B]

I never liked electronic music. I never liked techno or anything.

[C]

So I was, like, way up in there sometimes. But really, those were the spots. Like, that's where I think, because we always. I always ended the night at, like, 1 Oak Avenue or whatever or the clubs was long. Yeah.

[A]

Because like my number one is apt. But apt, I think closed before you guys ever came. And APT was dope because it was just designed like someone's very expensive American Psycho ish apartment.

[B]

Where was this? What was the address?

[A]

It was in meat packing as well.

[B]

I, I wasn't closer to like Gans of all.

[A]

It was around there and I was, I got to see Stretch and Bobbito there with like Chairman Mao one night. So it was like peak like ego trip era DJs like in meatpacking around like I would say 2005, 2006. And then I used to love Bob Bar on Eldridge back in the day. It was just like a sweat box classic. And then Vashti and DJ Soul used to have a party at CV on Rivington. Like 2009, 2010 when Despot opened.

[B]

Santos used to hang with Vashti Santos from the Drake song. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah Walk it like a talk it yo.

[A]

The Vashti Santos party. Legendary. And then also, I mean I was, I was with Drake the week I think it was Tammany hall opened. There was a bar called Tammany hall on Orchard.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And that was around 2011. And Drake was sitting in the green.

[B]

2011 Drake good era with like a bottle of Ouv.

[A]

And he was like dumb shy. And I think a track was spinning and I was, it was just me and Drake in the green room. And I wasn't a fan, so I didn't really talk to him. I, I, I wasn't that into his.

[C]

We have to give Greenhouse their flowers though.

[A]

Greenhouse.

[C]

Greenhouse. I was not up in Greenhouse. Victor Cruz was crazy.

[A]

Yeah, like that on Smash. Like that was, that was the ill kind of like rap party was Greenhouse. But I was gonna say Santos Party House.

[B]

Wait, was that like Derek and, and Houston? Yeah, yeah, that's, that's where like the.

[C]

Chris Brown bottle throwing legendary should happen at Greenhouse. I went to like, it's funny enough, I think I was there one night when like Jim Jones was there like doing something hilarious. And I was just like, this is so ill. I feel like I'm like watching history.

[A]

Yeah, Greenhouse was the, the rapper shit. Yeah, that was like live Miami in New York was that Greenhouse party.

[C]

You know what New York needs? We need like an 11.

[B]

Talk to Eric Adams. He's trying to bring it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He'S trying to bring, he's trying to bring 11 to.

[A]

You know what I used to do.

[B]

Was I shout out Zyron Shout out.

[A]

Shout out shout out shout out Zo Run Legalizing prostitution Shout out Zo Ron. Because, you know, we would do the CV Thursday night party and then around 1am, go up to Perfections in Queens because DJ Envy was playing. And that was probably like the greatest evenings I had ever had in my life. Was just like up in perfections till 3am here.

[B]

I mean, honestly, like, New York nightclubs are unmatched. Like, there's nothing better in the world. And I've traveled all around the world. I've partied in lots of places all around, all around the world. And for me, from that era, the Meatpacking District nightclubs of that era, like, there was nothing like that. And like, I didn't move to New York City to like, I don't know, like, I moved to New York City to. To. To live a life that looked like a fabulous music video, you know, like. And when I arrived and I saw this stuff and I was like, holy.

[C]

She like, good.

[B]

Everything I ever wanted, I got.

[A]

It was incredible. But even like, up and down. I will say the best night I had it up and down. It was the night of the Fresh off the Boat premiere and they played Fresh off the Bo. Every television there.

[C]

That's cool.

[A]

Partied it up and down. Then we went to NYC Gentleman's Club just to like top off the night. This night got so damn crazy. There was a woman dancing with her birthday cake on stage. Sitting on the cake. I was eating chicken tenders. I needed more money. I had to go to the atm. But the ATM was through a secret door between the club and I didn't even know. Next door was a basketball court and dudes were playing a private run at 2am in the morning. And I waddled in all fucked up like, I need another 600 DOL.

[C]

Was it hoops?

[A]

Yo, New York used to be so fun.

[C]

I know.

[B]

And also, okay on completely on the other spectrum, the other places that I loved were black market and Cabin.

[C]

Cabin.

[B]

Legendary. Yeah, I would do this thing. So y' all had rich friends?

[A]

Y' all had rich friends?

[B]

No, I don't have.

[A]

No.

[C]

You would like, party enough though, and you would like, have the, like one person funding it. Like, everybody had a benefactor. You'd be like, oh, that guy's praying. We're like all.

[A]

And my friend from Greenwich Light. Cabin. I would only go with him to Cabin. He, like, knew the owner.

[B]

Also, Cabin was hard to get into, but it wasn't expensive for drinks. So like, I would start the night at Black market. So I was living that. Like, I was. I had my foot in two worlds. Right. So black market was very much like leather jackets, skinny black jeans, Chuck Taylor's. Right. And then. And then I would go to, like, up and down in One Oak.

[C]

Did you change your outfit?

[B]

No, I was just. I was authentically me. I was just who I was. And then I would. Yeah. So I'd do the club thing, and then I would end up at cabin. Because I always lived in the East. I was living on Avenue D back in those days. So, like, literally, like, respect. When I was drinking and using, my life got so small that it had gone from like, traveling, like Milan, Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, New York, Fashion Week, London. Like, all this stuff to going from 9th and D to 7th and A to 14th and 9th to 7th and 8th and 9th and D. And that.

[C]

Was my entire trip around the world, though, as well.

[A]

Best Alphabet City venue, though, holding it down for, like, decades is New Blue. I feel. Feel.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

New Blue is fantastic. But, Isaac. All right, favorite cities to party in.

[B]

Oh, New York is. I think New York is the best city to party in. I think that, like, there's something very sexy about Miami like this and also Paris in the middle of summertime. Like, there's something that I love about, like, a nightclub or, like, being out in a bar or something like that. And you go outside, and it's, like, hot outside. Oh, I love that.

[A]

Yeah. Everyone's just juicy in Miami. Everybody looks like they have baby oil. It's just like. Like, you're just hornier in Miami.

[B]

100%.

[C]

The girls know how to do it. The body oil is, like, top tier.

[A]

Like, we can't go to Miami or Brazil.

[C]

I hate when you say that as if I'm.

[A]

No cuz. We're going to do something crazy like have a threesome and then fight each other. We have a threesome. She's been like, yo, we should have a threesome. I'm like, yo, we're going to fight two dudes.

[C]

I would prefer two men. Every time I wanted a girl.

[B]

Brazilian guys look good.

[C]

Come on about it. And I. When we were having the conversation, and I was like, every time we've had whatever.

[A]

Definitely catching a case. I'm not doing two dudes. No, I'd catch a case. I'd catch a case. I absolutely would go to Brazil.

[C]

That's how you should go.

[B]

Who's gonna know?

[C]

Who's gonna know what I'm so happy to do? I'm so happy to not do that. And we can just, like, watch something where there's two dudes, one girl, and you can just like have a fun time.

[A]

No, we don't need to watch. It was just do what we've been doing because cuz I don't want to go to jail.

[C]

Oh my goodness. Yeah, but you can't. You can't take off cities off the list. Because I'm dying to go to Brazil.

[B]

Yeah, so am I. I have like.

[C]

I want to party in Rio. Like I want to. I want to be on the beach at like three in the morning.

[B]

I don't understand what you think is going bikinis.

[C]

Like what are you scared of? I have no ass. Like it's. I. I'm good. You worry about like coming for me.

[A]

Like I have to say that you. No, the ass is back. Ass is back.

[C]

I'm working on it.

[A]

When you have a no ass, no.

[C]

Titties, they take everything good from you.

[A]

I saw a dimple the other day. I like horn.

[C]

If you had seen my one oak titties, it would have been crazy.

[A]

You notice I turned it around this week cuz I saw some ass. You were washing your hair and I saw some ass. That's why, that's why I turned that around this week, you know, Period. First time since the pregnancy I had to turn it around.

[C]

It really all went away. But it's coming back.

[A]

Just back. That's just.

[B]

I have no words but. But I'm out. Shout out Brenda. Shout out Brenda. I'm happy for you both. I'm happy for you both.

[A]

My bad. The pod gets crazy sometimes.

[B]

I love it. I'm a spectator. I'm a spectator.

[A]

We're getting our.

[C]

We did have a blowout fight before you came here on the po.

[A]

It was great. It was fun. It was a good time.

[C]

We're good though.

[A]

Cannot go to Brazil. We're going to Miami's Fly.

[C]

We're going to Brazil.

[A]

I think if we went with the group of friends, cool. We would just spiral.

[C]

But also, I have to say, I'm a mother.

[B]

New Zealand was so much fun back in the day as well. I grew up in Auckland and you know like partying around the turn of the century, like 2001, 2002, 2003, when we're getting all these like American hip hop videos. And then it was. We had this like mixture of like the American hip hop videos and then the Strokes and LCD sound system and Kings of Leon and all this stuff. And you'd get these like bands that would come through like Kings of Land and then they would DJ a night at a party that we were, you know, that we were going to and it was so insane. And this was in an era when like you only saw these people on tv. Like there was no social media. So like it felt like your life was changing when you see these people in real life. So like growing up in New Zealand was actually really cool. And I've also like, I lived in Toronto back in the day as well and what I've found is that like, like when you live in a, no offense to anybody but like a second tier city that's not in New York or Tokyo or London and la, you know, they take what they're seeing in the big cities and they do it to the most extreme degree. And so like a lot of those part cities are really fun to party.

[A]

Yeah. Like Melbourne, Melbourne's kind of fun like that where it's, they, they're not totally on it. Like a New York or Paris would be on it. They're like on a Toronto level. But people are so friendly and they want to just like do it big.

[B]

100%.

[A]

I would, I would say peak Laban Paris era, like 2011, 12. That was a lot of fun. I, I, I like partying in Paris. I love partying in Taipei.

[B]

Oh nice Taipei. I mean I've, I've partied in Tokyo and Tokyo is incredible as well. Shout out DJ Sinatra.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Holding it down at 1Oak. Tokyo.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Incredible.

[A]

Yeah, Sinatra is ill. Tokyo's fun. It's, it's, it's very tasteful. It's very tasteful.

[B]

Kids were like going crazy. Like I DJ'd there with him one night last year. I'm like, like yeah, the kids were going crazy in the club.

[A]

I haven't, I haven't seen a, I haven't been at like a crazy, crazy Tokyo one yet.

[B]

But yeah, we used to party in Paris.

[A]

I was in the Gigolo club.

[C]

Oh yeah, we were selling ass.

[B]

Must be nice. Must be nice. $25,000 bottle of cognac. Yeah. Back in the day we would party at Le Montana in Paris which is just around the corner from Cafe de Floor. And you'd go in there and you'd see like Kate Moss and you'd see like Stefano Pilates. You'd see Anne halfway, you'd see Karl Lagerfeld on this dance floor that was like the size of this pool table. And so you'd Touching these people. Yeah, obviously I like touching celebrities.

[A]

And, and I also, when there's like a character, a person who just like has a city on their back, changes.

[B]

The energy in a road like, when.

[A]

Stefan Ashpool first came out with, like, Pig Al. With. With. With. With giraffe and shit like that. Paris had energy. That was a fun era to party in. Paris. It's like when Ed Banger was popping, you know, like, and then New New York, when all those parties, like, Greenhouse was popping. It's cool. London. London was a lot.

[B]

Played the Box in London one time, like, pre Pandemic, and that was crazy.

[C]

Yeah, the Box. I honestly, I still like the Box. I haven't been in many years, but I would still up the Box. Yeah, but the Box in London.

[B]

Oh, my God. The first night I went to the the Box, I, like, made out with the girl in the club. It was the first time I'd ever made out with a girl in a club. And I was like, holy. Like, and watching that craziness going on stage, they're, like, spraying at you, you know, in the audience, like. Yeah. Like, I don't know. There's just something about, like. Also, this is the great thing about transplants, okay, is that, like, for a transplant to arrive in a city in New York and start doing these things that I've only ever, like, imagined or seen in movies, like, there is no feeling like that in the world.

[A]

Yeah, it's some Bronx tale shit. Like, I remember Southside. There was one party for my birthday. I invited Prodigy. I'd become friends with Prodigy, like, was my hero as a kid. And in the middle, I just see him get on a table, and he had the DJ put on shook ones and goes, yo, E, Spark the Philly. And I was like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. Like, I might. I might have nutted, and my dick was stuck to my leg. I was like, oh, my God. Prodigy's doing shook ones right now, and.

[C]

He doesn't want two guys and a girl.

[A]

Rip Bandana P. Man, New York, like, when you're young, just shit happens. And you've been looking at. At this city and these people, like, through the glass forever. And then when you. You become homies, and it's just.

[B]

I was obsessed with Purple Diary back in the day, like, Olivier Zam's Tumblr, where he would, like, go to these dinners or go to, you know, parties and stuff and just take photos of everybody. And the first night that I arrived in New York for the very first time, I stayed at the Jane Hotel because it was super cheap. It was like 60 bucks a night. And I went down to the bar, and I see Olivier Zam with, like, all those people that had seen the photographs And I was just like, man, like, this is, like, why I came to the city.

[C]

I feel like you're a master manifestor. Like, listening to you just, like, say your whole life, I feel like everything. You were like, I want to move to New York and write for the New York Times and, like, do all, like. I feel like you have a gift to visualize what you want and, like, receive it from the universe.

[B]

Oh, yeah. What do you call, like, socially upwardly mobile?

[C]

You're just like.

[B]

I was like, really, like, I had these dreams. Like, yeah, I was like, really, like, growing up. But also, like, the flip side of that, the negative side of that is that I was never comfortable in the place that I was at. Right. So, like, I. I was this. Who was constantly. The grass was always going to be greener on the other side, so I had to be doing something different. Thankfully, as I got older, after I got sober, I was able to, like, kind of, like, you know, be in one place, which has been a gift. But, like, yeah, like, I was just like, I don't want this. I want that. I want that. I want that. I want more, more, more, more, more. And, yeah, like, thankfully, luckily, I was able to, like, work towards this stuff. So. Sorry, I took what you said, which was a positive thing.

[A]

Okay, so from New Zealand, you were like, I want to become Bill Cunningham. You did. You got a job at the New York Times. Then you want to be Tiesto. You became Tiesto. Then you wanted to do high school.

[B]

I want to be. I wanted to be Mark Ronson.

[A]

Mark Ronson. Okay, shout out Mark.

[B]

Fair enough.

[A]

I love Mark. Mark is incredible.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So then. Then you wanted to be television production, high school, real show director. What's next?

[B]

Good question. Okay, so I am working on a little New York City guide book at the moment, but really the thing I want to do is these, like, YouTube mini documentaries. This is the next thing that I'm. That I'm going to work on. So, like, I. I love epically lated Shout Out Patrick o', Dell, who I've never actually met before, but I'm such.

[A]

A fan of that. We've interviewed him for the doc.

[B]

Oh, he's incredible. He is so, so incredible. And I'm really inspired by that. And so, like, I'm working on the rise and the fall of the meatpack district nightclub scene at the moment for, like, a mini YouTube doc. And, yeah, so I just wanted. I want to start doing some of these things, like 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.

[C]

Place.

[A]

It was funny because I've been thinking about this from the show and we should talk off show about this. But I want to do a documentary on the DJ apocalypse, the pandemic and what DJ started to do. Because it's inspiring. All of our friends, like a large majority are DJs. Have we spoken about. And everyone is like stretched out in these incredible ways. And I think it's changed culture totally. Yeah. So that's really cool.

[B]

Cool.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I think the kids, if you're watching, become a dj.

[A]

Yeah. Be a DJ first. It's kind of the best job. Yeah.

[B]

I was going to say, did you ever DJ? Like, did you think about doing.

[C]

I never DJed. No.

[B]

It's such a, when a, when a pretty girl becomes a dj, it is like such a home run.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Period. Maybe I'll become one now. Maybe you guys all pivoted. I'll take your old job.

[B]

Do it.

[A]

I could only military scratch. The only thing I could do is military scratch. I could kind of blend. And then I just gave up. And I was like, I'm a throw parties and DJ. Off the iPhone, off the ox and just owned it. I was just like, I'm an ox core DJ and somehow it worked. I was throwing parties.

[B]

The first, the first club that I ever DJ was up and down. I threw a party and I played off two iPhones. That's how it all started for me. And then I went to Scratch Academy, the actual DJ school, which was an asta place like Cooper Square, learned how to be a dj and then that's how it all started.

[A]

And yo, you can always call them jeans. Remember Them jeans taught Zac Efron how to dj.

[B]

For me it was Dexter. It was Dexter Love for me. So like I would call Dix Love and be like, the music does.

[A]

Shut up.

[B]

What do I do?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he'd be like, look at where the crossfader is. Is it like pushed over to the side? I was like, yes, it is. He's like, yeah, put it in the middle.

[A]

Want to learn how to dj? Call. Call the big homies them jeans. And. And love Dexter.

[B]

Totally, totally. But yeah, the other thing that I want to do is I'm just like super inspired by people who have achieved great things. Like I did this origin story video last week with the first ever ready to wear designer of Bottega Veneta, this guy Edward Buchanan, who was a 24 year old black kid from New York York who got flown out to Italy I don't think he'd ever even been on like you know been overseas before and he gets flown out to Italy to become the ready to wear designer for this insane Italian company and like what happened with his life after that. So I'm very inspired by this kind of thing and I want to be making that content as well.

[A]

Yeah that I really like that you switched up a little and did that because these are these are people I would really be interested to see and the issue with docs in the world now are like the Netflixes and who's of the world they want like Becky can we got Wikipedia it's finding these people where the story has not been told that is more interesting. I agree I'm into that same thank you so much for coming on the show.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Can't wait to watch the docs and.

[B]

Guess what I like you.

[A]

We like you.

[C]

We like you.