Overview of 895. - Larry Fitzmaurice
This episode of How Long Gone (hosts Chris Black & Jason Stewart) features writer and music critic Larry Fitzmaurice. The show opens with pop-culture banter (Brooklyn Beckham, Naomi Osaka fashion, reality-TV breakups) before moving into a ~60-minute conversation with Larry about life in Brooklyn, the realities of living/working in NYC, music journalism, paid communities (Pitchfork’s new paid feature), streaming/social-platform trends, and contemporary music phenomena (Harry Styles, Geese, Doja Cat/Doja-ish pop moments, Grammys). The episode mixes humor, local NYC anecdotes (rats, alternate-side parking, rent stabilization hacks), industry analysis, and personal reflections.
Key topics discussed
- Pop-culture gossip opener: Brooklyn Beckham drama, Naomi Osaka’s outfit, Summer House divorce
- Social platforms & apps: Threads’ early metrics vs. X/Twitter; desktop vs mobile usage
- Live events & festivals: notes from Wilco festival and the future of live programming
- Music journalism and monetization: Pitchfork’s new $5 paid feature allowing users to score/review; Letterboxd-like dynamics for music and film communities
- Music culture trends: pandemic-coded pop (Harry Styles), the guitar comeback narrative, Bruno Mars, Macklemore, Chance the Rapper, and the band Geese
- Personal/urban life: Larry’s Brooklyn (Bushwick) experiences — rent stabilization, dishwasher anecdote, rats in cars/engines, alternate-side parking as productivity time
- Mental health and city life: candid takes on stress, coping, and the appeal of urban cultural access
Guest — Larry Fitzmaurice: who he is & why he matters
- Veteran music/culture writer running an independent paid newsletter (not on Substack).
- Covers emerging and established music with strong taste-making credentials; recommended by the hosts.
- Offers both cultural criticism (what music scenes mean right now) and lived perspective as a Brooklyn resident working in the music/media ecosystem.
Highlights & notable insights
- On Pitchfork’s paid feature: Larry sees the business logic (people will pay to have their tastes validated), but questions the value proposition and who the paying audience actually is.
- On the “millennial hangover”: there’s a sense of generational frustration where many expect creative careers and monetization that no longer exist in the same way—this fuels paid communities, newsletter economies, and creator-side experiments.
- On living in NYC: Larry reframes the grind with humor — he uses alternate-side parking time as newsletter-writing time, treats car/rat issues as part of the rhythm, and values the cultural access the city grants despite practical hardships.
- On pandemic-coded music: Larry describes Harry Styles’ forthcoming record as having that “together-but-apart” aesthetic — nostalgia and restrained arena pop that feels of-the-moment for post-pandemic culture.
- On fandom & platform monetization: people will pay for perceived social/romantic value (taste as a dating credential); platforms that turn taste into status (Pitchfork, Letterboxd) can monetize this impulse.
Memorable quotes (paraphrased)
- “There’s a moment in every week living here where you’re like, I should just kill myself. Then the moment passes.” — on the intense emotional swings of NYC life and how the city’s cultural access helps pull you back.
- “People think their opinion is important — this puts a value on it.” — about paid communities and user scoring systems.
- “When you’re that popular, you’re three or four years behind on everything — sometimes that works to your advantage.” — on arena-level artists like Harry Styles.
Main takeaways
- Music/media monetization is fragmenting: pay-for-access features (Pitchfork), paid newsletters, and community play a growing role but the value and audience are still uncertain.
- The cultural moment is nostalgic and nuanced: “pandemic-coded” aesthetics, guitar revival narratives, and safe-but-polished arena pop coexist with experimental club and rap scenes.
- Living in NYC is a tradeoff: intense, expensive, messy — but uniquely rewarding for cultural immediacy; many creatives adapt with scrappy life-hacks (alternate-side parking as office, using neighborhood resources).
- Platforms continue to shape taste economies: features that let users publish, score, or gate content are experiments in monetizing cultural authority — and they’ll influence what gets attention.
Action items / Where to follow
- Subscribe to Larry Fitzmaurice’s paid newsletter (link noted to be in his Twitter bio).
- If you’re curious: review Pitchfork’s new paid offering and consider what user-generated scoring would mean for discovery and music communities.
- For listeners based in NYC: consider whether the cultural access trades off against the hassles described (alternate-side, rats, rent instability).
Sponsors & promotions mentioned
- Rocket Money (personal finance/subscriptions)
- Squarespace (website builder)
- Dart Collective (wedding/event DJs)
- BetterHelp (online therapy)
- Normal Gossip (podcast promo)
This episode is a mix of light pop-culture roasting and sharper industry/urban observations — useful if you want a snapshot of contemporary music criticism, creator monetization trends, and a candid portrait of Brooklyn creative life.