Blamo! is a long-running fashion and culture podcast hosted by Jeremy Kirkland. Since 2016, the show has featured thoughtful, relaxed conversations with designers, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers, exploring fashion, menswear, design, music, and culture beyond the surface. Featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more — Blamo! is celebrating 10 years of independent conversations about the things we care about.
John Darnielle is the songwriter, author, and frontman of The Mountain Goats , one of the most influential independent bands of the past three decades. What began as Darnielle recording songs on a Panasonic boombox in the early '90s has grown into a beloved catalog spanning more than 20 albums, earning a devoted following for its literary songwriting and deeply human stories. John joins me to talk about the band's new album, Days , and why he's finally allowing himself to look back on a career that's always been focused on what's next. We get into aging without becoming nostalgic, why every act of creation is ultimately hopeful, and what it means to see your own life—and your parents' lives—with fresh eyes. We also chat about Randy Newman, the bands that shaped him, grief, faith, songwriting, influence versus imitation, and why the days really are short. Listen to Days * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Patreon Preview from Blamo! The Wardrobe Budget series reaches its completely reasonable and financially responsible conclusion: What would we buy if we had $50,000 to rebuild our wardrobes from scratch? Yes, 50K. (You asked for it!) Peter and Derek use the fantasy budget to talk about the clothes they love most, from exceptional outerwear and bespoke tailoring to workwear, shoes, and accessories. Before that, they consider Emily Segal’s concept of “tasteslop” and whether good taste can exist without cultural context. They close with a new round of tailoring, footwear, photography, and other recent discoveries in Hey, Nice Pants. ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Adrian DZA has had about five different careers, and somehow all of them make sense. DJ, party promoter, skate shop owner, creative, and now co-founder of Very Special , Adrian has spent the last two decades building businesses rooted in taste rather than trends. We talk about growing up between Paris and Miami, the early days of Peachfuzz, how Very Special became one of the most respected names in vintage watches, why community matters more than hype, and what it was like to go from collecting Stone Island to starring in one of the brand's campaigns. We also get into vintage watches, records, cars, fatherhood, and why the best careers rarely follow a straight line. * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Patreon Preview from Blamo! The Wardrobe Series continues with a bigger challenge: rebuilding a wardrobe with a $12,000 budget. With more room to spend, Derek and Peter debate where to invest, what’s worth upgrading, and whether one exceptional piece should take up a third of the entire budget. The result is two highly personal wardrobes—and two very different ideas about what “buy less, buy better” actually means. Along the way, they discuss Peter’s upcoming trip to London and Inis Meáin, vintage dressing, and some truly indestructible belts. ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
BONUS EPISODE! Leica is much more than cameras. This week I’m joined by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International , for a conversation about photography, memory, art, and why certain images stay with us. We talk about the emotional side of photography, why perfection isn’t the goal, how Leica thinks about galleries as places for community, what social media has changed (and what it hasn’t), collecting versus appreciating art, and why printing your photographs still matters. A fun little bonus episode for anyone who loves photography—or has ever wondered what makes Leica, well… Leica. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jon Klassen makes children’s books, but this isn’t really a conversation about children’s books. Jon recently won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (one of the biggest honors in children’s literature), and we start there before getting into what makes his work so compelling in the first place. We talk about why he leaves space for readers instead of explaining everything, how kids are smarter than we often give them credit for, the value of ambiguity, and why making work for yourself is usually the only way to make something honest. And of course, we get into running, menswear, Studio Ghibli, Maurice Sendak, creative insecurity, and the weird pressure of trying to make good work over and over again. Jon's acceptance speech * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Joe Wengert is a comedian, writer, and actor whose work spans Comedy Bang! Bang! , The Onion , and Big Mouth . But this conversation isn’t really about comedy. Joe joins me to talk about getting older, making new friends, becoming a parent, and the strange process of trying to hold onto who you are while continuing to grow. We discuss his new animated series Kevin , co-created with Aubrey Plaza, why game nights matter more than ever, the terror of becoming a hat guy, and how a night guard can become an unexpected symbol of middle age. * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Patreon Preview from Blamo! It's Die, Workwear! Derek and Peter take a break from their Wardrobe Series to chat with Matthew Gonzalez , a Southern California native who made his way from an alterations room in Irvine to London, Huntsman, and eventually his own bespoke tailoring business on Savile Row. Matthew’s work sits at a fascinating crossroads: classic American style, British tailoring tradition, and the realities of making clothing for people today. The conversation gets into his path through the trade, what makes tailoring feel American without becoming costume, the romance and economics of Savile Row, why bespoke still matters, and how the best clothes are shaped not just by rules, but by the person wearing them. https://www.matthewgonzalez.co.uk ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Singer-songwriter Alex Amen joins me to discuss his debut album, Sun of Amen . The first time I heard the record, I couldn’t believe how young he was. Not because the music sounds old, but because it carries a level of patience, craftsmanship, and emotional weight that feels increasingly rare (especially now!) Alex and I discuss the disappearing influence of regional culture, studying the great songwriters, recording live to tape, and how tradition can serve as a foundation for creating something entirely your own. We also talk about clothes, Patagonia, Texas style, California dirtbag lore, The Beatles, parenting, and the lifelong pursuit of finding your voice. BIG TUNES AND BIG FITS! End Song is "Diamonds" from the Debut LP, Sun of Amen * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Patreon Preview from Blamo! The Wardrobe Series continues, and this time the budget gets tight. With just $1,000 to spend, Derek and Peter attempt to rebuild a wardrobe from the ground up—making hard choices about what matters, what can wait, and where to stretch every dollar. The result is less about shopping and more about priorities. What are the pieces you actually need? Which ones earn their place? And how much style can you really buy on a budget? Plus: the Met Gala, menswear rabbit holes, and a few recent obsessions. ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
My guest this week is the actor Oliver Platt . You know him from The Bear , Chicago Med , The Three Musketeers , Beethoven , The West Wing , Frost/Nixon — honestly, the list goes on forever. He’s one of those rare actors who somehow exists in every lane at once: beloved by movie people, television people, theater people, and apparently menswear guys too. We talk about growing up as the son of a diplomat, moving from Hong Kong to Japan to Washington D.C., discovering acting as a survival mechanism, early days in New York with Stanley Tucci and Hank Azaria, body image, GLP-1s, Paul Smith, Japanese denim, heritage workwear, and why sometimes you need to “give yourself the fuzzies.” * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
My guest this week is Mickey Drexler . You probably know him as the guy behind Gap Inc., J.Crew, Old Navy, and now Chairman of Alex Mill — but this conversation turned into something much bigger than retail. Mickey thinks most modern fashion has lost its taste level. He thinks cars all look the same. He thinks corporate boards ruin creativity. He hates AI slop, overdesigned luxury, cheap packaging, bad customer service, loud gyms, and logos for the sake of logos. We talk about why Costco might secretly be one of the best brands in America, what made Rolex such a powerful marketing company, the importance of storytelling, why details matter, and what happens when companies stop caring. Plus: a wild story about getting fired from Gap after a call from Steve Jobs Mickey absolutely destroying Allbirds thoughts on vintage cars, vintage clothes, and why “if you know, you know” still matters * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hrishikesh Hirway — the creator and host of Song Exploder — joins me this week. We talk about the strange identity crisis of becoming known as “the Song Exploder guy” while still trying to reconnect with himself as a musician and songwriter. We also get into collaboration, writer’s block, vintage clothing, obsessive music listening, and the making of his beautiful new record, “In the Last Hour of Light.” Hrishikesh opens up about interviewing hundreds of artists, how Song Exploder changed the way he thinks about creativity, and why working with other people ultimately helped him fall back in love with making music. We also talk about recording live with almost no takes, working with Iron & Wine, the emotional weight of memory and grief, and the challenge of making deeply personal work in public. This is one of my favorite kinds of conversations — two people trying to figure out what it actually means to make things for a living. Listen to "Stray Dogs" * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Patreon Preview from Blamo! Welcome to the first installment of Die, Workwear!’s new series on building a wardrobe without taking out a second mortgage. The premise is simple: if your closet disappeared tomorrow and you had $3,000 to rebuild it from scratch, what would you actually buy? Not fantasy grails. Not “quiet luxury.” Real clothes Derek and Peter would genuinely wear themselves: sport coats, tropical wool trousers, vintage eBay overcoats, loopwheeled T-shirts, Cone Mills denim, penny loafers, and a surprising amount of discussion about sweatshirts. Along the way, Peter tries to justify $140 OCBDs, Derek explains the perfect vintage-straight jean fit, and both make a compelling case for buying old Ralph Lauren off eBay instead of almost anything new. ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week on Blamo!, I’m joined by Kevin Morby. We talk about his new record Little Wide Open , out May 15, and how ideas of home and place show up in his songwriting. From writing in different cities to figuring out what “home” actually means, Kevin gets into the rhythms behind his work. We also talk life on the road—running, watching movies, and the routines that keep things steady—plus stage clothes, residencies, and the “most him object” he owns. Kevin Morby's Substack Kevin Morby.com * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Wyatt Gilmore, founder of Grant Stone , joins me to talk about how the brand came together, what he learned spending years working in factories in China and Taiwan, and why quality footwear is about far more than country-of-origin clichés. We get into boots, loafers, suede, shell cordovan, and the realities of making shoes that feel good, age well, and actually earn their place in your closet. Plus, a tease of the upcoming Blamo! x Grant Stone collaboration. https://www.grantstoneshoes.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Patreon Preview from Blamo! Derek and Peter get into how the internet shapes personal style—from the knowledge-to-flex pipeline to the limits of longform and the rise of walled gardens. They revisit early forums like r/malefashionadvice, make the case for globalization, and ask a simple question: how do you get dressed without looking like the algorithm did it for you? Plus—"Hey, Nice Pants!", new finds, and what they’re wearing lately ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Virgil Nicholas of Vinny’s joins me this week, dialing in from Copenhagen—and we get into it! We talk about the origins of Vinny’s, his early days in the music industry, and how those experiences shaped the way he approaches building something today. There’s a real sense of intention behind what he’s doing, especially when it comes to keeping the focus on footwear. https://vinnysthevibe.com * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Derek Guy and Peter Zottolo are back for AMA #2, generously sponsored by our friends at Bezel! They get into the idea of “essentials,” dressing your age (or not), and how much stock to put in the usual menswear rules. There’s talk of slouchy fits (when they work, when they don’t), value brands, sneakers, vertical layering, and the ongoing debate of shopping online vs actually going into a store. Plus, the kind of impulse purchases you try not to think about again. It’s thoughtful, opinionated, and about getting to a place where getting dressed feels a little more intuitive—and a lot less stressful. ** SHOW NOTES Peter Z' One Coat Eidos Carlo coat One Watch Rolex Explorer Dressing Your Age Old Joe geezer Fabric Resources Unfunded Liabilities Thread Sneakers Chuck Taylor 70s Vans Classic Sperry CVO Sneaker Regrettable Impulse Purchases Rick Owens Shearling Favorite Style Photos https://www.putthison.com/summershoes https://www.vogue.com/article/john-pearson-male-supermodel-website-mrfeelgood-interview-naomi-campbell https://aboutphotography.blog/blog/the-kiss-by-the-htel-de-ville-by-robert-doisneau Swimwear Orlebar Brown Bespoke Item Most Jealous of Presentable Attire for a Creative Buck Mason Chore Coat * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying, selling, or insuring your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
My guest this week is Hagop Kourounian , the mind behind Director Fits . What started as a Substack has grown into something much bigger — part moodboard, part shop, and soon, a full-on magazine. Hagop and I get into how Director Fits came to life, what it was like growing up in a deeply creative household, and why we’re just as interested in how artists present themselves as we are in the work they make. We also talk about the return of physical media, the joy of collecting, and — maybe most importantly — whether you should actually be watching things with subtitles on. It’s all in there! * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
