Thought Enthusiast is an AdHoc Project where we chat with fascinating thought leaders across various facets of music, tech, and culture whose work we admire, simply asking “what’s on your mind?” and “why do you care?” 💭
Yung Chomsky works as the producer of the TrueAnon podcast. He grew up in New Jersey and has called Pittsburgh, Philly, and San Francisco home. These days he lives in Brooklyn. Before his podcast, he was a guitar teacher, a proofreader, and a software engineer, among other things. He likes to play synth, lift weights, and take photos.
I recently saw Stop Making Sense in a movie theater, which was really special. I remember seeing it for the first time in high school, not knowing who Talking Heads were, and it just blew my mind. I love David Byrne's moves so much. Incredible vibes throughout. Seeing and hearing it in a theater was just next-level. The whole audience would applaud after each number, which kind of annoyed me because I'm a grouch, but at the same time it was heart-warming.
⛵️ Kinda like building a ship in a bottle
We've been making TrueAnon for 4 years now, and for 3 of those it's been my full-time gig. But my last job before that was software engineer, which I spent 7 years doing. I really enjoy writing code, but doing it as a job can be a real drag. I was burnt out on it and I basically hadn't written any code since I quit my last job. But this summer, I got an idea for a mobile app and thought it would be fun to try and build, since I've never made one before. It's called phomo, and I'm currently describing it as a sort of photo diary app. It's a little like BeReal, except it's all on your device instead of online. I'm not sure if anyone but me will ever care enough to use this thing. But I find working on it really challenging and satisfying. It's kinda like building a ship in a bottle, or something. A little self-contained world where I find problems and can usually solve them.
⚙️ Tinkering time
I think tinkering is very important. A person should have a project whose outcome isn't fully known, which they can spend time tinkering with. Something they're creating not because anybody told them to do it, or because they're gonna use it to make a buck, but because it's a journey. I know I'm luckier than most in terms of having time and space for things like that, but I think more people can make a little room for tinkering.
🧥 Fall ‘fits
I'm a real "can't wait till it gets cold so I can really start dressing" type of guy. One of the reasons I was excited about moving to NYC from San Francisco was getting to have seasons again. So I'm stoked about it being fall and getting to wear all my corduroy and flannel and tweed again. For me, any social event or outing is a good enough reason to get a fit off.
🧶 Rubato
I like Rubato a lot. They're a Swedish menswear brand that started with knitwear. A lot of their pieces have these kind of vintage details and proportions that are hard to find in modern clothes — their V-Neck sweater always reminds me of the photos of Paul Newman on the beach in 1958. They're doing a pop-up in NYC this week that I'm excited to check out.
💪 Quality gyms & grocery stores
My quality of life would be significantly lowered if I didn't live near a good gym. I actually just switched facilities to one that's a slightly longer walk but much more spacious, which has been great. Going to the gym is the main source of consistency and routine in my life, which is super valuable when the rest of my schedule is often very freeform. Also a good grocery store. I love grocery stores. They're really mindblowing when you think about it.
🚶♂️ No Man Walks Alone
The brand No Man Walks Alone really cuts through the noise — they're a boutique menswear shop in NYC which is just marking 10 years in business. They do a lot of "extra mile" stuff to show off the pieces they carry and what makes them special — weekly drop videos, small-run preorder campaigns, brand collabs, and great lookbooks every season (disclosure: I modeled for one of their lookbooks last year, which was a lot of fun!)
Follow Yung Chomsky on Instagram.
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