The Material Review
Issue 155: Patagonia, Vermont's General Stores, Deer Meat, A Legacy Timepiece in the Himalayas, RIP 90 Minute Movies, More Bob Weir and Spotlight On: California's Gold
Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.
Akin to believing light beer is a solution to alcoholism: My time at Patagonia
Vermont’s General Stores
“A driving tour of the iconic New England general stores from an auto journalist Vermonter.” [The Old Ghosts]
Eat More Deer
“America is letting good meat go to waste.” [The Atlantic]
A legacy timepiece, and a legacy in the Himalayas
“Brent Bishop and his father Barry’s Rolex” [David Concannon]
The Thank-You Note Is Not Optional!
“In an age of frictionless communication, true gratitude means making an effort” [Air Mail]
An Obituary for the 90-Minute Movie
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing.” [Points in Case]
Bob Weir, the shipwrecked sailor, and me
“A grounded sailboat, a mohawked captain, and a Grateful Dead icon spark a surreal, doomed rescue on a Marin shoreline.” [SF Standard]
Also, Bob Weir & His Mountain Bike
A shortlist of things we’ve got our eye on.
Flint and Tinder x Rancourt & Co. Beef Roll Penny Loafer
Campbell’s of Beaully Garve Jacket
CW&T Snatch
Weber Workshops The RoadRunner
mont-bell CLIMAPLUS100 Lite Sweatshirt Men’s
California’s Gold with Huell Howser
After watching a few episodes of California’s Gold recently, I kept thinking about attention and how often content tries to guide you somewhere. Just a few observations that stuck with me:
I was watching an episode the other night and there’s a stretch where Huell Howser just stands there with a blacksmith in Old Town Tustin (CA) as he shapes metal. There’s not much of interview or explanation, just some oohs and aahs as the machine’s hammer hits steel. It goes on longer than you expect. Enough that you start to wonder if anything else is coming. Eventually you realize it isn’t.
My wife grew up watching the show. I didn’t. It was a long-running PBS series where Huell Howser drove around California stopping wherever his curiosity took him, and for a lot of people who grew up with public television, he seems to be more than a TV host. More like a familiar presence that was just always there, like the uncle at Thanksgiving who talks a lot but means well. When she showed it to me, I kept waiting for it to build to something. A reveal. A deeper reason this was being filmed. It never does. You just sit there and watch the work happen.
A lot of the content I end up watching is built to guide you somewhere. A video leads to a product. An article positions you toward a conclusion. A review gently pushes you toward a decision you probably already knew you were going to make. That’s not a complaint. It’s how things get made and sold. But it does mean you’re often being steered, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
California’s Gold doesn’t really do that. The camera stays put. A blacksmith works because he’s good at it. A guy knows everything about dates because he’s spent his life around them. There’s no framing beyond what’s already happening.
After watching a handful of episodes, I didn’t suddenly rethink everything I consume, but I did notice I was more aware of when I was being guided. That distinction matters to me, especially when it comes to how attention turns into wanting. It makes it easier to tell the difference between genuine interest and being sold on something.
The video quality is exactly what you’d expect from ’90s PBS. Huell’s energy takes some adjusting to. He’s very excited about things most people would walk past without slowing down. But if you spend a lot of time watching content about how things are made or who makes them, this feels different. The show ran from the early ’90s through 2012. PBS runs a 24/7 stream and many episodes can be found here. It’s hard not to feel bummed about the state of public broadcasting, but at least work like this still exists.
The Old Town Tustin blacksmith episode is a good place to start. So is the Coachella date farm. And yes the bootleg merch exists. One episode in, the hat made sense.
- TS
Classifieds
Welcome to our weekly “Classifieds” section of the newsletter. The idea is to find an easy way to promote things happening in our ecosystem. Think of this space to promote your eBay shop, event, newsletter, app, book, tool or your personal brand (if you must). Drop us a line at if you’re interested in buying an item in an upcoming issue. Price: $200 for four ads. Maximum 280 character per ad.
🛒 Pickwick Vintage Show at ROW DTLA
Saturday, Feb 7 from 10 am to 4 pm PST
Our monthly market is back at ROW DTLA for our first gathering of the year! The outdoor show features an assortment of vintage clothing, jewelry, accessories, and inspiration from over 40 local vendors. Tickets are $10.