On September 18, Boy Harsher — the duo of Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller — will release GET MEAN, their first new album since 2022’s The Runner. Already introduced through singles “Jeans” and “Hard Beat,” this marks the latest chapter in the dark, electronic world they’ve been building together for more than a decade.

Their creative practice has increasingly extended into film, too. They’re currently working on their debut feature, The Lonely Woman, starring Chloë Sevigny, FKA twigs and Sturgill Simpson.

For DRAFTING, Matthews and Muller revisit the making of GET MEAN through the memories they captured along the way — photos, videos and screenshots from their phones that trace how the album came together.

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Augustus Muller, one-half of Boy Harsher, brings us through the making of GET MEAN as he remembers it — from nightly to-do lists to the art and texts that inspired the music along the way.

I make a to-do list every night and keep track of my mood. I found a typical diary or journal was too much pressure. I felt overwhelmed to write something significant, but with this it's pure data.

I like the archive. It reminds me I did something with the day.

(Beato Angelico, 1430) Truly my type of religion. Love is pain.

(Something More #1, Tracey Moffet) Seen at Mona in Hobart, Tasmania.

Athens, Greece. The writing process was constantly interrupted by touring. This was frustrating and inspiring. On one hand it would totally ruin the flow of being in the studio. We would have to stop writing and focus on the live set, which at times feels like a completely different job. On the other hand, it reminded us what we were writing for: the venues, the crowds, the connection with people.

Outside the studio in Basanno Del Grapa. Taken by the name, I investigated.

Hobart, Tasmania. We were hellbent to finish the record and used all idle time working on it.

Our studio at Syntaur in New Braunfels, Texas. I touched as many synths as I could in this one-week session.

Jae Matthews, one-half of Boy Harsher, brings us through the making of GET MEAN as she remembers it — tracing the locations across the world that became chapters in the album’s creation.

Writer’s block: post-death, post-breakup.

Pre-writing: trying to break the block.

Writing: trying to break the block.

Writing: who is she?

Recording: found Gus in Texas.

Recording: turning demos into tracks, plus guitar.

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THE DRAFT is RUN-A-MUCK’s Friday list of everything we think is perfect — the shows we binged, the songs on repeat, the objects we’d never redesign, the ideas and experiences that don’t need improving. This is culture without revision — no edits, no notes.

Ludwig Hurtado reads a lot — which means his standards are high. The true multi-hyphenate — writer, editor, producer, actor, model — has spent his career following his curiosity across food, politics, art and queer life, and is currently writing a book of his own, Bad Foodies. Naturally, we wanted to know which titles actually make the cut. Hurtado knows perfect books — here’s everything he’s read that he thinks is perfect.

[01] GIOVANNI’S ROOM BY JAMES BALDWIN

Being a gay f*ckboy? Many such cases. Being brave enough to admit it? Rare. Doing so with perfect prose? Only Baldwin could. This book is simply as incredible as everybody says it is. Every day you leave it on your “to be read” shelf is a day lost, imo.

[02] DANCER FROM THE DANCE BY ANDREW HOLLERAN

Also known as The Gay Great Gatsby. I’m not sure what this says about New York’s gay ‘scene,’ but this was written in the late ’70s, and yet it feels as prescient and relevant as ever.

[03] HOW SHOULD A PERSON BE? BY SHEILA HETI

No, because, does anyone have the answer? This book, about an artist who can’t bring herself to make art, always makes me feel seen when I’m having my semi-regular crises of creativity and career.

[04] SLOW DAYS, FAST COMPANY BY EVE BABITZ

In a world full of wannabe-Didions, be a wannabe-Babitz! Here’s to her years of rest, relaxation, drugs, sex and libation.

[05] DEPT. OF SPECULATION BY JENNY OFFILL

I don’t know what it’s like to be a mother or wife, but this book universalizes that unease that comes with love not feeling how they tell you it’s supposed to feel. Best of all, we love a book that can make you cry and can be finished in a day or two. Efficient catharsis!

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Horse Crazy by Gary Indiana, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, 10:04 by Ben Lerner, The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis, Bluets by Maggie Nelson, No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July, Having and Being Had by Eula Biss, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Eagan, The Hours by Michael Cunningham, The White Album by Joan Didion.

Justin Moran is a creative director and the editor of DRAFTING W/ RUN-A-MUCK. He knows perfect culture — here’s everything else he thinks is perfect:

[01] “SMALL WORLD” BY METTE

This Substack is no stranger to the powers of Mette. The Minneapolis native’s new single, “Small World,” arrived this week with a music video alongside performer Chiara Bartl-Salvi. It’s simple, shot inside an empty warehouse and puts a spotlight on Mette’s choreography as she declares, “I’m way too big for such a small world.” I think everything should end with a dramatic dance sequence in the rain.

[02] DUSTED

All my favorite summer tees are from Dusted. Everything is handpicked by model Ian Jeffrey, who independently runs the appointment-only shop out of Greenpoint. Real perfection is clothing that can endure years of wear and pass from one owner to the next, collecting rips, stains, odd stretches et al. along the way.

[03] ANNA BLODA FOR TROYE SIVAN

Anna Bloda, photographer and owner of Bloda’s Choice in Chinatown, has always been a secret New York icon to me. There’s nobody like her in the city — she always comes to the party, sunglasses on, peroxide blonde hair slicked back and a mini dress commanding the dance floor. So I was thrilled to see Ms. Bloda on the cover of Troye Sivan’s new album, topless, nonetheless. She’s the Best is a fitting title for a woman revered by many.

[04] “SECRET LANGUAGE” BY RYAN BEATTY

Very few things make me emotional anymore, but Ryan Beatty’s “Secret Language” manages to do so with every listen. There’s a real vulnerability and innocence to his performance, and the horns in the final chorus make the acoustic ballad feel unexpectedly triumphant. Watch the video, too.

[05] COQODAQ

I’m typically wary of anything TikTok recommends to me, but COQODAQ is worth being influenced by. It feels a bit like 2010s TAO, in the best way, when nightlife meant bottle service, Hervé Léger bandage dresses and “Fergalicious” on the speakers. Get the chicken bucket to share with your friends, but definitely indulge in the nuggets and caviar to start. The whole experience is decadent and a bit ridiculous, but the food lives up to the hype.

Josh Silver‘s Fruit Fly is the literary world’s latest obsession. The book was gifted to Anne Hathaway by Jack Edwards during an interview with Matt Damon, prompting the actress to promise she’d “tear through it.” And for good reason: the satirical thriller follows an author desperate to pen a bestseller who takes Google’s advice to “go gay, go sad, go dark” — downloading Grindr, creating a fake profile with her husband’s photos, and finding inspiration for her book in a young man’s life.

For DRAFTING, the Sunday Times Best Seller takes us behind the book and into his own creative life — from the time he spent living and writing in New York to what happens when the thing you’ve been working toward suddenly becomes a hit.

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Me writing my next book in my apartment in Bed-Stuy.

This was a fun moment.

I heard someone say this in a queue — I’m interested in the way this word is used nowadays.

The people at New York’s independent book stores have been so lovely and excited about the book. This was just before the launch. Walker is the guy who made it happen, he’s handing me the books.

When I lost my keys.

That’s me finishing a chapter.

Trying on a top for my twin.

I biked everywhere in New York.

I take photos of random people’s shoes I like (I always ask).

A man who worked in Duane Reade was doing a survey.

DIY bleaching on the road.

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Miss Benny’s acting career spans hits like Fuller House and Netflix’s Glamorous, and she’ll hit the silver screen this November in Jordan Firstman’s buzzy directorial debut Club Kid. She’s also the co-host of a just-completed comedy podcast recapping the Bible, When Sodom Met Gomorrah, alongside Buddy Keaton.

Today, she shares exclusively with DRAFTING a comedy sex pilot called BRICKS, about the men who have sex with trans girls — in this instance, three girls’ parallel hookup experiences on one night. She wrote the pilot with her two closest girlfriends (Josie Totah and Dylan Mulvaney) in mind.

“The three of us would gather around every week to hear about what nonsense was going on in our rooms,” Bennys says. “We had such different opinions, and our surrounding friends found it so scandalous who and what we were doing.”

Now Miss Benny is finishing up a feature draft as she eagerly awaits the release of Club Kid. Read an exclusive taste of the BRICKS pilot, below.

INT. LIZZY’S BEDROOM

A creaking bed, some heavy breathing. Is this... sex?

LIZZY (O.S.)
(moaning)
Fuckkkkk...

It IS sex.

Two matching bedside tables. A mouth guard, dirty cups, maybe a used Kleenex. The things you hide when it’s a one-night-stand, but are careless about when it’s a six-year relationship.

And that’s what this is.

LIZZY (Late 20s, trans woman, the vanilla girl on the cusp of going mildly less vanilla) rides ALEX (Late 20s, cisgender man — the archetypal ‘first love’ boyfriend model) in their bed.

LIZZY
Grab my tits...

He does.

ALEX
Bounce up and down more.

She does.

This sex is familiar. The sex of a couple that knows exactly what to do to get to the end result together (see: stale).

INT. CLUB BAR — THAT SAME NIGHT

DANA (Late 20s, trans, clinically sultry – if Samantha Jones was also a misandrist) stands at a bar with an EARNEST GUY (Late 20s, too earnest). This is a date.

EARNEST GUY
(yapping)
...and I don’t think “the apps” themselves are the problem, but it’s disheartening when...

...Yadda yadda yadda. He goes on and Dana passively nods as she notices:

HOT AS FUCK GUY (Mid-30s, hot as fuck) looking at her from across the bar. He approaches.

DANA
(interrupting)

I’m sorry, I don’t really like my drink. Could you get the bartender’s attention for me?

EARNEST GUY
Sure.

He diligently turns around and flags the bartender’s attention.

Meanwhile HOT AS FUCK GUY has arrived and brushes his hand across Dana’s back while EARNEST GUY isn’t looking. He leans in and sexily whispers:

HOT AS FUCK GUY
Meet me in the bathroom.

With this, he disappears into the night like Batman (Robert Pattinson's Version). On Dana's contemplation...

CUT TO:

INT. PRINCE CHARMING’S BEDROOM — NIGHT

EMILY (Late 20s, trans, polite but sexy; think a politician's daughter got yassified) is carried into a bedroom by PRINCE CHARMING (30s, male, a trad-husband dream). He tosses her onto the bed.

EMILY
Careful, I’m a fragile girl!

PRINCE CHARMING
Oh we’ll see about that...

They kiss. It's sexy in a dorky way.

PRINCE CHARMING (CONT’D)
How are you feeling?

EMILY
I feel good.
(beat)
How do you feel?

PRINCE CHARMING
(dirty talk)
I just want to take this at whatever pace makes you feel comfortable...

This works on Emily.

EMILY
(dirty talking)
I am happy to hear you say that... I also want to label that I am so grateful you have been respectful of my boundaries...
(beat)
You have my consent.

They kiss again, this time 10% more sexy.

PRINCE CHARMING
(a la “Princess Bride”)
Asssss youuuu wishhhhh.

Emily smiles.

She prances to the bathroom as PRINCE CHARMING begins to undress.

CUT BACK TO:

INT. LIZZY’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS FROM BEFORE

Lizzy is picking up the pace in her riding rhythm.

LIZZY
I’m getting kinda close, could you cum?

ALEX
Wait, wait—

Suddenly, Alex's dick slips out. Lizzy reaches back to put it back in when she realizes: it's flaccid.

LIZZY
...You okay?

Lizzy tries to get him going again with her hand, with no luck.

LIZZY
Do you want to—

ALEX
No, no, it’s fine. Let me just get you off.
(beat)

ALEX (CONT’D)
Let’s just get you off.

CUT BACK TO:

INT. DANCE FLOOR OF THE BAR — CONTINUOUS FROM BEFORE

Dana dances with EARNEST GUY on the dance floor. He's trying to hold her attention, but she's distracted. After a beat:

DANA
I’ll be right back.

She exits the dance floor...

INT. BAR BATHROOM HALLWAY — CONTINUOUS

...and approaches the restrooms to see HOT AS FUCK GUY is standing in the dimly lit hallway. The sexual tension is palpable.

DANA
I believe you wanted me to come.

HOT AS FUCK GUY
Still do.

A beat. And then we're off. They furiously make out and he pulls her into the single-stall restroom with him.

INT. BATHROOM STALL — CONTINUOUS

The two kiss and stumble around the room looking for a surface. He throws Dana onto the counter.

HOT GUY
You’re such a little slut.

DANA
You’re such a big dick.

He starts to feel down her body.

HOT GUY
Speaking of...

He reaches his hand into her pants and freezes. The sexiness comes to a screeching halt.

HOT GUY (CONT’D)
...Where is your dick?

DANA
What the fuck?

HOT GUY
Aren’t you trans?

He pulls his hand out and starts to get dressed again.

DANA
Are you fucking serious?

He makes way to exit the bathroom, but turns back to Dana before leaving.

HOT GUY
You should really disclose that you don’t have a cock if you’re gonna be trans like that.

BACK TO:

INT. PRINCE CHARMING’S BATHROOM — CONTINUOUS FROM BEFORE

Emily closes the bathroom door behind her, and turns on the faucet. She starts digging through the drawers in this man’s bathroom.

EMILY
(sotto)
...C’mon, fucker you have to wipe your ass somehow....

BINGO! – a pack of wet wipes. Except they’re DUDE WIPES: The butt wipes for MEN with CLEAN ASSHOLES.

She scoffs at the branding and uses one to freshen up her pits, tits, and ass.

She takes her clothes off to reveal her girly lingerie underneath. She removes the foam padding in her bra and rips the cleavage tape off of her chest – wincing in pain silently.

A deep breath as she exits the bathroom and into the bedroom where she finds...

INT. PRINCE CHARMING’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS

PRINCE CHARMING is completely naked on all fours, hole to the sky, waiting for her.

EMILY
JESUS CHRIST!

Emily recoils and covers her eyes. PRINCE CHARMING is startled and cowers into the blanket.

PRINCE CHARMING
What?!

EMILY
What are you doing!?

PRINCE CHARMING
Waiting for you, baby girl!

Emily is horrified and quickly grabs her stuff.

PRINCE CHARMING (CONT’D)
Where are you going??

Emily, with her eyes still covered, runs towards the door and slams into the doorframe like one of the three-fucking-stooges.

INT. PRINCE CHARMING’S APARTMENT HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Emily stands in the hallway, still underwear-clad, holding all of her stuff.

EMILY
(horrified)
Oh my God!

INT. LIZZY’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS FROM BEFORE

Lizzy’s eyes roll back in ecstasy as Alex’s head bobs under a blanket.

LIZZY
(moaning)
Ohhhh myyyy Goddddd......

INT. BATHROOM STALL - CONTINUOUS FROM BEFORE

Dana sits on the counter of the bathroom stunned as HOT AS FUCK GUY leaves the bathroom and slams the door behind him.

DANA
Oh my God.

TITLE CARD: BRICKS

Sabrina Jalees knows comedy from every angle. The Canadian actor and writer has spent years moving between stand-up and TV, bringing her perspective as a queer Muslim woman to credits on Big Mouth, Search Party and Harley Quinn, while appearing onscreen in projects like Carol’s Second Act, Black Mirror and I Used to Be Funny.

Now, she’s stepping into a role in the highly anticipated second season of Heated Rivalry. Behind the scenes, Jalees is just as busy: she created the upcoming Netflix comedy Toxic Moms, starring Ashley Tisdale and executive produced by Ali Wong, and is currently writing a film for Amazon about a “fucked up” father-daughter relationship set in the world of pickleball.

For DRAFTING, Jalees opens up the projects and ideas still taking shape, alongside the in-between moments of life that inevitably find their way into the work.

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This is a map that a witch in Mexico drew for my wife, Shauna, who was getting her tarot cards read after I had taken a surf lesson from this gorgeous man that I asked to be my sperm donor and he said yes. So the witch had drawn this map and it was a place she was supposed to sit on the beach to manifest our first son, Wolfie. The map worked, the jizz worked.

Now I’m writing a movie about finding the balls to become a parent, all puns intended. Does anyone have a title for me? I was gonna call it Jizzness Trip, but that feels like a porn. And it’s sort of just this sweet, beautiful story that’s taken me so long to write. Because wow, when you try to map a movie on a glorious, treasured part of your life, things get kind of precious. So I’ve been on this long journey in writing the movie where I’ve realized I have to fictionalize some stuff. I’ve had to break from the truth to get deeper into the truth. So here’s a page from the movie.

My wife just got a CD player, and we've been hosting salons at night with strobe lights and old mix tapes. Remember that song “In The Morning” by the Junior Boys? I didn't either, but now it's on repeat. And from this era I'm loving “Sabali (Miike Snow Remix).” My style is to choose one song and repeat it for weeks until it feels like I've lost my mind. If you really want to feel like you're on the verge of being 51/50'd, do this with “Mr. Sandman” [by The Chordettes].

This Note pairs with a photo of Rowan in the carousel in Puerto Vecchio this July. My heart was so full I needed to create this nightmare and jot it down, I guess. If I wrote myself a Liam Neeson Taken movie, it’d start like this.

My office in Eagle Rock. I have two candles burning — nice candles make me feel like I made it and I’m luxurious. I have one pickleball. I've fully converted from tennis to pickleball, which I know is like a runner leaving the marathon world to pursue speed walking — but I care not, I’m addicted. There’s a picture of myself writing as a kid, a tub of purple Play-Doh, and a stack of papers I keep stacking and never sorting. Oh, and pens. Pens galore, babe.

These squishy toys. We recently had Dan Levy on our podcast, Good Enough, and he was complaining about the amount of squishy toys his family had collected. He brought one in and by the end of the podcast I was full heroin addict longing for the touch and squeeze of this fake bread baguette made of heaven. Don’t think I don’t know about the news stories rolling out where kids end up with 20 degree burns from the hot squishies being left in cars and exploding. For some reason, the danger factor is making me more attracted. I have like seven in my cart right now, and I do feel it’s only a matter of time before I cave and invest.

The day we picked up our “purebred Frenchie,” Cowboy, from a farm full of Boston terriers. As it turns out, he’s also a Boston.

When Ali Wong invites you to the basketball game, you’re in the good seats and you get to clean out the extra snacks in the suite without shame.

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THE DRAFT is RUN-A-MUCK’s Friday list of everything we think is perfect — the shows we binged, the songs on repeat, the objects we’d never redesign, the ideas and experiences that don’t need improving. This is culture without revision — no edits, no notes.

DUET is the collaborative exhibition of Zac + JuJu, the photography duo who collage their individual perspectives into a single, shared frame. Using disposable cameras, the pair has spent countless nights capturing the same performances separately, before piecing their adjacent shots together into a third, entirely new image. The result is 16 compositions on view now at Brooklyn’s Westlab + Gallery. Zac + JuJu know perfect collaboration — here's everything else they think is perfect.

[01] DONATELLO’S DAVID

Not only is Donatello’s David a masterpiece of the Early Renaissance, but it’s also the first freestanding, life-sized nude male sculpture made since antiquity. The sculpture is also my ideal gender — a perfect mix of masculine and feminine, with a hand on hip confidence. It’s easily one of my favorite depictions of gender in art history.

[02] DISPOSABLE CAMERAS

Disposables are underrated. Everything in our show, DUET, was shot on a disposable camera. The cameras are unassuming and show that you don’t need fancy equipment to make good photographs.There’s something magical about those limitations. All you need is film, a subject you love and, most importantly, the flash (make sure you use the flash).

[03] PISCES

Pisces are easily the most perfect astrological sign. I’m not interested in hearing arguments to the contrary. As the final and oldest sign of the zodiac, Pisces contains a little bit of all the signs that came before it, which makes them empathetic, adaptable, creative, spiritual, emotional and occasionally completely impossible to understand. They contain contradictions, which I think is part of the appeal. And yes, I’m a Pisces.

[04] SITTING OUTSIDE ALONE WHILE THE SUN SETS

I sit outside by myself during sunset almost every day (weather permitting). It sounds incredibly boring, but it’s genuinely my favorite part of the day. I need that little stretch of time when I’m not photographing, working, talking to anyone or trying to accomplish anything. I just sit there and let my brain wander. It’s when I process what happened that day and where a lot of my ideas begin. In fact, the idea for DUET came to me during one of these moments. There’s something perfect about doing absolutely nothing and realizing you’re actually doing something very important.

[05] ALL NIGHT SKATE

All Night Skate is a bar in Brooklyn that is neither a skate rink or open all night. But it’s been one of my homes for the past five years. I can always show up as myself there and inevitably run into some of the most queer, creative and talented people I’ve ever met in my life. It’s also where I’ve taken some of my favorite photos. All of the photos JuJu and I made for DUET were taken there. I think a perfect place is one that makes you want to keep coming back — not because you have to, but because you know something good will happen when you walk through the door.

[01] JAI’LEN JOSEY’S SERIAL ROMANTIC ALBUM

I’ve been obsessed with Jai’Len Josey’s music for so long and all of her music is literally 10 out of 10. This new album, Serial Romantic, is truly a lover girl album and I’ve been in my lover girl era for about a year now. It sums up my love life perfectly. My favorite songs are “This Time Around,” “Out Of My Body” and the title song, “Serial Romantic.”

[02] REAL HOUSEWIVES ON BRAVO

Real Housewives has held such a special place in my heart for many years. I love watching rich women fight about petty issues and they always give me such a good laugh. My favorite cities are Atlanta, Potomac and Salt Lake City. I will literally just have it playing in the background in my day to day life. I quote them all the time.

[03] BLACK BROWN BROADWAY

Black Brown Broadway is a talk show where Black and Brown performers/artists/shows and perspectives are amplified, celebrated and acknowledged. My lovely cohost, Melanie, created the show with her friend, Boubakar, and I am truly so grateful to be a part of it as a cohost. Getting together with friends talking about theater is my favorite thing to do. You can stream most of our episodes on YouTube at Black Brown Broadway. (More episodes to come and stay tuned for the next season.)

[04] ZAZA OPULENCE

ZaZa Opulence is a showgirl extraordinaire who made her debut almost one year ago today — with the help of her drag mom/sister DiDi Opulence making me feel the most beautiful I have ever felt anytime she paints me. I love my sisters Scarlett, Kylie, Tres, and Groovy. We truly are a sisterhood, now and forever. Just wait until we do our family show, it’s going to be ovah.

[05] FILM PICTURES AT ALL NIGHT SKATE

All Night Skate, a bar in Brooklyn, has truly become my second home the past three years. I’ve been taking film pictures there since 2024. Getting to capture queer and trans art in such a beautiful place is very needed today. Some of my favorite pictures are showcased at Westlab + Gallery in the show titled DUET — a collaboration between me and Zacrilegious. We have a tendency to take pictures at the same time at All Night Skate and we decided to collage the pictures together to make a third image.

This January, Greyson Chance set a hard deadline for himself. “By June 15th. I would have a fully mastered album into the system,” says the Oklahoma musician, who hasn’t released an album since 2022’s Palladium. “I delivered it on June 12th, three days ahead of schedule.”

Titled BOYSTOWN, Chance’s forthcoming effort is a fully independent record, due out September 25. “It is my vision, my heart, my money. I have no manager or record label at the current moment. It’s the first time that has ever been the case since I started when I was a kid. This is the most liberated I have ever felt creating art.”

For DRAFTING, Chance brings us through the album-making process, from a photographer that inspired the visual world to a playlist that set the foundation for what it sounded like.

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My boyfriend and I broke up the day before Christmas Eve. It had been three years since my last record. I was by myself in Oklahoma. Things were upside down. I discovered the photographer Arthur Tress and became obsessed with a photograph of his, Band-Aid Fantasy. It’s subtle, but there’s a lot happening in the picture — at least to me there is. Who hurt who? Is it self-inflicted? Who ripped the band-aid off first?

The first piece of music I remember writing was a progression in B major. The piano part was reminiscent of “Holocene” by Bon Iver, but it also reminded me of something Bruce Hornsby would have played. The first recording is marked January 11th, called “Boystown new chorus, exploring.” I don’t remember the original chorus.

Outside my affinity for the gayborhood in Chicago, the word felt like a bridge to a larger concept. What if I made an album that followed the arc of my relationship, but used that structure as a space for me to explore parts of my own relationship to queerness? I also liked the idea of an album that encapsulated a period of time — something not overthought, but raw and authentic. A note I wrote to myself in January.

I knew John Fellner could be a good producer for the project. He was young and eager to sink his teeth into something. I also loved his string production. I remember not wanting to scare him in the beginning, for I felt like my energy was verging on crackhead mania. Could this straight Canadian boy handle it? A text I sent him early on.

I also made him this playlist, originally called btownworld. It’s funny, I don’t remember playing these songs during the writing process at all. These were all songs from albums that I had worn down in my teens and early 20s. Sonically, I’m not even sure they made that much sense being grouped together. Was the playlist for John or was it a way to trigger a feeling of nostalgia within me? I don’t know.

It was confirmed. 20 days in a studio outside of Toronto to make a full-length album. Time was of the essence, I was moving fast and I was taking around 100mg of THC everyday. Is it substance abuse if it’s pot? I hit up Linus Johnson, a friend of mine and the best film photographer I know, to start talking visuals. There was a line on the record already, “What is it to be masculine, what is it to be feminine?” That felt like a cornerstone. I wanted to use hyper-masculine spaces as symbols — a sports field, locker room, bathrooms. I’m a horrible drawer, but I sent a few sketches to Linus to get the ball rolling.

Linus came to Oklahoma a few weeks later. We shot all the principal photography across two days. My friends modeled for me, helped style, set designed, carried gear and drank their way through all the booze at my house. I had so much fun those two days. I couldn’t believe what we were pulling off.

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Meyer made The Wrong Girls alongside long-time friend and creative partner Maggie McLean, who also serves as a producer on the film. Below, Meyer shares an exclusive look at the path that led her and McLean to The Wrong Girls (and to their deep friendship).

Prologue

I met Maggie McLean and I loved her immediately. A lot of people do, but I was really aggressive about it. Territorial. And certain. I displayed uncharacteristic vision and follow-through — I drove up to Berkeley and made a case for us living together (in Los Angeles) when I barely knew her. I manipulated circumstances to make it happen. I was crazy, but I was also right.

We lived together for five happy, harmonious years — the happiest of my whole life — and I wrote a movie about that time. It’s called The Wrong Girls. I took some liberties with the plot but the overall vibe is pure memoir.

Eventually, Maggie and I grew up — she met real-life Josh (he rocks) and moved out. Got married. Then I forced her to work with me so we started a production company together called Nevermind Pictures. Now we’re releasing The Wrong Girls — the movie I wrote and directed about our friendship that she produced. This is a picture essay of that chaotic journey.

One: In the Beginning

When we met we were vegan and we were brunette. We wore slip on girl-shoes and black tights a lot. We had weird odd jobs we didn’t like that didn’t pay us well. We got a deep fryer and went crazy. We financed a $250 TV and paid it off in monthly handwritten check installments of $12.50. We got baked and went to Souplantation all the time. Our home was HOME.

Two

This was our house that we called La Mija de Jose because Jose was our landlord and he lived in the front house with his family. Jose loved to chat but his family wasn’t that into us. We had a lot of loud parties and invited strange cats to move in without asking. Jose never made it an issue because he was a g and also he had a pretty lax relationship to being a landlord. He helped us clean up party trash. He told us neighborhood gossip. Eventually he got 6 Chihuahuas and his nephew H———— moved into the garage and started dealing drugs out of there, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Three

This partnership is incredibly creative and fulfilling. There is a spirit of innovation shared between us and a commitment to outside-the-box methods. This makes us ideal filmmaking partners. We’re asking the big questions and exploring grandiose possibilities.

Four

This is the peak of us being Wrong Girls. I called Maggie crying because there was a rat stuck behind my bed. She invented this solution. This is the most important piece of filmmaking we will ever collaborate on.

Five

This is what happens when Wrong Girls try to go on vacation.

This is what happens when Wrong Girls try to drink champagne.

Six

This is when I moved out of our house. Maggie had moved out 5 years before, but this was year 11 at La Mija de Jose. It was a real painful goodbye and we had a big party to send it off. Everyone gave testimonials about psycho shit they had seen go down at that place and reflected on all the growing up they had done there. We never did get that cheesecake fully off our ceiling. Sorry, Jose.

Seven

This is a house we almost used as The Wrong Girls house in New Jersey. The second of three separate attempts to make this movie. It was the only house that we could find in all of New Jersey that would remotely resemble Los Angeles. Ultimately, that funding fell through shortly after this. I include this element to point out how long and hard we ran in zig zags uphill trying to make this thing. We were supremely hungover in this photo and almost both threw up in a tunnel.

Eight

This is Maggie and me making The Wrong Girls together, sitting on the half pipe of a DIY space we grew up going to punk shows at — now long since closed. No words I ever put down here will fully sum up what it meant to be able to do this together. Without a trace of insincerity I tell you this now: we are the wind beneath each others’ wings.

Nine

These are some voice notes Maggie left me a few months ago after returning to La Mija de Jose to pick up some boots she mistakenly shipped there 10 years after she’d moved out. A moment where we really confronted the magnitude of this experience. There are at least 4 Chihuahuas left and they’ve repainted the house. Not sure why Jose stopped decorating for Christmas and Halloween. It does worry me a bit.

Ten

Here is a pic of who The Wrong Girls are now and forever.

Amber Glenn has already cemented herself as one of the most decorated figure skaters of her generation. Her breakout 2026 Olympic season saw her help clinch gold for Team USA in the team event, while making history as the first American woman to complete three triple Axels in a single Games. Off the ice, Glenn has become just as known for her voice — using her platform to push for greater LGBTQ+ visibility and stronger mental health support within her sport.

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For DRAFTING, Glenn spotlights some of the daily habits, personal memories and behind-the-scenes moments that define her life beyond competition.

Me in Japan at Magic: The Gathering after the Grand Prix Final banquet. That was a lot of fun.

I get up around 7:50 if I’m lucky, usually closer to 8. Then I set an alarm to walk my dog Uki before leaving for the rink. I have an alarm set to make sure I enter my whereabouts for USADA drug testing, and when I get ready for bed.

Me in the window of my hotel room at my first nationals in 2015. That is the first photo on my camera roll. I guess it goes back really far.

A local Star Wars-themed bar, called Allusion. The drinks were amazing.

From the Olympics, when I’m trying on Nike gear.

A little prank the Stars On Ice cast decided to pull on me. I left a napkin out and said, “Please sign,” referring to the credential I had. They decided, Let’s all sign this and give Amber the napkin. Luckily, they did end up signing the credential, but it was very silly. They all signed the napkin.

If you know me, you know I love Magic: The Gathering. This shows how I organize things.

I went to Bellingham to visit my sister and this is me on the lake with Uki.

When I visited Starbucks HQ, they were kind enough to provide us with our coffee orders. Mine is an Iced Caramel Macchiato. I got to meet Oksana, which was so cool — such a sweetheart.

It’s tragically sad, but beautiful. I really relate to it because for a long time I felt like I was almost there — and this song really describes that.

Me playing Magic with Uki on my lap. She is like a heating pad — so warm, so soft, so sweet.

This was in the process of making “Like a Prayer” with Mattie Love, a choreographer and dancer for Madonna. We’re going over some arm work, which became one of my favorite parts of my short program last year.

The day after my birthday last year. I’m in New York celebrating 100 days out from the Olympics. These incredible people are like family to me. I guess I said something funny, I love that I got that on camera.

A picture Alysa Liu took. I went to a hot pot dinner with some people from US figure skating and some fans that are absolutely incredible. They took us out to hot pot and a lot of them brought me gifts for my birthday. It was such a lovely night in Chongqing and I was so appreciative of it because I was traveling on my birthday.

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THE DRAFT is RUN-A-MUCK’s Friday list of everything we think is perfect — the shows we binged, the songs on repeat, the objects we’d never redesign, the ideas and experiences that don’t need improving. This is culture without revision — no edits, no notes.

Whether you’ve seen Richard Perez in The Moment, on stage or your FYP, he’s probably made you laugh. Lucky for you, the New York-based comedian has an upcoming show, I Have To Do This, directed by Charlie Bardey, that promises to be “a full-hearted, sexually explicit exploration of partnership, vulnerability, and, yeah, love.” We’ll see you there. Perez knows perfect comedy. — here’s everything else he thinks is perfect.

[01] LONG WALKS IN NEW YORK CITY

I fucking love it. Can I cuss? I fricking love it. Use that as an option? Anyway, I love walking so much. I need headphones to score my walk, and sometimes I take breaks and I’ll record a voice memo, which is my way of journaling — kind of just talking to myself about whatever I wanna process. There’s a woman online who goes on super long walks in NYC and she gets such high engagement. I’m happy for her. I wanna go on her walks, and expand my horizons and paths. I thank her for that.

[02] CELSIUS

I can’t tell if you’re killing me softly, but what you do to me, I can’t even find the words. I come to life. I become someone with focus. My eyes are bulged. I’m so caffeinated, I’m completely free and in flow. I’m a vessel and source is channeling through me. Celsius, we should work together. I need money so badly and I love you. I can’t tell if this is killing me, but isn’t all that’s perfect killing us?

[03] “OH MY GOD” BY MARK RONSON (FEAT. LILY ALLEN)

This song re-entered my life last week and it’s completely stunning. It reminds me of when I was in London last year for a month working on The Moment. It was my first time out of the US and I quite literally, to quote the song, “Never been this far away from home.” I’ve been having day dreams of posting a perfect carousel along to this song, specifically at 2:40 when the layered vocals and trumpet player take you away. I hope to act in another movie someday soon.

[04] A PERFECT FULL MOON, SO HERE ARE MY MANIFESTATIONS

• I am grateful for all the tremendous opportunities I have in my life right now.

• My debts are taken care of and my finances are abundant. I am relieved and I feel free.

• I love that my shows always sell out and I love my wonderful solo show, I Have To Do This.

• I am dating my crush and we are so in love. We are couple goals. Love when we fuck.

• This post is so viral and in such a good way. People are resonating with my words.

• I love the way I am.

[05] ADIDAS LITTLE BLUE SHORTS

If you know you know, I’m wearing those little blue shorts all summer long. If you look at my grid, you will in seconds probably see a photo of me in those little blue shorts. They’re so perfect. Comfy, easy, so sexy. I feel so breedable in them. Can I please say that? Anyway, they’re so cute. I got mine at a thrift store on one of my long walks and they ran for $5. The perfect clothes come to you.

Justin Moran is a creative director and the editor of DRAFTING W/ RUN-A-MUCK. He knows perfect culture — here’s everything else he thinks is perfect:

[01] THE LITTLE RED LIGHTHOUSE

This 40-foot, cherry red tower is Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse. Most people in my immediate network don’t know it existed, and I didn’t either, until I decided to bike there this past weekend (playing the new Charli XCX on repeat). It’s the perfect ride up to George Washington Bridge — and, if you time it right, your ride back down the West Side can catch the perfect sunset. I suppose it’s less about the lighthouse itself than it is the journey to get there — but Little Red is pretty cute.

[02] “BOSS TRIX (BENNY’S SONG)” BY NIROSTA STEEL

Nirosta Steel’s 17-track album, MY SKYSCRAPER, is packed with so many strange little discoveries — some more challenging and oddball than others. The 69-year-old (real name Steven Hall) released this project to sudden, surprise acclaim (a rare Pitchfork 9.0), with a collection that spans four decades and even more genres (dub, funk, disco, house). Its oddball opener, “English Party,” was apparently written as a demo for Madonna, but the real star is “Boss Trix (Benny’s Song),” inspired by his boyfriend. This breezy song somehow sounds like it could’ve been made this year.

[03] STEVE’S AUTHENTIC KEY LIME PIE

The single-serve four-inch tart is all you need. I’ve been spending more time in Red Hook lately and these little graham-cracker-crusted pies are always a zesty treat. It’s the best $6.50 you’ll ever spend and a perfect weekend reward.

[04] FRONT ROW FEELINGS BY ALEXANDRA WAESPI

Front row fans are the toughest soldiers, and London photographer Alexandra Waespi captures this beautifully with her series, Front Row Feelings. I love these Harry Styles fans. Witnessing your favorite artist up close can truly elicit so many emotions, from love to bewilderment. I remember when I waited all day to be front row for Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball in St. Paul, Minnesota. Then, it was the perfect way to spend my time.

[05] HAIR AS SEEN BY SERGIO ESTRADA

NYC-based hair stylist Sergio Estrada collaborated with photographer Claudio Robles on this special one-night presentation that celebrated his queer community, Mexican heritage and, above all, untouchable wigs. With underground icons like Memphy and Fashion as featured models, the photos put Estrada’s sculptural approach to hair on full display. The photos are timeless and the actual event, held at a Brooklyn gallery, brought together all the coolest club kids — and to accomplish that before sunset means you’re doing something right.

As one of the world’s most glamorous drag superstars, Violet Chachki has spent years as a close witness to fashion’s all-time greats — collaborating with everyone from Prada and Moschino to Jean Paul Gaultier and Pat McGrath Labs. “I actually went to school for fashion design before dropping out to pursue drag full time,” she says.

Now, she’s channeling that eye into her own label, DARDO, rooted in fantasy and unapologetic self-expression, with a debut ready-to-wear drop that includes trompe-l’œil swim briefs and a “100% Pleasure” tee.

For DRAFTING, Chachki takes us inside DARDO’s creative process — the research, moodboards, sketches, and back-and-forth texts with designers — along with the wild, in-between life moments that spark her best ideas.

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I wanted to do a graphic tee, similar to my drag merch, but a bit more special and nothing to do with drag. I love the Y2K slogan tees, like the iconic Britney Spears “Dump Him” shirt and what they wore in Mean Girls. I was shopping in Joshua Tree at thrift stores, which is my therapy, and I found a book about desserts, called 100% Pleasure. It says, “From appetizers to desserts, the low-fat cookbook for people who love to eat.” I thought it was such a fabulous book and phrase, and I liked the double meaning. It has this Devil's Food Cake on the cover. And that’s what I want my brand to be about: pleasure, self-love and freedom. So it was my first message to put on a shirt and I had my graphic artist that I work with draft up a few ideas. We did some back and forth, and here is me doodling over his sketch. In this screenshot, he made the male figure me in drag, but I had him change that because this project is supposed to be off stage.

Me in 2009. I was probably 16 in this picture and going through my scene kid phase. That's my bedroom behind me, and I had a whole black and white editorial wall of images I had taken out of magazines I’d stolen from Barnes and Noble. You can see a Hedi Slimane Dior Homme ad right behind my right shoulder. I cut my hair into that style and I was stretching my ears out, and it was the time when indie sleaze, scene kids and being emo was real. MySpace was real. I've been thinking about it a lot lately because the new generation is doing a similar aesthetic in an ironic way, but I remember when I was doing it in 2009. Wearing these outfits in public was dangerous. A lot of people had never seen a guy wearing skinny jeans before, especially in Atlanta. It was really counterculture back then. So now that I'm seeing the scene kid aesthetic come back, I’ve been going down memory lane. This is also on a MacBook Photo Booth, which is so appropriate and authentic, as well.

I recently got a boyfriend for the first time, like ever. We were doing long distance for a minute and I was really missing him. I took myself out to lunch and I sent him this little doodle because I missed him, and I think it's really funny and cute. There are certain features that I really like about him and I tried to feature those in my doodle.

A selfie I took in Fire Island. I'm wearing DARDO out for the first time ever. We were on our way to a pool party in the Pines, and I felt cute and sexy. I love that Fire Island is a sacred, safe space for queer people. It's definitely one of my favorite places in the entire world. I actually brought a whole suitcase of speedos and belted swim briefs and shirts to give out to people, but I partied for seven days nonstop, so I didn't take pictures of anyone in the outfits. This is the one pic I got from Fire Island when I was meant to do a full shoot.

Me performing in Barcelona, Spain, back in March. I love these two ladies in the front row, who are gagging. I think I had just dropped into a split and done a hair flip, which is one of my go-to cheap drag tricks. I just love these two girls in the front: the one with her hand out and the one with her phone out in a zebra top and a bob. I live for it. There’s also a guy in the background gagging and a goth girl in the front gagging. It makes the split worth it. I'll break my hip for these people.

Pride had just happened and it was intense. I saw this post on Instagram and I couldn't relate to it more. I was at this crossroads a while ago when I chose to not transition into a woman, and to just identify as gender fluid and be a cis man and do drag as my gender expression. Now I feel like I'm back at this crossroads again because I would like to go to the gym more and maybe lean into my Butch Queen-ism a bit. So I thought this graphic was so funny. It made me feel better because it made me realize that a lot of people deal with this, and a lot of people are going through trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be and where they fit in. It was really comforting just scrolling and seeing this.

This is from a guy that I was trying to hang out with, so I invited him and put him on the list for this party in Los Angeles. He said he was coming, but he never showed up. It was 2:24 in the morning, which in LA, the night is basically over. So I texted him, "Going to bed,” and sent a picture of the grandma from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as my response. I'm gonna start sending the grandma from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a response more often. I am a grandma now, so I'm going to bed.

A very crude sketch of an unreleased zip-up hoodie that I think will be dropping in early fall. I designed it because I love going to gigs in a hoodie and leaving in a hoodie, and I have to have a zip-up hoodie because of my makeup when I'm going to gigs. I also designed the hood to be extra long so that when I'm flying on an airplane, I can pull the hood down. I'm very excited for this to come out, I wear this all the time. Here's a little sneak peek.

To create anything, really, I'm constantly referencing. I’m such a visual person. I'm always screenshotting and saving things. I collect magazines and take pictures of everything that could possibly inspire me, aesthetically. So for the launch of DARDO, I physically printed every single possible piece of inspiration out, and went through it all and made physical moodboards. It's nice to look at everything and physically touch it, and I'm going to continue to work in that way.

My feedback on the DARDO Lace Me Up One Piece.

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Welcome to Courtside.

Brittani Nichols is an Emmy-nominated writer, director, and executive producer who’s worked on Abbott Elementary, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and Suicide Kale—a feature she created with director Carly Usdin (The Syd + TP Show) that swept awards at queer festivals like Outfest and Newfest.

Now, Usdin and Nichols have teamed up again for Courtside, a project being developed with deep ties to the game. It’s executive produced by Syd Colson, with actual professional players like Colson, Gabby Williams, and Theresa Plaisance slated to appear. Here’s the premise: an injured basketball superstar’s ambitions are complicated when she falls for her teammate.

Today, we’re publishing a part of this universe: an original short story that follows Samantha, trainer of the lead character, Courtney.

Get an exclusive taste of Courtside below.

Based on characters by Brittani Nichols and Carly Usdin

Samantha watches Lolly closely examine the laminated menu. Lolly squints, not making eye contact with the waitress as she announces, “I’ll have the house salad.” Mary doesn’t dignify the menu with a glance. “That sounds good. Me, too. But can you add your freshest fish?” The waitress responds, “Our freshest fish?” It’s not the tone you want the person serving you food to take. But keep in mind, this is a diner. The same diner Sam, Mary, and Lolly frequented when they were in college and have returned to during softball alum weekend which Mary and Lolly attend almost yearly but Sam is attending for the first time. The waitress makes an executive decision. “I’m just going to add salmon. And for you?”

Sam thinks as she scans the menu in a panic. She’s a physical therapist for a professional women’s basketball team. Shouldn’t she order a salad to present an air of professionalism? Or grilled chicken! Fish, perhaps? She’s afraid to look away from the clip art food pictures, lest she be judged by her former softball teammates: two mothers of three who are keeping it tight for their balding husbands. “I’ll have the burger special–” The waitress jumps in, finishing her thought for her. “No ketchup, no mustard, add barbecue sauce.”

There’s no way…

After an hour of looking at pictures of Mary and Lolly’s Cape May home remodels, Sam approaches the cash register. She may not have a house, wife, or kids but she can at least pay for dinner to prove her worth to the straight women she used to think understood her the most out of any people in this world. Especially since the prices haven’t changed much since college.

Sam smiles at the back of the waitress, waiting patiently as she packs up a slice of blueberry pie for another patron. So much so that she doesn’t notice when Norma, the owner of the diner, clears her throat. Sam drops her card in shock. She can’t believe Norma is still alive and that she survived clearing her throat. She’s gotta be like a hundred by now and that’s not an exaggeration. But maybe you can’t tell how old anyone over 80 is until you’re over 80 like you can’t tell how old anyone over 30 is until you’re over 30 or something. This is something she’s decided she can do now that she’s 30. She picks up the card and pays then lingers as Norma shuffles away. The waitress, of course, knows what Sam is up to and finally comes over.

“You didn’t remember me.”

“I remembered you, Brooke.”

“That’s not impressive. I’m wearing a nametag that says Brooke.”

“I swear I remember you though. You would always give me extra milkshake in the silver thing.”

“So you remember what I did for you.”

“Oh my God. Ok. You used to call everyone “kid.” Even though you were the same age as the students. You would even say it to the old townie guys. Why did you do that?”

“Mostly to keep dudes from hitting on me. It kind of worked. I guess I’m kind of clever for a townie.”

“I didn’t mean townie as a pejorative.”

“How did you mean it then?”

“I just meant it as a word.”

“I saw you waiting for me. Did you want something?”

“Just to say hi. I was surprised to see you. And surprised that you remembered me.”

“Of course I remember you.”

Prior to this moment, Lolly had asked Sam no more than two questions about her life. Now Lolly won’t shut the fuck up. What were Sam and Brooke going to do? Did Sam and Brooke ever hang out when Sam was in college? Would Sam ever move back to town to be with Brooke? Did Sam know Brooke was gay when they were in college? Was Brooke Sam’s usual type? It was weird. Mary finally convinces Lolly to get in their waiting Lyft. Mary is a Lyft loyalist. A pinky fuzzy mustache is the sort of thing that bred loyalty in a woman like Mary. Lolly hugs Sam goodbye for some reason and tells her to have fun for some other reason and they’re off to the hotel to order room service red wine and watch The Morning Show or whatever it is they do.

As they stand on the footbridge, Sam wonders how many times she’s going to stick her foot in her mouth tonight. She didn’t know why she’d thought asking Brooke to show her the town’s “haunts” would be anything but a disaster. She hoped that the noise from the river had drowned out her lamenting about how she felt alone in college but clearly it hadn’t because Brooke was launching into a response. “You were pretty intent on being alone. You used to mope into the diner by yourself. Theater theys on one side. Feminist gays on the other. And you’d act like you were a different species. It’s like you were too picky for community. You wanted this apolitical lesbian cool girl coven and you kept running into queers that believed in shit. You weren’t ready to be gay yet because you thought you might have to believe in something bigger than yourself.” Sam just stands there, staring at the stars, getting read for filth. She knows Brooke is right and it’s really turning her on. Her crush from twelve years ago is back, stronger than ever. She didn’t really have time to think about if anyone else was gay back then, all she could think about was if other people thought she was.

Brooke looks remarkably the same. Middle part. Pony tail. She always moved the location of the pony around. She probably had sense enough to know that you can’t put it in the same spot over and over again without damaging your hair, unlike Sam who at the ripe age of 26 discovered a pony-induced bald spot she’s just fully recovered from. She’s thinking about cutting her hair anyway because Courtney Carter told her she could tell she’s an East Coast Lesbian because she is masc but for some reason hasn’t cut her hair. Courtney said that it wasn’t an insult but she doesn’t have the usual “I can say anything and it sounds charming” thing that most basketball superstars have so she knows it was, in fact, shade.

As they walk into Brooke’s place, Sam has learned not to ask any of the stupid questions crossing her mind like, “Why hasn’t Brooke left town?” Or, “Why does Brooke still work at the diner?” She instead wants to ask something flirtier and thus, better. As they enter the bedroom, which is clean in a way that makes it seem like she was expecting company, Sam asks, “Why did you used to give me extra milkshake?” To which Brooke responds, “Because I was trying to sleep with you. Duh.”

As they kiss, Sam can’t help but be grateful this hadn’t happened all those years ago when she surely would have made a fool of herself. Sam kisses her neck. Then smiles into her shoulder, thinking of all the awkward small talk they shared as young adults. She’d always wanted Brooke to be her friend. She used to daydream of studying at the counter and getting free pie from the hot waitress everyone had a crush on. But this is cool, too. It’s finally her turn to serve Brooke.

Sam and Brooke stand outside in the frosty late night slash early morning air, when the world itself can’t decide if it’s going to bed or getting up, and kiss goodbye as they wait for the car. Sam curses to herself remembering something.

“I forgot we’re staying in a hotel room together. They make such a big deal of letting everyone know how well they’re doing and then they still force us to stay in a room together like every held in fart is some weird talisman for intimacy. It’s insane.”

“Is your friend Lolly staying with you?”

“Yeah.”

“I slept with her when you all were in school.”
“Very funny.”

“Whose idea was it to come to the diner?”

Sam realizes it was Lolly’s idea as the car arrives. Brooke chuckles mischievously.

“Maybe don’t wait twelve years to come back to town again.”

Sam slinks into the hotel room. She stands in the darkness letting her eyes acclimate before tip-toeing to the bed, slipping out of her jeans, and climbing under the covers. It seems like Mary has remained asleep but Lolly turns towards her from the other bed. Even in the dark, they can tell they have met each other’s gaze. Sam decides to try. She whispers.

“Brooke says she remembers you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“I remember her, too.”

“That’s nice.”

“Hey, could you not…”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, Sam. One day I will. Just. Thanks.”

“Good night, Lolly.”

Charli XCX plays both camera and killer in her new “Camera” music video, which stars French actor Vincent Cassel on a desert film set.

A crashed car smokes in the background as Cassel gets doused in fake blood and repeatedly reshoots a death scene — all while technical mishaps and his own frustration derail production. Directed by Aidan Zamiri, Charli’s longtime collaborator, the black-and-white visual is the fourth cinematic release off the pop star’s new album, Music, Fashion, Film, out this Friday, July 24 — following “Rock Music,” “SS26” and “Wink Wink.”

For DRAFTING, Charli dives into her “Camera” creative process — from early conversations about how she’d appear on screen to the visual references that shaped the final look, offering a glimpse into the collaborative back-and-forth behind the video.

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This image of James Dean was a key jumping off point for Aidan and I. He looks so exhausted, so fed up, so over it. It triggered us into thinking about push and pull of emotions when making something — the idea of putting yourself through something uncomfortable in pursuit of art and performance. It’s something that we really connected to. Even though it can feel hard and sometimes humiliating, there’s a burning passion to get to this place where you feel something powerful and indescribable.

Then we had to cast our actor. We knew from the beginning we wanted it to be Vincent, simply because he’s the coolest. We were very excited when he said he was down.

Aidan and I went back and forth about my presence in the video. We knew we wanted me on top of the camera, but in a more “presence,” voyeuristic type way — but without dressing me up as a ghoul. We wanted my position to feel strong, almost like I was actually the camera itself. We sent a bunch of Helmut Newton images back and forth.

As we were shooting a film within a film, we needed to write a scene for Vincent’s character to struggle through. In our head, we were going for some sort of big bombastic action movie — a kind of casino royale or Bourne identity.

Aidan and I waiting for Vincent to call us to talk about the details of the shoot whilst we were on set of my “Wink Wink” music video. Obviously, it doesn’t look like it here, but we’re pretty certain we have magic powers and we cast a spell that made the phone ring exactly when we wanted to.

Aidan positioning Vincent’s character’s crashed car the day before we shot.

All of us on set watching back one of our first rehearsals.

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THE DRAFT is RUN-A-MUCK’s Friday list of everything we think is perfect — the shows we binged, the songs on repeat, the objects we’d never redesign, the ideas and experiences that don’t need improving. This is culture without revision — no edits, no notes.

Girlfriend, Wife is the LA duo of Kacy Hill and Tessa DeNicola. What started as a side project between two friends turned into a sold-out debut at the Fonda Theatre and early co-signs from Zane Lowe — and now, their debut EP, God Made Me a Star, which introduces the pair's silky, atmospheric sound. "You're kinda mean and it turns me on," they sing on EP standout "Kinda Mean," paired with a tradwife-core visual that plays it dead straight. These two know perfect music — here's everything else they think is perfect.

[01] BEING OUTSIDE

It solves everything. If I’m having a bad day, I go outside. If I’m having a good day, I’ve probably already been outside. My recent lifestyle could be described as “recreation maxxing.”

[02] WEISER FARMS MELONS

These mf melons are my reason for living in the summer. I’ll tell anyone who will listen about these juicy, scrumptious melons. They have a beautiful variety and every one of them is special — so much so that my boyfriend has lovingly renamed them “prized melons.”

[03] JOINING THE LIBRARY

You’re telling me this is all free? I recently joined the library near my house after saying I would for years, and what an absolute delight. Checking out books sparked a joy within me that I hadn’t felt since childhood. I just love hauling my ass to the library to pick out my next book.

[04] LEARNING NEW THINGS

I’ve been preaching this pretty heavily over the past year, but I think we undervalue learning in adulthood. I started learning guitar about three years ago, which activated a hunger within me. Last year, I got into landscape design and learned a lot about California native plants. More recently, I decided to learn clarinet. It’s awesome. I love learning and I never want to stop.

[05] TAKING A NAP AROUND 2-4 PM

My energy drops right around here. I am sluggish, I am slow, I am a shell. Nothing has ever happened at 2 PM that couldn’t be improved by a 20 minute nap. I wake up and it might as well be a brand new day.

[01] KURA REVOLVING SUSHI BAR

I mean, it’s pretty much a perfect establishment. The fish is as fresh as it can be for sitting on a conveyer belt and it genuinely tastes high quality to me. They have a toro, salmon belly and even a spicy tuna on crispy rice option — the holy trinity to me. Not sure what more you could ask for. Immediate eating (and service, technically) — plus, if you stack enough plates you get these miniature prizes that come inside a mini ball.

SALTBURN

I don’t care what anyone has to say, this is a perfect 10/10 film to me — smart, salacious and wildly entertaining. It combines all of my favorite things: murder mystery, dark comedy, a weird freaky little man, lying. Anyone who knows me knows I made this my entire personality for a few months following.

“CHERRY” BY THE CHROMATICS

There is something about this song that is extremely addicting to me. Perhaps it is because when I was first prescribed adderall in college I was simultaneously rinsing this song on repeat. I call it my adderall song. It truly just has an intoxicating synth line and a brilliant melody in its simplicity. It’s a perfect song to me.

TOYOTA RAV4

Kacy Hill, my other musical half and roommate, had this car first and put me on. It’s actually a perfect car. I believe, if I’m not mistaken, it’s one of if not the most common cars in the world. Because it’s awesome. Awesome and safe. I just bought one (shout out Longo Toyota). I got the last one on the lot (because they are so popular, there was a waitlist).

SPIRITED AWAY (OR ANYTHING HAYAO MIYAZAKI)

I’ve been on a kick lately. Spirited Away used to make me so uncomfortable in a satisfying way as a kid and there’s something unruly in its nostalgia that makes it perfect to me. It’s been a recent fixation.

Cat Cohen’s off-Broadway show, Broad Strokes, begins performances this week at New York’s Lucille Lortel Theatre. Directed by Alex Timbers, the musical cabaret is a comedic one-woman show Cohen promises will be “fabulously vulnerable.” The performance centers on mortality and hypochondria, inspired by a real-life stroke Cohen suffered at 30, caused by a hole in her heart.

Always one to mine her own life for laughs, this confessional production — fresh off a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe — showcases Cohen’s signature mix of original songs and hilariously vulnerable jokes.

For DRAFTING, Cohen opens up her phone to give insight into her creative process and personal life. Like us, she’s attempting to self-regulate with a Brick while also binging Love Island. Unlike us, she packs rehearsals and performances in between it all.

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How the show started.

How the show is going.

Bricked up and loving it.

It’s called flow state.

Do you know what I mean?

My dad got me these if you’re looking for insight into why I am the way I am.

This song on repeat.

A dry white and some vaginismus for the lady.

Now that’s what I call Mood.

The human brain couldn’t write this in final draft.

We needed a little reprise.

Boy Mom.

Me during curtain call.

Forced my fiancé to take 19 versions of this.

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Sabrina Brier’s been making millions (literally) of people laugh through her phone for years now; before that, though, she was busy answering someone else’s. Brier got her start as an entertainment assistant, a job she says is founded on “constant deference, the feeling that your own ambitions have to stay on the back burner.” Then she went mega viral and suddenly had to navigate her newfound attention while working the same job, leading to moments of strange collision.

“I remember standing on a street corner in SoHo, on the phone with FedEx about an overseas package for my boss,” she says, “while someone recognized me and asked for a selfie.”

This surreal type of interaction became the seed for an old pilot, which DRAFTING shares exclusively below.

The story follows an overlooked entertainment assistant who, after a frustrating day, drunkenly attempts a TikTok trend and gets it completely wrong. She botches it so badly that she ends up building a following around failure. It’s the attention she’s always yearned for, just not in the form she hoped. As Brier puts it, the pilot is about how “so many people spend years chasing an idea of success, only to discover that when it finally arrives, it doesn’t look the way they imagined.”

Brier says the idea came together quite easily, given that she was pulling from her own experience. “It didn’t feel like I was desperately searching for the story,” she says, “it was all around me.

Before her viral moment, Brier had a pretty direct plan: assistant, writers’ assistant, staffed on a show, then, eventually, convince the writers to put her in the show. The years she spent in comedy and drama writers’ rooms gave her “an incredible education” in the technical aspects of the craft, like breaking story, structuring episodes, and tracking arcs across a season.

This hands-on education is evident in her pilot. Brier says she hopes readers walk away from the story “thoroughly entertained by the chaos, desperation, and irony that builds throughout it,” and that, even more so, she hopes they see themselves in a character who “wants something so, so badly, like we all do.”

Read an exclusive excerpt of Brier’s pilot from her vault, “The Girl Who Does Everything Wrong,” below.

EXT. WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK - PRESENT DAY

Kids wearing trendy outfits chat on benches, passing around a Juul. Skateboarders skate under the arch. Finance bros stroll with their takeaway lunches.

CLOSE UP on SABRINA (20s). She holds a bag of “BEAN SNAX” next to her face.

SABRINA
Mmm! Dried, salty legumes are the best, you guys. Bean Snax are my favorite guilt-free snack.

She snaps out of her peppy character and into her normal voice:

SABRINA (CONT’D)
I think that line might be a cancellable offense.

Her best friend, HALEY (20s, beautiful and put together), films her. A RING LIGHT is propped up between them.

HALEY
You’re not gonna get cancelled for a Bean Snax ad.

SABRINA
I just don’t think I should say “guilt-free,” like implying there should be any guilt around food. That’s a term that glorifies disordered eating habits. I can't support ED on the internet! Gen Z hates that.

HALEY
Do you really think Gen Z is going to be analyzing this video that much?

SABRINA
One time I used the word “homeless” instead of “houseless” and this girl reamed me out in the comment section with a dissertation proving that my misuse of language to describe a person who didn’t have the realistic right to property was rooted in my desire to uphold the caste system and maintain my proximity to euro-imperialism.

Beat.

SABRINA (CONT'D)
She was 12.

HALEY
Just eat the fucking bean, Sabrina.

She snaps back into character, popping the bean in her mouth:

SABRINA
Mmm!! (Chews) Uch. Uch!!

Sabrina starts coughing uncontrollably.

HALEY
Is it that bad?

SABRINA
(coughing)
No, it just tastes like death is coming. Bean death.

A COUPLE (early 20s) stops short when they see Sabrina:

GIRL
Oh my God, I am dead!!!!

GUY
You’re the TikTok Girl!

Sabrina smiles through her choking. Tears stream down.

GUY (CONT’D)
You’re the girl who does all the trends wrong! You’re an absolute bumbling fucking idiot!

GIRL
Can we get a pic?!

She hands her phone to Haley. The couple flanks Sabrina, posing.

We FREEZE on the photo, Sabrina mid-choke, but smiling and holding up a peace sign.

TITLE CARD: "The Girl Who Does Everything Wrong"

This newsletter is a paid partnership with Moncler.

Nobody gets dressed in one try. There’s always a version that didn’t make it — the silhouette that was close, the layer that got left on the chair, the shoes that almost won. Summer makes it even more challenging, with more skin and fewer places to hide.

For someone like Moses Sumney, that process is half the fun. Like music, getting dressed is a creative decision, a mood, sometimes a conversation with yourself.

We asked him to show us that part for DRAFTING. What happened at home with Moncler before the final look existed, and what happened after it hit New York.

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I’ve been a card-carrying all-black goth for about a decade. Writing a new record has quietly rearranged more than the songs. Earth tones have entered the chat.

Draft two: accessories. Too much, or too much?

Summer, on my terms.

Texting myself for approval. Unanimous enough.

Field test. Showing skin while layering is a finely tuned skill. My commitment issues are showing…

Definitely best dressed at the bus stop. Mission accomplished.

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THE DRAFT is RUN-A-MUCK’s Friday list of everything we think is perfect — the shows we binged, the songs on repeat, the objects we’d never redesign, the ideas and experiences that don’t need improving. This is culture without revision — no edits, no notes.

Justin Tranter has written the songs you've been singing for the last decade. "Sorry" for Justin Bieber, "Cake by the Ocean" for DNCE, "Believer" for Imagine Dragons, Selena Gomez's first number one, "Lose You to Love Me,” and most recently, Chappell Roan's Grammy-nominated "Good Luck, Babe!” Now Tranter is stepping out from behind the sessions with Unfamous, a podcast that pairs celebrities with their collaborators — because most of what you love in pop culture didn't happen the way you think it did. Tranter knows perfect pop hits — here’s everything else they think is perfect.

[01] HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

The queerness, perfect. The music, perfect. The fashion, perfect. The heartbreaking yet inspiring truth that everyone is the villain and the hero depending on the day and the perspective, perfect. John Cameron for president.

[02] “CLUB TO YOUR ARMS” BY ROSE GRAY

There is nothing better than a euphoric dance pop song that tells a proper story, and gives you a diva vocal on the last chorus. Perfect.

[03] STATION ELEVEN BY EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL

I’m a super geek for post-apocalyptic dystopian art done well in any medium. This book is perfect, following a Shakespeare troupe around the Great Lakes after 98% of humanity died and showing us that art is always the key to doing more than surviving. High art sensibility inside of mainstream story telling will always be my favorite thing.

[04] BEA MILLER’S VOCAL TONE

Bea has been on the verge of super stardom for over a decade and her time is now. A raspy voice almost never comes with this much range and flexibility. I could listen to her sing all day every day until the day I die. Perfect.

[05] “AMERICAN TEENAGER” BY ETHEL CAIN

Four minutes and 18 seconds of indie pop-rock perfection. Singing lyrics like “The neighbor’s brother came home in a box/ But he wanted to go, so maybe it was his fault/ Another red heart taken by the American dream” over such aspirational sonics is so brilliant I could scream cry every time I hear it.

Justin Moran is a creative director and the editor of DRAFTING W/ RUN-A-MUCK. He knows perfect culture — here’s everything else he thinks is perfect:

[01] LOVE SPELLS

From the aesthetic to the visuals, everything about Love Spells screams superstar on the rise. Real name Sir Taegen Harris, the Houston-born artist is gearing up to release his debut album, LOVE IS THE LAW. His song “Crutch” sounds like it’s existed for decades — a meditation on knowing something is bad for you and doing it anyway. The Alex Lockett-directed video is worth your next five minutes.

[02] PAULA MIHOVILOVIĆ

This Paris designer’s approach to fashion stokes the imagination. A sheer electric blue and green dress finished with sequins and feathers. Baseball caps decorated to look cocktail-ready. A very Balenciaga tracksuit that becomes an oversized gown, fit for a luxe night. I’ve been returning to her Instagram all week.

[03] VINTAGE EBAY HAULS

My vintage collection has been growing since high school, and there’s no better place to find something special than eBay. I’ve made some of my best finds when barely looking for them — a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tee, a Saint Laurent leather jacket, ‘80s Oakley sunglasses I’m still not over. Pre-loved pieces so good you wonder why anyone would leave them. I won’t give all my secrets away, but Top Shop Vintage on eBay has a seemingly bottomless supply of exactly that — and the rest of eBay’s fashion finds aren’t far behind.

[04] CANON POWERSHOT SD600

This is the same camera I had in middle school. I’ve been using the video feature to document everything this summer — the footage is so grainy and lo-fi it looks like a memory. Everyone always wants the stills.

[05] “ROCK N ROLL NEVER LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL” BY SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS

Before the billion streams, there was Semi Precious Weapons — Justin Tranter’s defining New York City band that somehow made it all the way into my bedroom growing up in Minneapolis. Seeing a frontman perform in towering Stuart Weitzman heels was an awakening. “Rock N Roll Never Looked So Beautiful” still holds, and every song should have a searing guitar solo that goes on for just a little too long.

Legally Blonde superfans are getting exactly what they wanted this summer with the highly anticipated prequel Elle, executive produced by Reese Witherspoon.

The eight-episode Amazon series premieres July 1 and follows Elle Woods’ coming-of-age story as she navigates high school and a move from California to Seattle. Lexi Minetree stars as the iconic blonde, alongside Chandler Kinney as Kimberly — the most popular girl in school, who clashes with Elle from the start.

Kinney is a name worth knowing. She most recently finished third on Dancing With the Stars Season 33 and built her résumé originating the role of Willa in Disney’s Zombies franchise, and starring in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Summer School on HBO Max.

For DRAFTING, we get to know Kinney in new, intimate ways — a secret obsession, her summer plans and an unlikely work in progress.

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Here I am on set with my go-to drink. I don’t need coffee when I have choccy milk, baby.

I’m a perfectionist in recovery. Something I’ve been practicing is embracing the process itself versus being tied to the product, and allowing it to not be perfect. One of my dearest friends Lexi Minetree and I decided to work on harmonies — finding and maintaining them — and here’s us messing around with Tennessee Whiskey in the middle of the night, as you can hear from the exhaustion in my voice. Lex on melody, me on harmony. (Also, as I was screen recording this voice memo, Lexi decided to send me some love, via text.)

My absolute favorite hobby: line dancing. I always have a hankering for a honky tonk and I’ve made it my mission (and everyone around me’s problem) to learn as much as humanly possible. Yeehaw.

A peek into my concept pitch for a blanket collaboration I have with Minky Couture (launching July 9th). When designing this blanket (now called “Sea to Sky”), I was inspired by rolling ocean waves and the idea that there is always something beautiful on the horizon, so long as you look for it. This is the first time I’ve done something like this — seeing a physical project through from ideation to production — so it was a really exciting, creative undertaking and challenge.

Having grown up as a child actor and working professionally from such a young age, I’ve compromised on parts of my upbringing that have resulted in gaps in my own relationship with myself. I’m still unpacking that. But I’ve recently started a list of “things I know” about myself, to encourage some self-exploration and discovery. Baby steps.

I forget how much better life is when you take time for rest, play and laughter. My friend is a Tomodachi Life fiend, and she bestowed the honor upon me of creating a character for her island. So I made Willa, the werewolf, and here she is modeling at the local clothes shop. That’s my alpha.

ELLE is set in a very grunge 1995 Seattle, and music helped me connect not only to that time, but my character, Kimberly, as well. She’s a sharp-tongued, sardonic girly, who has a lot of heart buried behind her protective shield of sarcasm. I was able to explore much of her emotional depth through this playlist — riot grrrl, alt-rock and a hint of shoegaze. Le Tigre, Bikini Kill, Heavenly, Sleater-Kinney, Alanis Morissette and Smashing Pumpkins, are some of my favs.

I’ve become the person that occasionally puts words of affirmation sticky notes on their bathroom mirror, and I like that person. Micro-habits like saying “hello!” to my mornings (shout out to my toothpaste) and setting a good vibe for the day has been a game changer.

I’m trying to have a Super Silly Sidequest Summer. Something I’ve historically been quite poor at is managing work/life balance, so I’m adamant about setting some time aside in these next couple months to live, laugh, love.

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Most people know Julio Torres as a comedian, actor and writer whose imagination operates on a frequency entirely its own. Through projects like Los Espookys, Problemista and Fantasmas, he’s built a world where the magical and absurd feel everyday. Recently, his imagination expanded into an unexpected medium: furniture.

His debut collection with Sabai, All Other Passports, grew out of conversations with co-founder Phantila Phataraprasit about their experiences as immigrants building lives in New York. The resulting pieces explore themes of migration, belonging and the strange realities of apartment living, while offering inventive solutions for an age-old city dilemma: where exactly do you put an out-of-town guest?

For DRAFTING, Torres shares sketches, inspirations and dream ideas that offer a glimpse into the way his mind works. Today, it’s furniture. Tomorrow, it could be a playground.

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I have this idea to make some kind of play, film, installation or symphony, titled Dirty Dishes. Different moments take place in the murky waters of each dish, culminating, of course, in a moment like the one in this video.

Idea: a luggage carousel amusement park ride.

I never take food pics, but this tofu restaurant in Kyoto introduced me to so many shapes.

Forgot to post this display I saw in Portland. I think the woman in the grey is imprisoned, saying, “This must be some kind of mistake.” But the woman in the black is outside the cell, looking in and suggesting, “If you help us… perhaps we could help you.”

I would love to design a kids playground in NYC. Here’s some inspiration I found in Japan.

Pillow sketches for the Sabai collection.

Sketching a performance idea.

Drew the layout of an apartment I had in a nightmare. Perhaps it will become something.

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