Good Good Things – Issue 29

Hi friends, here’s some high-quality stuff to enjoy as we all hunker down inside and hide from the oppressive rays of the sun.

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The Simple Beauty of Hand-Made Restaurant Signs

I dabbled in design early in my career but was sucked into the less-fun tech side of website development and sadly never went back. I still love staring at typeface websites and appreciating good quality signage and logo design. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, I find watching sign letter artists (“signwriters”) do their magic incredibly soothing, so coming across this wonderful doc elicited a “Oh hell yeah!” when it popped up on my feed.

I don’t want to oversell it, but this is a perfect film. It’s about signs but it’s also about the hopes and dreams of people starting small businesses and the joy they get when they see their new sign and realize they are almost there.

Restaurant signs are ubiquitous across New York City, but who’s behind all the iconic lettering? What does it take to design and install something that’s often a customer’s first impression of a business? Meet the artists behind Noble Signs, a Brooklyn-based design studio that specializes in custom hand-painted and neon signs for restaurants all over New York, from mom-and-pop shops to some of the buzziest new joints. Noble Signs is also preserving and rescuing classic signage from shuttering businesses amid a rapidly changing city.

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New Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Beebee (that’s what we fans call her in our house) is back and I have been singing this absolute banger aloud for the past week. It’s a lovely song with a crazy good video featuring an Elvin Phoebe, junkyards, and hibachi-loving knights. Can’t wait for the new record.

THIS JUST IN! Phoebe performed the song with a band of children!

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Thank You, Dave Kendall

Dave Kendall was cool, stylish, funny, and British. I was none of these things as a lad and that’s why I watched his show religiously in the late 80s and early 90s at midnight on Sunday nights. Kendall created “120 Minutes” just for me, a young dumb teen who lived for alternative music and desperately wanted to see all the weird and wonderful videos of my favorite bands and discover new ones.

I was lucky enough to have a radio station, 106.3 WHTG in Eatontown NJ, that played alt, goth, punk, new wave, and industrial, but it was next level to see videos of these bands on MTV — videos that weren’t Tom Petty and Genesis — and see someone like Dave, who genuinely loved the music, interview established and up-and-coming bands. He was so good at the job. Effortless and engaging.

I remember seeing this video on “120 Minutes” and thinking “What the hell, this guy sounds like Michael Stipe… wait, it is Michael Stipe, who is this band? I wish the Internet was here to tell me more!”

Drinking Pepsi in the wee hours and watching videos like these pop up one after another was pretty damn magical.

Thank you, Dave, for being the reason I was so very tired on Monday mornings.

Read more about Dave Kendall >

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Are You Philly’s Best Parallel Parker? Now’s Your Chance to Prove It

Gentlemen and gentlewoman, start your engines! This looks awesome. Read all about it on Philly Magazine.

Are you a fantastic parallel parker? Can you squeeze your car into a tiny spot while stoop-sitters stare and the guy in the truck behind you screams a string of profanities? Oh! And here comes a dude on an e-bike in the middle of it all. If you’ve answered yes to these questions, you might be the ideal candidate for the first-ever, just-announced Philadelphia Parallel Parking Championship, which, yes, is a real thing, happening in South Philly this fall. Here, the South Philadelphia resident behind the Philadelphia Parallel Parking Association (PPPA—cute) tells us what to expect.

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“Chris & Martina: The Final Set”

“This documentary explores Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s decades-long dominance of women’s tennis — and a friendship even cancer couldn’t upset.”

Watch it on Netflix and read more about the inspiring film on The Guardian.

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Robert Glasper performs Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right Place”

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“We Built a Log Bridge Across This Creek for Wildlife… Here’s What We Captured”

If you want to see sweet little critters, tentative deer, and big fluffy bears discover and tackle a new little bridge in their slice of wilderness then I highly recommend this video.

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What do Tour de France Cyclists Eat?

The EF Pro Cycling team make very fun and informative videos chronicling the current Tour de France.

Join Owen Blandy and Chris Woodward for a window into the day-to-day life of a performance chef at the Tour de France. From shopping to chopping, we have it all in this episode of RaceTV.

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Enjoy a young Nas in a 1992 MC Serch video featuring Chubb Rock & Red Hot Lover Tone

I’m gonna say it, MC Serch was underrated.

He is credited with creating the slang term “the Gas Face”. He grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, attending Far Rockaway High School., and graduated from Music & Art High School. After recording three albums with 3rd Bass: The Cactus Album (1989), Cactus Revisited (1990), and Derelicts of Dialect (1991), Serch launched a solo career with Return of the Product (1992, Def Jam). The album featured two hit singles: “Here It Comes” (which hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks chart); and “Back to the Grill” featuring Chubb Rock, Red Hot Lover Tone and Nas. Serch was the executive producer of “Illmatic” by Nas, one of the most critically acclaimed albums or the era

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Top Clam Flavored Drinks

• Clamato
• Clamstel Light
• Alabama Clammer
• Clampagne
• Clam Adams Boston Lager
• Clamhattan
• Vodka Clamberry

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2026 Punk, Alt, Indie – Vol. 3

It’s summer and you deserve some fiery hot and ice cold killer tracks from 2026. Please share and support these artists by clicking those little Bandcamp links. Let me know what you like. I can’t stop playing the Paulie Swan, Twisted Teens, and Born At Midnite tracks.

Listen here >

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Treat Yo Self: The Official PIZZA Flag Shirt!

Get yours now >

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Is there a Dr. Soda in the house?

I adore Dr. Pepper as a drink and I also love trademarks, so I have a growing collection of photos of “sodas with a doctorate.” Please witness some of my treasures. (Plz share more too if you have anyyyy)

[image or embed]

— Rachael “Trademark Clippy” Dickson (@tudorsandtms.bsky.social) July 6, 2026 at 7:11 PM

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Quick Hits

• A Mostly Helpful Guide to Running Your First Ultra Trail Race
• Sam Neill’s 20 best roles
• How to Safely ‘Wheelbarrow’ Walk a Snapping Turtle Across a Road
• The Most Searched Word Definitions in Every U.S. State
• Midwestern Excellence
• Enjoy Our Beach House, but Please Don’t Open the Beguiling Door of Mystery
• Artist Builds a Fully Stocked Bird-Sized Bar to Make Friends With the Local Crows
• The Insane Economics of the Yellow Jersey

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Converge visits “What’s In My Bag?”

Jacob Bannon and Nate Newton of the legendary Converge go record shopping at Amoeba Hollywood and discuss many epic records.

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World Cup Fever

When I was a kid my soccer team was battling a far superior team, tied at 2-2, when our very animated (and awesome) coach suffered a minor heart attack on the sidelines. As he was being carted into an ambulance he yelled “keep em going, Jeff!” I was the goalkeeper.

I replied “you got it coach!” I then allowed a rapid succession of shots to go by me, without barely moving, and we lost 5-2. Not everything ends like a movie, guys.

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Kilian Jornet “When a Race Falls Apart”

Kilian Jornet, the GOAT, has a less-than-ideal day in a big race but turns it into a positive experience.

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Total Eclipse of the Fart with David Wain, Ken Marino & Thomas Lennon

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Enjoy some “Feel-Good Summer Grooves” with LIKA

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Napalm Death: Tiny Desk Concert

Finally!

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REI Returns

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Best of Bluesky – Volume 4

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Enjoy More Best of Bluesky >

Enjoy Very Good Music Facts >

Enjoy Good Good Things >

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