This is SOUND ADVICE, a weekly destination for playlists curated by Interview’s friends, enemies and lovers. Over the past few weeks, we’ve gathered playlists from Malice K, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Tinashe. This week’s guest is our very own Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg, who put together a rompy ’80s playlist fit to blast on the beach. After spending the summer closing our September issue and working on the creative direction for Addison Rae‘s new single “Diet Pepsi,” Ottenberg absconded to Provincetown, one of the East Coast’s most treasured gay outposts, to get some much needed R&R. He took a quick break from watching The Notebook and exploring the dunes to answer our questionnaire, dishing on his worst date ever and what he thinks is going on with pubes right now.
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What’s in your system? Sugarless Red Bull and peanut butter.
L.A. or NY? I’m crazy about L.A. again and I’m gonna lose my mind if I continue to live in NYC but I just bought a new couch in L.A. and I’m shipping it to NY, so let’s see if that shifts the vibe.
What’s the song of the summer? It’s “Diet Pepsi” for me.
What was the first record you ever bought? “Wierd Al” Yankovic in 3-D.
What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on? Long ago, we went to bingo in the Pines….
You’ve got one hour in Provincetown. What are you doing? Dina Martina.
Name a recent trend that you can’t stand? Men trimming their body hair and pubes.
What was your coming of age soundtrack? Pulp Fiction and Portishead’s Dummy.
Have you ever had a summer romance? Yeah, some good ones, nothing at the moment though.
What song on this playlist makes you weep? Absolutely none of them.
What song on this playlist makes you feel sexy? “Sugar Walls” of course.
Which 80s fashion trend do you want to make a comeback? Full bush.
What does summertime romance look like for you? It looks like The Notebook, which I watched for the first time ever last night.
Tell us your all-time favorite Summer Interview cover: J Law with my man chair.
Who are you dying to style? Dina Martina.
How do you unwind? Jog, read, beach, talk shit, waste time.
What’s something no one knows about you? I’m not telling u!