The Vice editor and cooking newsletter scribe loves Selling Sunset but there's so much more to it
elcome to the Downtime Chilling Q&A, where talk to some of our favorite cultural writers about just about anything you can experience in your Jambys. Today we are talking with Otis Blum, a screenwriter living in Los Angeles.
What's your go-to Spotify playlist?
Indie Pop 2010's
What's the best new thing you've found streaming recently?
Palm Springs and Unorthodox are both worth the hype
What's the best older show/movie you've picked up recently and loved?
HBOMax has the entire Studio Ghibli archive. I had never seen any of them before, so I have been going through them all. Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and The Wind Rises have been my favorites, but they are all fantastic. Each movie is a world unto itself, which is especially nice given we can't travel anywhere at the moment.
What's your most-watched movie of all time?
Rushmore
What's your favorite YouTube video with less than $100k views?
A movie I made during Covid:
Is there an organization or cause you're supporting right now that deserves more attention? If so, what is it and how does one get involved?
The Navajo Water Project. One in three Navajo do not have a running water. This organization helps bring clean water to Navajo families in New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. In addition to lacking clean water, the Navajo people have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19. Donate here.
What's a purchase you thought would change your life, but absolutely did not?
Whoop
You've got two hours to kill at home. What do you reach for?
At the moment it's Ghosts of Tsushima on PS4.
What's been your most played song during quarantine, and why?
a few words for the firing squad (radiation) - Run The Jewels. It seems like whenever I am at a loss to describe the state of the world, Run the Jewels capture it perfectly.
What's your favorite TikTok you've seen during quarantine?
The one with Bill Gates dancing.
What's been your best quarantine purchase?
Trader Joe's Chicken Soup Dumplings
What's the best thing you've read during quarantine?
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Have you developed a new hobby during quarantine? If so, what is it?
Listening to other people tell me that they've taken up cooking as a new hobby. No, really, I've never heard anyone else tell me they are baking bread. Wow, you're such a free spirit! So original!
Are you working out at home? What's your go-to home quarantine workout strategy?
I mainly run outside or use the Peloton app. I don't have weights and don't know why I pay $9.99 a month to have a video of a person tell me to do a different combo of the same routine of planks and push-ups, but it helps... I think... I hope?
What's the item of clothing (besides Jambys, of course), you've worn most during quarantine?
Have become a socks inside the house guy. Dunno why.
What's the title of the Spotify playlist you're most ashamed of other people seeing you listen to?
Indie Pop 2010s
What's your most-frequently made recipe?
Chinese take out
What's the book you recommend over and over?
Lamb by Christopher Moore
You can re-watch one show for the first time again fresh. What is it and why?
The Knick to see mustached Clive Owen for the first time again. Also that show is unreal.
What do you drink when you're at home most often? (Can be alcoholic, non-alcoholic, or even vessel-specific, if you drink water out of the same massive cup or something)
I drink water out of a Brita water bottle. Has a little filter in it. Haven't changed it in months. Should probably do that.
What's the riskiest place you've taken your Jambys?
Grocery store
What's your average screen time during quarantine? What app have you used the most, and why?
5 hours - Phone. It's like Facetime buy you don't have to see people. It's amazing. You can walk around, take care of choirs, space out if the other person is rambling and they have no idea.
What's your favorite Reddit thread of all time?
There's one deep dive reddit thread about imagining that the Pokemon world is really our world several years into the future. The core premise is that pokemon are the product of radiation from the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in WWII. Shit is absolutely wild.
What's your recommendation for someone who always re-watches the Office and wants to try something new?
I know a lot of people think watching The Office is a personality, I regret to inform you it is not.
What movie has aged the worst for you?
Hangover III, it was awful at the time, but it continues to dig itself deeper into the shit hole over time.
What's your personality in your main groupchat?
Irreverent shit starter
What did you think when you first heard about Jambys?
They should call it Poxers with Bockets.
What's your dream Jambys product?
Slippers that you can wear/hold up outdoors like shoes
What's the high school English book you think is actually worth re-reading?
Beloved by Toni Morrison
What's your dream Jambys color?
Hot pink with purple hearts
Add / answer your own question. What's something else you're thinking about or engaging with?
Hardcore History is an amazing podcast with a huge back catalog. A high recommend for any history nerd or any one going on a long road trip. I can get lost for hours in the stories Dan Carlin weaves.
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