SPOTLIGHT: @BRENDANOOOOO

Welcome to the FYI Spotlight, a column where we highlight on favorite users. Want to be featured in the same newsletter as Olivia Rodrigo, Francis Ford Coppola, Charli XCX, and The Rizzler? Apply here.

For those of you who don't already know, Perfectly Imperfect isn't just a newsletter. We also have a social network and app called FYI that's basically Letterboxd (for anything) meets MySpace. It's a place to share your favorite songs, a joke from a friend, your walk through the park, an amazing movie, or a random moment of your life. 

It's a return to the way the Internet used to feel, and you can** sign up here**.

Today we're featuring Brendan, a.k.a @BRENDANOOOOO, a FYI pro (literally and figuratively). With over 700 recommendations on his profile, we're thrilled to hear more about Brendan's taste.

In May of 1998 my mom gave birth to me in Connecticut, in March of 2006 Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts II on the Playstation 2 in the United States, and in January of 2024 I joined PI.FYI. These are the three most important moments of my life. I’m a violinist, my day job is spreadsheets in music, my biggest passion is friendship, and I’m gonna be living the dream in Brooklyn for the rest of my life.

PI: What does “taste” mean to you?

Everyone has a taste, as in everyone has a certain preference for how they express themselves and how they consume the expression of the world around them. But to "have taste" is to have such a clear (and possibly curated) idea of what you like and how you express yourself/your interests that it is something recognizable, unique, and perhaps admirable to those around you. There's no such thing as "bad taste" in this sense of the word, only unclear taste. I don't often think too hard about what I like or spend time making sure my outfit is uniquely me or uniquely in the zeitgeist. My natural skepticism has lent me a discernment which ensures that what I express and consume is uniquely me. I often feel a firm attraction towards something, and I stay firm to what I am attracted to. So in that sense my taste isn’t intentional, but it is clear and it is me.

PI: How do you choose an experience that’s worthy of recommendation (in your eyes)? Is it a recurring moment of joy, or based on a gut feeling?

I rely on gut feeling mostly. Something pops into my head that has impacted my life and I feel the need to share. The need to share drives a lot of my usage of the app. It’s the idea that you have this something that no one else in your life really gets, and that if you put that something out there enough you’re gonna find that person that feels that something too, and perhaps that satisfies some greater connection you’ve been needing. It’s like you’ve been third wheeling at a party and you meet a girl and you find out you like the same movie, and somehow that just means the whole world to you. Imagine that but an app.

PI: Which PI.FYI user should we feature next?

User @SOFT (fka @BABY) has become a good online friend, anything she says is sure to make you think. I could go on and on about all of the people from this site who have colored my life in some capacity who I think you’d be lucky to let color yours, so I'll just write a little list: @MARIANOLEONCZIK @FLORINEGRASSENHOPPER @ROYALLMONARCH @ARIYA @ICKYVICKY. And a special shoutout to everyone else who has already been featured. They're all cool people. Lots of cool things are happening here

PI: Do you have any recommendations for us?