Creative Complaint

Dirt Media

Creative Complaint is a podcast about taste informed by distaste. Published by Dirt Media and hosted by founder, writer and investor, Dani Loftus. Season one is sponsored by Air, the creative operations tool actually built for creatives. Visit us on Instagram at instagram.com/ick.fyi

Episodes

  1. “The best ideas are formless” ft. Nick Susi

    9 JAN

    “The best ideas are formless” ft. Nick Susi

    Strategy executive and self-described capital H hater Nick Susi joins host Dani Loftus to explore the art of dispassionate curiosity and the illusions that dominate creative industries. Nick unpacks why distance creates clarity, how the internet tricks us into thinking we need to know everything about Dubai chocolate, and why so many talented people write essays about world-building instead of actually building worlds. They discuss the false war between TikTok green screen strategists and academic researchers, the size-weight illusion that makes everyone think they can juggle, and why trust hasn't collapsed at all—it's just transferred to random strangers on the internet. *** Nick's website Dani's newsletter *** 01:58 — Dispassionate curiosity aka observing without getting wound up 04:50 — Why rage bait proves we care about too many things 07:41 — Would Tolkien have written LOTR or just had a Substack? 09:43 — The size-weight illusion and why everyone online thinks they can juggle 12:01 — The false war between TikTok strategists and academic researchers 16:06 — The best ideas are formless and travel like mind viruses 17:34 — Dating ick: people who can't communicate their desires 19:41 — Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation in Japan vs America 21:14 — Technology ick: bragging about being terminally online 22:41 — Using social media like a shotgun instead of a sniper rifle *** Our music, Stamford Brook Style, is by Adrian Michna.

    25 min
  2. No trophies in heaven ft. Sophia Benoit

    04/12/2025

    No trophies in heaven ft. Sophia Benoit

    Writer and comedian Sophia Benoit joins Dani Loftus to discuss the art of complaining as a form of connection. They touch on texture-based food aversions, surveillance culture, and people who take jokes too literally online. Also, we learn what a "rat room" is. *** Sophia's podcast Sophia's website Dani's newsletter *** 00:00 — What is this podcast 00:54 — How Sophia doesn't like talking about herself (despite writing a memoir) 02:20 — Sophia's approach to complaining and how it got her all her jobs 04:11 — European-style complaining as connection, not misery 05:29 — Biggest industry ick: pretending writing is hard work 07:41 — When your dentist wants to discuss your sex writing career 08:00 — How writing about relationships affects personal expectations 12:27 — Is messiness a personality trait or a diagnosis? 14:15 — Being seen as negative online when you're actually positive 15:00 — The wealthy patron system vs. needing hundreds of thousands of followers 17:42 — The guy in Ohio who thinks you're the worst person alive 18:16 — "Can they eat you?" Sophia's grandfather's motto for anxiety 18:41 — Good morning texts...ick 19:47 — Cottage cheese and other aversions 21:11 — American individualism and pretending cities are that different 22:39 — Surveillance culture 24:38 — People taking jokes too literally online and explaining things back *** Our music, Stamford Brook Style, is by Adrian Michna.

    26 min

About

Creative Complaint is a podcast about taste informed by distaste. Published by Dirt Media and hosted by founder, writer and investor, Dani Loftus. Season one is sponsored by Air, the creative operations tool actually built for creatives. Visit us on Instagram at instagram.com/ick.fyi