Bondi Beach in its geographical sense has become so severed from what Bondi represents that the above could be anywhere in the world. What was once a one kilometre stretch of sand is now a lifestyle connotation, an idea, symbol. A celebrity in its own right. And in this age of partnerships and endorsements, it made us think: if not a living celebrity, what else could you attach a brand to in order to set context, align branding, and connote a certain lifestyle?

One week. Two singers. Two different worlds.

Until now.

Bell-bottomed country diva Lainey Wilson
reveals her new single, Country’s Cool Again. In the same breath, Beyoncé proves her right: dropping two country-infused songs, Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages. The former charges to #1 on the US country tracks chart (and the Billboard 100 as well).

What the heck?

‘Tis a sheer modern marvel — a feat of engineering and human ingenuity — that we are able to put people into the air and shoot them off to various locations around the globe. Once a beacon of modernity and glamour, air travel represented a taste of good life: luxurious flight service, gussied up patrons, vogue cigarettes indoors, obsequiously attentive staff.

These days, not so…

It’s a new year, and while we’d love to wish you a happy one, we run things by the Book of David around here. That means it’s just too late for such pleasantries. Instead, let us offer this, the first COMMPRESS of 2024: a roundtable discussion of the varying degrees of nudity SKMG witnessed over the break.

Someone say bonus issue?

Before we sign off for the year (or at least start checking emails poolside) we’re sneaking in one last run to recap not so much the best moments in media, marketing and culture for 2023, but definitely the ones that got us talking.

This is the inaugural SKMG Good Chat Awards.

Creed are the latest in a seemingly constant thread of bands, brands and beings to make a surprising resurgence in 2023. Yep, we’re talking Creed with a “C”. For those of you looking for the Greed issue, that will come later, this is a Creed issue. We’re doing a Creed issue.

Emotional. Voyeuristic. Erotic at places. Few recent things have gripped us so viscerally as Netflix's four-part documentary, Beckham. Hitting 12.4 million views in its first week, ‘twas the doc that launched a thousand questions. Should we all be cooking mushrooms one at a time? Could I, too, pull off a sarong? What if I’d stuck to that thing I was good at as a kid?

Readers are feeble, restless, distracted things. Prone to getting lost or bored or muddling things up. One wrong sentence and they’ve veered off the path and into a bin. Too long a pause and they’re asleep. And then what?