The leading podcast on art, design, architecture and luxury told by its creator – design writer Dan Rubinstein – between anecdotes, personal thoughts and insight on the upcoming sixth season
Lampoon presents The Grand Tourist
When the first-ever episode of The Grand Tourist aired in June 2021, most of the world was slowly coming back to life after almost two years of pandemic and on and off lockdowns. It was during the months of lockdown and under seemingly unfortunate work circumstances that Dan Rubinstein – writer, journalist and, since a couple of years, podcaster with a solid background in design – had the idea of creating a podcast bringing together the worlds of art, interior design, architecture, luxury, travel and cuisine.
The Grand Tourist does not require physical encounters
The Grand Tourist stemmed from the desire to do a fun, entertaining digital project which did not require travel or physical encounters. «I dedicated myself to do one full season. After the magazine I worked at closed, I decided I had to move ahead with it because it was something I had already invested in. It made me very nervous because I had just lost a very big job and I thought that now people might think this podcast would be my next big career move even though it was totally by accident», Rubinstein explains.
Being that Rubinstein is a slight perfectionist each episode is treated in detail: from texts and contents, elaborated together with a professional editor coming from the world of radio, to sound design. The unquestioned quality and prestige of the podcast is the result of a continuous process of improvement which made The Grand Tourist one of the most authoritative digital projects in the fields of culture and creativity and put Rubinstein under the spotlight: «It was very difficult for me, being a print journalist behind the scenes, to put myself out there. I am still getting used to it. But I am also enjoying the kind of creative life it provides».
The need for in depth, high-quality contents in the media industry
Besides the desire to experiment with new media and digital tools, one of the reasons behind the creation of The Grand Tourist is the acknowledgement of a lack of thorough, long-form articles and essays in traditional media. «I know that what a lot of people in my sector missed those days – although they enjoy Instagram and social media – is that they could pick their favorite magazine and find of course pictures, interiors and products, but also thoughtful long essays. Part of what I am doing is trying to provide what people miss», Rubinstein claims.
Named after the Grand Tour – the 17th- to early 19th-century traditional trip through Europe undertaken by upper-class young European men when they had come of age – the podcast is meant not only for connoisseurs or industry experts, but also for people who are simply curious about or fascinated by architecture, jewelry or contemporary art. A cultural statement implying that nowadays these fields of knowledge are not to be intended as privileged pursuits, appanage of a wealthy narrow social class.
«I think that during the past five or ten years there has been a sort of backlash against taking the fine arts too seriously. Yes, a magazine which covers style should cover what shoes to buy and what celebrity should be on the red carpet, but there also should be long-form articles on artists or architects. People should care».
Five seasons, fifty-eight different stories
Since 2021 five seasons have been released and, with a sixth season launching next year, Rubinstein is aiming at providing listeners with a 360° depiction of the finest elements of a well-lived life. Despite the great variety of guests and stories featured in The Grand Tourist – all consistent with Rubinstein’s tastes and passions – he asserts that there is a ‘method to the madness’.
«When I came up with the concept of The Grand Tourist I basically read all of my favorite magazines from around the world and made two lists – YES and NO – of all the topics they covered and decided that all the YES would be covered by the podcast as much as possible. The NO list would be ignored: pop music, film stars, sports», he explains.
Thanks to his network and connections, Rubinstein managed to host personalities of the caliber of Francis Mallmann, Patricia Urquiola, Philippe Stark and Nina Yashar, among many others. Many of these interviews have long been desired and sought after by Rubinstein, even though he admits that in most cases the hardest part is not getting an interview, but getting a good interview.
Piero Lissoni and the personal stories behind The Grand Tourist
Indeed, the core of The Grand Tourist are the personal stories of the interviewees. Not just a list of career accomplishments or an analysis of their most successful projects, but a more intimate conversation which delves into the guests’ lives, beyond the role they play publicly.
«I often repeat the story of Piero Lissoni who told me that every morning he has his coffee at home while reading a newspaper. During that one hour no one is to disturb him, one hour to basically be just a human being and enjoy life and solitude. After that, he is very busy running a big business. I always think about how I can get a similar story from everybody. I am not always successful at doing it, but I try».
Never ask someone how tall the tree is, ask them why they wanted it to be that tall
If Rubinstein had a time machine at his disposal, he would like to go back in time to interview people like Pablo Picasso or Leonardo Da Vinci and investigate the missing gaps in their lives and, above all, discover their side of the story. «There is this old saying which reads ‘Never ask how tall the tree is, ask them why they wanted it to be that tall’». According to Rubinstein this kind of thorough and in-depth approach is particularly needed in the fields of art, design and creativity in general, where artist profiles, project and other creativity-related issues are not necessarily addressed from different angles.
«The best compliment I can get is when someone says ‘I know a lot about this person, but thanks to you I discovered something new’. I did an episode about Fritz Hansen and I interviewed an historian of the company and a collector, Carla Sozzani. Months later I met the current CEO at an event and he said ‘I listened to the episode three or four times and I learned things about my own company that even I did not know’».
Shigeru Ban and Norbert Niederkofler and other episodes
This kind of feedback goes to the heart of what a good episode of The Grand Tourist is. His experience with The Grand Tourist also reinforced something Rubinstein learned when he was editor in chief at Surface, which is that there is not a real difference between the creative life of someone like Shigeru Ban and Norbert Niederkofler, working in different fields on opposite sides of the world.
The commonalities between people who achieved success in their own fields have a lot to do with originality, resourcefulness, inquisitiveness and boldness. «I think that people who are successful creatively at some point have to step out of their comfort zone. If you don’t, you will be like anybody else, you will not be recognized».
The Grand Tourist’s special bond with Italy
Italy was a key destination of the Grand Tour which usually ended in the Eternal City. It is no coincidence that Italy also plays a key role in Rubinstein’s podcast whose main sponsors are renowned Italian design brands – Poliform, Moroso and Janus et Cie (Poltrona Frau). «You cannot speak about art, design, beauty, fashion without somehow coming into something Italian. Italy is an endlessly fascinating, beautiful, complicated place. It is a concept: it has done so much for my family and my career», Rubinstein says.
Among the numerous Italian guests of The Grand Tourist are the designer Martino Gamper and chef Norbert Niederkofler featured in episodes seven and eight of the just concluded fifth season, respectively. Rubinstein says that the two guests are an example of the culture of work, humility, seriousness and sense of purpose typical of Tyrol, the Alpine area from which they both come. Gamper is internationally known for his visionary approach to design and his famous 100 Chairs in 100 Days, on the other hand Niederkofler is a pioneer of contemporary cuisine aiming at sustainability through his zero-waste cooking techniques.
The sixth season of The Grand Tourist: some insight
In January 2023 Rubistein will launch a new tour which will cross the world and the most refined fields of the international creative scene. Among the prominent names of the upcoming season are Nick Cave, contemporary artist and performer famous for his Soundsuits and painful works on social justice, and Gabriel Hendifar, co-founder of Apparatus.
Rubinstein’s journey through creativity
The episode dedicated to Hendifar will be different from all those aired to date: during a four-course meal, the American designer will talk about his career and life within the walls of his New York home
Another special episode – airing in January – will be dedicated to his trip with Viking Cruises in Antarctica, a lifelong dream and once in a lifetime opportunity which reaffirmed his belief that you have to physically be in a place to truly understand it.
«Now the pandemic is over I am hoping to take The Grand Tourist more out into the world». Rubinstein’s journey through creativity and culture started as something he could do from home during the pandemic. He never imagined it would have brought him to Antarctica or even at someone’s home for dinner.
The Grand Tourist
It is a podcast about design, art, architecture, food, fashion, and travel—all the elements of a well-lived life – through which design writer, editor and advisor Dan Rubinstein shares his access with the world’s leading tastemakers.
