A Week On Monday: Christopher Isenberg of Victory Journal talks Tom Wolfe and poker

Christopher Isenberg is editor of Victory Journal, the sumptuous sporting publication straight out of Brooklyn whose praises we’ve long sung here at It’s Nice That. To coincide with launch of the sixth issue (which carries the intriguing subtitle Blood & Asphalt) we caught up with Chris to look ahead to the next seven days.

What’s the best way of getting over Monday morning blues?

For me, remembering that if I somehow got the chance to show my 10-year-old self what I am up to, he’d basically approve. And bringing my dog Irving to the studio. He absorbs the blues.

What song will you be listening to most this week?

Lapinha by Elis Regina. My friend Michael Ramadan Jones introduced me to this and played live flute accompaniment. Carries with it a bit of the original circumstances of hearing: the upside of a rum drunk, excitable friends and a fireplace.

What was the best thing you read this morning?

Have been fairly crap at sitting still and actually reading lately. I dipped my toe into the new Lucky Peach this weekend. It’s always amazing but a second little magazine hidden inside a secret pouch printed to look like post-op appendectomy – that was genius.

Send us a picture of something you’ll use a lot this week…

The Buddy Lee Aero Speed jump rope. This week I’m gonna take the take the tape off and really make it happen. 

If you could have a midweek night out with anyone, doing anything what would it be?

I got to have breakfast with Tom Wolfe and my pop last week and hear about 60s Esquire and The Herald Tribune and interviewing Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) which was a pretty major life highlight. So with that in the books, this week I’d just like to have a poker game – it’s been way too long. Schmeling, Struby, Younger, Larzelere, Amaro, Camarra, it’s gotten to the point where I have to list this as my dream evening in a public forum.

What do you hope to have achieved come Friday?

We are working on a football related project that’s bringing me your way next week, a lot to be done there, plus getting issues of Victory 6 out the door and into the right hands, and celebrating Thanksgiving with the fam.