On September 17 2025, a 19th century warehouse located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, went up in flames, resulting in a five-alarm response that was unable to spare Justin Neely’s art studio home of over 12 years. He’s facing the loss of every painting he has ever made, photographs that chronicle his life, computer equipment, and a treasured collection of sports jerseys.
In this episode, Justin demonstrates remarkable generosity of spirit, acknowledging that others have it worse and that authorities who are trying (and sometimes failing) to help have the best of intentions. He has a tough road ahead, but he’s showing the sort of grace that I believe will get him through it.
If you’d like to help Justin, there are a couple of ways to do it. You can contribute to a GoFundMe he has established to help him relaunch his art practice: https://www.gofundme.com/f/red-hook-fire-plea-and-protest-justin-neely
You also can reach out to him directly (justin.neely@gmail.com, @jn33ly on Instagram).
Finally, at Justin’s request he encourages listeners to enjoy his podcast at 2x speed. I don’t think that’s necessary, but I promised to mention it.
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