Are You Mullet or Bandana-Rama?

Let's take a moment to ponder the mullet.

Shall we…err…mullet over?

What follows is based on casual, AI-informed research of questionable provenance. Some of it may even be true. Fortunately, historical accuracy isn't particularly material to my point.

The mullet, as a hairstyle (not the fish), has been worn since time immemorial. Versions of the short-in-front, short-on-the-sides, long-in-the-back look date back to warriors in ancient Greece.

In the U.S., folks like Benjamin Franklin rocked something resembling a mullet. Although one could say his hair was long in the back and bald on the top. So he sported a mullet because he didn't have too many options.

Fast forward to the 1970s, when rockers like David Bowie kept their bangs out of their eyes but let their back hairs tickle their shoulders — that's the hair on the top of the neck, not necessarily hairs native to the back. This trend continued into the 1980s with dirty dancers like Patrick Swayze and later Billy Ray Cyrus, known to most young people as the achy-breaky father of Miley.

But I'm not here to write about mullets. Today, I'm writing about my version of “being real,” and it connects to something that came up the other day in my feed.

A broker whom I respect used the mullet in a post as a metaphor, likening the “business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back” look to his former approach to managing his professional and private personas on social media. According to his newsletter, he used to maintain a strict separation. He eventually found that keeping the two separate was not only exhausting but counterproductive. Sharing more of his personal life, it turned out, was good for business.

I commented that I'd rather take a “Bandana-rama” approach. Whether it's business in the front, party in the back, or some combination of all-business or all-party, I want to look awesome but still authentically be myself.

After all, only a select few get to see the sweaty, matted hair and side-head tattoo underneath my bandana. My point? It could simply mean using discretion, but having a cooler name for it.

Which brings me to something considerably more personal: a renovation involving my family, our apartment, and a rather substantial amount of our own money.

Note to Elizabeth Holmes, Nathan Fielder, and Lance Oppenheim: This documentary won't rival You Can See Everything, which is (supposedly) compelling, gripping, fascinating, terrifying, and eerie in just about every way this is not.

An apt title could be You Can See Some Things, but let's be honest: That won't sell. Instead, we're calling it the More For LES Renovation Series, and it involves my actual family, our actual apartment, and our actual money.

The More For LES Renovation Series

For the past four months — longer if we count the inspection, negotiation, waiting, closing, and planning — I've been hard at work on a documentary video series capturing the renovation of the New York City apartment my family is going to live in.

That's inherently what makes it personal.

The More For LES Renovation Series follows a format similar to our existing 60+ short videos (which you can view here). Each video runs around five minutes (or less) and covers a specific phase of the process, starting before renovation begins and moving through design, permitting, demolition, shopping, and more. The videos take you inside the apartment as I share what I'm learning and talk through my concerns and the challenges we encounter.

What makes the series special is that it's happening nearly in real time, with a slight delay while I prepare and package each episode. The project itself is unfolding as we go. (I believe I know how it will turn out, but it truly is TBD.)

It's as close to “warts and all” as I'm comfortable sharing publicly.

And there's something unusual about being on this side of the equation. I'm accustomed to helping other people evaluate properties, consider their options, and navigate the uncertainties of New York City real estate. This time, I'm the homeowner, the client, and the one paying the bills — the royal “one,” of course, since that includes my family, too.

For viewers, the series highlights the obstacles and breakthroughs that New York City buyers must consider when evaluating a renovation project. This is especially relevant now, as elevated borrowing costs, limited housing stock, and a competitive market make home-buying in the city feel like even more of a squeeze. For those willing to stomach a renovation, including “estate condition” units in your search can meaningfully expand the field of properties available for consideration.

Of course, not everyone is open to a renovation project, and rightly so. These projects are expensive. They can be delayed. They can be frustrating. If you're working full-time, managing children, or have limited bandwidth or interest, you know yourself and what you're willing to take on.

But if you've ever been curious, the More For LES Renovation Series gives you front-row seats, on the house!

Check out Phase 1, featuring the first four installments below:

Phase 1

• Pre-Renovation: We take you inside our Lower East Side three-bedroom co-op, exploring its original floor plan and existing condition before the renovation begins.
• Pre-Renovation Interlude: We explore how the time between contract and closing can be used to get a head start on architectural design, streamline the renovation process, and potentially reduce carrying costs.
• Design: Working with architect Gregory Colston, we rethink our three-bedroom apartment's original layout to create a more open, light-filled home with functional bedrooms and expanded living space.
• Design Interlude: From competing layouts to unexpected structural constraints, we explore how architectural design evolves through experimentation, compromise, and informed decision-making.

Additional Tools

I also encourage you to peruse the available tools on More For LES, including NYC Service Pro and the Budgetizer.

• NYC Service Pro gives you a head start when considering service providers to trust for these types of projects.
• The Budgetizer helps you plan out the financial implications of a project like this before writing a single check.

In my experience so far, a renovation isn't really “business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back,” like a mullet. It's a bit more “Bandana-rama.” Some of it looks pretty awesome. Other parts are sweaty, matted, and best kept under wraps.

Fortunately, the More For LES Renovation Series gives you a look underneath the bandana. Not everything, mind you. But enough to know whether you are Bandana-rama, too.