Christopher Larkin

Every April 4th, I receive a Facebook notification linked to this memory. The year was 2015. A simpler time in nearly every way. I was doing a play at City Theatre in Pittsburgh and @carlaching flew in for opening night. On my day off, we headed to the Mattress Factory. There were several permanent installations that moved us deeply. Light sculptures by James Turrell. A haunted bedroom by Greer Lankton. But the pieces that struck us most were 2 infinity rooms by Yayoi Kusama. The museum was nearly empty so we had them all to ourselves. No wait to enter. No rush to leave. I knew in that moment that we would never be able to experience her work like that again. 11 years later and that forecast still holds true.

Early on in 2024, I came to the harsh realization that the entertainment industry, which had nurtured me for well over 2 decades, was starting to do me more harm than good. So I chose to walk away. The only other field that was of interest to me was working with food, but I had zero experience in the culinary world and didn’t know where to start. One day, my wife showed me an Instagram post from @sonokosakai who was seeking assistants for her private cooking workshops. I wrote her an e-mail saying I had nothing in terms of a resume, but would do anything and everything she needed me to do. She wrote back promptly telling me to show up at 9am the next morning. Sonoko was my first teacher, as she has been for hundreds and hundreds of others. Were there afternoons spent mulching, spreading hay and tending to her gardens in 95 degree heat? Sure there were. Were there countless hours as her honorary dishwasher? Of course. But I also got to bear witness to her artistry, helping people learn how to make miso and soba noodles from scratch. And then we’d all share a meal and talk life around her table. It was at one of these workshops where I met @chefjackgoode . He was carrying a bunch of large Cambros out to his car, so I offered to give him a hand. On our walk, he asked me what I was interested in doing. I told him I really had no idea, but would like to end up in a professional kitchen someday. He said he was in the process of opening a new Italian restaurant called ‘companion’, and that I should come stage with him for a few days. After a handful of shifts together, he offered me a job on the opening team. I was hesitant because a) the commute from the east side was horrendous but mostly because b) I was scared shitless. But a door had seamlessly been opened in front of me. I decided to take a chance and walk through it. I was, without a doubt, very not good my first month. But I was trained with patience and kindness. I moved up from prep to garmo/dessert to sauté to grill/expo. The last year has been the education of a lifetime and I’m beyond grateful to my family @companion.la . Congrats on hitting the 1-year mark. I truly love working alongside you all.

I couldn’t be prouder of @roxanaortegaofficial and @pinchecubria for the magic they’ve created at The Geffen Playhouse. You both made it to the mountaintop and it’s so well deserved. I encourage everyone in LA to witness this beautiful production before it closes on October 5th. An additional shoutout to @ammotheatre for fostering this script in its infancy and helping bring it to life.

Kallie — Back in 2003, you wedged yourself next to me on a nearly empty school bus and started talking like we were already best friends. Things went on like that until suddenly, one day, we were. The second you got your license, we ditched the bus and cruised around in your used, beat-up Dodge Dart. We spent countless hours in that car screaming along with whatever emo came out of the speakers, dreaming constantly of the future, driving everywhere and nowhere all at once. There were no smartphones. There was no social media. None of it got documented in any way. Outside of a handful of photos from Homecoming, all we have are memories. Cut to 22 years later and you’ve built an incredible brand / company from the ground up, somehow managing everything while being a mother of 4. I’m so fucking proud of you (and still owe you a fair amount of gas money from way back when). Happy Birthday, @kallie_branciforte . Thank you for over two decades of continued friendship. High school would have been far lonelier without you.

Back in October 2019, I bought a small gourd from Albertsons and Sharpied it to life. His name was Teodoro and he lived with @carlaching and I through the rest of the year. Carla joined in the following fall and its been a ritual of ours ever since. 6 years. 11 new friends. Happy Halloween, everybody.

Shakespeare. Sophocles. @carlaching . Ibsen. Thank you #lamda for acknowledging greatness over the last 2500 years.

When your partner writes on an awesome new show, you should probably join them for the New York premiere and promote the hell out of it. The entire first season of #mrandmrssmith is out today on Amazon. Congrats to @f__sloane , @carlaching and the entire team for bringing this thing to life.

‘Han’ is now out in the world. These songs were created in solitude, but I never could have finished them on my own. Endless thanks to @lohariel for mixing & mastering this album. To @pjcartwright for his brilliant string arrangement on the title track, and to @rorowan for their equally brilliant cello work on ‘Virginia.’ And to @annahfeinberg for designing the album cover, front and back. There would be no vinyl without you. A giant thank you to Michelle Zauner of @jbrekkie for her album ‘June.’ It’s entirely because of you that I decided to write and record a song every day for the months of August 2020 & March 2021, along with the first week of May ‘21. Every track on this album was inspired by your process. It was the one shining light I had during the height of the pandemic, and I’m eternally grateful to you for that. Thank you to @carlaching for always being my first listener, whether you want to be or not. The poorly soundproofed walls of our home keep you in lockstep with, if not every note, more of them than you’d probably prefer. I appreciate you not throwing me, my guitar and/or my shitty USB microphone out the window. And finally, thank you to anyone who gives this album a listen. This entire journey ends with you. I hope you find it one worth taking.

I chose to press some vinyl for ‘Han.’ It’s the first time I’ve ever held a physical copy of an album of mine. After pre-sales, there are only 18 copies left. Thank you to everyone who has purchased a record. I’ll gladly print more if need be. Two days and counting…

“Han” is the second single off the new Carry Hatchet album of the same name, out on October 10th. Thanks to @anotherjackiechung , @louisozawa , @akwaschke , @themightymos , @paumalouz & @daniel_louzau for letting me spend the day with Willow Ufgood, Gus & Atticus, good dogs all.

“Coppelia” is the first single off the new Carry Hatchet album ‘Han,’ out on October 10th. Home footage filmed by my father circa 1996. Featuring my mother and sister, Ashley, on her 1st day of kindergarten.

Day 24: I’m not entirely sure what’s in this arrangement because it was a gift. The character written on the easel stands for ‘Ba,’ in honor of my father-in-law who passed away last month. When shit hits the fan, you find out very quickly who steps up to the plate and who walks away. Thank you to the entire cast of ‘Revenge Porn’ for stepping up. #plants #alltheplantsinmyapartment