Erick Russell's Cultural Life

Connecticut's state treasurer shares what he reads, watches and listens to. And why he'd like to have dinner with Deion Sanders.

Welcome to the first edition of Now You Know—The Cultural Lives of Others, a Substack newsletter. What people read, watch, listen to and who they would invite to their fantasy dinner party may tell us more than we know and inspire us to delve into their cultural interests. That’s what Now You Know will provide. The rest is up to you. 

The first guest is State Treasurer Erick Russell. A lawyer and active Democrat, Erick made a remarkable debut in elective politics last year when the incumbent treasurer, Shawn Wooden, announced weeks before the state nominating convention that he would not seek a second term. Erick entered the race, won the party endorsement and defeated two rivals in the primary that followed. He beat his Republican opponent in November by a wide margin.

Here’s the look he provided of his cultural life—with videos and links to explore. One note to readers with opinions. Erick Russell is a Dallas Cowboys fan. Nothing is going to change that. Thanks to Rudyard Kipling, he knows triumph and disaster are imposters to be treated the same.

Favorite author or book.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a favorite of mine. He has an ability to write about race, and its impact on American life, in a way that is deeply personal and self-reflective but also feels universal.

The book you are reading.

I’m in the middle of The House of Morgan by Ron Chernow — he wrote the Alexander Hamilton biography that inspired the musical, and I find his writing compelling, generally. I’m enjoying it so far. It’s ostensibly a story about the Morgan family and its dynastic banking empire, but it uses those stories to unravel the ties between finance, economics, politics, war, and other aspects of our recent history and modern life. The book was published 30 years ago but it still feels extraordinarily relevant. 

The book you’ve long intended to read but never get to.

Someday I’ll read Les Misérables. I’ve seen and enjoyed the show, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the novel, but I’ve just never gotten around to it.

Most memorable live performance.

I saw the final show of The Color Purple revival on Broadway in 2017. Cynthia Erivo was unreal — the show and performances would have been memorable in their own right. But as we were seated in the theater, Hillary and Bill Clinton showed up. This was only a couple of months after the 2016 election, and you could feel the entire focus of the audience turn to them as they walked in. As they’re making their way to their seats, Hillary made eye contact with my husband Chris and came over to say hello. “Hey, great to see you!” Bill came over and did the same thing. Chris had never met them before in his life. Clearly, they thought he was someone else they knew — or maybe he just looked especially friendly – but Chris, to his credit, played it very cool. It was a surreal addition to the night and certainly the most memorable performance we’ve attended. Chris’s good friends, The Clintons, haven’t invited him to dinner or a show since though.

Your best binge.

I was very late to the party on Breaking Bad. I missed it entirely when it was on TV week-by-week and ended up watching the entire show on streaming years after it had ended. That was a true binge though. Once I started, I raced through it.   

Favorite TV series.

Without a doubt, The Wire. It’s perfect. The acting is incredible. The characters are complex, fascinating, and so well-developed. It’s a classic American story (for better or worse) and one of the greatest pieces of American art ever created, in my opinion.

A YouTube video you find yourself returning to.

I’m not sure there’s one specific video I repeatedly seek out but there are a handful of live performances by PJ Morton that will always rope me in. If I see a thumbnail of him with a string section or a choir, I’m clicking instantly. One example

Favorite piece of music.

I’m struggling with this question, but I landed on two albums that are both formative for me and that I can listen to endlessly: Channel Orange by Frank Ocean and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Both sort of blur the lines between soul, R&B, hip hop, and pop in ways that are compelling and unique.

If you could own one painting it would be…..

While spending New Year’s Eve at the Griswold Inn in Essex I got to meet Gregory Siff, who is a very cool artist out in California. I’ve always enjoyed his work. By no means am I an art expert — fortunately for taxpayers, it’s not part of our investment strategy — but Chris and I try to have art in the house that we find interesting and makes us both happy (and is safe from dog hair). 

The instrument you wish you’d learned to play.

Either piano or saxophone. At this point in my life, it’s hard to imagine finding time to learn either, but you never know!   

Your guiltiest cultural pleasure.

I don’t have many at the moment, which is less a reflection of my taste, I think, and more a reflection of the number of interesting things to watch and read that I haven’t had time to catch up with yet. Not sure if this qualifies, but I have more sneakers than I care to admit, and do enjoy reading David Baldacci books — not particularly substantive but fun page-turners.

Something that ought to be better known.

I feel like this question is meant to generate a philosophical answer, but my mind immediately went to ice cream. Chris introduced me to Ferris Acres Creamery in Newtown many years ago. It’s a staple in the area, but one of Connecticut’s many local treasures that people in other parts of the state might not know about. 

Two podcasts you try not to miss.

There are a few I listen to regularly during my commute from New Haven to Hartford each day, mostly focused on news and market updates. My two favorites right now are Dissect, a music podcast that gets deep in the weeds to breakdown entire albums, and Capital Allocators, which has conversations with institutional investors about their personal background and their specific areas of subject matter expertise. 

The poem/song that makes you wonder.

There are several poems that have significance to me, but one that’s always resonated for me is If— by Rudyard Kipling.

You’re having a fantasy dinner party, you’ll invite these guests…..

I’m going with a full merging of interests here. I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, so I’ll take the most entertaining and charismatic player from my childhood, Deion Sanders. I’d want to talk music and business with Jay-Z. Warren Buffet is obviously a phenomenally successful investor and businessman but seems down-to-Earth enough to be a fun dinner guest (he can take care of the fictional bill too). And lastly, Michelle Obama. I appreciate the way she sees the world with optimism and bet she has great stories. If Chris, or any member of our families, is reading this, you can come too, obviously.

The place you feel happiest.

I know it’s cheesy, but I’m the happiest these days just spending time with family and friends. I’m fortunate to have a job I love but it does keep me extremely busy, so I’m more grateful than ever for that balance in my life. I’m a New Haven guy to my core, so an evening at Portofino's, The Trinity, or Modern Apizza (which is honestly where you’ll find us most evenings we’re free), is all I require to be happy.

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Next week: A favorite state media figure shares a rich cultural life and some recommendations for a career in news. 

The first edition of a Substack newsletter requires something jaunty to mark the moment. Here are Gracie Allen and George Burns holding their own with Fred Astaire.