The SPY Debrief: The Time Alec Benjamin Bought $1000 Loafers (And Lost Them)
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This year, Alec Benjamin hit a major milestone: The alt-pop singer-songwriter, who’s known for his glossy, confessional bops (see: “I Sent My Therapist to Therapy”) reached a full decade since he signed his first major-label record deal. With that comes a hefty body of work (his third LP, 12 Notes, is out May 10 via Elektra), a slate of famous friends (he name-checks Khalid and John Mayer, both of whom he met on Instagram), and, perhaps most importantly for a kid from Phoenix, Arizona, some disposable income.
SPY spoke to Benjamin about how he wields his newfound purchasing power and that one time he shoplifted at the Rainforest Cafe.
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What is the first major purchase you made with your own money? Why did you choose it?
I got my first record deal when I was 18 or 19. The first thing I bought was a car — a Toyota 4Runner. I’ve had it for 10 years now; it has 160,000 miles on it. It still seems to be running pretty well — Toyotas run forever. I’m 28, now, and to this day, that’s my biggest purchase. I live with my parents in Huntington Beach, California, so maybe the next thing will be a house.
What types of ads or posts does your Instagram algorithm feed you? Put another way, who does your algorithm think you are?
I get therapy ads for apps like BetterHelp. I get ads for like a lot of Guitar Center-type stuff. I see a lot of skateboards — I watch skate videos but don’t skate that often. I get makeup stuff. Dog stuff. But if I’m going to be honest with you, my Instagram explore page is mainly just like, pretty women. My manager is like, Don’t say that! But yeah, it’s a lot of pretty girls.
If you could be a spokesperson for an existing brand, what would it be and why?
The first brand that comes to mind is Slim Jim. I’m not sure why.
Because you eat a lot of Slim Jims?
Yeah, I eat a lot of Slim Jims on the road. I feel like I could crush it for them if they gave me the opportunity.
What are three items you carry every day?
I have my MacBook Air, my inhaler — I have asthma — and then I have baby wipes [for the bathroom]. You never know!
What’s one purchase you regret making?
The things that I regret buying the most are expensive shoes. I don’t really splurge on that many things, but I bought an expensive pair of loafers for when I played Coachella a few years ago. The girl I was dating at the time was like, Oh, you gotta buy these. I think they’re amazing — like a work of art — but they were the most fucking uncomfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I spent $1,000 on them.
Do you still have them?
No! I lost them in Scotland, at a venue. Somebody at that venue is going to be so well-dressed.
Have you ever shoplifted? If so, what?
Yeah. When I was three years old. I was at a Rainforest Cafe — they had colored rocks there. And I said to my mom, Can I get some? She said no, so I slipped one in my pocket. When I got home, I showed my sister. She was like, You can’t do that.
So I told my mom that I did it. My friend’s dad was at the house and offered to take the rocks back for me. When he did, he told the restaurant what happened, and they gave him a voucher for a free ice cream. They were like, Oh, that’s really nice that the kid owned up to it! But then my friend’s dad took my ice cream.
He was trying to teach you a lesson!
I haven’t stolen anything since.
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