Information Diet: Isaiah Mustafa
The Old Spice guy reveals his favorite morning reading and why he downloads 'Cosmo'
What’s the first information you consume in the morning?
CNN is my home page on my computer, so that’s probably the first thing I take a look at.
What do you read or watch or listen to at the breakfast table?
I usually read Psychology Today because I get everything else on my iPad. It’s the only hard-copy magazine that I subscribe to—and I don’t want to spill anything on my iPad. It has some of the most fascinating articles on the human mind and relationships in general. After breakfast, on my iPad I read Men’s Health, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Popular Photography, and Cosmopolitan. I like to know what the females are up to.
What occupies your mind in the car, on the subway, train, or bus?
When I’m working on something, it’s usually the character I’m playing. I also listen to Howard Stern if the radio is on, or I have a playlist on my iPod.
Are you a TV junkie, or on an airtime-restricted diet?
I’m probably in between. I don’t find it necessary to put myself on restriction because I don’t watch that much TV, but I do have certain shows that I like to tune into. I’ll watch a series of shows in a sitting—I may spend three hours catching up on Mad Men or Game of Thrones. Or if I’m with my daughter, we watch iCarly. It’s a kids’ show, but I love it. Seriously, I DVR it—it’s great.
If you’re a couch potato, what do you watch, and how: TV, laptop or tablet?
I usually watch on the TV, but Game of Thrones—and most HBO series—I can watch on my iPad.
Before bed, do you: bite into a novel; graze on Twitter; or fast until morning?
I read. Right now, I’m reading The Life of Alfred Hitchcock for the third time. I’m obsessed with how his mind works. He’s sick and twisted—but in a very polite way.
Which is more nutritious: print or Web?
I’d say print is more nutritious, but the Web is probably a little more filling.
Give us the skinny on your favorite app.
Words With Friends. Sometimes I’ll just throw a tweet out there asking “Who wants to play?” and get hundreds of responses from people, and I’ll just start playing the first couple that come up. I like the idea that I’m playing somebody I don’t know.
What’s your biggest digital indulgence?
My iPhone. It’s the bane of my existence. If it never existed, life would be great. And if I lost it, life would be horrible. It’s crazy.
With such a bloated media universe, how do you cut out the fat?
I think it’s personal preference. I think you have to take a look at who’s blogging or who the article is from, and whether it’s a credible source or just some pissed-off guy sitting on his couch.
