Space Academy

Buzz Aldrin showed up at the American Museum of Natural History to open something called the AXE Apollo Space Academy. I still don’t quite believe that happened. This is what happens when a brand has infinite money and no shame: you get an actual astronaut, a room full of people with nothing in common, the promise of a real space program (or at least a very expensive facsimile), and surprisingly good snacks.

Kendrick Lamar performed and the crowd lost it—people who probably had no business knowing the words were suddenly rapping along without a hint of irony. There was something weirdly perfect about the whole thing, the way the spectacle of it all erased the fact that we were at a corporate event for deodorant.

It was the kind of night where you’re not sure if you’re being marketed to or if you’re just having fun. Maybe both. Probably both. I’ll remember it because of how weird it was, which probably means it worked.