Diary of a Naughtie Kid is Dan Single's time capsule of the 2000s. As co-founder of Ksubi (then, tsubi) Dan has collected and curated his memories into a 333-page book of fashion, music, models and madness from 2000-2010. Our kinda book. We spoke to Dan about the noughties and crafting the memoir:

What was the catalyst for creating this book? When was the a-ha moment?

There wasn’t one particular a-ha moment, but many a-ha moments that culminated into an ahahahahahahahahahaha moment. I was smart enough, or dumb enough, to take many pictures and collect many things. I’ve carried them around with me for 20 years, for fuck knows why, but now it all makes sense. This is the time people want to see how it all happened. There’s so much referencing of the Noughties, but not much recollection of it. I’d like kids to see there was a time when you could make something from nothing. It can happen again.

Were there other books or compilations that inspired you that you have always loved?

I’ve always loved reading all kinds of books. I love the feel of them, the way a story can be packed up within a front and back cover. I’ve got quite the library in my Magic Shed. Some of my favourites are my books on Andy Warhol, Leonardo da Vinci, GONZO, skateboarding photo books, MAD Magazines, nudie magazines, books on architecture, Peter Beard’s diaries. Diaries in general might be my favourite things. I love collage and how you can show many parts of a story all at once.

Have you always held on to tangible moments in time like newspaper clippings etc, or did you have to do some heavy digging?

For this particular project I only dug a fraction into what I had, or that’s a lie actually, I dug real deep and only used a fraction. There’s plenty more. I never intentionally kept all the bits, but somehow I’ve ended up with boxes and boxes of memories. Maybe I’m a hoarder, maybe I’ve just done a lot of stuff, maybe the universe had plans for me to tell the stories. I dunno, but it would feel like a crime to the people if I didn’t share.

How did you feel emotionally as you were uncovering everything?

Proud, grateful, lucky, silly, embarrassed. Man, so many emotions. If it were to be one word, it would be ‘grateful.’

What specifically did you love about this time in fashion, music and pop culture?

It felt like a time where there were no rules. People went for creating something new. Even if it was inspired by what had come before, there was always a new twist. It was fresh. People who didn’t have the traditional skills or training made waves and it opened the way for a whole bunch of kids to give it a go.

What do you think set it apart from the decades that came before?

I don’t think it was set apart from the decades that came before. It’s been happening forever. History always repeats itself. Hippie happened and punk followed. Every generation creates, and the one that comes next creates against it. This time it just happened that a lot of things were created in the music and fashion space.

Tell us about being in Australia during this time—the nightlife, the partying, the freedom etc

It was a magical time to be alive. Sydney really is the city with the most potential in the world. We have all of the things. We’re just not allowed to make use of all of the things. Back then, we were fortunate to use some of them. We could stay out and connect with people, create friendships, come up with ideas. Now we’re not allowed to stay out and are ruled by our phones and whatever ChatGPT says to us. We live in a world ruled by the average of the average. There’s not as much exotic as there used to be.

Is there a specific memory in the book that is especially important to you?

AJAX.

There are brilliant people to collaborate with in Australia. Who has been part of your world with creating this book?

There are many brilliant people standing out from the average in Australia for sure. I’ve always surrounded myself with the most unique humans. The most beautiful, weird, creative, inspiring, happy, sad, crazy and insanely talented human beings. I like to think of myself and my crew as a bunch of beautiful weirdos. This book was created for them and by them. I couldn’t have done it without my brother Beni, my friends Herman, Gus Irwin and Nati Magic, Marcus King, Raph Savage, Ouija, Matt Hollywood. My Bang Gang crew: Angus Gruzman, Jaime Doom, Beni again, and of course AJAX from heaven. So many people. I love collaborating and I could never have done any of this on my own.

What’s important to you aside from fashion, music and nightlife? How would you like to use your platform?

Mental health is my most important thing. I’ve lost way too many friends to suicide and it is heartbreaking. I want to use my platform to help people be OK with not being OK all the time. We have bad days, but these days pass. Sit with the feelings and live to see all the beauty and mystery the future days hold.

What is the soundtrack to this book?

Thomas Bangalter and Guy Man’s (Daft Punk) ‘Wedding Crashers Mix.’ A secret unreleased tape from a wedding in Ibiza mixing old classics, techno, disco. All the genres, all the vibes.

What’s next?

A book tour, lots of parties, a movie, a documentary, and a new brand: 1800-PSYCHO. We are a billboard for mental empathy, saying that we are psycho and most of our friends are too. Let’s celebrate being different and sitting outside of the status quo. We rally together and support those who feel like they are the odd ones out. In the coming years we’d like to become a mental health support line. That’s the end goal. Saving lives.

@dangerousdanman