With New Music Coming, Role Model Took Up Fishing and Dior Shows

4 min read

Tucker Pillsbury has recently taken up old school fishing. “I’m gonna go to a fishing store after I speak to you because I want to get a new fishing pole,” the singer-songwriter, who is better known to his legions of fans as Role Model, tells me over a video call from his Los Angeles home. “It’s my new hobby. I grew up fishing and my mom recently visited me and realized I don’t have any hobbies, so suggested fishing again.”

Role Model, who is currently working on a “vibey and fun” new album, hails from the scenic shores of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, which he left to study film at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was in 2018 that his career as a musician took off, when the late Mac Miller caught wind of one of his songs “Stolen Car,” a ballad about addiction. After discovering Role Model’s early homemade tracks, Miller reached out, took him to Los Angeles to collaborate, and became a mentor to him in the music industry. The rest, as they say, is a colorful history of Coachella sets and TikTok viral hits—a trajectory that meant the 29-year old artist never went back to Maine.

Despite now living on the West Coast, he’s embracing his East Coast vibe and a history of fishing with his dad as a kid. “No one really goes fishing in Los Angeles, but I’ve been going out to the river the past couple of nights,” the “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” singer shares. I ask if he’s caught anything, to which he answers, “nope” with a laugh, admitting he’s not sure if the rivers he’s been to even have fish in them. “I like that there’s no one else down there when I’m doing it, so hopefully maybe I’ll keep it a little secret. I was using the wrong lures though, so I’m going to get the right ones shortly.”

Speaking of his roots, Pillsbury tells me he’s embraced is his style, which he says fits more into that “laid-back, less dressy” New England vibe. Appropriately, the reason we are chatting today isn’t to find out more about his fishing, but because in a couple of hours he’s heading off to Dior’s show at LACMA, where Jonathan Anderson will present his first Cruise collection.

Why appropriate? Well, over the past year, Anderson, who took the reins at Dior in April 2025, has presented menswear that riffs on the New England-y, collegiate prep of the Ivy League colleges with a little Gallic flair. It’s been a vibe shift for Dior, but one that Pillsbury is into. “I’ve seen pieces and things over the years from him that seem very much inspired by, maybe not fishing, but like the New England world,” Pillsbury says, agreeing that the designer’s knack for world building would certainly include a fisherman. “I don’t know if it’s intentional or not that some of the stuff has this East Coast feeling to it. I love the whole upgraded, slight New England aesthetic with the blue shades, the denim, the gold hardware, the button-downs, and the casual little loafer slides. It feels like New England summer to me, which I love, always.”

Pillsbury freely admits that while he’s not so tuned into the world of fashion, Jonathan Anderson is easily his favorite designer and someone he truly respects. “To be honest, and maybe I shouldn’t say this, but Dior was never really on my radar. I’m a JW Anderson [brand] super fan, but now I’m so into Dior too. A long time ago when I first got money I got these hot pink leather JW slides. I also had the classic zip-up, obviously.”

Tonight Pillsbury is wearing his ideal outfit to the show, which he explains sparks a return to the limelight after lying low for a bit. “I’ve got these straight leg jeans with a beautiful wash. They hug the thighs and the butt and then they’re a little bit loose down below, but they fall perfectly. I’m wearing the perfect fitting pair of jeans, which never happens.” He’s also got one of Anderson’s signature ornate belts and a button-down, while a suede jacket rounds out the outfit.

“I mean I would love to steal the outfit tonight,” he admits. “Um, I’ve tried that before with other things and usually I just end up getting a text with a polite explainer that they need it back a month later. But yeah, I’m obsessed with the Dior belts. I would love all of the belts and the jacket that I’m wearing.”

And after the show wraps? “A week of album prep and, er, fishing. I love that this whole thing was mostly about fishing,” he laughs, flashing his whale tattoo on his chest. “I’ve love this.”