This week, I broke down. I guess.. Or did I break up? What’s the positive term for letting go of long held behaviors?
For years, I have been donating to Wikipedia. I know, I know, high school teachers did their best to instill in us that it’s not a source we should rely on. But in all honesty, an open source, peer-reviewed collection of information is something amazing. And if you have ever tried creating your own Wikipedia article or shifting narratives in an existing one, you will know that it is but a matter of time until someone comes a-knockin’!
Either way, I’d been using Wikipedia for a long time before taking the step of contributing, and similarly it’s been (arguably too) long since I should have done the same for something very near to my heart – not music, for a change, but not far off either.
Back when I was doing my masters, I used to spend my mornings working for a little company called Oberst, who ran coupon websites internationally – you will be familiar with the pages that (will (or more likely will not)) give you the code that takes x% off your order at y-company. Singapore and India being my main markets to scan and update each day.
Killing 3–4 hours a day before heading to the library was one thing (ask me 15 ways to write “15% discount with this voucher”, and I will either rattle them off like a machine gun or have a stroke), but taking it to the full-time level after handing in my thesis was beyond even what I could sweep under the carpet with music. Don’t get me wrong, I can go a good ways, but there are limits!
So what I did instead was lean into this thing that someone suggested to me: Podcasts.
Now, even in 2018 podcasts were not unheard of, but they surely did not hold the place in common consciousness that they do today. Hours each day, I would do mindless work and distract / lose myself into these stories.
News. Crime. Slice of life. Fantasy. Reporting. Novels. Music reviews.. There was so much to explore — and explore I did: I ripped through series in days. Finished year-long shows in weeks. Daily shows became my backdrop on the way to and from the office, the trip to the supermarket, or any chores around the house.
Suffice it to say that I have had the pleasure of listening to a good amount of podcasts. And I still do. But there are differences in what they do to me. What they offer. How they impact me. What I feel for and with and through them.
A show that (for years now) is very near and dear to my heart – and I know that it might sound basic to the seasoned listener – is This American Life. A show that can manage to captivate me with topics as far-reaching as storytelling goes. Oftentimes aiming to break the rules of what is considered possible, and seemingly succeeding regardless of sky-high aspirations.
Last week, I finally (and again, arguably, far too late) took the step to support this program financially. I’ve been a sales person or evangelist for years, but now I am an investor. Because I think that varied stories enable us to live lives beyond our grasp. To experience emotion we have yet to face. To consider views we have yet to encounter.
Thank you, Ira. Thank you, Torey. Thank you, each and every one that has contributed to making this weekly piece of art.
It’s music to my ears – chords or not.
Find some of their own recommendations here and my personal recommendation here.
Coryphe 