Happy Friday! ☀️
Ciao from Roma, I am on my way to Vienna for the weekend. It’s been my third time in Rome and I’m loving the city more and more every time I return.
What I’m reading 📖
A mix of personal experiences, philosophical and sociological ideas, Daniel Schreiber’s new book ‘Allein’ resonates with me. He explores the tension and difference between living alone and feeling lonely, the role of friendship, and why in a society of individualists being alone often carries the stigma of failure. More about the book.
What I’m listening to 🎧
The scandal around German payment provider Wirecard has been on the news for a while now and I only followed it by reading the headlines. This week, I listened to an in-depth investigative podcast series called ‘1,9 Milliarden Lügen’ that dives underneath the surface of what turns out to be a multi-layered story involving white-collar crime, fraud, and a pinch of spy action. The podcast is very well researched and produced and made me understand the whole story so much better.
What I’m watching 📺
Dave Grohl is a custodian of rock n roll. Next to his main gig with the Foo Fighters, he is a documentary filmmaker, author, and all around good guy. His first two documentaries ‘Sound City’ and ‘Sonic Highways’ were fantastic and both made me reconnect with why I love music. His new film ‘What Drives Us’ feels nostalgic to me. I used to work as a tour manager and spend months on the road driving a van across Europe. In this new film, Grohl and a range of musicians reflect on their early experiences touring in a van and what this vehicle represents for them. Watch the trailer.
What I’m thinking about 🧠
Rome is still a very car-centric city, off the smaller and more quiet streets in the city centre, cars dominate the city and it can get noisy and chaotic. At the same time, life in cities in Southern Europe is spent mostly outside. People are out, eating, drinking, and smoking outside in the many narrow streets and wide piazzas. I imagined how much more premium a city like Rome would be with no cars. In the meantime, I enjoyed biking the city on a Lime bike with the new The War on Drugs on repeat.
What else?! 💯
A few years ago during my time at SoundCloud I met Maud Pasturaud at an industry event in London. She went on to work in the tech industry in New York for several years and recently moved back to her city Paris to start Remode. Curating iconic second-hand designer pieces, she gives the clothes a new twist by adding embroidery. Find out more on Instagram.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
David