Happy Friday! ☀️
This week’s work trip took me to Munich, a city I now love. I used to live there for a year in 2008 and it wasn’t the right place for me at the time so I moved to Berlin. Over the years since, I’ve grown to love the city and it’s a gift to be able to go back regularly. This time, I spent two days in the area beyond the Ostbahnhof, a fast-developing area that juxtaposes old industrial and underground with modern and new vibes.
What I’m reading 📖
The main sources for me to discover new music are Spotify’s Release Radar and Discover Weekly. This includes new music that is recent but also older music that is new to me. This made me remember how I used to discover new music when I was younger: recommendations from friends who bought new CDs, weekly music magazines, fanzines, record sellers at live shows, and record stores. So while I now have access to all the music ever recorded, I rely on fewer (and automated) sources to find new music. I don’t want to rely solely on algorithmically playlists so I was wondering if music nerds out there had created a method that includes various sources for music discovery. I haven’t found one yet but this article gave me a few ideas.
What I’m listening to 🎧
Dax Shepard of the Armchair Expert podcast is a fantastic conversationalist and yet I don’t listen to every new conversation on his podcast. A few times a year I skim his episode list and hit play on episodes with guests I’m curious about. This week, that episode was this conversation with Trevor Noah and I am glad I did. They cover a broad range of topics and I found it intellectually stimulating. I love Trevor Noah’s clarity of thinking, ability to speak from perspective, and anecdotes from his personal journey in growing as a human.
What I’m watching 📺
Parlament is a French, Belgian, and German co-produced comedy series and I found it highly entertaining for its humour, setting, and plot. In theory, a workplace comedy about the inner workings of EU institutions doesn’t sound that appealing but the series finds the right way to balance satire and education. It makes great use of clichés while at the same time explaining (parts of) the parliamentary process of that are often untold. Samy is a young and inexperienced assistant who arrives in Brussels on his first day shortly after the Brexit referendum and finds himself responsible for getting an amendment. Watch the trailer.
What I’m thinking about 🧠
“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” – Albert Einstein
What else?! 💯
Who knew that a letter written in 1965 by Sol LeWitt to fellow artist Eva Hess is a pep talk has passed the test of time. Bonus when it’s recited by Benedict Cumberbatch in a riveting performance. Watch.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
David
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