let's talk about how to Euro summer & radio's renaissance

Brode passes the travel baton & Jode is anti-algorithm..... aannnnnd we're talking about it!

how to Euro Summer

B: Jode this one goes out from me directly to you, straight from my heart, even though you didn’t ask; my advice for your euro-trash summer.

By summer’s end, you’re going to be tan, broke, stinky and I’m sure will have the most insane stories to share with me xxx Sadly what goes up must ultimately come down and there will inevitably be some hard times, missed trains, and breakdown’s on the cobblestone streets. So I would love to use this gorgeous platform to be the old wise F** Hag that passes on my advice to staying chic and sane during your slaggy summer sojourn.

• Firstly, not to be ssoooooooo Anthony Bourdain about it but there really is nothing more powerful than being a local. When you first arrive in a new location I need you to hit the streets and find the chicest cafe within 15 mins of your accom and go every single morning. I know travelling is supposed to be about trying new things but when you’re so far from home for months on end there’s something so comforting about being greeted with a knowing smile by someone who knows your order (espresso with a glass of ice on the side gracias (euro deconstructed iced long black hack)).

  All day everyday you’re going to be seeing, hearing, tasting and touching things you’ve never experienced, so just for 2 hours each morning allow yourself a little routine. Added bonus here is your barista will no doubt recognise you by day 3 and start giving you the most awesome recommendations straight from a local. Trip Advisor eat your heart out.

  My guide to choosing a local; espressos under 2 euro, no english menus, sexy staff.

• Do less doll xx The 3 month euro trip is a marathon and you need to be strolling through it at a leisurely pace. I’ve done the whirlwind euro circuit covering 6 countries in 14 days and my most potent memory of that trip is the inside of airport terminals. I’m needing you to keep it simple stupid 💋

• Networking!!!!! Your network really is your net worth and there’s nothing chic about googling top 10 things to do near me. I personally treated Feeld like my own little travel agency and just asked the hottest person I could find what I should do in their city. I went to some amazing places I never would’ve known about and even sealed it with a kiss xx

• Bring lots of little bags. I was noticeably more relaxed this trip than last because I had my variously sized little aesop / baggu / zip up bags. In a world where you’re living out of a poorly packed slightly broken suitcase, there’s comfort in knowing exactly which little bag your portable chargers-charger is in.

• Overpack, no one is giving out awards for spending 3 months living out of a carry on. Whilst its undeniably cringe lugging your 25 kilo suitcase to your Waking Life tipi, I would argue it’s worth every second to be able to have clean clothes, a diverse outfit rotation, and avoid a conniption every time you need to zip up your suitcase.

• And finally, perhaps my most controversial suggestion given your strong views on this topic, but I really think you should buy a Kobo …. I know it’s the least chic way to consume books but to not have to lug around 10 paperbacks from home or play the book swap gamble at hostels is worth constantly looking like an iPad baby. I love and respect you and your library, but I really urge you to consider this.

J: These are actually really fucking good tips? I half expected to hear you just retell me about your Europe summer through the lens of advice giving but I actually think I really needed to hear some of these things. Especially that nobody is handing out awards for living out of a carry on x The way people make it sound is that you get a Nobel Peace Prize and a $200,000 sustainability grant if you can successfully pack only carry on for the duration of your trip. I’m going to be taking all this advice and a full suitcase on board when I jet off in June.

radio’s renaissance

J: If there’s something you and I truly love to talk about, it’s music. I think from the moment we met, our conversations have been mostly populated by sharing chic mixes or songs with each other to listen to. We praise the DJ and we worship the music they bring to our ears. In the wise words of Madonna, “music… makes the people…. come together”. Alot of this might sound like it’s pulled from a 2011 Tumblr post but the gravity of music’s impact on our friendship has been astronomical.

I’ve been a lover of finding music and sharing it with friends since I started embedding songs onto my MSN page at the ripe age of 8 years old (Black and Gold by Sam Sparro would play when you clicked on my profile). As I’ve grown up, the ways that music has come into my life have grown up with me and I definitely feel like I’m at a place where I’m quite intentional with my relationship to music. This may be super meta, but when it comes down to it - music is probably one of the most defining factors in my life. It’s my sense of community and it enriches so much of my experience (trying to distract myself at the gym, on the bus to work or perhaps even…. soundtracking falling in love!… you remember how much I used to listen to What It Feels Like For A Girl in 2024.)

There’s a throughline here between these thoughts and feelings - music is for people and should as such be shared by people. I think we were all simultaneously tired of Spotify’s incessant need to shove algorithms down our throats years ago (except Spotify Wrapped they are so epic for that). My music streaming habits now pretty much exclusively involve soundcloud mixes or archive radio shows + scrolling through my saved library on spotify. I saw a really interesting book in Kinokuniya the other day that probably sums up a lot of what I’m trying to say better than I can (which I’ll link below so you can maybe buy a copy on your Kobo (derogative)) - but I’m angry at Spotify. I’m angry at algorithms in general. And I know alot of people are probably in the same hate-filled boat as me.

Finding a new presenter who has a similar taste in music to me and subsequently listening to every single radio show they have available to stream is one of my favourite little pleasures. Recently for me this was Macca of NTS Breakfast Show One Glove (you need to be tuning in fortnightly if you haven’t already Brode). But I’m also finding myself surrendering to the radio in general when I’m running errands or walking around. Sometimes it’s honestly just about hitting play on whatever’s currently broadcasting from our beloved FBI - and the knowledge that there is a human being selecting this music rather than a computer makes my listening all the more engaging.

It is my wish that members of the general public come to this conclusion themselves in the coming years, or things are going to get more and more dire. The renaissance of radio in my life has meant really falling in love with music I would otherwise may never have heard. Anyways this may have been a bit of a ramble - but as I type this I’ve just found 4 new songs from an hour long radio show and that to me is MAGIC. Here’s a link to that book x

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214151728-mood-machine

B: I hear you, I stand with you, and I love you. Something sooo intimate about sharing music and I always go a little too deep into trying to decode exactly what about the song made that person think of me. I also get deeply (potentially unreasonably) offended when someone reveals they didn’t listen to what I sent them. Like I wore my heart on my sleeve and they took it, ate it, threw it up, and chose to listen to their spotify discover weekly instead - really heartbreaking.

Also I just listened to my first Macca show (because I always do my homework x) and I’m already so obsessed and frankly pissed off you haven’t sent it to me sooner. The Scouse accent is really doing it for me, I can only describe it as Macca’s voice being to me, what Flo Dill’s is to the femme loving people in the room. Do you know what I mean by that?

J: Macca & Flo are like two sides of the same coin Brode. And God I love coins.

you, me & our iPhones (12/04)

peering into our iMessage