A Daily Dose of Art: Night People by Mark Ronson
Yesterday, Saturday, I started listening to an audio version of this Night People: How to Be a DJ in '90s New York City by Mark Ronson, read by the author.
I had plenty of time to post about it here but I was also sort of watching the Auburn game (on mute) and it wore me out so I went straight to sleep when it was over with that familiar feeling of losing in my body, mind, and soul. You’re not an Auburn fan if you aren’t intimately familiar with that feeling.
Anyway. Football isn’t important. Books and music and stories are important. So, instead of watching football, read or listen to this book. It’s fantastic.
And the interview below is fantastic too. “Oh and this guy Jay-Z.” lol
Highly recommend the book and the interview.
One thing I love about the book is Ronson’s awareness of his privilege and luck. That helps because oh my goodness the amount of privilege and luck is just enormous.
Another thing I love about the book is Ronson’s storytelling. I sure hope there wasn’t a ghost writer but if there was, they did a great job.
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From the publisher:
Lady Gaga, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, the Barbie soundtrack. Behind some of the biggest musical moments in the past two decades is one man: Mark Ronson. Now, his memoir Night People captures the music, characters, escapades and energy of his formative DJ days in '90s New York.
Mark Ronson was born a night person. With hedonistic creatives for parents, parties became his playground. Yet, having moved to New York City from London at a young age, he always felt like a bit of an outsider, until discovering himself in the pulsing, unifying joy of the city’s parties and hip-hop scene. Each night brought a heady mix of music, ambition, danger, delight, and possibilities. Having well and truly caught the DJing bug, he worked to find his place and make his name in the city that never sleeps.
Night People conjures the undeniable magic of '90s New York, when clubs were diverse, glamorous, a little lawless. It evokes the rush of a time and place where fashionistas and rappers on the rise danced alongside club kids and 9-to-5'ers – and invites us into the tribe of creatives and partiers who came alive when the sun went down.
A heartfelt coming-of-age tale, Night People is the definitive account of a cultural moment and the making of a musical mastermind.
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Thank God for good conversations and books that help us engage with music, places, and interesting ideas.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts on being an Auburn fan/this book/topic or a glimpse into one of your recent doses of art in the comments below.