My name is…
Sam James Velde
I live in…
Echo Park, California
I get high from…
Exercising outdoors in nature. Particularly the mountains, or near the ocean.
The concept behind this playlist is…
Just good time Rock N Roll really. Tunes that keep ya moving. Help ya keep the pace up, but not over do it too fast.
Lots of power pop and hard rock, with a few flashes of Punk and Oi.
My workout routine consists of…
I spent most of the Spring, Summer and Fall last year typically with a 5 mile morning hike or trail run, and roughly a 25 mile bike ride about 4 days a week. Now that daylight savings time is back and the days are beginning to get longer, I'm starting to return to that routine.
My favorite place to run…
I love running in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. It sits right up against Griffith Park. Really well manicured, with diverse architecture. Lots of classic LA looking homes and apartments. Maybe an occasional coyote on a night run. I used to live over there, and developed a route that I just can't beat.
What I think about when I run…
I used to spend a lot of time thinking about the state of the world, but that's the last thing I think about now when out running, hiking or biking now. I spend most of the time obsessing over what song just came on a playlist and getting really into it for whatever reason. Im might even listen to it a couple times in a row.
The best book I’ve ever read…
That's a tie to be honest.
"Revolutionary Suicide" by Huey P Newton was an earth shattering read for me. Was such a smack of reality at the time, and an incredible tale of conviction against all odds.
On the other hand, "Midnight Mass and other stories" by Paul Bowles took me to another world., Really unique and twisted stories about the nature of the human condition.
My favorite thing to eat is…
Japanese food.
My fav tv shows currently are:
There has been such an incredible amount of television entertainment over the years I could list handfuls of shows. But, I just finished a documentary series called "Last Chance U." The series is about a basketball program at a junior college in East Los Angeles that is a gateway to Division One college basketball. It documents the 2019/2020 season. Pretty incredible story not only for the team as a whole, but the individual players, and staff. Very intense and dramatic. Pulls the heartstrings quite a bit as it develops. Can't say enough good things about it.
My most treasured possession is…
I'd prolly say my record collection. I have albums and 7 inches that date back before I was a teenager. Pretty diverse collection of music I still continue to add to. I'll forget about certain records then see something about one and realize it's rare or that I bought it when it was released. Like the "Licorice Pizza" Black Flag 7 inch. Licorice Pizza was a record store chain in the 80s, and somehow they released a Flag 7 inch and I bought it! HA.
Last time I was embarrassed was…
Was the last time I looked at social media or corporate news.
The most important thing I’ve learned in life so far is…
To be of service to others is an incredible gift.
When we die…
I'll let you know when I get there.
Sam's playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
My name is…
Daniel Avery
I live in…
East London, Europe
I get high from…
The current promise of an approaching kick drum
The concept behind this playlist is…
I hate to be a contrary wanker but I don’t listen to anything when I run. It’s the only time I ever take away from my phone and I find music throws me off. Instead, this is a playlist of stuff that has been getting me through lately, the kind of thing I’ll put on the second I get back home. I recommend putting it on shuffle.
My workout routine consists of…
Overwhelming annoyance overtaken by a disproportionate sense of satisfaction. Repeat most days.
My favorite place to run…
I’m lucky to live next to the canal that leads directly to the Olympic Village where I can dream of what might have been if I’d started exercising earlier in life and had any sporting skill whatsoever.
What I think about when I run…
It’s the deepest form of meditation I know. I feel it’s the place where I’m able to get a much better perspective on pretty much everything.
The best book I’ve ever read…
South of the Border, West of the Sun
My favorite thing to eat is…
If an early death was avoidable, I’d hook curry to my veins.
My fav tv shows currently are:
I’ve been falling deep into the original Twilight Zone.
My most treasured possession is…
A damn near-perfect Super Famicom collection
Last time I was embarrassed was…
I came so close to fully stacking it onto my face whilst running the other day. There’s a tortured metaphor for you, right there.
The most important thing I’ve learned in life so far is…
Nothing is simple, no one knows what they are doing, don’t rush.
When we die…
The people who matter will remember you
Daniel's playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
My name is…
Greg Edwards
I live in…
Los Angeles, California
I get high from…
Running, getting beaten up by waves, and having close encounters with dolphins and seals in the beach break. You can sense the intelligence and curiosity and they are big animals, sometimes just 5 or 6 feet away, looking right at you. And they’re almost always around.
The concept behind this playlist is…
Songs that remind me of specific runs. No matter what my associations with the songs were in the past, now each one just takes me right back to a particular landscape, temperature, quality of light, etc.. I don’t like to always run to the beat, so I’m not really looking for consistent rhythms or specific bpms. I like more expansive arrangements and I like getting a new perspective on great songs and lyricists when I’m pushing my body and my mental defenses are down.
My workout routine consists of…
5-6 miles a day and a longer run once a week (and one day off if I’m smart.)
My favorite place to run…
I have had great runs all over, I couldn’t pick one: Around the lakes in Copenhagen. Along the canals and train tracks in Birmingham, UK. Rural roads in Bozeman, Montana. Through the streets and parks of Berlin.
What I think about when I run…
Ideally, nothing. For me, the 38 minute mark at about an 8:30 pace puts me in another dimension and then around 42 minutes I re-enter my body consciously and all effort is gone. It’s like clockwork. My pace picks up, my body feels like a machine and I’m just along for the ride. Downside to this, of course, is injury. So I have to pay attention to any discomfort in the first half-hour of the run, because after 38 minutes there is no pain— until the next day. Sometimes useful thoughts spontaneously arise, like a lyric or a concept, but I’m happiest to be a thoughtless machine when I run.
The best book I’ve ever read…
Ulysses by James Joyce. The strangest book about un-strange things ever written.
My favorite thing to eat is…
Sushi
My fav tv shows currently are:
The Knick and I’m finally watching Arrested Development with my 12 yo daughter. A show like that is a cultural relic at this point. Satire is flatlining.
My most treasured possession is…
Either my 71’ silver tape SG custom or my grandfather’s Shakespeare and Co edition of Ulysses.
Last time I was embarrassed was…
I’m always embarrassed. For all of us. We’re a mess.
The most important thing I’ve learned in life so far is…
There is a reflex to always make everything vital and important. But the wisdom, that is so hard to accept, is that nothing is important, least of all yourself, your identity, your pride, your blood, or your ideologies. And you don’t have to feel guilty about integrating this realization because it’s the truth.
When we die…
It’ll be just like it was for the eternity before we were born. As Dylan says, it’s life and life only. What a relief.
Greg's playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.