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Despite having interviewed over 400 women about their morning routines, I’m actually pretty terrible at them. But, waking up to classical music has been something I’ve managed to stick to (this probably has something to do with all my mothers’ Deutsche Grammophon CDs I would play while she was at work). Almost a decade ago, I discovered WQXR and it’s become one of my favorite things about New York City. If you have Sonos, you can set it up to play any radio station as an alarm, so every morning, I wake up right in time for Jeff Spurgeon’s Morning Bach and “Out-the-Door” dedications. Though he’s on vacation right now, his replacement has been dropping unintentional poetry, and it’s taken my mornings to another level. If you’re a classical music snob, don’t expect any deep cuts, since they pretty much stick to the “hits”. If you want something more elevated, NTS radio might be your best bet. I typically transition to it after lunch anyway. I've been listening to Discotan’s mixes, especially her most recent, Time Traveling in Tehrangeles, where she features some fun synthy Persian hits.
Related Recs
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My morning routine consists entirely of gulping down coffee and listening to WBGO, NY and NJ’s premiere (and only) 24/7 jazz radio station. I started the habit at the beginning of the pandemic thanks to a rec from my friend Trinity (who runs Golde with her partner Issey) and the combination of soothing jazz + energizing coffee is too good to quit.
Dec 9, 2021
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Even though I live in New Jersey at the moment I’m lucky to get all of the New York radio stations because I live close enough. i have a radio/CD player in my room that has been playing nonstop since October of last year. I go to sleep with it on, but at a really low volume so it can add some depth and dimension to my dreams. My favorite station is 107.5 WBLS. in my opinion it’s one of the few stations that doesn’t keep playing the same songs over and over… there’s something different to hear every day from that station and I think that’s great
May 8, 2023
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It’s nice not to have to decide what music is going to set the tone for your day. I just throw on NPR and let news wash over me, since I’m typically too tired to really pay attention but awake enough that I get what’s going on. And now I regularly say “well, I heard on NPR that [insert either local news or random science fact]”
Mar 1, 2024
Top Recs from @clemence
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Do you like porn? Do you hate searching for porn? x-archives is a curated newsletter that sends you five porn links every other week. It features the curations of filmmakers, artists, writers such as Hassan Rahim, Sarah Nicole Prickett, Beverly Nguyen (her picks are definitely some of my favorites), Andrew Norman Wilson, and more. If that’s too much, there’s always Tinto Brass.
Jul 6, 2021
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Amidst the pandemic, when anxiety was at an all-time high, I asked the women featured on passerbuys to share some tracks and albums that helped them sleep, and a soothing playlist emerged from it. You have all the classics; William Basinski, Gavin Bryars, Mary Lattimore, Hiroshi Yoshimura, and more. Although, this one-hour loop of the Fishing with John theme song is probably my true go-to.
Jul 6, 2021
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I love a massage, but I always find them too soft. I had never done a Shiatsu massage until my friend Laura (who you guys should feature, she has all the deepest recs, maybe she can do an Italian restaurant edition) introduced me to Keisy Oriental Nature Center in the East Village, and I’ve been hooked since. Each time, I walk out with an insane high, like I’m floating, all tension or pain I had going in, gone. They warn you on the call that it’s “no pain no gain”, so if you're into Swedish massages, this is definitely not for you. They charge about $50 an hour. While they also do reflexology and acupuncture, I wouldn't bother with that latter, since I did it for a month and it was pretty suss.
Jul 6, 2021