The holidays are cool, sure, but I love these days between December 25 and December 31. I call this week The Lull. (Consider this my petition to get others to start calling it that, too. I’ve heard ‘Twixmas,’ which I can’t get behind, because a) ugh, it’s a little twee, and b) there’s no reason to bring Christmas into this wonderful secular period.) I love the collective downshifting into second gear—after the frenetic shopping, decorating, and travel, but before the tyranny of New Year’s resolutions have descended. No need to be virtuous yet. The Lull is just a week to luxuriate in a world set to half-speed.
This week, on my break, I’m watching Season 3 of Slow Horses; I’m reading an advance copy of Real Americans by Rachel Khong; and I’m playing Hogwarts Legacy on Playstation. My friend: It. Feels. Great.
I wanted to share a couple of things I did that came out earlier this month. They’re both audio interviews and they meant a great deal to me, personally.
On December 17, I was on All Things Considered on NPR, talking to host Rachel Martin for her series ‘Enlighten Me.’ I don’t know if what I said was at all enlightening, but I spoke for the first time about my sister’s recent cancer diagnosis. I’ve tried mostly to turn away from my own feelings about it since we got the news, because there are, frankly, far more important and pressing matters (and feelings) to attend to. Listening back to the interview now, though, I can hear myself finally acknowledging some of these thoughts in real time. You can hear that piece here.
The final Song Exploder episode of the year was with Dave Grohl, breaking down the process behind the Foo Fighters’ song ‘The Teacher.’ It’s a song he wrote about his mother’s passing, and this was the first time he’d spoken publicly about the experience. It was a very tender conversation; I felt very lucky to get to have it with him. Towards the end of the interview, I ventured talking a little bit about my own mother’s passing, by way of trying to find another path for him to walk down, and his response was gracious and surprising—it moved me. Normally, I cut myself out of Song Exploder interviews, so as to present a seemingly linear story from the point of the view of the artist, but this moment felt so special that we decided to leave the whole exchange in. After the interview, as I was packing up my recording gear in the Foo Fighters’ studio, I realized that day happened to be the third anniversary of my mother’s death. The nerves I’d had about the interview had superseded my own sense of the date’s significance, but then the significance found its way in all on its own. I have love for every Song Exploder episode, but this one feels particularly meaningful. If you’d like to listen, it’s on the Song Exploder site (and you can find links to it on podcast apps here).
The last thing I’d like to share with you as things draw to a close is the song I released earlier this year, Cascade, especially because my sister and my mother both figure into the song. (You can hear a bit of it towards the end of the NPR piece.) I fear the song sort of slipped through the cracks when it came out, which I guess was a good reminder of how little control one has over how the things you make get received. Cascade is supposed to be a lullaby, so hopefully The Lull feels the right time to listen to it.
Thank you, and happy new year.
Hrishikesh
As always from you, Hrishi, a thoughtful and sensitive piece of writing. It's Lull Time here, too, in Australia but high summer where the days slip lazily into each other, punctuated with cricket, tennis, and yacht racing; at least these people are stirring though one wonders: why?? Best thoughts and good wishes for your sister's health. You are fortunate to be surrounded by so many good people to help your family through this.
The Dave Growl episode had me crying like a baby in the car on my way home from one of my many visits to my parents' house over the holiday weeks. It was beautiful and sad and I am glad you kept yourself in it.