car·a·van - /ˈkerəˌvan/
Noun
a group of people, especially traders or music lovers (ed. note) , traveling together.
I had the real pleasure of chatting with Dan Pal of the
Substack.A professor at DePaul University by day and full-blown film, television and music fan by night. Perhaps that may not make him a superhero in the Marvel Universe, but it makes him damn near one in the Abandoned Albums Universe.
You should check out his Substack because it’s this terrific record of music over the years, in digestible snaps. Dan tells the stories about his life and ties it to his top ten songs for each year he’s been alive. Not only does the project remind you of songs from a certain year, but with each year, he’s building a rapport with the reader to lend some insight into who Dan is as a man. It’s fascinating… and pretty cool.
Rainy or uneventful night got you stuck at home, check out some of Dan’s film critiques and ratings over on his website PalCinema.
Now for those keeping score at home, that’s back to back professor episodes. First Terry Barr and now Dan. But fret not fellow traveler, this pod won’t become too academic. Remember, I’m the host. :)
Every time I have the opportunity to sit down with a member of our ever-growing caravan, I feel lucky.
In every one of these episodes, I’ve been able to discover new music that’s not been jammed in my ears by an algorithm.
But the podcast isn’t just about music, although that is the road on which this caravan travels (you gotta listen to the episode to get the metaphor). The pod is about kindred spirits sharing in some of those things that bring them joy, in this instance, it’s music. At times funny, at others heartfelt, there is something intimate in taking ten songs that maybe helped shape someone, or got them through a rough patch, or whatever, at some point, and sharing it with the other members of our tribe. It’s bonding, and in this case, it’s a digital kind of bonding.
You can check out his playlist below, and I strongly encourage you to listen to the conversation to get the context behind the selections.
Many thanks to Dan for making this a delightful, and insightful, conversation.
If you’re interested in joining this caravan (and hats off to Dan for the song selection here) feel free to leave a note. No pressure and no rules, just pick ten songs that you dig… for whatever reason, and be willing to chat about them.
Leave a note or DM me.
The Caravan Grows