WAIM #056 - J Virus

J Virus is someone I have admired and thought of as a friend for thirty years. J and I were in a band called Third Uncle back in our very early twenties. It was a formative time for both of us, but after the band split up, we saw very little of each other in the intervening years. Over the last couple of years we have reconnected. J’s archive work and my work here have found us once at merging paths and it's been wonderful to have J in my life again. J even reached out recently and offered his list for our 13 Films To Get To Know Me Series. His horror laden-list was a big hit and prompted a ton of really fun discussion. We used J’s list as a jumping off point for our discussion. It’s a great segue into a bit of history on J’s youth and how he first came to travel the world. What Am I Making is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.We share similar stories of our granddads hitchhiking across the American west and back and wondering if that is part of where our wanderlust might have originated. There is much discussion of our shared love for Italy, specifically for Rome. We cover my theory on why Prague and Budapest feel like the midwest of Europe and J suggests very wisely that we as Americans have a “Long history of destroying our history.”There is a harrowing story of what could have been when J was in Thailand with friends during the deadly tsunami. J talks openly about the luck of their simple decision and how it affected not only the lives of J and his fellow travelers, but also a bevy of loved ones back home. We also cover some of J’s discomfort with the idea of travel at this point in his life and figuring out how to best measure the costs and benefits of it. Finally, we end on the idea that the adaptability that travels forces us to learn makes us better travelers and better people. J and I share stories of rolling with punches on the road and doing our best to look for the bright side in the darker moments. I was thrilled to have this engaging and fascinating conversation with my old friend. Enjoy. Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe