Nabil Ayers, Beggars Group
š Thoughts on consistency & longevity, TV on the Radio, and letting go of the stress of control.
Nabil Ayers is an author, podcast host, and music executive. In his day job as president of Beggars Group US, Nabil is involved in album releases by the record labels 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade, XL Recordings, and Young. On the side, he also releases records on his own label Valley of Search. In 2022, publishing his memoir, My Life in the Sunshine, allowed him to pretend he was in a band while he toured the world on an 18-month book tour. His new podcast about family is called Identified.
šÆ Current focus
I recently started a podcast about family called Identified. Itās the natural result of publishing my memoir and doing book tour events around the world. I met a lot of peopleāsome who feel like family, others who technically are family but donāt feel that way. The podcast is me interviewing musicians, authors, artists, etc about what family means to them. What excites me most is when I listen back to the episodes and notice how little I talk. Itās been a really fun and energizing way to continue exploring a topic that fascinates me, but with the spotlight on someone else each week.
š¶ TV on the Radio
Iām completely re-obsessed with TV on the Radioās song āStaring at the Sunā from 2003. I got to see them last week in NYC for the first time in over a decade. Iāve loved that song since I first heard it when it came out, but I forgot just how much it moves me, how much the synth/bass line physically grabs my insides. Itās always scared me just a bit, which is one of my favorite qualities in music. Iāve listened to it at least 10 times since the show last week.
š Letting the stress of control go
The older I get the more I believe that things will happen the way theyāre meant to happen. Thatās not to say you shouldnāt work hard, be a nice person, eat vegetables, and all that. But so many things in lifeāespecially creative pursuitsārely on luck and timing and the micro-moves of others who may be completely unrelated to you. Iāve found that letting some of the stress of control go has allowed me to relax more.
š± Sunday scaries
I always look forward to Monday holidays, so I guess up next is Indigenous Peopleās Day in October. I love my job and I look forward to going to work, but I still get the Sunday scaries every week, especially in the fall as it gets darker and colder. Having a Monday off tricks my brain for that Sunday night, so that becomes the real holiday.
šØāš³ The importance of consistency and longevity
I think everything is the noiseāweāre all part of making it. And weāre all trying to figure out how our thing can cut through. There are plenty of momentary blips, but I find the things that stand out the most have consistency and longevityāthey gradually improve over time. Whether itās a band who tours a lot, or a chef who refines their recipes, itās exciting when you see someone reach their moment, especially when itās been a long time in the making.
šŖ Still working like new
I have a Vitamix blender and a Dyson vacuum that both seemed expensive when I bought them over a decade ago. They both still work like new.Ā
šØ Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream
Itās become a bit of a joke with my wife and friends, but one thing I seriously canāt live without is ice cream. Thereās something about it that makes me instantly happy. Itās not something you have to do, itās something you get to do. I find it physically calming. Haters will hate - but my favorite flavor is 100% Haagen Dazs vanilla.Ā
Follow Nabil on Instagram & Linkedin and check out his new podcast Identified here.
š Share your thoughts ā”ļø DM on IG or Email us.
ā Make Thought Enthusiast better by filling out a quick reader survey here.