Alex Lewis Found a Deeper Well
"In Session" with Frank Radio | Ep 02
House of Fun is back on
with “In Session”, a monthly radio show by moi inviting writers and artists to share their work and co-curate a mixtape inspired by our conversation.In this episode, we talk about turning 30, the myth of Saturn returns, the enneagram, “problematic” faves, music criticism as an act of love, and so much more.
In Session with Alex Lewis 💫
This month, I invited
, writer of Feels Like Home, to share his essay titled “Saturn is Somewhere.”
Alex Lewis is an essayist, music & culture writer, and founder of Car Window Poetry. He writes features for several (614) Magazine publications, and has been published on Chron, Columbus Underground, and ESPN’s Andscape.
It would be difficult to label Alex as one kind of writer. His work transcends the binary of “music writer” or “sports writer,” instead weaving in and out of various points of pop culture in order to find connections and tell a greater story. We first found each other’s work over a year ago and bonded over our shared love of Hanif Aburraqib’s writing.
Subscribe to Alex’s newsletter for personal essays, content recommendations, and love letters to the people and moments that have shaped him.
Alex Lewis is Quotable 📀
Below are highlights from our chat. Some quotes have been shortened for brevity.
Anupa Otiv: Do you feel like we’re at the end [of our Saturn Return]?
Alex Lewis: The thing about Saturn Returns that has been a little less linear is the fact that we’re constantly evolving, learning, changing, and understanding the world. And as the world continues to shift and descend further into squalor, it’s like yes and no!
Anupa Otiv: If anything, the point of a Saturn Return is the realization that your life will continue to change and to be okay with that.
Alex Lewis: The past few years in general have been about a return to self and being able to tell myself “You are good. You are okay.” Having a greater sense of care and empathy for myself allows me to better extend that care for others.
Alex Lewis: What about you? What has showed up for you during your Saturn Return?
Anupa Otiv: I think I burned the house down and rebuilt it. When I was about 27, I quit my job with no backup plan. I was working at the time for a company I loved and still love, but was so lost. Since then, I’ve been rebuilding. That was actually the first year I started my newsletter, and at the time, the title “music writer” felt so random. Now, I realize it was a return to self…Maybe mine was a tad destructive, but hopefully in a good way.
Alex Lewis: So much of my writing is about the things I love, and the people and moments that have shaped me. When I look back to who I was as a kid, I was drawing NBA players just because I was obsessed with them and needed to have a record of it. I used to write raps back then because I wanted to get close to the artists I admired even if it meant trying to express it myself. What I’m doing now is just a continuation of those obsessions.
Alex Lewis: It feels sometimes like there isn’t a lot of room for [music] criticism. A lot of it ends up being PR for artists. But at the end of the day, I’m not a trained journalist. I write about what I do because I’m a fan of them. It comes from a place of true personal connection.
The full tracklist is available in the show notes on Frank Radio. Thanks for listening and see you next month with a new guest. Xx
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