Today on The Daily Whatever Show, we were joined by comedian, writer, and unapologetic music nerd
, who somehow manages to be both self-deprecating and deeply wise about what it means to age with your ears (and sense of humor) intact.We brought the vintage tees, he brought the good taste.
You may know Christian from Chappelle’s Show, Best Week Ever, or Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn — basically, the Gen-X media starter pack. But these days he’s the creator of one of our favorite Substacks, New Music for Olds, a lovingly chaotic newsletter that keeps curiosity alive long after most of us stop updating our playlists.
We talked about how it all began: the pandemic pause, open-heart surgery, and that existential “now what?” moment that led him back to the simple joy of sharing songs just because they feel good. As he put it, “If you try to chase what’s cool, you’ll lose every time.” His solution?
Listen like you’re 17 again, only wiser — or at least better at charging your phone.
The conversation ranged from Journey (Dana’s first musical love) to Ryan Adams, from Courtney Barnett to post-hardcore Irish dance tracks. Christian’s “voltage rating” system for new tunes — a scale measuring how loud or abrasive your next favorite song might be — had us all laughing and secretly re-evaluating our Spotify queues.
What makes New Music for Olds so good isn’t just the taste — it’s the tone. He’s not curating to impress; he’s inviting you into that high-school-car-ride energy, when discovering a song could make the world five degrees warmer. “The music isn’t necessarily better now or then,” he said. “You were better then.” Ouch. But true.
By the end, we weren’t just talking about music — we were talking about identity, memory, and what it means to stay curious after 40. Christian makes that look easy.
Thank you
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