The Most Audacious Thing You Can Do on Spotify

There's a line in Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity in which the record-store-owning main character says, “What really matters is what you like, not what you are like.” Twenty-eight years after the release of the book, Spotify has prompted new questions: What do we lose when we stop making our own playlists? If the algorithm decides what we like, then what are we like? “There’s no way a Spotify playlist is as good as a mixtape, or at least mine aren’t,” Hornby tells me. “Because you had to do things in real time, you had the opportunity to think and hear. You were reminded of a lyric, a beat, a sound that would lead you to the next song.” You had to think about who you were giving it to and how you could change their world. “There’s no construction now. In the digital era, it’s just: Here’s some songs you might like.” [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The Audacity of Making Your Own Playlist]( [The Audacity of Making Your Own Playlist]( There's a line in Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity in which the record-store-owning main character says, “What really matters is what you like, not what you are like.” Twenty-eight years after the release of the book, Spotify has prompted new questions: What do we lose when we stop making our own playlists? If the algorithm decides what we like, then what are we like? “There’s no way a Spotify playlist is as good as a mixtape, or at least mine aren’t,” Hornby tells me. “Because you had to do things in real time, you had the opportunity to think and hear. You were reminded of a lyric, a beat, a sound that would lead you to the next song.” You had to think about who you were giving it to and how you could change their world. “There’s no construction now. In the digital era, it’s just: Here’s some songs you might like.” [Read More](   [I Honestly Do Not Know What Trump's Lawyers Expected Here]( [I Honestly Do Not Know What Trump's Lawyers Expected Here]( Rudy and company just found out what a "handshake agreement" with Donald Trump means. [Read More]( [Glen Kryger's Story in Netflix's Painkiller Is Devastatingly True to Life]( [Glen Kryger's Story in Netflix's Painkiller Is Devastatingly True to Life]( While Kryger is a work of fiction, star Taylor Kitsch says he felt a personal connection to the character. [Read More](     [The Most Luxurious Duvet Ever Made]( [The Most Luxurious Duvet Ever Made]( Unless you have $50,000 to drop on a bed or you’ve watched Emily in Paris, you probably don't know what Hästens is. Maybe you’ve seen the mattresses' signature blue checkerboard pattern, but it doesn’t really click for you. Well, it’s the most expensive, outrageous mattress brand in the world, and as much as you might want to exit this page thinking it’s not for you, think again. The price of a Hästens bed starts at around $15,000 and goes all the way to $400,000 (Drake owns that one, obviously). I won’t be splashing out my salary on one of those anytime soon, but its over-the-top bedding accessories aren’t to be ignored. Most of all, the duvet. [Read More](   [Ken Paxton's Impeachment Proceedings Are Going to Be Rich]( [Ken Paxton's Impeachment Proceedings Are Going to Be Rich]( I was just thinking the other day that what this massive influence-peddling case needed was some illicit sexytime. [Read More]( [Patagonia's Massive Summer Sale—Now Up to 50%—Is One You Shouldn't Ignore]( [Patagonia's Massive Summer Sale—Now Up to 50%—Is One You Shouldn't Ignore]( Running from now 'til August 22nd, don't sleep on it. [Read More](     [One of Their Own]( [One of Their Own]( My choice to align myself with Spurs was mostly arbitrary. Most people inherit their sports fandoms through geography, family, or a combination of the two. Though my DC native father tried his best, I've always been a Philadelphia sports fan, and I wanted a squad that felt like a Philadelphia team. One upon which I would gamble my emotional energy on a regular basis with incredibly mixed results. A team that could soar high one moment, then come crashing back down to earth the next. Hell, rival fans invented the term “Spursy” to describe Tottenham’s particular method of stepping on rakes over and over and over. Being that their crest is a cockerel sitting on a ball, people jokingly refer to watching Spurs as cock-and-ball torture. This was my team, baby. There was no turning back. [Read More](   [ESQ 1933 Jewelry]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019