I was thinking the other day about one unexpected commonality across my closest friends: they all have something just a little rock about them. Somethings undone, a rebours, appealingly insouciant. It isn’t their entire personality, but it certainly keeps things interesting. Maybe we all have a little Stevie Nicks in us? What is your rock “tell”?
A few things I find rock-music-coded that I’ve observed in people I love:
Carrying a mug of coffee — no lid — on a walk or in the car
Not knowing or caring where your phone is
Wearing your hair gray
Being noticeably in love with your partner — demonstrating active interest in them in public, never putting him/her down (rare, gem-like, and rock-and-roll)
Signing notes with one or two initials
Being unfazed by the weather (“it’s just a little water”)
Listening to records
Wearing clothes that have stories to tell — i.e., authentic old sweatshirts and t-shirts — not ones purchased to look vintage, but real ones, with a hardware store logo or childhood camp on it
Handling your own brows, waxing, haircuts, hair-dying, etc at home — wow, wow, wow
“I have a pen somewhere here” [pats clothes; retrieves an old, capless Bic]
Uniform of a perfect white tee and lived-in jeans
“What email?”
Sitting cross-legged or on the floor in places you’d least expect someone to
Wired headphones
Tucking a pencil behind the ear (or into a hair updo) — I had a rough-around-the-edges piano teacher who did this and I found it very Mick Jagger
Willfully luddite with certain technologies (only reads print newspapers; refuses to upgrade phone; etc)
“I’m good with my hands” energy
Bends cover of book to the back while reading
A ballcap tucked into a back pocket
“Go your own way”
******
I asked Magpies for their additions to this list on Instagram, and some of my favorites were:
Sunroof always open
You wear clothes; they don’t wear you
Being blissfully ignorant to deadlines (oh camp registration was yesterday?)
Rolled sleeve tees
Tapping perfectly to the rhythm
What would you add? And which of these relates to you?
Post-Scripts.
+Related: bad book girls!
Shopping Break.
+On the perfect jeans front, may I suggest: Levis, AYR, and Agolde. All three are timeless classics.
+And the Harley tees from PerfectWhiteTee or the burnout tee from SoldOut fit the bill in this “Stevie/Mick” conversation. Pair with a perfect sweatshirt or chunky knit.
+Ordered this blazer for what I’m calling “pre-spring.” Other VB new arrivals I’m loving: this dress, this paisley skirt, these eyelet pants (actually the whole ensemble), this belted jacket.
+I have a strong sentimental connection with these highlighters. They’re always scattered across my desk! I love using them in my daily planner (highlight things I REALLY NEED TO DO TODAY, JEN), my poetry books (I’m pretty non-precious with my books – I write in them, highlight them, dogear them! Is this Mick/Stevie energy?), my lists.
+Completely in love with this in-shower oil during these dry months. Really locks in moisture! Another shower thing I’m loving: this shampoo and conditioner duo. SO GOOD for the look I’m after right now, which is wearing my hair straight and shiny. I usually opt for volumizing shampoos because my hair is pretty flat, but my hair then dries really weird and wonky. This duo leaves my hair really straight and shiny, like I’ve just had a keratin treatment or something? LOVE IT.
+Best loungewear set. Go up a size in the pants. I’ve shared these a lot but I’m convinced you’ll love them if you’ve not yet tried.
+I mentioned this last week, but I ordered this bold sweatshirt (on sale). I can’t wait to wear it with light wash denim. Also love this cute pink reverse fleece style.
+The mug seen in the above photo is, in fact, excellent. We own and love them. I am too non-rockstar to drink mine outside of the home, but Landon does it.
+This warm weather look for winter getaways.
+You all have been loving this fleece I mentioned a week or two ago — I own in pink!
+Somehow missed this in my La Ligne look for less roundup, but there is also a great cardigan look for less at Boden in fun colors.
+These “nap” earrings are so clever! The back is flat, and the styles are petite, so you can really sleep in them. Great gift idea for a teen — or for self. I like these tiny studs. (Another Mick/Stevie vibe: two piercings! One of my friends — otherwise pretty straight-laced — has this and it always makes me do a double take and also fall a little bit in love with her.)
+Fun colorblocked frame for a special photo. This is always a good gift idea for a parent, grandparent, etc!
+Somehow I’ve never read any Christina Lauren despite being a huge fan of the romance genre. I’m going to start with this one. Any other recs? BTW, I just started a Goodreads account (approximately 4,000 years late to this) and am going to try to keep it up to date on what I’m reading, want to read, etc! Let’s follow each other!
+I’m thinking seriously about getting a turntable. Does anyone have one?! Am I insane? (I have such a strong — positive — response to the multi-sensory experience of burning incense that I think I’d really like this.) I did a slight amount of research and, as I’d anticipated, am completely overwhelmed by opinions. I knew there would be a vociferous community on this topic. For example, people in that universe seem to hate the pretty Crosley ones, which are more or less the only ones I’ve ever seen (and are of course very cute). See screenshot below — LOL. It tells you everything you need to know. (“Top answer: look up worst record player in the world.”). The fact that there is an entire reddit dedicated to this subject intimidates me…
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Love this post! A few rock offerings:
– wearing clogs
– high low such as Hermes Caleche and an Old Navy T
– being able to “name that tune” whenever Sirius is set to the 70’s
– “Tell Me Something Good” by Rufus and Chaka Khan
Ooo these are good! Clogs, yes, and just any mule-type shoe that you literally just slip on and go. And love “Tell Me Something Good”! Had to play it after you mentioned it!
x
I’ve been thinking about this query all week. On my list at the moment? Protest grannies. People who care about other people–who make signs, show up, start the conversation even if it’s difficult, who don’t have to gauge the room to be sure everyone agrees with what they feel is right before (kindly) speaking their truth. People whose faith inherently tugs them towards the communal good, not just individual comfort. Maybe not *actually* rock coded but some moments of confidence and bravery I’ve seen lately just blow me away, and are my current aspirational “cool.”
Definitely rock!!
We have a Crutchfield Music Hall Classic. I didn’t do the research to pick it out– my partner’s dad is a big audio geek, and he got it for us to replace a crummy one that had suffered through some moves. We love it.
Thank you! xx
OMG Love and Other Words is an absolute must!!! Did you know Christina Lauren is the combined name of two authors?
OK I just discovered this, and that one of the authors also wrote “Scandalized,” which was one of the first romances I EVER read and really hooked me!! She wrote that one under another pen name – Ivy Owens!!
xx
At first I thought you meant mick fleetwood, lol. But now I understand! Both micks have rock star cred of course 🙂 I have been known to carry a coffee mug out to the car when pressed for time, and have a bold silver streak where I part my otherwise chestnut hair, but I wouldn’t have said I’m rock star at all! Thanks for letting me have a little fun with this new identity. That sweatshirt you linked made me add “wearing sweatshirts and t shirts inside out” to the rock star list. Also a certain wildness to the hair – like the unruly cousin of French girl hair.
Stephanie I thought this too!! I was ready for torrid-affair-that-burns-down-your-whole-life energy, lol!
OOPS, oversight on my part. I actually really hemmed and hawed over the title. Stevie was obvious to me but I wanted another BIG rockstar name that would be immediately recognizable, i.e., you couldn’t just put “Stevie Energy”; I don’t think it would have been clear. And I kept coming back to Mick Jagger as shorthand. Anyway, thanks for coming on this journey with me 🙂
xx
Oh Jen, you were right on the money with Mick Jagger! It is only those with a niche, borderline-unhealthy obsession with Fleetwood Mac lore that would think you meant Mick Fleetwood, ha!
LOL! I love this obsession!!
Yes! You are definitely rock. Love the sweatshirt/t-shirt worn inside out!!
Agree on the messy hair. Like a really loose ponytail, hair swept up haphazardly into a bun, etc.
xx
I think being passionate about something, really anything, is cool. But the more I think about it, I realize that my 19 year old son has always had a bit of this quality and it’s innate. He would always choose real books over social media for example, possibly that’s why he doesn’t seem to have fomo. Maybe it’s a strong sense of self, but he also avoids getting sucked into trends including the awkward fashion or hair trends that his friends embrace. Honestly, it sounds so cheesy, but people often notice that he’s kind and non judgmental, which is the most rock thing ever!
I love that, Ann! Absolute goals for my own teen and soon-to-be.
Goals for us too!
He sounds like such a special guy, Ann! You must be so proud 🙂 Landon and I learned a new term from our kids — “sigma” — which sounds like it captures your son a bit. (“Often referred to as a “lone wolf,” the sigma male represents a successful, confident, and independent man who operates outside the traditional alpha-beta social hierarchy, prioritizing self-reliance over social validation.”). Sigma/rock/Mick energy for sure.
xx
Going out to get the newspaper without slippers or any footwear. The beach bag, always with a slight layer of sand that never will go away. The golden skin and hair naturally from being out in the sun. The live in the moment humans who make life look easy. And the ones who let you into their homes when life is total chaos, the messy house friends
These are such good additions! The “live in the moment humans” — yes!
I wouldn’t have called myself rock n roll, but I am a willful Luddite! Down with this AI garbage, up with human makers. I still physically print out things I like. I have some genuine vintage that gets a lot of play (my grandfather’s grey sweatshirt, my husband’s old baseball tees). Happy to stomp through a rainy day with my arms around Mr. Stops Worrying. I have a capless Bic in my back pocket at this moment, and a small book to read if I get a moment. I am at this moment preparing to build a lot of furniture and do some slightly janky DIYs in my kids’ room. Thank you for making that feel glamorous/grungy instead of just dusty!
I would say sketching, or wearing something ripped or worn or repaired is very old school rock and roll.
If you want a pretty turntable I trust Tivoli audio implicitly (love their radios and speakers), but I have to say we have a Crosley and even if it’s not the best audio we all still like it, and it’s lasted a decade even with my toddler learning to drop the needle. Someone who cares about audio quality might hate it, but for us that’s not its main function.
Kelly, you are very rock!!
Thanks for the honest review of the Crosley! xx
I’m sadly in the camp of rating the cute as a button Crosley the worst. It was promptly returned. Very poor quality.
Eeek this was my worry! What brand did you try instead? xx
We didn’t! It was a Christmas gift for my husband and much to my chagrin he chose to replace it with a Pac-Man arcade game that currently takes up real estate in our family room! Though it’s always a big hit with guests.
Ha! But that is such a good party trick…!
Jen, my husband is a sound engineer, music producer, vinyl DJ and collector, so this is always something that gets discussed/he is regularly asked about. I’m fairly certain he will still say Audio Technica is the best entry-level record player however I’ll check with him and report back!
In general, music is a huge part of our love story; we had record inner sleeves my husband curated and individually chose as the placemat for each guest at our wedding. But it’s in so many other things like listening to Radiohead’s In Rainbows on vinyl and eating cheesecake when we were falling in love. It’s him coming home from his first trip to Europe — when we independently decided we would move here — and bringing me The National’s Sleep Well Beast he’d bought in Berlin. On our honeymoon in Japan nearly a decade ago, the biggest/only point of conflict was organising our homeward luggage to manage the huge amounts of records (his) and vintage (mine) we’d collected in our three weeks there. It’s still very difficult to have all our records in storage back in Australia.
There are few things as romantic, grounding, and inspiring as a night or morning at home drinking something (or many things!) delicious, hanging out with your paramore or loved ones, and listening to records. I promise that this will become an essential part of your home. If you would like any specific pointers around the player, the right speakers, and where to situate your setup for the best sound, let me know and I’ll email you xx
Ps the documentary Last Shop Standing is lovely, too: https://youtu.be/qBTMe8p_Pxw?si=W0bFDYtyLFy3y3vY
This is such a gorgeous set of memories – thank you for sharing. I love the way music has shaped your love story 🙂
Thanks too for the recs and documentary link! It’s waiting in an open tab for me 🙂
xx
You’re so welcome! I did check with my love and he said Audio Technica is still the best for anyone who wants exceptional quality without needing it be used in live dj settings. They’re a brand that offer the interaction of leisure and professional equipment which, from an investment and sound specialist standpoint, is always worth it. He asked me to pass on that if you’re not ready to invest in a full hi-fi setup to go with it, he’s pretty sure that they make an analog + Bluetooth option so you can connect the record player and play vinyl out of your Bluetooth speaker (honestly, so wild and exciting to me!).
Hoping you find something you like and works for your home! I can’t wait to hear (no pun intended!) about your record collection as it grows, too. Vinyl is such a special thing to search for, gift, and receive xx
Thank you SO much. This really just cut through a lot of Reddit sifting for me. Thanks to your husband too!
xx