The Monday Media Diet with Tricia Romano

On Vivian Gornick, Guy Trebay, and Aurora

Tricia Romano is a longtime friend of WITI from her NYC days and the author of the definitive history of the Village Voice. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

I am the author of The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, The Radical Newspaper That Changed American Culture, which is my first book. I have been the editor-in-chief of The Stranger, the alt weekly of Seattle, a staff writer for the Seattle Times, and have written for the New York Times, the Daily Beast, and was formerly a columnist at the Village Voice.

Describe your media diet. 

It’s a firehose of information. I go to the New York Times app or homepage, usually first thing in the morning. I also look at Apple News, where I will often listen to the selected long form articles as I do tasks around my house. I tend to favor stories about technology, science, and politics, and have listened to great pieces from The Atavist, Vanity Fair, New York, The Atlantic, and Wired. Outside of Hard Fork, and the occasional listen of the Daily podcast, I do not really listen to podcasts; I prefer crafted storytelling. Every day, I do the obligatory scan of social media, including Twitter, which often leads me to an assortment of media sites. I consume far too much Tik Tok and go through periods where I have to delete it from my phone, but I have learned so much from scrolling that stupid app it’s kind of embarrassing. 

What’s the last great book you read?

I just read The Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick in preparation of moderating a panel with her and Ada Calhoun, who wrote Also a Poet. It was such a engaging read – funny and unsettling as well as deeply intellectual. Reading it was like getting a peep inside her mind and realizing how much more I have to learn.

What are you reading now?

I’m in the middle of Ed Park’s Same Bed Different Dreams, and have Joe Conason’s The Longest Con, Cynthia Carr’s Candy Darling, Guy Trebay’s Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of '70s New York, as well as Porochista Khakpour’s Tehrangeles on my list of things to read this summer. All of them are former Village Voice writers. Because of course.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I rarely read print papers, but when I do, I always remember why reading them in print is more pleasurable. You see more stories than you would online, you are seeing a wider variety of topics, because you are paging through and skimming the headlines. There is no algorithm, pushing you toward the same stuff you clicked on earlier. It’s a much more sane way of reading, but I don’t do it enough. 

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

My book? (Sorry, couldn’t help it!)

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone? 

I don’t know if it’s really non-famous, but during the Northern Lights event this year, I downloaded an app named Aurora which tracks where you can see the lights at any given time anywhere in the world. 

Plane or train?

I prefer the train riding experience; I wish America had a better and faster and cleaner and more affordable rail system. I loved riding Eurostar train from Paris to London. It was so pleasant and so much better than dealing with airport security. 

When I go to Portland from Seattle, I always opt for the train over the bus. 

What is one place everyone should visit? 

The last time I went to Europe, which is now coming up on a decade, I went to Sicily by myself. I spent a day in Taormina (which you might be familiar with from White Lotus), and a day on Mount Etna, and then went to a little island called Ortigia. It’s part of Greek mythology lore and is home to buildings that are from the 6th and 7th century BC, as well as architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries. The food market is astounding, the little narrow streets and alleyways are picturesque, and it has such a rich and varied history, making it such a sublime place to visit.  

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

I am currently waist-deep in learning everything about Chappell Roan. I saw her on Tik Tok and Youtube earlier this year and thought she was intriguing; then after her Coachella performance, I knew we were watching the making of a star in real time. She’s like a lot of pop stars–earmarked early by a label as a talent, then fumbled completely by suits and record companies. It took many starts and stops before she landed on what was just right for her and for this moment. You can see this pattern with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey—even Madonna—there is a tinkering with sound and image until they arrive at the one that clicks. (TR)

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Tricia (TR)

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