The Sunday Read: ‘Why Did This Guy Put a Song About Me on Spotify?’
The Daily19 Maj 2024

The Sunday Read: ‘Why Did This Guy Put a Song About Me on Spotify?’

Have you heard the song “Brett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes”?

Probably not. On Spotify, “Brett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes” has not yet accumulated enough streams to even register a tally. Even Brett Martin, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and the titular Nice Man, didn’t hear the 1 minute 14 second song until last summer, a full 11 years after it was uploaded by an artist credited as Papa Razzi and the Photogs.

When Martin stumbled on “Brett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes,” he naturally assumed it was about a different, more famous Brett Martin: perhaps Brett Martin, the left-handed reliever who until recently played for the Texas Rangers; or Brett Martin, the legendary Australian squash player; or even Clara Brett Martin, the Canadian who in 1897 became the British Empire’s first female lawyer. Only when the singer began referencing details of stories that he made for public radio’s “This American Life” almost 20 years ago did he realize the song was actually about him. The song ended, “I really like you/Will you be my friend?/Will you call me on the phone?” Then it gave a phone number, with a New Hampshire area code.

So, he called.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Avsnitt(2800)

‘Modern Love’: Reneé Rapp on Blurring the Line Between Bestie and Lover

‘Modern Love’: Reneé Rapp on Blurring the Line Between Bestie and Lover

The pop singer and actress Reneé Rapp has a deep love for her friends. She maintains a nonstop group chat with more than 15 close friends every day. Their lives are so intertwined that the line betwee...

27 Juli 202536min

'The Interview': Robert Reich Thinks the Baby Boomers Blew It

'The Interview': Robert Reich Thinks the Baby Boomers Blew It

The former U.S. Labor Secretary on how complacency and corporate ties created a “bully in chief.” Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via y...

26 Juli 202543min

100 Years of ‘The Great Gatsby’

100 Years of ‘The Great Gatsby’

This year, “The Great Gatsby” turns 100.A.O. Scott, a critic at large for The New York Times Book Review, tells the story of how an overlooked book by a 28-year-old author eventually became the great ...

25 Juli 202541min

How Seeking Food in Gaza Has Become So Deadly

How Seeking Food in Gaza Has Become So Deadly

The suffering in Gaza has reached new depths, and now finding food, which was already scarce, has become a deadly endeavor.Israeli forces have opened fire on crowds of desperate and hungry people who ...

24 Juli 202532min

A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out

A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out

Warning: This episode contains strong language.An explosive whistle-blower report claims that the Justice Department is asking government lawyers to lie to the courts, and that this has forced career ...

23 Juli 202534min

Why Trump Just Gave China the Keys to A.I.’s Future

Why Trump Just Gave China the Keys to A.I.’s Future

In the global fight to dominate A.I., China is quickly catching up to the United States — which is why President Trump barred the tech giant Nvidia from selling its superpowered computer chips to Chin...

22 Juli 202531min

How Trump Lost Control of the Epstein Narrative

How Trump Lost Control of the Epstein Narrative

For the past two weeks, President Trump has been trying and failing to get his supporters to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein.David Enrich, a deputy investigations editor for The New York Times, and...

21 Juli 202528min

‘Modern Love’: How to Keep Love Alive, With Rob Delaney of ‘Dying for Sex’

‘Modern Love’: How to Keep Love Alive, With Rob Delaney of ‘Dying for Sex’

When we meet Rob Delaney’s character, “Neighbor Guy,” in FX’s limited series “Dying for Sex,” he’s scarfing down a burrito in an elevator, dripping food on his face and the floor. But Delaney’s perfor...

20 Juli 202537min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
svenska-fall
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
fordomspodden
rss-expressen-dok
flashback-forever
rss-sanning-konsekvens
motiv
aftonbladet-daily
spar
rss-vad-fan-hande
blenda-2
rss-krimreportrarna
olyckan-inifran
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-flodet
grans
krimmagasinet
dagens-eko