French Radio and More Serendipity on the road

We’re not moving back to the US. That’s not the point of this piece, but it’s somewhere underneath all of this. We’re getting used to our lives here and I really don’t think people have a sense of how bad things are in the US, at least as I’d measure it by my own personal value system.

But I’ll be getting into that more this week. For now, music.

TL;DR: jump to the bottom for some cool French radio choices

K

touch that dial

We rented a little car for the week to do some errands, see some sites, etc. We don’t own a car here and haven’t felt the need to buy one just yet. The Fiat is a really fun car to rent, but I would never want to own this thing.

It’s fine on flat roads, but kind of overwhelmed by hills, even steep inclines. It takes speed bumps really, really badly. I never really noticed how many we have around here.

We only rent a car every 2-3 months, so it’s become bit of a marker of how our sense of where we live has changed.

What used to feel like exploration now feels like routine.

Our lives in France, in small doses

Radio, static and signal

We listen to the radio a lot in the car, so let’s talk about radio stations here.

So, there’s the segue: car - radio - radio in France.

Radio feels like a throwback to me now, but I love it. When it seems like everything is streaming data, it’s a welcome change. You give up a little control, you hear someone else’s idea of good music.

All of these stations have actual DJs, which sounds strange to point out, but it’s a serious rarity in the US these days. DJs that pick records decide what will sound good next. Most these days use some kind of automated programming, which is a part of why so many radio stations suck.

trusting the dial

Radio reintroduces serendipity into our listening. Like book stores, I forget that I miss radio until I start listening again.

A quick stop at the hardware store. A side detour to a chapel. Bread, gas, radio, castles, grocery store.

The countryside near us makes it easy to get out into green spaces. One minute you’re winding through narrow streets, the next you’re surrounded by vineyards and cows and small hamlets and big box stores here and there – or at least the French equivalents.

Tell someone to turn on the radio! It’s fun.

French Radio Choices

Yes, France also has programmed radio stations and yes, they have several that suck aren’t to my personal taste.

If you like some of the music I write about here, these stations are some of my regular listening and a great way to break out of your own personal music algorithms.

If you’re in France, you can find them on your dial.

If you have a radio..

FIP (95.7 FM)

Probably the station we listen to most.

French jazz. Turkish psych. Nina Simone. I once heard Gainsbourg’s “L’Hôtel Particulier” while we were crawling behind a tractor in Dordogne and it added to the moment somehow. That and the scent of French manure.

SUN – Le Son Unique (93.0 FM)

A little hipster-y without being intolerable. I hear this station a lot in thrift stores and charity shops, or at least that how it seems.

Prun’ (92.0 FM)

Started as student radio and still has truly eclectic programming from hip hop, to jazz, experimental stuff, new and old. Good radio shows and podcasts for discovering niche genres.

Jet FM (91.2 FM)

Good general listening. I really like La Baraque à Galettes, which often features guest and niche DJ sets.

L’hôtel particulier Serge Gainsbourg (1973)

Routine, detours

We live here. Sometimes, you just have to do errands. In all of the “Living in France” blogs I’ve read over the years, I haven’t read anyone’s description of buying caulk and a caulk gun (du mastic et un pistolet), but it’s still thing you might have to do.

No one ever romanticized sealing the tub.

We stop by the big hardware store in the Big Square Box places because they’re useful sometimes. I don’t need a cultural experience to buy hardware, even if it’s always a vocabulary lesson.

I’ve taken to adding in visits to local sites along the way. There’s often a chateau nearby or some interesting old religious building, or at least interesting enough to check out for a few minutes the way to the post office.

Sometimes we find a Brocante or more rarely, a vide maison (yard sale, literally “empty the house”). France doesn’t have the yard sale culture of the US, but it’s starting to happen more.

the lower end

I’ve been hunting for a vintage radio for the house. A heavy one. With a wooden case and a knob that clicks and takes a minute to warm up. Something that hums when it’s on.

It’s on the list of errands for this week.

Around this city, it’s usually FIP, or SUN, or Prun’, depending on the stretch of road or if the DJ gets too talky. They’re almost all on the lower end of the band, which was where the better NYC stations were as well.

If you know of any amazing radio stations near you, please let me know

Anything amazing on your normal route home? I’d love to hear about it!