Inside Friend | Leon Bridges feat. John Mayer

I love this track. It puts me in a really good place.

Part of why I love it is because the sound is so perfect for right now. And part of why I love it it is because I love this Duo. I love the bromance between Leon Bridges and John Mayer. Whenever I see their interactions on Instagram, it just makes me smile. I love seeing how much adoration they have for each other - because it’s so warranted.

Adoration for Leon Bridges isn’t even something that could be argued. That man’s musical style is magical. He evokes old school vibes with such a new school energy. When I love an artist who taps into an essence of from another era, it makes me feel connected my family in an abstract way. When I listen to Leon Bridges, I wonder if my Grandmother would like him. I wonder if she used to listen to music like his. I wonder if she used to lie on her bed listening tracks like this on records. I wonder if a song like this was playing when she met my Grandfather at a USO dance. I wondered if they danced to a song like this the night they met. I wonder if they danced to a song like this in their kitchen. I wonder if my grandfather wrapped his arms around her stomach to a song like this when she was pregnant with my mom.

I have no way of really knowing. But I love imagining that the answer to all of these is “yes”. And I love the feeling that brings.

I can also see why John Mayer deserves a little adoration too. I don’t really have an appreciation for his music. But I do have a growing appreciation for him as an artist. The respect started when I was hungover in my hotel room in Rio de Janeiro in November 2018. I had decided the month before that I would stop drinking for three months - I wasn’t loving the role alcohol was having in my life and I wanted to see what happened if I removed it all together. A week later my dad died. I still wanted to curtail my drinking, but cutting it out all together seemed like too much for what was going on. As things calmed down, I decided I would only drink when I traveled - and an upcoming trip to Brazil seemed like the perfect time to test it out. Cut to my last morning in Brazil: the only morning I didn’t have to work - which spurred some fun times the night before. That morning stayed in bed and stared at the Copacabana because the thought of getting out of bed, getting in an elevator, and walking across the street to actually walk along the Copacabana was too painful (due to the fun times the night before). As I scrolled though the internets, a Complex interview with John Mayer and Jerry Lorenzo popped up. And one of the things they talked about was sobriety.

When John Mayer talked about the moment he decided not to drink he said he asked himself this question: “What percentage of your potential would you like to have?”

I sat there in my hotel room seeing things very clearly for someone whose head was completely in a fog. And from that moment on, I had a new appreciation for exploring my life without alcohol. And a new appreciation for John Mayer too.

So, it’s no surprise that I love this track. It’s no surprise that this track puts me in a really good place. Because both of these artist have done that in some way.