I just finished this book and couldn’t wait to share it with you all.
It’s called Night People: How to Be a DJ in ‘90s New York City by Mark Ronson, and I’m sending along a voice memo because I ended up reading it not just as a memoir about DJ-ing in 90s New York City, but as a kind of field guide to hosting.
What does DJ-ing have to do with group life, you might ask? More than you’d think.
In the memo, I unpack why I’ve started thinking of DJs as a particular kind of host — someone who shapes the arc of a night in real time, reads the room, adjusts on instinct, and takes responsibility for the collective experience without ever fully stepping into the spotlight.
I also found myself drawn to how much the book is about place and context and how the clubs, neighborhoods, and scenes of New York in the 90s weren’t just backdrops, but active forces shaping culture and connection.
And then there’s the craft: the obsession, the mentors, the copying before finding your own voice, the long and often invisible path of becoming good at something.
Anyway, I loved it, and I’m officially adding Night People to the Group Life bookshelf.
Group Lifers can now listen to my full debrief above.
As always,
Priya
P.S. Join me tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8, at 12 pm ET, for a Substack Live BREAKDOWN with Resident Director at The Public Theater, Saheem Ali, on how he turns a cast into an ensemble and brings a group to life, and what that can teach us about the groups we’re part of every day. You can join us right here on Substack using this link.
