Know the song right. In a little while from now, if I’m not feel it any less. So I promised myself to treat myself and visit a nearby tower. Yeah, so it’s a kind of a sweet lovely song about somebody thinking of committing suicide. I don’t know. I like the idea of a loan again naturally because we’re all alone, but it’s not exactly. It’s not exactly the feel good song of 1972, I don’t even know if there was. What was the feel good song of 1972 even though let’s see Steven t. Hardy said that he was listening to the chimes of freedom by Bob Dylan. That is a great tune. It was covered by Bruce Springsteen of course. It was a very powerful song, and it’s a song I think that is still speaking to us. One of the things I wrote about in the column yesterday is. And the thing. I guess it started me thinking about music is that new Bob Dylan song murder most foul. And it was. I mean, it’s a long song. Have you listened to it. Have you listened to murder most foul. So it starts off talking about the Kennedy assassination. But it winds up really as this kind of inventory of all of the songs that are helping us survive all the songs that are getting us through and that playlist of that. I mean, the song ends with a kind of an incantation of songs that he’s saying to Wolfman jack that they’re going to open our hearts and help us survive. So it’s a very wide playlist, but that’s you know there’s everything in there from Fats Waller to the old rugged cross. And that’s what got me thinking about what are. So what are the songs that I would listen to. And one of the songs that I have been listening to. I’ve been listening to a lot of Irish music, music that basically took me back to a happier time in our lives back when our family lived in Ireland and we did not know what the future would be. So this is Jenny Boylan for the New York Times opinion page. And we’re talking today about the music that’s helping you get through. It’s helping. It work. We’re talking about actually whatever the coping strategies are that you’re using to help you get through this time, it’s funny. I’m hearing of those of us who are safe, which is obviously, the category of people that you hope to belong to. But those of us who are in isolation those of us who are staying at home. I’ve really heard of two different stories and one of which is people who are alone who are just by themselves in their houses in their apartments. And the how difficult it is to just be lonely. The other thing that I’m hearing is people who are the opposite of loan people who are hunkered down with a very big family. So in our house. We’re here with we have there are five of us, right now there’s me there’s my wife Dede there’s my brother-in-law whom I call uncle Todd. It’s my daughter as I and her fiance say his name is Ezra. So there’s five of us here. And it death everyday feels a little bit like a Thanksgiving dinner although on the whole, we are we’re doing the best we can. I’m seeing a note from NBA 32 music who notes that the pup and I are doing. So that means I think that means you’re hunkered down with your dogs. How are your dogs doing. Are your dogs feeling a little bit. Do they know something weird is happening. Tell you what. Our dog started doing a thing. It’s probably more than you want to know. But the dog started peeing on the couch. Like what’s that about. Well, we took the dog to the vet and that was weird too, because how do you get to the vet when you’re isolating. Well, we made an appointment we went to the vet. We open the door that came out, took the dog. So we kept six feet away from each other even while taking the dog off. And it turns out that the dog. We think has is the thing that happens to older dogs that have the that have been spayed or fixed as the saying goes older female dogs. They get incontinent. And the answer is estrogen. Wait a minute. So we’re now being given estrogen pills. Can I just say this dog of mine is going to go through the same thing I went through 20 years ago when I went through transition. It is. It’s a little it’s a little strange. I’m just you know I mean, does this mean that the dog is you is now going to ask for directions when it’s lost. OK I don’t know. Here’s the note from xBFeh. I can’t even get the last name is correct. The note is I’ve been having a hard time focusing while reading. I have had a hard time focusing too. It is really hard to think about anything right now. And it’s really even harder to write. So my column for the New York Times appears every other Wednesday. And I have a lot to say. I have a lot of feelings, but I also have very little motivation to get down and do the work. I’m writing a novel with Jody Picco and we’re. I mean, originally, we hope to put our heads together and do it together. But instead, we have these Zoom conversations. And it just the idea of talking to one more talking rectangle on my computer is just exhausting and a little bit depressing. In my column yesterday I wrote that the feeling that we’re experiencing is grief that the thing we’re experiencing is that life has changed. And this was the moment that life changed. And it is OK. How do we focus better. I’m not entirely sure. I think it might be that we have to just accept where we are. If you have a roof over your head and you have food to eat. I think you just have to be grateful and accept the fact that we’re not going to get as much done as we used to be able to do. So I saw a commoner just noted that he’s been listening a lot to the blues. So have I and then the other night I put on lightnin Hopkins, who was someone who I really, really loved in the 70s. I listened to a lot of lightnin Hopkins but I hadn’t seen him for a long time. Somebody just come in and more wine and say. I’m trying not to drink too much because I’m aware one, it’s probably not in La and the best thing for me, but also this is more pragmatically I’m just afraid I’m going to wait 10,000 pounds when this whole when this whole nightmare is over. Of course worrying about how much you weigh is probably the last thing that we need to worry about right now in so many people’s lives are at risk so much is at stake. I said in the column yesterday that I’m acutely aware that my life has only been made possible by the fact that there is a whole army of people who were not given the option as I was to work from home. And those are the people who are keeping me alive. Those are the people who are keeping my family alive. Everyone from u.p.s. drivers to grocery store clerks to farmers. And I’m just so incredibly grateful to you for your work. I see my friend Kate Bornstein is going to join us. Hi Kate Bornstein. I miss you Kate. I hope. I hope I get to see you soon. Here’s a reader’s question. Do I think we’ll ever get back to normal or close. I don’t think so. I think that the world is fundamentally changed and it will. And it was in the process of changing beforehand anyway due to this presidency due to the way. So many norms would be kind of ripped up and destroyed forever. But now more than ever, I think what I hope is that we’ll learn a little bit more about what’s necessary both economically as well as emotionally that will value our connection with each other a little bit better. This is Jenny Boylan in case you’ve just joined us. And I’m doing this live Twitter event for the New York Times opinion page. This is part of the series that the times is doing of writers for the times. Having events like this. And if you were to tune in tomorrow at 1 o’clock Eastern the redoubtable Farhad manjoo we’ll be doing a lot of Twitter event. Here’s some folks that you can hear next week, it’ll be Jennifer Senior on Monday wajahat Ali on Tuesday. Kara Swisher who is actually just on yesterday who was awesome and amazing. Kara Swisher will be on a week from yesterday. This coming Wednesday. Nick Kristaps with that next Thursday. And David Brooks we’ll be doing the live Twitter thing one week from tomorrow. So as for me. We’re talking about writing we’re talking about the music that is helping the survive. We’re talking about men, women transgender advocacy and we’re talking about dogs. And here is a note from Terry Ellen who says it is my own songs that helped me most ones I’ve written from pain loneliness and heartbreak. I sing and play them for myself to remind me. I made it through this once before as a transition is a form of quarantine I will do so again. You remind me of that line from an old Grateful Dead song. Let’s see if I can remember. Sometimes we visit your country and live in your home. Sometimes sorry. Sorry Jerry. Sometimes we ride on our horses sometimes we walk alone. Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own. I think that’s an important thing to mention that we are. So when we talk about what are the songs that are getting us through. So often. So often we go to our own comfort music or music of rage. But don’t forget that some of the other music that’s helping us survive right now is the music that we write ourselves. Even if it’s a song that nobody else has heard it makes perfect sense. I am. I have a piano downstairs. Maybe at the end of this at the end of this piece, I should carry this whole device downstairs to the piano and try to Sing Sing a few songs for you. That’s just what the world needs right. Is that is a writer playing the piano. Well, anyway do you sing your own songs in this hard time. K.j. from Tennessee is saying that they felt they liked the column yesterday but k.j. says music works differently. For me it’s an outlet outlet for rage. The louder the better. You know, I have to say, when I was young, I really I really felt that way too. I really liked music that was loud. I like playing music that was loud, but the older I get, the more I don’t know my soul’s really jangled. And right now, I don’t. I guess I don’t want to be more jangled. I feel like what I need is a little more love flow more comforting. On the other hand, I hate I hate ending up like you know listening to music. Is that what it’s going to be. I’m going to end up. I don’t know. It’s going to be. It’s all going to be one I mean, my I was like my parents music taste music was kind of pathetic. They had good taste in classical music but I’m having a lot of fun. I’m having a lot of requests here to play the piano. Really is that really what you want out of me. OK I’ll play the piano, but you have to tell me what you want me to play for you. I will play a request. It’s not it’s not going to be very good. I do have a little song I could sing for you about the New York Times columnist. Would you like to hear that. This is a song I wrote. There was a there was a there was a cocktail party of New York Times columnists a couple of years ago. And I wasn’t sure I was going to go. I ended up going. But before I went I wrote the song, which was to the tune of a pink elephants on parade from Dumbo. They’re here times columns on parade. Here they come typically happy times columnists on parade. I can read their endless books and suffer Mo those dirty looks. But drinking gin with David Brooks is really too much for me. I am front knee your eight times columnists on parade haha. OK Yeah. Well, let’s see. We are just about coming up to the end of this. All right, let’s take on what to do. I’m going to try to take the phone downstairs and I’ll try to play something for you on the piano. I don’t know what that’s going to be. I’ll remind you once again, that we are going to be doing this We’re doing this every day. Tomorrow it’s going to be Farhad manjoo here and on Monday Jennifer Senior next Tuesday wajahat Ali. And coming up next Wednesday. It Wednesday as Kara Swisher so oh here someone says Pennsylvania loves you. Thanks so much. Let’s take you out now. I’ve got this whole monstrosity duct taped to the front of my computer. All right. So let’s go downstairs and if I lose you now that’ll just be the end of this whole thing. But let’s go downstairs and maybe play the piano for you a little bit. So what’s going to make it better. Here’s the piano what’s going to make you feel better right now. I tell you what, it’s going to make you feel better. Probably not me playing again. Because that’s not my main skill. What’s the scoop. We can put the phone there about this shredding you don’t really want me to sing you. Here comes the sun. Here comes some icing. I messed it up. See this is a problem with doing it live isn’t it. Well and that, my friends, is proof why I’m a writer instead of a musician. I think that said, everybody sending you love from Maine please join us tomorrow at 1 o’clock when you will hear Farhad manjoo for the New York Times op Ed page. This is Jenny Boylan. Stay safe. Wash your hands and above all protect your heart. Sending your love.