MediaDiet: Tim Commandeur
Tim Commandeur is bringing tour-life zen to your inbox
Best known as the drummer keeping time for Australia’s finest (right now: Royel Otis, currently mid-world tour), Tim Commandeur is also the solo artist behind Channings, a music producer for brands and agencies and a pottery enthusiast on the side, because, of course, he is.
His COMMPRESS: MediaDiet is a rare look into the daily rituals of a touring artist with a peaceful, borderline poetic perspective on mornings, playlists curated for serenity, a loose no-scroll-before-shower rule, and a deep love of lo-fi, Bill Withers and boarding pass literature.
It’s thoughtful, it’s warm and it’s quietly vibing from a tour bus somewhere between Brooklyn and The Bay Area.
Don’t let us stop you, dive on in with some more Timmy content, following on from last week’s COMMPRESS (yes, we’re aware it’s a long bow to draw – but it’s a bow nonetheless). This is definitely another Tim worth your time.
Wake up
I’m currently touring America so my first port of call in the morning is FaceTime. If timing serves, I’ll be able to catch my wife and cat before they go to bed.
Generally, I do reach straight for my phone to see if any urgent notifications need attention, but I try to stay off social media as much as I can until I’ve at least had my shower. Flooding yourself with other people’s content can definitely set you up in the wrong way for the day!
I believe we should give ourselves the space to rise with our own thoughts, slowly and gently, and only when we’re in the mode to take on the world, then turn off airplane mode and let it all flood in.
Morning
Every day is different for me. Some days it’ll be a quick walk from my bedroom to my home studio (via a cup of tea) but other days, on the road, it’ll be a bus or tour van taking us from the hotel to the venue. Either way, I like to have chill music playing in the house or hotel room to start my day.
I’ll usually have something like Bill Withers Radio on Spotify or a Khruanghbin/Glass Beams inspired playlist called “Mirage” running.
For longer trips and plane rides, I’ll have my Kindle (currently going back to my roots and reading Eragon) and a lofi playlist to block out the ambient noise; I find if I have music with words I can’t concentrate on much else.
Afternoon
If I’m at home, I try to spend the afternoon doing something fun and active like going for a run or going to the beach. I also spend a lot of time at a ceramics studio called Love, Ryan Ceramics in Tamarama (shout out) honing my pottery skills.
My web browsing tends to be quite minimal and functional at best – having too many tabs open stresses me out! I’ve also become a serial “unsubscriber” to keep my emails down, but if I’m receiving a newsletter it’s going to be from Condé Nast Traveler for travel inspiration or Production Expert to keep up with music technology and audio tips.
Evening
I love rounding out my day in the kitchen before settling into a couple episodes of something. I’m currently making my way through Detroiters and Drive to Survive. Once I’m in bed I try to stay off my phone and read a book or my Kindle until I can’t keep my eyes open.
Tim’s Picks & Recs
SCREEN TIME: 4h45m
SUBSCRIBED TO: Thats’s Niche on Substack
SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO READ: The exit row instructions booklet
SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO: Jon Hopkins - Light Through The Veins
AN UNEXPECTED GOOGLE SEARCH: “Milt”
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT I’M LOVING RIGHT NOW: @historycoolkids and @anyma
A LINK WORTH FORWARDING: https://www.radiofrance.fr/fip