stefan marolachakis says the Ball is Always in Your Court

Stefan Marolachakis is a writer, musician and co-host of the Open Run podcast with Jesse Williams. Someone who knows that the ball is in his court, read about how he pursues what he loves to do.

Name.

Stefan Marolachakis

Occupations, affiliations, and projects.

Co-host of Open Run podcast with Jesse Williams; singer in Equipment; freelance writer.

PEOPLE WHO DO FOCUSES ON THOSE WHO TAKE ACTION TO PURSUE MEANINGFUL LIFE PASSIONS. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU TO “DO”?

I guess the short answer is that there’s just never a shortage of itches to scratch. My life has always been more of a juggling act than anything: when I was a full-time touring musician, I was always staying up late after shows to record podcasts, or setting my computer on top of the washing machine at the laundromat so I could file a piece while cleaning up my act. The rub is, and has always been, figuring out how to make time for both the things that entertain you and the things that sustain you.

To date, what accomplishments are you most proud of?

The deadly sin! Well, I’m proud that Jesse and I were able to combine our need to stay in touch after he moved to LA with our shared love of basketball to create our show, Open Run. As a result, I got to talk to one of my childhood heroes, Charles Oakley, the day after the Knicks organization did him dirty. And we got to sit down with LeBron James for two hours and hear the inside story of the legendary NBA Finals Game 7 block from the man himself.

I also felt really proud when my old band Caveman sold out Bowery Ballroom for the first time. As a New Yorker, that was a badge of honor moment. I maybe might have kind of cried just a little bit while we were playing that show, no big deal. Broadly speaking, I’m just excited that the things I love—writing, making music, hanging out—have brought me all over the world.

“Every lifestyle comes with its own brand of bullshit. You just have to try to pick the kind of bullshit you can tolerate the best.”

What’s your favorite lesson you’ve ever learned?

One of my favorite artists told me this a couple years ago, and it never fails to add a helpful dose of perspective when I need it: every lifestyle comes with its own brand of bullshit. You just have to try to pick the kind of bullshit you can tolerate the best.

What's your go-to song to put you in a better mood?

Lately it’s been “Ryderz” by Hudson Mohawke. That one’ll have you stomping around your neighborhood nodding at strangers and leaving footprints in the pavement.

Favorite method for logging any kind of inspiration.

I love the notebooks made by this company called Leuchtturm1917. I tend to go with their black unruled one. The great thing about their notebooks is that they come with numbered pages and a table of contents so you can easily organize your thoughts, no matter how rambling they might get. In his wonderful memoir The Accidental Life, Terry McDonell shares an anecdote about writer Peter Matthiessen’s style of journaling that I really dig: over the course of the day, Matthiessen would log brief notes on the right-hand pages of his notebooks; then, come evening, he would use the left-hand pages to take a stab at turning those events into “usable copy.” I haven’t embraced this style yet, but I’d like to make that my M.O. eventually.

“Whenever I remember to banish my phone from my bedroom and replace it with a book, good things happen.”

What’s the next goal?

For the last few years, I’ve been doing an annual week-long canoe trip with three of my oldest friends. We get all the way off the grid. No phones or modern technology of any kind. These trips remind me of just how much of one’s day-to-day living is driven by manufactured need. So my next goal is to try to tap into that feeling the other 51 weeks of the year. People like talking about multitasking but that’s fool’s gold. One thing at a time. Whenever I remember to banish my phone from my bedroom and replace it with a book, good things happen.