Hello there, I’m Jonny! What a wild world this is, and to step foot out into it again is like taking a first breath. I'm somewhat new to couchsurfing, but I already love the community here and what it stands for. Excited to continue hosting once I get back to the States!

A little about me: I’m a musician (I play and teach classical violin, guitar, and piano). I’m also a songwriter and music producer! (if you want to hear any of my indie folk/pop tunes, here’s a spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Uq2RXmIL2QYw9gCauj3dx?si=DnjIRZMhR_eWjWnKNi22Uw or just search Frail Jonny on any streaming service). Although most of my life is music-related, I also love modernist literature, 20th century philosophy, and film (I even got a master’s degree in the latter!) My home is now the open road, but I've lived in Rhode Island, Chicagoland, Toronto, and Asheville.

Last year I made a hitchhiking trip that changed my life: up the east coast of the USA, across Europe from Amsterdam to Istanbul, and back again! I had never hitchhiked before, and it was one of the scariest and best things I've done in my life. But the most rewarding part of it was getting to meet new people, learn other perspectives, and see how different people view the world. I’m endlessly intrigued by what others make of this human situation, how they end up structuring their days and their lives. I want to witness more of that.

Whether you’re a host or fellow traveler reading this, I hope we can connect along the way! Shoot me a message and I’ll be sure to respond.

-Jonny

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

For me travel is even more about people than it is about places. I feel so enriched by the perspectives I've encountered and the time I've shared with others while on the road. Human connection is amazing, and this platform has reinforced that for me!

Interests

Ideas, sensations, ideas about sensations.

• writing
• poetry
• running
• meditation
• reading
• violin
• philosophy
• film
• music production
• modernism
• freeform dancing
• quiet spaces
• the gap between you and me
• varieties of light on a variety of objects

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh boy, where to begin!

Books: War and Peace (Tolstoy), The Idiot (Dostoyevsky), To The Lighthouse (Woolf), The Portrait of a Lady (James), The Sound and the Fury (Faulkner), Gravity and Grace (Weil), Must We Mean What We Say (Cavell), What is Cinema? (Bazin), Essays (Emerson), The World as Will and Representation (Schopenhauer), Bluets (Nelson), In Praise of Risk (Dufourmantelle)

Music: Joanna Newson, Handel, Bach, Monteverdi, The Beatles, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Thief, Bon Iver, Nick Cave, Radiohead, The Tallest Man on Earth, Richard Dawson, Julia Holter, Vampire Weekend, Mitski, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Kanye West, Laura Marling

Movies: Mirror (Tarkovsky), Let the Sunshine In (Denis), Three Colors: Blue (Kieslowski), Possession (Zulawski), Love Unto Death (Resnais), The Rider (Zhao), The Philadelphia Story (Cukor)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The small liberal arts college I attended had no film program. I studied music, but was intensely curious about film. So I created a syllabus for myself, a course on film history from its inception in 1896, and dropped out of school for a semester to pursue the course. It was the educational decision I ever made. I returned to school with so much more agency in how I conducted my studies, and proceded to drop out two more times in order to continue the film studies! This eventually led to a master's degree in film

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my curiosity. I want to learn about your interests, your choices, your perspective. I want to get a sense of how you live, and support you in that way. I hope I can be a source of encouragement, conversation, and humor during my stay. Y'all are the best.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United States