Vagabon has lived in America most of her life, and still feels like she's from somewhere else. On this episode of Identified with Nabil Ayers, she traces why: born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, moved to Harlem at nine when her mother, a lawyer,  brought the whole family along to chase her own ambition, then raised between two worlds in one day: American school by morning, Cameroonian food and language at home by night.

It's a conversation about carrying a place with you: the grandmother who ran the school inside the family compound; the all-girls Catholic school she couldn't wait to escape (and the classmates who now DM her about her music — "you were so mean to me"); the guitar her parents gave her for graduating with honours, and teaching herself on Taylor Swift songs before she knew Joni Mitchell existed; going home after fifteen years to find she could still walk the compound with her eyes closed; the 300-strong group of first-generation Cameroonians in New York who speak like her, joke like her, emote like her; and why the stories of oral-history cultures can vanish in a single uninterested generation.

Her answer to what family means, consistency, is one of the show's best. And then, for the first time, a guest flips the question: Vagabon asks Nabil, and gets the story his whole book is about.

00:00 "I'm from somewhere else"
00:45 Yaoundé to Harlem at nine
04:12 Two worlds in one day
05:48 Her mother's leap
06:51 Catholic school & the ledger of enemies
08:48 A guitar for graduating with honours
11:33 The grandmother's school & stories that skip
13:21 Back home after 15 years
15:00 The 300 Cameroonians of New York
17:30 Family is consistency — and the question, flipped

Vagabon has lived in America most of her life, and still feels like she's from somewhere else. On this episode of Identified with Nabil Ayers, she traces why: born in Yaound&eacute;, Cameroon, moved to Harlem at nine when her mother, a lawyer, &nbsp;brought the whole family along to chase her own ambition, then raised between two worlds in one day: American school by morning, Cameroonian food and language at home by night.
It's a conversation about carrying a place with you: the grandmother who ran the school inside the family compound; the all-girls Catholic school she couldn't wait to escape (and the classmates who now DM her about her music &mdash; "you were so mean to me"); the guitar her parents gave her for graduating with honours, and teaching herself on Taylor Swift songs before she knew Joni Mitchell existed; going home after fifteen years to find she could still walk the compound with her eyes closed; the 300-strong group of first-generation Cameroonians in New York who speak like her, joke like her, emote like her; and why the stories of oral-history cultures can vanish in a single uninterested generation.
Her answer to what family means, consistency, is one of the show's best. And then, for the first time, a guest flips the question: Vagabon asks Nabil, and gets the story his whole book is about.
00:00 "I'm from somewhere else" 00:45 Yaound&eacute; to Harlem at nine 04:12 Two worlds in one day 05:48 Her mother's leap 06:51 Catholic school &amp; the ledger of enemies 08:48 A guitar for graduating with honours 11:33 The grandmother's school &amp; stories that skip 13:21 Back home after 15 years 15:00 The 300 Cameroonians of New York 17:30 Family is consistency &mdash; and the question, flipped

Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity.

In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics.

Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family?

Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique.

The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity.
In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics.
Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family?
Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique.
The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

Identified with Nabil Ayers

Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity.
In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics.
Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family?
Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique.
The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

Vagabon on Musical Beginnings and Moving from Cameroon to New York

At sixteen, freshly sober, Moshe Kasher sold ecstasy at raves — greeting customers he recognised from his Tuesday night recovery meeting. On this episode of Identified with Nabil Ayers, the comedian and author of Subculture Vulture unpacks a childhood that explains it: two deaf parents who met at the World Games for the Deaf, a mother who took the boys to Oakland "on vacation" and never went back, and a father whose calendar — found after his death — counted the days to their return in X's that simply stop.

It's a conversation about building a self from borrowed worlds: raised broke in Oakland's hippie disability-rights scene, then shipped to Brooklyn's Satmar community six weeks a year to live as a Hasidic boy — too white for Oakland, too gentile-seeming for Brooklyn, at home in neither; the rabbi who humiliated his own son to teach Moshe that "everybody's stupid" in somebody's language; the bad kids who became his first family, rehab at fifteen, sobriety at sixteen, and the question that followed — now what?; the six subcultures that answered it; shiva as the most perfectly designed system of grief he knows; and the day — one year after his father's death, long-haired and unrecognisable — he stopped trying to stuff himself into his bar mitzvah hat, let his hair down, and walked to temple as himself. "That's when I became a man."

His answer to what family means now, with a daughter of his own: pouring the coins he collected along every one of those paths into her — and letting her choose.

Identified is a series of conversations with artists about the roots of who they are — family, place, and identity — hosted by Nabil Ayers.

00:00 The sober ecstasy dealer
03:42 Two deaf parents & the Thunderbolt
06:15 The calendar full of X's
10:30 Hasidic summers, six weeks a year
14:51 "Everybody's stupid": the rabbi's lesson
16:24 Too white for Oakland, too gentile for Brooklyn
17:15 Sober at 16: now what?
19:51 Subculture Vulture: six universes
22:12 His father's final weeks
24:42 Shiva: a perfect system of grief
28:04 Taking the hat off
31:57 What family means now

-

Identified is a podcast series that explores identity, race, culture, and family through personal conversations. Hosted by author and music executive Nabil Ayers, each episode dives into lived experiences that reveal how our backgrounds shape who we are—and how we find belonging.

Nabil is the author of My Life in the Sunshine (Viking, 2022), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on themes of race, music, and personal history. He’s also the President of Beggars Group US, co-founder of Sonic Boom Records, and founder of the record label The Control Group / Valley of Search.

Identified brings together notable voices for reflective, vulnerable conversations about where we come from—and where we’re going.

Read more about Nabil:
➡️https://www.nabilayers.com/

-
#MosheKasher #Identified #NabilAyers #SubcultureVulture #Family #Identity #Podcast

At sixteen, freshly sober, Moshe Kasher sold ecstasy at raves &mdash; greeting customers he recognised from his Tuesday night recovery meeting. On this episode of Identified with Nabil Ayers, the comedian and author of Subculture Vulture unpacks a childhood that explains it: two deaf parents who met at the World Games for the Deaf, a mother who took the boys to Oakland "on vacation" and never went back, and a father whose calendar &mdash; found after his death &mdash; counted the days to their return in X's that simply stop.
It's a conversation about building a self from borrowed worlds: raised broke in Oakland's hippie disability-rights scene, then shipped to Brooklyn's Satmar community six weeks a year to live as a Hasidic boy &mdash; too white for Oakland, too gentile-seeming for Brooklyn, at home in neither; the rabbi who humiliated his own son to teach Moshe that "everybody's stupid" in somebody's language; the bad kids who became his first family, rehab at fifteen, sobriety at sixteen, and the question that followed &mdash; now what?; the six subcultures that answered it; shiva as the most perfectly designed system of grief he knows; and the day &mdash; one year after his father's death, long-haired and unrecognisable &mdash; he stopped trying to stuff himself into his bar mitzvah hat, let his hair down, and walked to temple as himself. "That's when I became a man."
His answer to what family means now, with a daughter of his own: pouring the coins he collected along every one of those paths into her &mdash; and letting her choose.
Identified is a series of conversations with artists about the roots of who they are &mdash; family, place, and identity &mdash; hosted by Nabil Ayers.
00:00 The sober ecstasy dealer 03:42 Two deaf parents &amp; the Thunderbolt 06:15 The calendar full of X's 10:30 Hasidic summers, six weeks a year 14:51 "Everybody's stupid": the rabbi's lesson 16:24 Too white for Oakland, too gentile for Brooklyn 17:15 Sober at 16: now what? 19:51 Subculture Vulture: six universes 22:12 His father's final weeks 24:42 Shiva: a perfect system of grief 28:04 Taking the hat off 31:57 What family means now
-
Identified is a podcast series that explores identity, race, culture, and family through personal conversations. Hosted by author and music executive Nabil Ayers, each episode dives into lived experiences that reveal how our backgrounds shape who we are&mdash;and how we find belonging.
Nabil is the author of My Life in the Sunshine (Viking, 2022), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on themes of race, music, and personal history. He&rsquo;s also the President of Beggars Group US, co-founder of Sonic Boom Records, and founder of the record label The Control Group / Valley of Search.
Identified brings together notable voices for reflective, vulnerable conversations about where we come from&mdash;and where we&rsquo;re going.
Read more about Nabil: ➡️https://www.nabilayers.com/
- #MosheKasher #Identified #NabilAyers #SubcultureVulture #Family #Identity #Podcast

Moshe Kasher on Deaf Parents, Hasidic Summers & Subculture

August Ponthier came out to the world in an article, messaging their mom the day before it dropped: "I just want you to read it before you react… I hope you can love this about me." 

On this episode of Identified with Nabil Ayers, they trace the whole road there: a nuclear-family childhood in a conservative Texas football town, church school every day, and the "classic recession divorce" delivered in a Baskin-Robbins parking lot at nine years old.

August and Nabil talk about remaking family on your own terms: growing up adultified and alone, learning that your parents are just people; jazz school in Denton — the most music-filled time of their life — then New York in 2017 with less than a month's rent and a contact list built by DMing Sofar Sounds artists from Texas; the sister who always saw them.

 

00:00 "I hope you can love this about me"
01:27 A nuclear family in Texas
02:40 The recession divorce & Baskin-Robbins
06:24 Football town, church school
09:12 "A huge fan of divorce"
10:55 Jazz school, then New York on a month's rent
15:43 Coming out via an article
20:42 The sister who always knew
22:48 Loneliness, Elton John & the record
27:57 "Family is a choice"

-

Identified is a podcast series that explores identity, race, culture, and family through personal conversations. Hosted by author and music executive Nabil Ayers, each episode dives into lived experiences that reveal how our backgrounds shape who we are—and how we find belonging.

Nabil is the author of My Life in the Sunshine (Viking, 2022), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on themes of race, music, and personal history. He’s also the President of Beggars Group US, co-founder of Sonic Boom Records, and founder of the record label The Control Group / Valley of Search.

Identified brings together notable voices for reflective, vulnerable conversations about where we come from—and where we’re going.

Read more about Nabil:
➡️https://www.nabilayers.com/

-

#AugustPonthier #Identified #NabilAyers #ChosenFamily #Queer #NonBinary #Podcast

August Ponthier came out to the world in an article, messaging their mom the day before it dropped: "I just want you to read it before you react&hellip; I hope you can love this about me."&nbsp;
On this episode of Identified with Nabil Ayers, they trace the whole road there: a nuclear-family childhood in a conservative Texas football town, church school every day, and the "classic recession divorce" delivered in a Baskin-Robbins parking lot at nine years old.
August and Nabil talk about remaking family on your own terms: growing up adultified and alone, learning that your parents are just people; jazz school in Denton &mdash; the most music-filled time of their life &mdash; then New York in 2017 with less than a month's rent and a contact list built by DMing Sofar Sounds artists from Texas; the sister who always saw them.
&nbsp;
00:00 "I hope you can love this about me" 01:27 A nuclear family in Texas 02:40 The recession divorce &amp; Baskin-Robbins 06:24 Football town, church school 09:12 "A huge fan of divorce" 10:55 Jazz school, then New York on a month's rent 15:43 Coming out via an article 20:42 The sister who always knew 22:48 Loneliness, Elton John &amp; the record 27:57 "Family is a choice"
-
Identified is a podcast series that explores identity, race, culture, and family through personal conversations. Hosted by author and music executive Nabil Ayers, each episode dives into lived experiences that reveal how our backgrounds shape who we are&mdash;and how we find belonging.
Nabil is the author of My Life in the Sunshine (Viking, 2022), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on themes of race, music, and personal history. He&rsquo;s also the President of Beggars Group US, co-founder of Sonic Boom Records, and founder of the record label The Control Group / Valley of Search.
Identified brings together notable voices for reflective, vulnerable conversations about where we come from&mdash;and where we&rsquo;re going.
Read more about Nabil: ➡️https://www.nabilayers.com/
-
#AugustPonthier #Identified #NabilAyers #ChosenFamily #Queer #NonBinary #Podcast

August Ponthier on Coming Out, Texas, and Chosen Family

Two days before Thanksgiving, on the night of Thursday's first sold-out headline show at New York's Roseland Ballroom, Geoff Rickly got off the subway to the news that his nana had died, peacefully, in her favourite chair, logged into the band's website. He played the show. 

On this special reissue of Identified with Nabil Ayers, the Thursday frontman traces where he comes from, and why the band became the family he never quite had at home.

00:00 Band as family
01:16 An only child in New Jersey
03:11 Thanksgiving & the Tofurky review
04:06 Interviewing his dying grandfather
06:18 The ancestor who survived on rats
07:51 "Maybe I'm tougher than I think"
09:46 The lost book & the last Rickly
13:18 His nana & the Roseland show
16:15 Latchkey kid: always alone
20:27 What is family? The band.

-

Identified is a podcast series that explores identity, race, culture, and family through personal conversations. Hosted by author and music executive Nabil Ayers, each episode dives into lived experiences that reveal how our backgrounds shape who we are—and how we find belonging.

Nabil is the author of My Life in the Sunshine (Viking, 2022), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on themes of race, music, and personal history. He’s also the President of Beggars Group US, co-founder of Sonic Boom Records, and founder of the record label The Control Group / Valley of Search.

Identified brings together notable voices for reflective, vulnerable conversations about where we come from—and where we’re going.

-
#GeoffRickly #Thursday #Identified #NabilAyers #PostHardcore #Family #Podcast

Two days before Thanksgiving, on the night of Thursday's first sold-out headline show at New York's Roseland Ballroom, Geoff Rickly got off the subway to the news that his nana had died, peacefully, in her favourite chair, logged into the band's website. He played the show.&nbsp;
On this special reissue of Identified with Nabil Ayers, the Thursday frontman traces where he comes from, and why the band became the family he never quite had at home.
00:00 Band as family 01:16 An only child in New Jersey 03:11 Thanksgiving &amp; the Tofurky review 04:06 Interviewing his dying grandfather 06:18 The ancestor who survived on rats 07:51 "Maybe I'm tougher than I think" 09:46 The lost book &amp; the last Rickly 13:18 His nana &amp; the Roseland show 16:15 Latchkey kid: always alone 20:27 What is family? The band.
-
Identified is a podcast series that explores identity, race, culture, and family through personal conversations. Hosted by author and music executive Nabil Ayers, each episode dives into lived experiences that reveal how our backgrounds shape who we are&mdash;and how we find belonging.
Nabil is the author of My Life in the Sunshine (Viking, 2022), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on themes of race, music, and personal history. He&rsquo;s also the President of Beggars Group US, co-founder of Sonic Boom Records, and founder of the record label The Control Group / Valley of Search.
Identified brings together notable voices for reflective, vulnerable conversations about where we come from&mdash;and where we&rsquo;re going.
- #GeoffRickly #Thursday #Identified #NabilAyers #PostHardcore #Family #Podcast

Vagabon on Musical Beginnings and Moving from Cameroon to New York

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