John von Sothen's guest appearances

John von Sothen

The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired with Signature Style

This Is the Author

The Thing About France

Pamela Druckerman

Martha Beck

Jaime Lowe

Caitlin Moscatello

Carlotta Walls Lanier

Robert Knott

Julianna Miner

Maggie Paxson

Ayaz Virji

Jackie Ann Ruiz

Mona Hanna

Hilary Jacob Hendel

Carolyn London

Clea Shearer

Joanna Teplin

OwlTail

John von Sothen is an American magazine writer based in Paris, where he’s lived since 2002. He dabbles a little in French TV and comedy, too. When I started talking to him for this podcast, I forgot that I’d never met him before. That’s because last year John wrote a memoir that was so hilarious, so warm, and so personal that I felt as if we’d known each other for ages, though we’d never even been in the same room. Luckily, he’s American, not French, so I don’t think my informality shocked him! His book was called Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French. In it he lays out the mysterious rules of French social behavior, which he’s decoded during his years in France first by breaking them, then by learning to roll with them.

John von Sothen is an American magazine writer based in Paris, where he’s lived since 2002. He dabbles a little in French TV and comedy, too. When I started talking to him for this podcast, I forgot that I’d never met him before. That’s because last year John wrote a memoir that was so hilarious, so warm, and so personal that I felt as if we’d known each other for ages, though we’d never even been in the same room. Luckily, he’s American, not French, so I don’t think my informality shocked him! His book was called Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French. In it he lays out the mysterious rules of French social behavior, which he’s decoded during his years in France first by breaking them, then by learning to roll with them.

If you take an American man and place him in Paris, asking him to fit in, it will take a good sense of humor and a sincere love of France, but this man will be calling Paris his home, his sincere home, in due time.   Such a man, or should we say, monsieur, is author and writer John von Sothen.   I had the opportunity to meet up with John in the arrondisement he has called home for nearly 20 years - the 10th - and join him for what I like to describe as a "walk and talk". For more than two hours (which felt like minutes as I had the good fortune of being on a one-on-one guided tour of a city I too love, but have so much to learn), he showed me his everyday life from the fish monger where he picks up his poisson, the boulangerie where he walks down to pick up his faily's baquette (or two) in the morning and the restaurant where the neighborhood parents meet up after dropping their children off at school in the morning.   His new book, released this past May - Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French - shares the reality of being an expat from America living in Paris all the while being newly married, newly a parent and new to everyday living in France. Needless to say, with a dose of humor, an insatiable curiosity and deep affection for France, and being raised to "contribute" as his mother would also encourage him to do at dinner parties his parents would host in Georgetown in his youth, he has found France to be his home in more ways than he ever intended, but sincerely appreciates.   In today's episode, I have divided it into three parts (all included in this one episode). As our conversation begins, we are seated outdoors on a terrasse in the 18th arrondisements bordering the 10th.   I hope that you will appreciate the real-time acoustics of the city of Paris' background music as you will hear it all - French conversation, the traffic, and a city that is alive. With my trusty, but small hand-held recorded we chatted about everything, much of what I learned by reading his book and much more.   There are a few instances in which the wind is heard, and while I have edited out most parts of our conversation in which the wind was present and obstructive, the instances in which I have not is intentional as what we are talking about is worth hearing, and I did not have the heart to cut it out. Thank you for your patience in these rare moments because the rest is a dance of insights about Parisian and French living from the inside that we don't often learn or hear about.   From talking about the famed French vacances that foreign onlookers love to dream about, what being an aristocrat really means in France (psst - his wife is an aristocrat and from an aristocratic family, so he has the inside scoop), the truth about raising children in the city of Paris, how his mother influenced his love and interest in France, why he was raised unintentionally to be someone who could step into a new culture and not be intimidated, what escaping to the country in France is like for someone who loves the city life, the film Amelie, American politics as perceived by the Parisians, and his now quickly-becoming-famous rescue pup made it into a French film.   ~John von Sothen's family dog Bogart at home when I met in him July in Paris (left); the French film Yves in which Bogart stars. The film premiered on July 26th of this year.~      Now, a quick note about that last point. Of course, I was drawn to our entire conversation and intrigued about the realities, but when we started talking about his family's dog Bogart, I couldn't help but be intrigued. And perhaps John noticed this because he gave me the opportunity to meet his dog, and so, below I captured a picture of him after I had the chance to say hello. He is the sweetest pup, truly a kind soul and no wonder he is a star on screen because he is a star period. (view the trailer for the film - Yves - here - Bogart appears in the first seen sleeping on the sofa)   I do hope you enjoy our conversation. John von Sothen's book is available now, and you can find him writing for Esquire, French Vanity Fair, GQ, and AirMail, as well as other French and American publications (and even sometimes on French television as his book describes in hilarious detail).   ~Learn more about John von Sothen and read more of his writing at johnvonsothen.com   ~Purchase a copy of  Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French (May 2019)    https://www.instagram.com/p/BybapiHAsit/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link   ~John entertained graciously my attempts at a photo together, but I wanted to included especially the photo on the lower right as in the background is a piece of art created by his mother of which wsa talked about at the beginning of today's episode.~   ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate:  iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify   ~Find more episodes of The Simple Sophisticate podcast.   ~Find all of the French-Inspired episodes of The Simple Sophisticate podcast here.    https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EFxuqg-Zt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link    TSLL’s 4th Annual French Week posts thus far . . .   SUNDAY August 11th    Welcome to TSLL’s 4th Annual French Week! 7 French Candles I Love &amp; A Giveaway! – giveaway Visiting Musée d'Orsay and Impressionist Berthe Morisot's Exhibit    ~Sponsors of today's episode:    Candid Co - candidco.com/simple  Save $75 off your order with the following promo code - SIMPLE   

If you take an American man and place him in Paris, asking him to fit in, it will take a good sense of humor and a sincere love of France, but this man will be calling Paris his home, his sincere home, in due time. Such a man, or should we say, monsieur, is author and writer John von Sothen. I had the opportunity to meet up with John in the arrondisement he has called home for nearly 20 years - the 10th - and join him for what I like to describe as a "walk and talk". For more than two hours (which felt like minutes as I had the good fortune of being on a one-on-one guided tour of a city I too love, but have so much to learn), he showed me his everyday life from the fish monger where he picks up his poisson, the boulangerie where he walks down to pick up his faily's baquette (or two) in the morning and the restaurant where the neighborhood parents meet up after dropping their children off at school in the morning. His new book, released this past May - <a href="https://amzn.to/2yQELIQ" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French</a> - shares the reality of being an expat from America living in Paris all the while being newly married, newly a parent and new to everyday living in France. Needless to say, with a dose of humor, an insatiable curiosity and deep affection for France, and being raised to "contribute" as his mother would also encourage him to do at dinner parties his parents would host in Georgetown in his youth, he has found France to be his home in more ways than he ever intended, but sincerely appreciates. In today's episode, I have divided it into three parts (all included in this one episode). As our conversation begins, we are seated outdoors on a terrasse in the 18th arrondisements bordering the 10th. I hope that you will appreciate the real-time acoustics of the city of Paris' background music as you will hear it all - French conversation, the traffic, and a city that is alive. With my trusty, but small hand-held recorded we chatted about everything, much of what I learned by reading his book and much more. There are a few instances in which the wind is heard, and while I have edited out most parts of our conversation in which the wind was present and obstructive, the instances in which I have not is intentional as what we are talking about is worth hearing, and I did not have the heart to cut it out. Thank you for your patience in these rare moments because the rest is a dance of insights about Parisian and French living from the inside that we don't often learn or hear about. From talking about the famed French vacances that foreign onlookers love to dream about, what being an aristocrat really means in France (psst - his wife is an aristocrat and from an aristocratic family, so he has the inside scoop), the truth about raising children in the city of Paris, how his mother influenced his love and interest in France, why he was raised unintentionally to be someone who could step into a new culture and not be intimidated, what escaping to the country in France is like for someone who loves the city life, the film Amelie, American politics as perceived by the Parisians, and his now quickly-becoming-famous rescue pup made it into a French film. ~John von Sothen's family dog Bogart at home when I met in him July in Paris (left); the French film Yves in which Bogart stars. The film premiered on July 26th of this year.~ <a href="https://www.thesimplyluxuriouslife.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Now, a quick note about that last point. Of course, I was drawn to our entire conversation and intrigued about the realities, but when we started talking about his family's dog Bogart, I couldn't help but be intrigued. And perhaps John noticed this because he gave me the opportunity to meet his dog, and so, below I captured a picture of him after I had the chance to say hello. He is the sweetest pup, truly a kind soul and no wonder he is a star on screen because he is a star period. (view the trailer for the film - Yves - <a href="https://youtu.be/tzimY9Ai4e8" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> - Bogart appears in the first seen sleeping on the sofa) I do hope you enjoy our conversation. John von Sothen's book is available now, and you can find him writing for Esquire, French Vanity Fair, GQ, and AirMail, as well as other French and American publications (and even sometimes on French television as his book describes in hilarious detail). ~Learn more about John von Sothen and read more of his writing at <a href="http://johnvonsothen.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">johnvonsothen.com</a> ~Purchase a copy of <a href="https://amzn.to/31xbeA6" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French</a> (May 2019) <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BybapiHAsit/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/p/BybapiHAsit/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link</a> ~John entertained graciously my attempts at a photo together, but I wanted to included especially the photo on the lower right as in the background is a piece of art created by his mother of which wsa talked about at the beginning of today's episode.~ ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate:  <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-sophisticate-intelligent/id910273945?mt=2&amp;ign-mpt=uo%3D4" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-simple-sophisticate" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> | <a href="http://www.iheart.com/show/263-The-Simple-Sophisticate-In/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">iHeartRadio</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shannonables" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/11iD5pvK0hLbIb1orJWyZQ?si=o9JJ-3ZmSgGC1T5PoWIJZg" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a> ~Find <a href="https://www.thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/category/podcast/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">more episodes of The Simple Sophisticate podcast</a>. ~Find all of the French-Inspired episodes of The Simple Sophisticate podcast <a href="https://www.thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/tag/french-inspired/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EFxuqg-Zt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EFxuqg-Zt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link</a> TSLL’s 4th Annual French Week posts thus far . . . SUNDAY August 11th <ul> <li><a href="https://www.thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/tsllfrenchweek2019welcome/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Welcome to TSLL’s 4th Annual French Week!</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/tsllfrenchweekcandlegiveaway2019/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">7 French Candles I Love &amp; A Giveaway!</a> – giveaway</li> <li><a href="https://www.thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/museedorsayberthemorisot/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Visiting Musée d'Orsay and Impressionist Berthe Morisot's Exhibit</a></li> </ul> ~Sponsors of today's episode: <ul> <li>Candid Co - <a href="https://www.candidco.com/simple" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">candidco.com/simple</a> <ul> <li>Save $75 off your order with the following promo code - SIMPLE</li> </ul> </li> </ul>

257: An American Being Everyday French - My Interview with author John von Sothen

Raegan Moya-Jones

Jayson Greene

S4 E29: In this episode, Jayson Greene, author of Once More We Saw Stars; John Von Sothen, author of Monsieur Mediocre; and Raegan Moya-Jones, author of What It Takes. From processing a devastating personal tragedy, to drawing back the curtain on daily life in Paris, to building a big career out of an idea that originated at a kitchen table, these authors are able to reveal the powerful universalities we all share as a result of them each getting deeply personal about their own experiences. Plus, hear why the subway is one author’s favorite place to listen to everything.Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/558379/once-more-we-saw-stars/Monsieur Mediocre by John von Sothen: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/557160/monsieur-mediocre/What It Takes by Raegan Moya-Jones: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/550499/what-it-takes/

S4 E29: In this episode, Jayson Greene, author of Once More We Saw Stars; John Von Sothen, author of Monsieur Mediocre; and Raegan Moya-Jones, author of What It Takes. From processing a devastating personal tragedy, to drawing back the curtain on daily life in Paris, to building a big career out of an idea that originated at a kitchen table, these authors are able to reveal the powerful universalities we all share as a result of them each getting deeply personal about their own experiences. Plus, hear why the subway is one author’s favorite place to listen to everything. Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene: <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/558379/once-more-we-saw-stars/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/558379/once-more-we-saw-stars/</a> Monsieur Mediocre by John von Sothen: <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/557160/monsieur-mediocre/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/557160/monsieur-mediocre/</a> What It Takes by Raegan Moya-Jones: <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/550499/what-it-takes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/550499/what-it-takes/</a>

S4 E29: Jayson Greene, John Von Sothen, and Raegan Moya-Jones