I've been listening a lot to this: a 3,350-Song Playlist of Music from Haruki Murakami’s Personal Record Collection (about). It's very listenable because it's in the right ballpark for music I'd like on in the background at home, lots of jazz, some classical and early rock/pop but knowing there's a human intelligence behind it - a guiding sense of taste - makes it somehow slightly more intimate than an algorithm. And, while I've only read one of his books, it fits how he feels. The whole aesthetic hangs together. It's like you're round his house and he's playing you stuff. It's revealing.
I've also been listening to a James Baldwin version. Chez Baldwin - the music in his record collection. I don't know tons about Baldwin but his record selection makes me want to know more. My image of him is austere and intellectual, waspish, dry. But his records aren't like that. So much Diana Ross and Randy Crawford. It's funky and joyful.
This remote intimacy is a bit like Ben's point: part of the fun of Zooms at home and on the media is peeking behind the scenes at someone's life. Which is why it's annoying and funny when someone tries to fake it.
