This Musician Runs the Streets of New York City to Enhance His Creativity
Running is both energizing and calming for Jesse Malin.
Name: Jesse Malin Age: 55 Hometown: New York, New York Occupation: Musician Time Running: 25+ years Reason for Running: I run to feel energized, but running also calms me and gives me time to think and be creative.
I started running officially in my late 20s. I was always a hyper kid growing up, and running seemed a natural way to get rid of some energy. My nervous energy and anxiety seemed to subside when I was on a run and afterward. I felt cleansed.
In the 90s, I was playing with the band D Generation and I started to notice that if I was running regularly leading up to a tour, I had more energy and could withstand high-energy performances on stage. I just felt better.
About 20 years ago, I was training for my first New York City Marathon and also promoting a show I was doing with my new band. I was putting up flyers with Scotch tape around the city—which is illegal—and the police picked me up. Because it was a Friday, I subsequently landed in jail for two nights, and I missed that marathon. I got out of jail that Monday and they dropped the charge, but I was so disappointed and angry at the city and the police for taking it to that level. Still, I didn’t give up on running.
My buddy and I ran Central Park the next day and he said it was the fastest he had ever seen me run. I still wonder if it was the training or being locked up with all that emotion for two days that gave me the extra speed—a combo, probably.
Today, when I’m not touring, I run anywhere from three to five miles regularly, usually around New York City. One of my favorite runs is the “three bridges” run, which goes from near my Lower East Side house into other boroughs. I love seeing the river on my side and the tall bridges above me. It’s not very crowded. Once I am out there, I feel I have to stay and complete the run to the last bridge and back. There aren’t always a lot of cabs or trains to get me home, so I have to finish.
As a musician, I’ve found that running is the best cure for writer’s block. Running really helps to wake up my creative juices and get the blood flowing. It’s a time for me to work on my own lyrics. Who knows, maybe it will help me live longer, too.
Running is also a great time for me to listen to other artist’s music. I love fast songs from bands such as Motorhead, The Ramones, and Bad Brains. I also like to listen to new things I am writing or working on, too. It’s a good way to sort out what’s working and what isn’t.
On the flip side, running is also a quiet meditative time for me. Sometimes no music is great—and it’s a good time to hear what’s in my head. A lot of times I prefer to have a conversation with myself and work things out.
I’ve gone out running on the coldest and even hottest days in New York City, and always feel motivated when I see other people running. I also enjoy running with friends on occasion. Having someone to push you is motivating.
I’ve also found running helps me sleep better. I’m a fan of natural living as much as possible, and if I wake up with anxiety or have some thoughts, I need to work out. I always know going for a run can help me see a bigger perspective.
The rock/punk rock music industry is associated with a lot of drug use, and being destructive and unhealthy at times. It’s that whole mentality of live fast and die young, but I’ve always been about positivity—you can be wild and free and have something to say about society, but you don’t need drugs to do that.
When I’m on the road, I enjoy getting out of the hotel and exploring whatever city I’m in. It keeps me together, calms me down, and just centers me before a show. Because I’ve found that the audience relates when you have something to say about their city, it’s a good way to get to know a place.
I enjoy running around London—to me, it’s a lot like New York—and has good parks for running, including Hyde, Regents, and Greenwich. I wouldn’t be brave enough to run in the streets because I would have to dodge the traffic coming from the opposite way!
Also, when I’ve been touring, I’ve woken up at weird hours because of the time changes, and show schedules, so always being able to go for a run resets me while on the road. Sometimes it means a treadmill, but as long as it can crank up to the speed I want, I’m happy with it. Still, I always prefer running outside.
Once I got into running and it became part of my life, I felt like I had a special remedy in my back pocket; a special thing that I could bring with me anywhere, at any time. Running offers me a freedom and kind of a medicine, but more than that, a place of peace that I can tap into when I need it.
I always like to remember how powerful a new day can be. Each morning when the sun bursts up, if I can jump out of bed and if I can get a run in, I feel so much better. It’s that forward motion that keeps me going, inspired, and happy.
Until I really started running, I was unaware of how great and helpful forward motion is for creativity. I have so much going on in my head and in my life that standing still doesn’t always open new channels of inspiration. I crave the energy, but also the motion. It is somehow easier to write new things and see the world clearer with a different perspective than when you are at a desk or on a couch, or, for that matter, a studio or practice room. I like the positive vibes and the blood flow waking you up.
I think no run is too short. Like so many wonderful things in life, if you just do it, it will become easier to do more. Take the pressure off yourself and start with short distances, a mile or so. You will find yourself feeling so good that you will end up doing more and surprising yourself. Like the good folks in the band Parliament Funkadelic have said, “Free your ass and your mind will follow.”
These tips have made my running journey a success:
1. Don’t compare yourself to others
Go at whatever pace feels good to you.
2. Stay hydrated
Drink lots of water or organic juices, like coconut.
3. Bring some music or an audiobook on long runs
It helps pass the time and can be motivating.
Jesse’s Must-Have Gear
→ Adidas Track Suit: Like Run DMC, I like this because it’s light and easy to wear when you get up to those long fast miles and the burn is on.
→ Nike Air Zoom Pegasus: They feel smooth, light and unobtrusive. You forget you have them on in a good way, but yet I still feel secure and protected on the crazy city streets.
→ Bad Brains: This band, who play so tight and precise, makes me want to do my best out there. Their music gives me focus and a power like I am on a mission to get down those miles. They’re lyrical message of PMA—Positive Mental Attitude—in songs like “Attitude” and “Rock for Light” lets me know I am not alone on this journey and that the struggles are part of the ride.
posted Sunday December 25th
by Runner’s World