We’re big advocates of long, hot showers. A good steam will soothe your muscles, clear your head and soften your stubble before that all-important shave. A great soundtrack will make the whole process a faster and more enjoyable experience.

Rise and shine.

We’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a man in this day and age, specifically, a man like you. So, when you start your day today, pose a question to yourself. It’s the theme for your March Shower Sessions: What kind of man are you?

https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/fiveoclockmagazine/playlist/64HtMboxZoFRsTFo7HJLVP

The song of that same name will start you out, with the question posed by Mary Ann Fisher and the Raylettes, backed by Ray Charles. Remember there are no wrong answers. These are questions asked through time immortal. Ditto the one you’ll hear from Tom Waits, covering the great Blind Willie Johnson. “What is the soul of a man?” It’s something to contemplate as the water warms up. Look closely at “The Man in the Mirror” (more Graham Nash than Michael Jackson) and try to define what you see. Perhaps you’re “Just an Everyday Guy.” Perhaps that’s not a bad thing to strive to be when you’re listening to someone as criminally underrated as Rob Galbraith.

None of us perfect. There are times we can be a “Trouble Man,” (Marvin Gaye) and times we’re just a “Jealous Guy.” (a smoking version by Donnie Hathaway). But even if you’re a “Lucky Man,” (The Verve) or even the “Luckiest Man,” (The Wood Brothers) you can always strive to be a “Better Man.” Leon Bridges is not a bad place to start.

The Growlers remind you that sometimes you’re “Not the Man” you thought you’d be or want to be, but there are also times, (cue the Lana Del Rey), when you are a true “Million Dollar Man.” Forever searching, you are a “Thirsty Man,” (Blitzen Trapper). Thirsty for life, for love, for water, for wine, for adventure, for improvement.

Don’t be afraid of your own contradictions. The American Bard says as a man, you contain multitudes. You can be both a “Simple Man,” (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and a “Complicated Man” (Joel Jerome, Cosmic Bears). You can even be an “Atomic Man,” at least according to who else but Portugal. The Man.

So, peer one last time into the “Soul of a Man” (Beck) and ask yourself again, this time from Robert Scott King:

What kind of man are you?

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