An Earful and an Eyeful

Have you ever met Oliver Gee? Maybe you don’t even know who he is, but trust me, you will.

I first met Oliver by sheer chance one day in front of my daughter’s junior high school, Collège Pierre Jean de Béranger, on the street that bears the same name, just near my apartment in Le Marais. That was a few months ago — he recognized me, but I wouldn’t have recognized him. He called out “Adrian” — kind of like Rocky might have — and that stopped me dead in my tracks.

Most people don’t know Oliver by sight, nor did I, as he is the Aussie journalist behind the podcasts known as “The Earful Tower.” (Cute name, right?) One might recognize his voice, but not his winning smile since his audience is “all ears.”

He describes The Earful Tower, as the editor and host, “a regular radio show that sees [him] trying to figure out France, usually with the help of a special guest.” The guests are everyone from tour guides to TV presenters, cooks to comedians, and he’s even once had a Paris mayor “appear”on his talk show. This past week, he had me.

His audience is growing faster than any of us can keep track of. The podcasts are recorded, edited and then later aired at his discretion. The latest one to have aired this past February 19th was titled “ Top 20: The best street in every Paris district” featuring tour guide extraordinaire, April Pett, of April in Paris Tours. By coincidence, I lunched with April that day just prior to walking up Oliver’s six flights of stairs to his sound studio in a tiny “chambre de bonne” (servant’s quarters) near the Gare du Nord.

I wasn’t prepared nor knew what to expect, but figured I would “wing it.” Oliver makes it easy. He has a very casual friendly style that immediately makes even the most nervous interviewee feel totally at ease. I just let Oliver ask the questions and let the answers fall where they may…and they did. The time went too quickly as we bantered back and forth and before we knew it, we signed off. Then, we went back to the mics for a “bonus” session for his “patreons” — those listeners who financially support and patronize the shows. Of course, he needs financial support to make the free podcasts happen, so if you’re a fan, be sure to sponsor The Earful Tower. Here’s how.

After we signed off the recording, we decided that there was so much to talk about vis a vis the world of real estate and moving to France that if willing, I could do the podcasts on a periodic basis touching on various different subjects and points. The ideas were wildly flowing from both of us, but the best idea to which we both wholeheartedly agreed was to do a turn-about-play and for me to host him at Après Midi in the near future. So, on June 12th, Oliver is going to show both his face and his voice at Après Midi during which he’s going to interview some of the event’s attendees…to be aired as a future podcast! Isn’t that exciting? And think…you could be there and become one of his guests on the show!

I’m not sure when my own podcast will air, but likely pretty soon. He likes to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak, and likely won’t dillydally too long before launching it. Don’t worry — I’ll be sure to let you know when and where you can find it.

Meanwhile, I’m in the midst of taping House Hunters International #31, this time in the below freezing weather. The episode focuses on two young women who are searching for a one-bedroom apartment in Paris: New Zealand Ainsley Duyvestyn-Smith and her American friend, Kailee Sweeney. The search takes us to the posh Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the hip Haut Marais and to the edgy Goutte d’Or…where you can bet I’m going to play the protective “Mama Leeds” and encourage her not to take that apartment, in spite of its wonderful attributes. But, you never know what will happen on House Hunters International!

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Adrian Leeds Group

(with Oliver Gee)

Respond to Adrian

P.S. Have you ever been to one of our Après Midi sessions? If not, you should. Every second Tuesday of the month we host an open and free gathering to the public, enhanced by a speaker from the community who offers something special to share with everyone! Speakers range from authors who have a new book out to filmmakers to specialists in their fields — always a topic of interest with an open forum for questions and discussion. Details and our lineup of guests for 2018 are on our Après Midi page. Have a look today!