Episode 309 of the Rodes Live Podcast takes it back to 1984–1986, when Rodes was a young teenager learning about girls, dating, courting, confidence, and what it meant to be “manish” before he even fully understood what that meant.
In “Hickeys,” Rodes looks back at those early teenage years with plenty of laughs, stories, and honesty. From laughing with the girls and trying to impress them, to the awkwardness of young romance and the lessons that came with it, Rodes revisits a time when dating was a completely different experience.
Before social media, dating apps, DMs, and smartphones, you actually had to talk to somebody, approach them, spend time together, and figure things out face-to-face.
Rodes reflects on the girls he dated, the ways young people courted each other, the things he thought he knew about being a man, and the hilarious situations that came with growing up.
But underneath the memories and comedy is a bigger message:
Be your authentic self.
Whether you're dating at 15 or 50, pretending to be somebody you're not eventually catches up with you. Rodes talks about confidence, personality, communication, and understanding that you don't have to put on an act to be worthy of somebody else's attention.
“Hickeys” is part nostalgia, part comedy, part coming-of-age story—and part reminder that some of the biggest lessons about relationships start when we're young.
In This Episode:
Rodes' memories from 1984–1986
Teenage dating and courting
The funny realities of young romance
Laughing, flirting and trying to impress the girls
What it meant to be “manish” as a young teenager
Growing confidence around girls
The difference between courting then and dating now
Lessons learned from early relationships
Why pretending to be someone you're not doesn't work
Being comfortable with your own personality
Dating as your authentic self
Looking back at teenage experiences with an adult perspective
The funny memories that stay with you decades later
Rodes Live Takeaway
You don't have to create a character to get somebody to like you. Be yourself, communicate, have confidence, and let the right person get to know the real you.
Sometimes the stories we laugh about the most are the same stories that taught us the most.
Rodes Live Podcast — Hip-Hop. Culture. Life. Stories.
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