Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

DetoxPod 106: Benjamin Wagner (Consultant/Musician/Filmmaker)

Benjamin Wagner is the founder of a consulting firm called Essential Industries Inc, but that's not all he does or has done. Over the course of his life, Benjamin has worn the hats of journalism, musician and filmmaker, co-creating the PBS documentary "Mister Rogers & Me". He hosts a podcast called "Friends & Neighbors". Friends & Neighbors is a show fundamentally about empathy, listening to the stories of others' life experiences. It shares quite a bit ideologically with this podcast. So, there's no coincidence that I was a guest on Friends & Neighbors just a week ago. Benjamin was more than happy to return the favor and I hope that this is the first conversation of many on and offline.
 
This particular conversation follows Benjamin's journey from the Midwestern-born child of divorce to his moves up the corporate ladder to realizing that being a corporate big shot was killing him--and the moves that he's made since then. Here's my new pal Benjamin Wagner. Enjoy.

DetoxPod 105 : Christian Finnegan (Actor/Writer)

You might know Christian Finnegan from his stand up, or from his role on the series Are We There Yet, or from VH-1's Best Week Ever, or from the infamous Chappelle's Show Mad Real World sketch. What you might not know is that Christian fell into comedy almost by accident, or that he lost both of his brothers and his mother to heart problems, or that he had heart surgery himself just about a year ago. Or that he's parlayed his lifelong love of music into a weekly newsletter called New Music for Olds that you should definitely subscribe to. Our conversation covers issues of race, morality, mortality and more, with a few jokes thrown in. I hope you enjoy listening.

DetoxPod 104 : Sean Wolcott (Tech Professional/Musician)

Sean Wolcott is a technology professional and musician based in Arizona. He is the product of a blended family, and is also now a member of a blended family himself. He and I speak about the circumstances that led to both of those situations, and how having a stepdad of a different race cemented his progressive worldview. Sean discusses his parenting strategy, raising three young men, and fills us in on how to get along in his conservative home state. We also get a glimpse into what it's like as a performer, from being young and hopeful and trying to get a "big break" to settling into a regular 9-5 but still satisfying that creative itch. Enjoy the episode, and don't forget to follow and share!

DetoxPod 103 : Mike Duquette (Writer)

Mike Duquette (Instagram) is the founder of the music reissue website The Second Disc and is also a music industry and culture journalism veteran. Full disclosure, Mike is also one of my best friends, and a big component of this episode is the up and down (mostly up) arc of our relationship. Mike talks about being a sheltered young person and growing into his self-awareness. He gives major props to those who have helped and are continuing to help him along his journey, from a high school teacher who gave him an appreciation for being different, to his wife Nicole. We also talk about the current state of the world and why unplugging is important, the merits of making sure your community stays asshole-free, and the perils of being "sensitive".

DetoxPod 102 : Michael Fortes (Writer)

This episode's interviewee is Michael Fortes.
Michael is a writer/culture journalist, admin professional, and a collector of physical media (he has 8-tracks, y'all!) Michael and I met years ago while writing for Popdose. Our conversation covers Michael's love of his home in the melting pot that is the Bay Area. It covers a somewhat challenging childhood in New England where he endured bullying and confusion due to his somewhat inscrutable ethnic identity. We talk about his love of all things media, and we discuss his difficulty in romantic relationships through the years and he offers some advice (or at least some perspective) for those of us still navigating the world of the single person.
 
CW: abuse

DetoxPod 101 : Dom DiMaria (Musician/NYC Housing Employee)

This episode finds me talking to Dom DiMaria, an NYC musician who, by day, helps house New York City's homeless population. Those are two professions you don't often find side by side, and Dom talks about the ups and the downs of working for the public, which includes a previous life as a street canvasser. We also talk about Dom's suburban Catholic upbringing, and what it takes to carve out one's own identity independent of the family unit. Dom gives some advice on dealing with relatives you don't see eye to eye politically with, and also, as Detoxpod's first non-binary guest, shares how they came to terms with opting out of gender norms. 

DetoxPod 100 : Garrett Gonzales (GG) (2nd Round)

Garrett Gonzales was the second guest on Detoxicity, and he returns for the milestone Episode 100. Garrett is an entrepreneur, a husband, a dad, and runs Fight Game Media, which produces content (including podcasts) related to boxing, MMA and wrestling (with other sports and pop culture occasionally sprinkled in). He's been a friend of mine for 20 years, and we have a lot of history to draw on during our conversation. We talk about hitting middle age and the things we've learned over the course of our friendship. We talk about GG's second time around with kids-this time as a stepparent. We discuss "subjective honesty" and how it affects the memories we grow up with, and...because we are '90s kids who are pop culture savvy (and also because it is germane to much of what gets discussed on this podcast), we discuss the infamous Chris Rock/Will Smith Oscars moment. 

DetoxPod 99 :Jared Pease (Musician/Educator)

Jared Pease is a musician and a music teacher, originally from Richmond Virginia, now based in New York City. Our conversation covers quite a bit, personally and professionally--from Jared's ongoing journey as an adoptee to watching a close family member suffer with addiction issues. We also talk about the perception of whether being a musician is a "real job" and discuss stress relief through playing the drums. I'm very happy to bring you my conversation with Jared, and I hope you enjoy.