Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

DetoxPod 74 : Jeff Giles

Jeff Giles is a writer, first and foremost. He founded the pop culture website Popdose almost a decade and a half ago, and has also written for sites including Rotten Tomatoes, Paste, and Ultimate Classic Rock. Jeff has also written two books, including one called Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life to Live. He is not to be confused with the OTHER pop culture writer named Jeff Giles, who has written for Entertainment Weekly, among other outlets.
 
Jeff is also my co-host on my other podcast, FM to MTV, where we discuss the pop music we grew up with. In addition to his professional accolades, Jeff is a husband, a parent of two, and a good friend to many, including me. During our conversation, Jeff and I discuss everything from entrepreneurship to the difficulties of raising children who eventually become their own people. We also talk a fair amount about our own relationship, so you'll get a little insight into what makes us tick as friends.

DetoxPod 73 : Mike Bankhead

Mike Bankhead is a musician based in Dayton, Ohio. During our interview, Mike talks about his close knit local community and why the Midwest appeals to him. We discuss the cultural stigma that still exists around mental health in the Black community, and Mike shares a couple of interesting stories about his experiences with law enforcement. Our discussion also covers faith and theology, perfectionism and the awkwardness that comes with being in environments in which you might be considered an outlier. I realize I sound like a broken record when I talk about how much I enjoy these conversations, but this was a really fun one. Let's hear what happens when two Mikes collide.

DetoxPod 72: Brian Rosenworcel

Brian Rosenworcel, also known as the Thundergod, is the drummer for rock band Guster. Over the course of Guster's thirty years as an active unit, Brian has gained notoriety for not only his musicianship but his humorous and often quirky online presence as expressed on the band's road and studio journals. 
 
This was actually our second stab at recording. Our first attempt got thwarted by noise, but the good thing is that Brian is such a great conversationalist that it didn't matter that we were performing a do-over on an already recorded podcast. Brian has a lot to share regarding parenting, politics, what it takes to keep a relationship going three decades in, his band's fan base and the qualities he'd like to improve about himself.

DetoxPod 71: Reid Martin

This episode features Reid Martin. Reid is the owner of Midcitizen Entertainment, a company that represents Low Cut Connie, whose Adam Weiner you heard from a few weeks back, as well as the amazing Big Freedia, Grammy nominated Tank and the Bangas, and more. Reid is based in New Orleans and during our conversation, you'll hear why he wants New Orleans to be his base of operations as opposed to more typical music industry cities like New York or Los Angeles. You'll also hear how he gets his boundless energy, how much he hustled to land where he's landed, and you'll find out how he got the best advice he's ever gotten at a urinal.

DetoxPod 70: Chris Gethard

Chris Gethard is a comedian, an actor, the writer of several books, and the host of the podcast Beautiful/Anonymous, in which he takes a random phone call from a complete stranger and converses with them for an hour. Chris is probably best known for Career Suicide, a one man show that later became an acclaimed HBO Special, in which he went deep on his struggles with depression.
 
My conversation with Chris covers a lot of ground. We talk about his recently released documentary, "Half My Life", in which he tries to figure out a balance between his life as a comedian and his life as a suburban dad.  We talk about hitting your forties and realizing you're not as cool as you may have once been (this is of course, subjective.) We talk about bullying, which was a prominent part of his upbringing and still rears its head from time to time. We discuss the difference between toxic violence and self-defense, and we talk about the heaviness that comes with being a public figure who talks openly about mental health challenges.

DetoxPod69: Akie Bermiss

Akie Bermiss is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter and member of the folk/country/pop act Lake Street Dive. A self-professed and proud nerd, Akie discusses how his decision to pursue music came after he thought he'd already mapped out a career path for himself. He speaks about self-confidence and coming from a family steeped in "Blackademia". There's also discussion about code-switching and being a social chameleon, a few fish-out-of-water stories tied to his experience at Bard College, and you'll find out why he enjoys "JOMO" as opposed to "FOMO".

DetoxPod68: Kevin Devine

Kevin Devine is a prolific independent singer/songwriter with something like two dozen combined studio albums, live albums and EPs. He records solo, with his band (called the Goddamn Band) and as a member of Bad Books with Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull. Kevin came up through the punk and hardcore scene in New York City, where he was born and currently makes his home. 
 
During this episode, Kevin discusses growing up in Staten Island (historically New York City's most conservative borough) with a cop as a father, but being given the freedom to explore his own beliefs. We talk a little bit of NYC evolution and gentrification, discuss Kevin's idols Kurt Cobain and Elliott Smith and their relationships with masculinity, chop it up about activism, socialism, and various other "ism"s, and try to figure out how all of this relates to his continuing personal evolution.
 

DetoxPod67 : Jesse Stanford (Lesser Sparrow)

Jesse Stanford, like many of the guests on Detoxicity, does many things. By day, he's a junior high school teacher. By night, he's a creative, making music under the name Lesser Sparrow. He's also a brand new dad. You'll find out how he juggles those things during our conversation. You'll also find out how he has moved past his suburban upbringing to learn more about the world, how he's moving past his own sensitive temperament to listen to helpful criticism and become a better person, and how he moves past his own self-doubt to make music. A lot of forward motion here! Listen in to what Jesse has to say.