Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

DetoxPod 66: Bob Lugowe

When this episode's guest was introduced to me a decade or so ago as "Juggalo Bob", I had reservations. Those reservations said more about my own preconceived notions than it did about anything in regards to Bob Lugowe. We all contain multitudes, and Bob is not only a proud member of the Insane Clown Posse fan club, but he's a music industry executive, a label owner and marketer, he's a brain trauma survivor, and he's someone who appears to have completely grasped the concept of personal evolution. From hard partier to spiritually awakened work in progress, I'm proud to welcome Bob to the Detoxicity podcast, and I hope you enjoy our conversation.

DetoxPod 65:Tanner Hinds

Tanner Hinds is a comic and musician based in Cincinnati, OH. He hosts and produces the Heavy Head podcast, an episodic adventure through mental illness. This conversation covers topics including how Tanner realized and got help for his own depression-related issues, attempting to find a self-care regimen, finding strength in solitude, how art turns him into a better (or at least more outgoing) version of himself, and why depression and bisexuality might not be the best topics to approach a stand-up routine with in certain parts of the country. 

DetoxPod 64: William Fitzsimmons

 I have had a lot of musicians as guests on this show. I've had a lot of mental health professionals on this show. But here's a first--a professional musician who is also a licensed therapist! I got to know William Fitzsimmons through Staying in Tune, a web series i host with the mental health charity Sound Mind Live. We got along so well, and William's story was so interesting, that I had to extend our conversation and get him to chat for Detoxicity. 
 
William is a sensitive soul who's still struggling a bit with some of those old masculine tropes. Over the next hour or so, you'll find out how he made his way through childhood bullying, being a child of divorce who has himself been divorced twice, and how much he loves his then fiancee--now wife. Even though it was just the second time William and I conversed-we got along like old buddies. I hope you feel the humor and warmth in this conversation.

DetoxPod 63: Relationship Round Table (feat. Dylan Thomas, Kevin Patterson & Ryan Bentham)

This episode of Detoxicity brings back three former guests; relationship/sexuality experts Dylan Thomas, Kevin Patterson and Ryan Bentham. All three men are versed in traditional and non-traditional relationships; romantic, platonic, monogamous, polyamorous, etc. This discussion further explores their individual and ongoing journeys through love, partnership, sex and exploration.
 
Topics covered include parenthood, jealousy and letting go, queerness and self-definition, and many more. It's an open, honest discussion that travels a lot of ground in just an hour. 

DetoxPod 62 : Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie)

Adam Weiner is the face and the main voice behind Low Cut Connie, a rock and roll band that's gained fans as diverse as Barack Obama and Elton John. In the last year and change, Adam's fame has grown thanks to his web series Tough Cookies. Created during the pandemic, it has gained a new legion of fans and has hosted guests including members of Sly & The Family Stone, Darlene Love and Joan Osborne. An album called "Tough Cookies: The Best of the Quarantine Broadcasts" was released last month.
 
In our interview, Adam talks about being invested in his "art bubble", the music, film and books that keep him going. We also talk about the differences between his stage persona and his private demeanor, we pay tribute to the greatness of Prince Rogers Nelson, and Adam tells us all that he learned beginning his performing career in New York City's gay piano bars.

DetoxPod 61 : Dr. Mike Friedman Interviews Mike Joseph

A few episodes ago, in the name of changing things up a bit, I went from being the interviewer to being the interviewee, and the show got some of the best feedback we've gotten so far. So, because I have no shame in flogging a dead horse, I'm subjecting myself to the interview process once again. This time, my interviewer is Dr. Michael Friedman, who was the guest on the very first episode of Detoxicity a bit over a year ago.
 
Dr. Mike is a practicing psychiatrist who also hosts a podcast called Hardcore Humanism in which he has interviewed many of my favorite musicians about mental health. We talk about how masculinity has been challenged over the years through athletics, and I discuss my own competitive nature and how I feel it's been a blessing and a curse. We also go in depth about outsider syndrome and privilege, and how folks go down the path of self-awareness...or not. If you ever wanted to know what a therapy session of mine sounds like--only with the therapist being an actual friend of mine- here's me and Dr. Mike.

DetoxPod 60: Manny Humlie

Manny Humlie is 1/3 of the band We Three, whose big claim to fame was a stint on America's Got Talent a few years ago. In the years since AGT, We Three have become a major recording and touring act (pre-COVID, obviously), and Manny and I discuss his sheltered upbringing, which involved him being home schooled for most of his life. We also talk about the role religion and music played in his upbringing, what drives him to learn more about the world, the pain of losing a parent, and what it's like to get married at a young age.
 

DetoxPod 59 : Logan Nielsen

Logan Nielsen is the co-host and producer of the Josh Johnson Show, a podcast that you can hear just about anywhere. He is also the host of The Nielsen Brothers Podcast along with (duh) his two brothers. He is also a stand up comedian and a writer and a substitute teacher. Like many of our guests, Logan wears many hats and he talks about all of them over the course of our episode.
 
Logan gave me a ton of material to work with over the course of the hour we spoke, from sustaining a traumatic head injury as a teenager to being a divorcee by the time he was 30. We also talk about his current life in Iowa, becoming podcast-famous, and the things that have led him to living in the moment and not putting off personal gratification until some unknown time in the future, which is something that I personally believe in very strongly.
 
This conversation definitely exceeded my expectations, and I'm happy to bring it to you. Here's Logan Nielsen.