Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

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.
 

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. 

Comedian, writer and actor Kevin McCaffrey got his big break on The Late Show with David Letterman. Kevin currently hosts the podcasts Sex & the Cidiots and Away Games (a Chicago Cubs podcast) along with a comedy show on Sirius XM every Wednesday. During this episode, he touches on what led him to pursue comedy (as well as the life of a creative that happens to be married to another creative). Other topics discussed include being a "Dad figure" to his two younger brothers, a somewhat complicated relationship with alcohol, and self-care routines.
Check out Kevin's Twitter and Instagram. 

Over the past few months, I've been asking friends for constructive criticism regarding Detoxicity. Several people mentioned that although they enjoy the podcast, I don't do enough talking. Of course, these people are my friends and are maybe tuning in because they want to hear me talk. If you're not my friend and want to give me your honest opinion, find me on IG and shoot me a message!
 
With that in mind, I decided to become the interviewee in this episode. The interviewer, in this case, is Louie Pearlman, a writer and actor that I talked to all the way back in Episode 4. In this episode, I talk about my upbringing in a somewhat repressive environment, my passion for music, mentorship, and a recent middle age personal discovery. I hope you enjoy this episode, and please drop a comment if you want to hear more conversations like this.

To say that racism is a pox on the United States of America is to understate the case greatly. While some people have only gotten hip to the injustices faced by all people of color, but especially Black people, as social media has gained traction in the last decade, every racial minority knows what it's like to encounter racism. For people like me (a Black man), the indignities of being othered are as normal as brushing your teeth, whether you're trying to get a bank loan approved, trying to shop, or just walking down the street. It's an ever-present menace.
 
This episode features a loose conversation about race. By loose, I mean two things. One, the conversation is super casual and two, while racism is a through line, it's not the only topic covered. If you're a regular listener to Detoxicity, you'll recognize and welcome back the gentlemen joining me for this conversation: Sammy Pisano and Christopher Cruz are previous guests, and their thoughtful takes (as well as the mutual respect and chemistry we have with one another) compelled me to bring them back. Over the course of our chat, we talk about everything from the 2016 and 2020 elections to educating our White friends to the diversity that exists within the Black & Latin communities.
 
 
 
 
 

Zack Borer is a licensed marriage and family therapist, based in los Angeles. Zack is also the co-founder of backline. care, a non profit organization that provides mental health resources for musicians and employees of the music industry. During our conversation, Zack and I discuss his beginnings as a musician and what led him to explore psychiatry as a profession. We also cover some best practices for self-care, talk about how toxic the music industry can be and we discuss a topic that's very interesting to me: how do people that provide care then care for themselves? Zack provides a lot of insight and does so passionately. 
 
Backline on FB | IG | Twitter

Jermaine Charles is a multi-faceted creative professional based in Brooklyn, NY. Over his career, Jermaine has also worked in radio and film production, leading to a very diverse professional experience that aligns with his unique personal experiences. In this episode, Jermaine and I talk about all sorts of things; from the fallacy of the nuclear family to his complicated relationships with both parents. You'll also hear about Jermaine's nomadic existence, which has taken him across the country and back a time or two, and he and I revisit a topic that seems to rear its head in every episode of Detoxicity--empathy. 

A handful of my guests on this show have been recommended by listeners or people who've previously been interviewed by me. This episode's guest was pitched to me by Joel Frieders, who appeared just a few weeks ago in Episode 47. He said he had a buddy who was a rapper and a kindergarten teacher and had the deepest voice he'd ever heard. Of course, I was intrigued. And that intrigue led to an awesome interview.
 
By day, Stephen Eric Bryden teaches young people in Fort Wayne, Indiana. By night, Stephen rhymes as the verbose emcee Sankofa, who just released a new album called "The Most Delicious Gold". As one might expect, Sankofa had a lot to say during our conversation-- about emigrating to the US as a preteen, about the premature passing of his father, about continuously perfecting his craft as a rapper, about the politics of living in a primarily Red state, about his love for teaching, and about raising two sons in the 21st century.
 
Check out Sankofa on Twitter and Instagram.