So, Greg and I have known one another for over two decades. We met as members of the Epinions music writing community and have maintained a steady friendship ever since. Weirdly (or maybe not weirdly?) for knowing one another for such a long time, this podcast recording marks one of the first times we've actually had a voice-to-voice conversation. Is this the future? I dunno. I guess it's a little odd to know someone for 40% of your life but solely through email and text messages. Anyway, there was zero awkwardness during our conversation, and we cover topics ranging from Buddhism to writing as a meditative practice to being Black sheep-ed and being totally okay with it. I hope you enjoy our chat!

Thomas Acox was the last person I interviewed before I decided to take some time off and recalibrate. When I felt comfortable recording episodes again, I listened to our previous conversation and decided to invite Thomas back for a full refresh.

The two of us have known one another for well over a decade, so we bring a fair amount of history into our conversation. It covers the rediscovery of Thomas's art skills, his Jersey roots, being a published author (and working for 1-800-GOT-JUNK), navigating the loss of a parent and how therapy changed his life.

Erik Jensen is an actor, director, producer and artist originally from rural Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn. He's acted in a lengthy list of shows, films and plays over the course of his career, and Brooklyn, Minnesota (which he co-wrote and co-directed alongside his wife, Jessica Blank) will receive a theatrical release later this year. Read an amazing article about the creation of this film here.

Erik and I talk about the film and some of its themes, including generational trauma and forgiveness. We also discuss the art of the apology, what Erik has learned raising a teenager, making music, and Erik's battle with stage 4 colorectal cancer and how important his community was during his journey. Erik is a solid dude who exudes warmth, I'm grateful to have gotten the chance to record this conversation, and I REALLY hope you enjoy our chat.