Listen:
It’s hard to write blog posts about these solosodes.
I mean, what do you say in a blog post that you don’t say in the episode itself?
But for those who want a sneak preview, I’ll say that the solosodes have shaken some shadows loose in your humble host, and I’ve been reminded lately of what I call The Comedown. That’s the feeling you might feel – fear, ultimately – after you do something out of your comfort zone. Sometimes it takes all the courage you’ve got to do the thing. Then you do it and your courage tank is empty, and that’s when the voices come back in.
You know the voices.
The ones that tell you you’re not good enough. That you’re making a fool of yourself. That you haven’t got what it takes to do what you just did (oh, the irony). All of this is ego protecting itself. And all you can do is screw that courage back up and do it again. It gets easier. Promise.
So the first part of the episode is about that. The second part is my little tribute to Neil Peart, not just the drummer, but the writer. I’ll confess that Peart didn’t influence me a lot as a drummer, much as I respect and am awed by his playing. He influenced me more as a writer. His book Ghost Rider is one of my favourite books of all time and I think it seeped a bit into the tour blogs I’ve written over the past few years. There is magic - and healing - in movement, gentle reader.
Wonderful book. Wonderful writer.
The Neil Peart thing leads nicely into a discussion of the music of my youth and, by extension, the music of yours. Man, there is so much comfort – so much memory – in the music of your youth. If you’re struggling or down or just want to feel good, I cannot recommend the music of your youth highly enough. I talk a bit about the Christian rock band Rez Band on the episode, along with the immortal Queensrÿche.
So that’s the gist. I hope you enjoy and are inspired by the episode. As always, drop me a line and let me know what you think!
And here’s a bit of the music referenced in the show.
Rez:
Queensrÿche: