What People Do

68: New to Neoclassical music? Dive in with Hipster Pug

In recent years, I have fallen back in love with New Age, space music, and the droning, atmospheric, accessible Neoclassical genre. Imagine music to TV shows, movies and moods that don’t exist … or only exist in the composers’ and performers’ own heads. 
Works like Max Richter’s Sleep and Johann Johannson’s Virðulegu Forsetar have played and replayed in my head as I lie on my bed dozens of times now. Their droning but moving parts, atmospheric sound and noise, and accessible melody and harmony, slow and calming and transporting … I can’t get enough.  
That’s why a chance to interview Hipster Pug, a maker of Neoclassical, ambient and experimental music, was exciting.  
Forgive some of my excited, stumbling questions. Settle in and discover why we both love these genres and how this new musician fell in love with, not just listening, but making the work himself …  
Want a flavor before we start? I mention his “journey of dreams.” Listen right here on Bandcamp. If you like it, throw him a few bucks and buy the whole thing! 
Want to dive into Neoclassical, to see what’s what? Here are some artists and selections discussed during (or after we finished recording) this episode: 
“Infra 5” from Max Richter’s Infra (one of our guest’s favorites), here on YouTube 
Orphée from Johann Johannson 
“Particles” from Ólafur Arnauld’s Island Songs, here on YouTube 
nouveau chapitre EP and Neon Noir album from Hipster Pug himself 
artists from the label that carries Hipster Pug, Monochrome Motif, focusing on “Post Classical,” “Cinematic” and “Electronica” music 
Want my favorite work these days? This is it: spoken word, machine noise, manipulated vocals, beautiful drones and music. 

67: Spiraling metal and wood: James Payne’s public sculptures

I stumbled onto James Payne on Reddit.com, where he asked folks in my town if they’d go check on, and take measurements of, a big piece of public art he’d loaned to the city a few years ago. 
I know that art! I’ve gotta talk to this guy! 
And he agreed. 
I got to ask Payne about his art sensibilities, how he got entranced by big sculptures, and the moment spirals grabbed his attention. 
If all went as planned, I went out at the end of May to spend an hour or two meeting Payne in person and watching a team slowly dismantle his sculpture for relocation to Colorado. And if all went as planned, Payne has continued to garner new opportunities to make and showcase more big, big art. 
You can find the most up-to-date online gallery of Payne’s art at bxiie.com. You can see the installation before it was taken down in Olathe, Kan., at that website titled “Isolation/Wood, Steel/2021.” 
He’s in IT today, but some day Payne would like to be a full-time artist. I’d like to see that too. In the meantime, we’ll all take what we can get from him …  

66: Escaping abuse and processing trauma: Pamela Topjian writes her personal story

Pamela Topjian published a book last year about her experience escaping an abusive partner and figuring out how she’d wound up there in the first place: I Didn't Come This Far to Only Come THIS Far. 
She was once trapped in a terrible marriage. Now, she lives a life she says she never expected to live. How did she get from there … to here? 
She tells us. 
You can, of course, run off and read Topjian’s book on Kindle. Or you can check out her evolving channel of thinking, hypnotherapy and meditation here on YouTube. 
As I say at the end of this episode, I am most excited to read her upcoming book about her experience as a nurse. YAY! Something to look forward to this year!!!

65: One man’s military life: Anonymous talks about before and in the French military

I can’t share his name, but he calls in from France. He wanted to join the military, and he’s serving a five-year stint. He’s gotten promotions, and after basic training, he got into exactly the unit he yearned for. He doesn’t regret his choice to join the military. He wanted a unique, powerful experience. He wanted to join that brotherhood of men and women that develops only when you’re pushed your limit, under fire, in danger, and exhausted. He found what he wanted. 
He also found Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and he sought help at the urging of his girlfriend (now his fiancee). It helped.  
The good, the bad … his life in the military. Let’s get started …  

BONUS! Gabi Dyck makes hand-made dice … and more

The folks at the gaming convention Kantcon let me interview Gabi Dyck of Gamer Girl Jewelry recently to help me help them promote my favorite gaming convention in the country. (Full disclosure: It's them. They're my favorite. But I’ve only ever been to Kantcon over and over again for years, so I’m biased.) 
You’d think with tabletop RPGs roughly 50 years old that hand-made dice would have totally been a thing by now. But Gabi Dyck, founder of Gamer Girl Jewelry, told me that hand-made dice are relatively new. Turns out, there’s a lot of equipment that makes it a more complicated hobby and business than, say, crochet (which, yes, Gabi has also enjoyed).  
It all started when Gabi saw her first set of handmade dice (bought for her by her partner—a keeper!). She was captivated and knew she had to make dice-making her business. That’s why, today, it’s her full-time job to make shiny dice, colorful dice, dice that sparkle, and dice with sparkles inside that move—like functional snow globes that double as a gamer’s best friend. 
You can find Gabi most active online on TikTok @gamergirljewelry, which includes a link to all her socials, storefronts and favorite ways to reach her. 
Listen in if you’re into arts, crafts, hobbies, gaming, or just really excited entrepreneurs …  
P.S. The pic here showcases one of the cool dice dragon guardians that Gabi makes and talks about in the episode. One of her hand-made d20s is nestled in the crook of its tail. If you like the dragon or the dice, well, you'll like Gabi's work.

64: What do we do with this life? Georgios asks, with Socrates, Aristotle and me, but in a very roundabout way

Ultimately, I think the fundamental question we tumble into, like rolling down a mountain of sharp, rocky points, bloodied and bruised at the bottom of the Mountain of Life time and time again, is, “What are we supposed to do with this life?” The philosophers phrase this question in many ways: What is good? What is God? What is truth? What is kindness? Why do we gather together? What are the best ways to gather together? Why do we rule and consent to be ruled, and what are the ways to do that? 
On and on and on. 
But, really, isn’t the question also about work, action, energy, initiative, direction, drive, desire, purpose? “What do I do next?” 
My thinking about activity and work as paramount might be because I’ve got it on the brain because I’m reading Work by James Suzman. But, if not work, then play? And if not play, then charitable helping? And if not charitable helping, then family or friends? 
We are alive. We are doing things. 
In that vein, this rambling (and, yes, I’m the one who gets lost during the conversation and is always trying to get found) chat between me and my favorite Greek mirrors the wandering ways of our first conversation. We’ve talked before—last time about Thucydides. 
We were going to talk about Plato’s Protagoras. But we hint at another dialogue that focuses, like Protagoras, on sophists, guys who get paid to teach other people how to sway people in conversation or debate. That’s Gorgias. But then we were going to talk about Aristotle. 
My favorite part, by far, of this conversation is the end: Georgios’ analogy of “Society as a Board Game.” Don’t miss it. And Socrates’ answer? Well … that’s the last few seconds of the podcast …  
So, all that to say, if you get lost, go read a translation of either of those dialogues. Here are two: 
I read Jowett’s translation of Protagoras, and I suspect Georgios did, too. Here ya go. 
And Jowett’s Gorgias? Tada. 
The picture? That's supposed to be Protagoras. But my buddy told me last time I stuck in a bust of an ancient, I got it wrong. So ... I think this is Protagoras.

63: Josh has done psychedelic drugs

Josh was an atheist.
But Josh’s mind was blown, in a good way, in experiences where he consumed psychedelic drugs.
Here, he talks about his pre-psychedelic world, his mind shift, how religions might be onto something, and the benefits and dangers of psychedelics in this one. 
Let me be clear: In talking to Josh openly about his experiences, I am not recommending anyone follow his path. I’m not telling you it would be good for you, personally, to use particular drugs, or drugs at all. That’s a personal choice for grown adults, folks. Josh uses the drugs to learn things about himself, loved ones and the world, not bliss out at parties. Listen all the way to the end for Josh’s story of one psychedelic experience he had that was a very, very unpleasant one. 
If you are toying with the idea of trying out psychedelics sometime in the future, Josh says, as unexciting as it is, you need to do your homework first. Research, research, research. And on that note …  
To feed further curiosity 
Josh’s podcast, Pursuit of Infinity: Get on it. 
Josh also name-drops the Psychedelics Today website as an excellent resource.  

62: Beth Mayorga on fan fiction

Beth Mayorga hosts her own podcast, The Fan Fic Maverick. What is “fan fic”? The definition is always being fought over in online forums, but Beth says it simply: You’re writing stories using someone else’s IP (intellectual property). 
An early form of this in the 1960s that Beth and I mention are Star Trek stories written by fans shared way before the internet was big about Kirk and Spock’s evolving relationship outside the "approved" TV show—sometimes romantically. No, that doesn’t mean all fan fic is erotic fantasy. Any time a writer or a creator makes stories using someone else’s characters, that’s fan fic. 
But, wait, wait: Isn’t that what happens in myth? Heck yeah it is. So, in this convo, we situate fan fic in its wider place in literature as the newest outgrowth of a practice that’s thousands of years old: making up new stories using characters you didn’t make up. 
To feed further curiosity 
Ready to dive in? You’ve got two options. 
Head to Archive of Our Own, which is jammed with one of the internet’s biggest repository of fan fic on just about anything you love. Pick a character you love. A theme you want expressed. A story from movie, TV or books you want continued. Dive in. 
Go the podcast route, and join Beth and Sara as they feature a two-part fan fic history in their two podcasts: Part 1 is at Sara’s Talkin’ Fanfic, and Part 2 is on Beth’s podcast. 
Dig Beth? She promises, at the end of our interview, that she’s working on some written, video or podcast stuff on the history and culture of fan fiction writers. YAY! 
Enjoy. :) 

61: Noah Mussay talks about spina bifida

What is spina bifida? What is it like living with the ongoing of the birth defect as a creative twentysomething American?
Noah Mussay talks about childhood, school, work, life and sled hockey, and gives us a few pointers on the way he prefers strangers ask about his condition (hint: be curious, not entitled). 
Note: After the last question here, I asked Noah what he does for fun outside of work and his former sled hockey days. He said he’s reading Robert Jordan gigantic “Wheel of Time” series. He talked me into it, and I’ve got a copy of the first book coming from the library. I'm 48 now, and I tried to read it way, way back when it first started in 1990, when I was 15. Thanks, Noah. I’ll let you know what I think.
Second note: Noah says he's noodling around the idea of doing a podcast where he talks to other people about their lives with disabilities. He's got a great voice and ideas, so I really, really hope he does. I'd listen!

60: Jeffery D. Long on Indian philosophy

Jeffery D. Long spoke to me last year about religious pacifism, especially in reference to the brand-new book he co-edited (and wrote chapters for), Nonviolence in the World’s Religions: A Concise Introduction (Routledge, 2022).  
Now, the Carl W. Ziegler Professor of Religious Studies at Elizabethtown College talks to me about a book coming out this year: Discovering Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Thought (Bloomsbury, coming 2023). It’s a sneak peek! And I am incredibly interested in the topic. I have delved into Buddhism, which had its start in India way back when. And I’ve been fascinated by the study of Americans who brought Eastern philosophy and religion back with them in the back half of the 20th century. 
Long, however, a convert to Hinduism, wanted to do his part of help place Indian philosophy not only in its place in world religion, but in the Philosophy Department proper. 
What can we learn about what we think and how we think from the great traditions of the Indian subcontinent without silo-ing those ideas just in religion? 
I was hungry to learn, and Long thrilled me with answers to questions I didn’t even know I had ... 
Photo by Navneet Shanu