Dumb Dumb Dojo w/Darth Whiskey

The NINTH episode of the show features my good friend Brandon Votaw (lighting on Black Panther, Loki, Gemini Man, Fast 8).

Conversations like this one are the reason I wanted to start this podcast. This one means a lot to me.

The Fromonda commercial is in Thai. Don’t skip it because the subtitles took me a really long time. Tell me I’m funny.

BRANDON AND I talk about working out to pop music, we get an inside scoop on his experiences working in TV/film on some of Hollywood’s biggest film and tv projects, and we do a real heavy nerd-out on all things Shang-Chi and why this movie was so special to us. I cry a lot in this one.

The EIGHTH episode of the show features my good friend Kyle Durham (NerdEDU podcast, education, is weird like me).

This one is all over the place, in my favorite way. If you can correctly count all of the JR Smiths in this episode, message me and you'll win a prize. Early in this conversation, Kyle refers to the two of us as “high five guys”. This is an extremely accurate descriptor for the ways in which the two of us have always bonded on our quest for knowledge and our enthusiasm for the works of art that we love.

KYLE AND I talk about our many different fandoms - from the Detroit Lions to the Star Wars prequel trilogy, our mutual fascination with regional American accents, Kyle’s experiences in education - both as a student and an educator, we examine the differences between Eastern and Western philosophies, and dissect the concept of personal agency.

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

KYLE DURHAM INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kyle.wd PODCAST: NerdEDU

The SEVENTH episode of the show features my good friend Drizz Valdez (stand up comedy, marketing).

Structurally, a gazebo and a pagoda are very similar. Pagodas are large, standalone structures traditionally of East Asian origin, which served as temples, places of worship, and spiritual sites for many centuries. In contrast, gazebos are a harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect.

DRIZZ AND I talk about challenging our prejudices, comparing music and comedy as creative outlets and Drizz’ experience being a standup comic in New York, I talk about Dave Chappelle for like 20 minutes straight, we discuss questionable advertising and marketing practices, private jets, and watching Cuban machete dancers almost impale themselves.

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

DRIZZ VALDEZ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/just.andrewvaldez

THE SIXTH EPISODE of the show features my good friend Oscar Ericsson (guitar/vocals for The Demtones).

Holy meatballs, have I got some real cringy memories for you on this one. The Swedish assassin and I sat next to each other during some Reading and Theory classes in our first few days of music school and quickly connected through our shared passion for Joe Perry.. and our shared dispassion for actually doing any homework. A little over a decade later and armed with the cynicism, perspective, and gray hairs that come with waving goodbye to your twenties - Oscar and I had a really fun time reminiscing on this formative chapter of musical adolescence and how truly awful my pants used to be. I used to wear two wallet chains and they would always get caught on stuff. My jewelry would jangle audibly as I walked around wearing sunglasses inside. I dislike myself.

OSCAR AND I talk about all of our music school adventures and the multitude of lessons we've learned in our time since then, the never-ending quest for creative fulfillment, we catch up with his electrifying power trio The Demtones, and I tell one of my most embarrassing stage moments ever - which involves the consequences of my poor choice in fashion accessories and my fixation on style over substance.

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey YOUTUBE: Byahhhhhhhhh WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

OSCAR ERICSSON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ericsson_oscar THE DEMTONES, HX FESTIVAL 2021: https://youtu.be/b1VMHjgBEYw

THE FIF EPISODE of the show features my good friend Tyler Liem (guitar/vocals for Second Rate Kings).

It's not often one makes a genuine friend in the comments section, but when elite athlete/canine lover/standup comedian Bert Kriescher ran the LA Marathon and posted a video of Tyler and his band playing on the side of the marathon course, something something extremely long sentence, friendship!

TYLER AND I talk about our shared love of blues guitar, standup comedy and its similarities to live music, how people need to be nicer to Nickelback, how legitimately dope as fuck the new Miley Cyrus album is, and lots more. A Knight's Tale is a great movie. We talk about that too.

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey YOUTUBE: I mean, where else would you go? WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

TYLER LIEM INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tliems SECOND RATE KINGS: https://www.instagram.com/secondratekings

THE FOURTH EPISODE of the show features my good friend Raz Azraai (guitar).

Back after a brief hiatus and time-management crisis, I make up for being away by presenting you the silliest and most visual episode I've done yet. Lots of visual interruptions. Do you know how rubber is made? It's a very erotic arboreal process that's among the many subjects Raz and I explore in this episode. He's a ferocious guitar player but even more than that, a genre-defying creative. One minute you're grooving to the cheeky dance pop of his band Meen Streets and the next you're smashing your neck to his industrial synthrock project Dollars. And even through the lens of his party/protest photography alter ego Dance Floor Murder - there's an underlying spirit of fun and spontaneity in everything that Raz does, which is the shit.

RAZ AND I get silly and talk about guitar playing, creating the neon disco inferno of the infamous Geo Metro Party, his experiences photographing the BLM protests of last summer, and the overall constant struggle and journey of finding creative fulfillment.

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/darthwhiskey WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

RAZ AZRAAI INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/raz_azraai DANCEFLOORMURDER: https://www.instagram.com/dancefloormurder DOLLARS: https://www.instagram.com/dollars.project

THE THIRD EPISODE of the show features my good friend Brenton Page (bass for Osaka Punch).

This is the most fun I've had doing an episode yet. Lots of Sebulba in this one. Probably too much. Brenton is hilarious and it was such a great time figuring out that we had so much in common. Since meeting him a few years back I've been a massive fan of Brenton's band, Osaka Punch. With their innovative music videos and art direction, high-energy live performances, and unwavering devotion to dick jokes, Osaka Punch has carved out a special place for themselves in Brisbane's rock/metal scene, and Brenton is a huge part of this.

BRENTON AND I talk about the differing approaches of America and Australia during covid (Hint: America is losing), the ins and outs of being a touring musician and balancing that with other aspects of life, Brenton getting his teeth knocked out work in a psychiatric hospital, we plan our post-pandemic NBA stadium tour, break down our favorite comic book characters and the plans for a new Osaka Punch album.

No small horses were harmed in the making of this podcast.

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/darthwhiskey WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

BRENTON PAGE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brenton_page OSAKA PUNCH: https://www.youtube.com/osakapunchofficial

THE SECOND EPISODE of the show features one of my best friends - producer, engineer, and video director Rocco Guarino.

I first met Rocco in the era of Myspace. At the time, I was a skinny highschool kid with a bootleg Motley Crue haircut. I'd just begun falling in love with music and learning how to play guitar, and Rocco was working with one of my favorite bands Velvet Revolver and their singer, the late Scott Weiland. From working together on my first recordings when I was a teenager, to the six-hour Zoom call that I trimmed into this podcast and then sat on for two months - and every 3AM Canter's Deli trip in between - Rocco has been an monumentally encouraging friend, collaborator, and mentor.

ROCCO AND I talk about the early experiences that led us both to careers in music, his early adventures in Los Angeles working on sexually-suggestive movie sets, the mayhem of touring with a platinum-selling rock band, directing a music video for VR, and how some of the nightmare recording sessions we've worked on together have also resulted in some of the most fun we've ever had.

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/darthwhiskey WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

ROCCO GUARINO INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/roccomusic YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/roccomusic WEBSITE: https://www.roccomusic.com

THE FIRST EPISODE of the show features my good friend Charlie Wilson (keys for Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, Rihanna).

In addition to being a spectacular piano and keyboard player, Charlie aka BLK BOK is also a respected musical director and innovative producer. Over the years we've had a lot of fun writing and performing music together and when I work with Charlie, his expressiveness on the instrument coupled with his openness to new ideas and perspectives inspires me to elevate what I bring to a performance. His advice, support, and guidance have been invaluable in helping me grow as a musician and as a dude trying to figure out my place in the world.

CHARLIE AND I talk about using consistency to stay motivated and inspired, playing piano with Rihanna while suspended 50 feet in the air, and his other experiences sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in pop music, the importance of emotional presence while performing, pushing through self-doubt to achieve creative fulfillment, and his new project BLK BOK.

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DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/darthwhiskey WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com

CHARLIE WILSON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/blkbok

Dumb Dumb Dojo is a podcast about exploring the challenges of creativity and stumbling through the absurd and unpredictable chaos of this life.

Hello there! I'm Darth Whiskey and I'm a guitar player/musician based in Los Angeles, CA.

I'm generally down for an unwise decision or unreasonable effort if it'll make a funny story later.

I invite you to find a place to make a dojo of your own and eavesdrop as I trade insights, perspectives, and experiences with some of my favorite musicians and other creative professionals. Each episode I'll seek the wisdom and advice of my guest and we'll dissect the strategies and techniques for cultivating creative inspiration. We'll also share the backstage stories and embarrassing misadventures that shaped us because at the end of the day, we're all just dumb dumbs trying to figure it out.

Welcome to The Dojo!

DARTH WHISKEY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/darthwhiskey YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/darthwhiskey WEBSITE: https://www.darthwhiskey.com