Everyone's Special and No One Is

What kind of symbolism is there behind a haircut? In this episode, I revisit some of my old journal entries from middle school and high school. Turns out, I had some pretty wild ideas about my new haircut.

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The thumbnail photo for today's episode is a photo of my haircut at the time--from my senior photos in high school--and I kept wearing my hair this way for about three years.

What is it like sleeping in a hostel with complete strangers? Do they snore? Are they friendly? Or unfriendly?

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The thumbnail picture in this episode is a selfie I took in Pioneer Square in Seattle. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the hostel itself!

[RE-ISSUE] What do we mean when we say that a song is "good"? In this episode, I propose my theory for determining whether a song is "good" or not. 

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This episode was originally released in January 2021. I’ve added new commentary to provide additional context for the episode.

What happens when you upload a song to an AI music website and ask it to create a ‘remix’ of your song in a completely different genre? In this episode, I explore the capabilities, limitations and ethical implications of AI music remixes.

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This episode also includes a deleted scene from Episode 133: AI Music: Has it Gone Too Far? Featuring Bobby Rethwish, a Minneapolis-based musician.

...Thanks to Bobby for recording new audio especially for this episode, reacting to the new AI remix of his song!

I'm putting AI to the test to see if it can answer trick questions and solve problems like a human. Also, can AI guess that my favorite animal at the aquarium is a Jellyfish? Or the type of car I drive?

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The thumbnail photo is a picture of a jellyfish that I took at the Coney Island aquarium in Brooklyn, NY.

How can you tell apart human-made music compared to AI generated music? In this episode, Bobby Rethwish is put to the test to see how well he can tell the difference. Martin and Bobby also discuss practical tips and tricks for identifying AI content, along with making predictions for the future of AI in music.

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SPOILER WARNING:

The following music samples were included in the survey:

"I Like Trouble" by Jailbreakers Ltd (2017) - human

“Cave of Despair” by The Devil Inside (2024) - AI

“In The End” by Andrew Simple (2016) - human

“Life to Fix” by The Record Company (2018) - human

“Dust and Thunder” by The Devil Inside (2024) - AI

“Can’t Stop Me Now” (Unreleased - I generated this song on Suno) - AI

“More Power” by 7kingZ (2020) - human

“Human” by Apashe & Wasiu (2023) - human

“We Rise, We Fight” (Unreleased - I generated this song on Suno) - AI

“Welcome to the War” by 7kingZ (2020) - human

Could AI-generated music ever replace real musicians? What percentage of music on streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify is AI? In this episode, musician Bobby Rethwish joins the podcast to tackle some of these tough questions about how AI is affecting the future of music.

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Bobby Rethwish is a Minneapolis-based musician creatingexperimental pop music. Throughout the years, he has fronted various pop and rock bands, created the soundtrack for a Minneapolis dance company, and has produced songs which have earned millions of streams on Spotify.

What is it like coming back to a musical instrument after not playing it for over two years? In this episode, Martin shares how he started playing the saxophone originally and why he's playing it again now.

How can you break out of a food rut? In this episode, Martin covers the history of his personal relationship with food over the years, and shares some of his recent experiences cooking new foods in the new year.

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The thumbnail for this episode is a picture of me with the tater tot casserole that I mentioned in the episode!

How does the way that you express yourself to the outside world reflect the way that you identify on the inside? In this episode, Martin talks about his challenge to find clothes that are unique to him -- trying to find a balance between "normie" clothing and "radical self-expression".

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The thumbnail from today's episode was taken from June of 2025 at a music festival. This is probably the most confident I've ever felt in terms of what I'm wearing.