Hardcore Humanism with Dr. Mike

This week on the Hardcore Humanism with Dr. Mike podcast, we got the chance to talk with Mark Greenway, the vocalist of the band Napalm Death. Napalm Death is considered one of the originators of a style of music called grindcore, which is a fusion of two already intense genres – hardcore punk and extreme metal. Not only is Napalm Death considered a grindcore pioneer, but also perhaps the greatest grindcore band in history.

One of the most notable aspects of grindcore in general, and Napalm Death in particular, is the content of the lyrics, which often directly confronts and challenges societal issues. For example, in describing their 2015 album Apex Predator/Easy Meat, Pitchfork described Greenway’s vocal delivery as akin to, “Big Bad Wolf’s cousin from a nuclear dystopia,” as the album took on the damaging effects of capitalism and animal agriculture. And their new album Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism continues in that tradition, examining the very human costs of our current political strife.

In previous conversations with Greenway, we have talked about the importance of humanity and individuality to one’s personal well-being. During this discussion, he expands the conversation to address the socio-political implications of those concepts. On a political level, Greenway advocates for what is known as peaceful anarchism – which can be defined as moving away from governmental control of society that favors compulsory laws to a more voluntary organization that relies on cooperation. From Greenway’s perspective, separate governments and nationalist agendas have made people more vulnerable to exploitation and war, whereas peaceful anarchism will help unite people who may otherwise be at odds over governmental allegiance.

When Greenway talks about humanity, he is particularly talking about being humane, or having compassion and benevolence towards others. There is substantial interest in how compassion can affect us as individuals and as a society. There is evidence to suggest that compassion is a distinct emotion that can impact moral judgment and behaviors such as altruism. For example, in one experimental study, 132 participants witnessed a simulated unfair financial exchange. Those with higher levels of compassion were more likely to help the victim of the unfair interaction. In another study using the same sample, participants were trained in either a compassion-based meditation or control group. Two weeks later, those in the compassion-based meditation group were more likely to help the victim. The potential clinical implications of compassion are captured in the recent development of compassion-focused therapy, which is designed to help focus on enhancing self-compassion as a method for reducing shame within patients.

So, let’s listen and learn from mark Greenway about his approach to being more humane on a personal, creative and societal level!

For more information about Hardcore Humanism, please visit our website: hardcorehumanism.com. 

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This week on the Hardcore Humanism with Dr. Mike Podcast, we spoke with Reba Meyers of the Grammy-nominated band Code Orange. Formed in 2008, Code Orange is a hard-hitting band from Pittsburgh that mixes a range of genres including hardcore punk, heavy metal, and industrial.

Praise for Code Orange has been consistent throughout their powerful career. Rolling Stone called their 2017 album Forever the best metal album of the year, delivering “state-of-the-art heaviness.” And Forbes magazine (yes you read that correctly) called their new album Underneath “the first metal masterpiece of the 2020’s.” They have toured nationally and internationally, including supporting spots for metal titans Killswitch Engage and The Dillinger Escape Plan.

The common thread that runs through their lyrics, music, and live performances is the emotional intensity Meyers and Code Orange brings to their craft. And during our conversation, Meyers discusses her understanding of and expression of anger in her life and in her music.

Anger is often a much-maligned emotion in the mental health literature. In general, it is thought that increased anger is associated with poor mental health, while lower levels of anger are associated with improved personal adjustment and well-being. For example, there are several mental health conditions in which anger in various forms, including irritability or agitation, is considered a symptom for possible diagnosis, including bipolar disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.

And there has been considerable put into developing anger management programs to help people modify their anger. For example, one meta-analysis examined the effects of anger management treatment across 96 studies and included a range of therapeutic modalities including cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic and psychoeducational. The results showed that while there was an overall moderate effect of treatment, there was tremendous variability in treatment outcomes.

One of the reasons for the variability is that anger can be understood, measured, and managed very differently across different people. One of the distinctions that Meyers makes in her discussion of anger is the difference between controlled or “proactive” anger as compared to uncontrolled and impulsive anger. Studies of poorly controlled anger tend to show an association with poor psychosocial outcomes. For example, one community study of 34,000 adults found that anger which was considered uncontrolled or was associated with aggressive and violent acts was associated with higher levels of psychiatric disorder and overall poorer functioning.

However, Meyers contends that anger can be adaptive and actually improve one’s functioning if understood and managed correctly. Specifically, one might argue that anger would be an appropriate response in certain situations. For example, in the face of traumatic events, emotional suppression is actually associated with poorer health and well-being. One study of 625 adolescent participants found that adverse life events predicted suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, and that increased emotional suppression mediated that relation.

In contrast, there is evidence that exploration and expression of emotions has been associated with improved health and well-being – and may actually soothe anger. For example, one 

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It was a pleasure to talk with Randy Blythe for the Hardcore Humanism Podcast. Most people know Randy as the frontman of the heavy metal band Lamb of God. The band has ten studio albums (including two under the name Burn the Priest) including their recent 2020 album Memento Mori. Metal Hammer rated them as one of the greatest American heavy metal bands in history. Rolling Stone rated their album, As The Palaces Burn, (2003) as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. And Loudwire declares, “Ask any metalhead — Randy Blythe is one of the best guttural vocalists on the planet.”

 In our discussion, Blythe discusses how he uses the concept of being protean – or the ability to change frequently or easily – to living his life. We discuss a range of domains in which Blythe applies this concept – including how he uses it to survive addiction and maintain sobriety, as well as to manage during the coronavirus pandemic. Further, he discusses some of the methods he uses to maintain being protean, including meditation and creativity. 

Certainly, on face value, there are many reasons why being “protean” may be associated with improved mental health and well-being. Perhaps most importantly, being protean implies an increased ability to cope. Specifically, the ability to mobilize and orient to changes in one’s life, especially stressful changes, will make it easier to deal with difficult situations. But the way Blythe describes being protean, it goes beyond just flexible coping. He describes an openness to experience – an orientation to life that receives the world as it is rather than how he in theory wants it to be. 

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that being protean may improve our mental health and well-being. We hope you enjoy listening to how Blythe applies the concept and that you learn lessons about being protean that you can apply in your own life!

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This week, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to talk with Darryl McDaniels for The Hardcore Humanism Podcast.

 McDaniels – otherwise known as “DMC” – is perhaps best known as a member of the legendary Hip Hop group Run-DMC. Run-DMC is considered one of the greatest Hip Hop groups of all time. Rolling Stone rated Run-DMC as among the 100 greatest artists of all time across the rock & roll musical genre, and their albums Run-D.M.C. (1984) and Raising Hell (1986) as among the greatest albums of all time. They have been the recipients of the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2016) as well as inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2009). 

 In the Hardcore Humanism Podcast, we strive to talk with open-minded, independent thinkers who challenge conventional norms to find their purpose and work hard to achieve it. Our hope is that readers and listeners will be inspired by these stories to try and consider how they may be able to find a stronger sense of purpose and work hard to achieve it. Each individual with whom we speak has a slightly different approach to discovering and enacting their purpose. In this conversation, McDaniels explains one of the most crucial processes by which he has been able to achieve professional success and emotional well-being – imagination. 

 During our conversation, McDaniels explains how imagination had positive effects on his life in four main ways. First and foremost, as a young child growing up in Hollis Queens, his imagination was sparked through his love of comic books. Those comic books opened his mind to a whole world that he would have otherwise never encountered. This was critical for McDaniels by helping him form and validate his self-concept as he saw aspects of himself in superheroes such as Spiderman. 

 Second, his imagination manifested as creativity initially as he began to draw and contemplate making comic books himself. This ultimately led to his forming his own comic book company, Darryl Makes Comics. Further, his imagination spurred creativity as a Hip Hop artist, in which his persona of DMC and lyrics were heavily influenced by his love for and experience with comic books such that he became a Hip Hop superhero – a larger than life figure. And Mcdaniels goes into detail about the process by which he worked on his creative goals both in his comic book development and Hip Hop career.

 Finally, McDaniels explained how during the current Covid-19 crisis, his creativity has actually been an active treatment for existential dread brought about by the pandemic. Taken together, McDaniels lays out a powerful rationale for the importance of imagination in developing one’s sense of well-being. 

 We hope you enjoy and learn from our conversation with Darryl McDaniels! If you like what you hear, we'd be so grateful if you'd add a rating and a review! Thank you!

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This week, we were absolutely thrilled to interview guitarist and Anthrax founding member, Scott Ian. To understand Ian and Anthrax in the proper cultural context, one must go back to 1981 when the band was formed. Heavy metal music had only just recently emerged as a more extreme genre of music whereby bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin took a faster, heavier and darker take on traditional blues-driven rock and roll music. But that was not enough for Ian. So, bands such as Anthrax took heavy metal to the next level by infusing it with the amped up speed and aggression of hardcore punk. And, thus, the birth of thrash metal. 

Anthrax has gone on to become one of the greatest heavy metal bands in history and one of the “Big Four;” the immortal pioneers and giants of thrash metal that include the distinguished company of Slayer, Metallica and Megadeth. And they have not slowed down, having released their 11th studio album For All Kings in 2016 with Loudwire saying that, “…the wave of momentum the band has been riding shows no sign of ebbing.” Their enduring power is most recently captured with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of their 1990 album Persistence of Time and the release of a special audio CD and vinyl version of the album.

So, in talking with Ian for The Hardcore Humanism Podcast, we not only sought to celebrate his creative achievements, but also to understand how he was able to achieve such great things in his career. Ian discussed three core qualities that we feel are universal in people leading successful lives and careers. First, Ian described how he was able to reject conventional norms and resist family and societal pressures regarding who he was supposed to be and what he was supposed to do with his life. Second, Ian demonstrated a strong sense of purpose and commitment to his art in becoming a professional heavy metal musician. And finally – and particularly notable in Ian –he exhibited undeniable tenacity and hard work in order to achieve his goals.

We hope you enjoy and learn from our conversation with the great Scott Ian! If you like what you hear, we'd be so grateful if you'd add a rating and a review! Thank you!

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This week, we are talking with Cherie Currie, the lead vocalist of The Runaways -- first and foremost a powerful, hard-rocking in-your-face band from the late 1970’s that spawned classic songs such as “Cherry Bomb” which VH-1 has called one of the greatest hard rock songs of all time. But The Runaways were something more. They were one of the first all-female teenage rock bands that included and launched the careers of fellow future rock icons Joan Jett and Lita Ford. Building on the strength of artists such as Tina Turner, Suzi Quatro, Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, The Runaways looked every sexist stereotype of young women in rock and threw it back in our face as they commanded the stage. And in doing so they helped kick open the doors for every artist who was told they couldn’t succeed, and provided a powerful example to every female artist who was told that women can’t rock.

Their legacy continues as shown in the 2010 movie The Runaways. And Currie continues to work as a musician, with the 2020 digital release of her album Blvds of Splendor on Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records label. The album features performances by Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Duff McKagan, Slash and Matt Sorum of Guns N Roses, among others. And Currie has expressed her creativity in several art forms, including acting, drawing and chainsaw woodcarving.

How did Currie do it? She shares with us her approach to her creativity and her life – her trust and faith in her “inner voice.” Scientists have long debated whether it is optimal for us to make decisions by conscious and deliberate thought process, or by using what might broadly be referred to as intuition, a more subconscious “gut” reaction. Currie feels that the inner voice is what connects us with ourselves and others. “We all have a connection,” Currie told me. “I'm a very strong believer on listening to that inner voice.” And she explained to us how that inner voice has helped drive her creativity, her connections to her family and friends, as well as her coping with frightening and difficult trauma in her life.

We hope you find our conversation inspiring. If you like what you hear, we'd be so grateful if you'd add a rating and a review! Thank you!

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This week on the Hardcore Humanism Podcast, I speak with singer, artist and writer Alison Mosshart about her life and career. Mosshart has been a touring musician for most of her life: early on in the punk rock band Discount, then performing indie rock in The Kills and blues-based rock in The Dead Weather. In addition to a new spoken word album Sound Wheel and accompanying art book Car Ma, Mosshart also has forthcoming solo singles “Rise” and “It Ain’t Water.”

As we spoke, it was clear to me that in many ways, Mosshart’s approach to life exemplifies the basic principles of Hardcore Humanism. Hardcore Humanism, which is a life philosophy and therapy/coaching program, focuses on three central principles: Not So Nuts, Purpose-Driven Health and Heavy Fundamentals. These principles were derived in large part from talking with outside-the-box thinkers such as Mosshart about how they live their life and achieve success in their careers. 

 Not So Nuts refers to any situation in which we feel that there is a “right,” “normal” or “conventional” way of doing things in the world, but it just doesn’t feel like the best fit for us. And when we take the Not So Nuts path, we choose a direction that diverges from the conventional but feels more authentic and organic for us. Purpose-Driven Health refers to an individual organizing their life around their sense of purpose. Finally, Heavy Fundamentals refers to the fact that even if we buck convention and know who we are and what we want, we have to work hard to achieve our purpose. Any path often requires years and years of dedication to perfect a skill or craft. 

 In our conversation, Mosshart talks about her unconventional life where she’s predominantly on the road. And she shares how her sense of purpose helps her handle her grueling tour schedule and motivates her to put in the work needed to continue to create art and music in various mediums. 

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Dee Snider, lead singer and songwriter for the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, talks with Dr. Mike about his life in heavy metal. Snider has not just lived a life of metal – he has been a champion of heavy metal for five decades. Rolling Stone called Twisted Sister’s 1984 album Stay Hungry (with hit songs such as “I Wanna Rock” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It”) one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. But it has not been Snider’s consistent musical output or unabashed admiration for heavy metal that has been his greatest contribution to heavy metal culture. Snider’s greatest contribution is that he has publicly and directly challenged the stereotypes that heavy metal musicians and fans face since the inception of the art form. Whether or not you're a heavy metal fan, prepare to be inspired as Snider describes how he was able to stay true to his beliefs, fight stereotypes and pursue his purpose throughout his life!

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Nile Rodgers is a songwriter, producer, musician and a founding member of the band Chic. Nile has been a writer, musician or producer on countless hit records, including not only Chic’s hits such as "Le Freak," but also Sister Sledge’s "We Are Family," David Bowie’s "Let’s Dance," Madonna’s "Like a Virgin," and Daft Punk’s "Get Lucky." He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame and is a three time Grammy winner. Nile is also a lifelong activist – he was a member of the Black Panther Party in New York, and is co-founder of the We Are Family Foundation (https://www.wearefamilyfoundation.org) an organization committed to fighting systemic racism and injustice. 

So what we’re going to talk about today is Nile’s approach to his life and work and specifically about how his Utopian sense of love and connection has driven his activism and music throughout his life. 

The goal of hardcore humanism is to help people understand their purpose in life and put it into action. For more information about the Hardcore Humanism philosophy and coaching program, please visit hardcorehumanism.com. 

If you like what you hear, we’d be thrilled if you’d subscribe and consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

Music credits: 

"Stalker Vibe" and "Admire the Liar" by Odd Zero

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Musician, songwriter and recording engineer, Steve Albini is a founding member of seminal punk rock bands Big Black and Shellac as well as founder of Electrical Audio recording studio. He’s been the recording engineer for some of the most essential records in modern history including The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, The Breeders’ Pod, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, Jawbreaker’s 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, and of course Nirvana’s In Utero. 

Steve has been a big influence on the Hardcore Humanism philosophy. Hear Steve talk about how he found his purpose in punk rock, pursued a principled and authentic approach to his craft and business, and sought out like-minded people to develop punk rock culture.

If you like what you hear, we’d be thrilled if you’d subscribe and consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

For more information about the Hardcore Humanism philosophy and coaching program, please visit hardcorehumanism.com.

Music credits: 

"Stalker Vibe" and "Admire the Liar" by Odd Zero

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