Mental Hygiene Podcast - Tom Rhodes Music

We shouldn't let our fears for the future outweigh our ability to see and experience human kindness. I was presented with a comic by Atlanta based illustrator Corey Thomas today about the weirdness of being black after the current election ( Here is a link to the comic ) and it reminded me of the fear that is seeping into many Americans. In this podcast I talk about that fear a bit and about how humans are, by a VAST majority, good people with so much more in common that we are talking about. I want to encourage people to get back to that understanding by having conversations with your family and community and starting those conversations with a smile.

As great as our capacity for fear may be, our capacity for love and compassion is greater. Let's all spread a bit of that around. 

Big Love

With the process of packing for an impending move I am forced to reckon with the physical and psychological weight of my possessions. I realize that this weight is with me all of the time, even when I'm away from the actual stuff. There has to be a way to reduce this weight to allow ourselves to be more agile and feel freer. Ownership and possession are not simply a one way street, they require maintenance and protection, and I am realizing that I don't keep that in my consciousness when acquiring things. This podcast is just a bit of a conversation with myself about that and trying to work out some solutions. 

At the end there is some cool news about upcoming stuff and some announcements about exciting things happening in my career as a musician. This is a pretty short episode as I have to actually pack my computer and microphone directly after recording. Catch you soon from my new digs.

Big Love

TR

What is the role of music in the political discussion? What defines a protest tune? What makes for an effective political song?

These are the main points of discussion on this episode of MHP. M. Lockwood Porter joins me in the studio to talk about his new album and our influences in the world of political music. His new album "How to Dream Again" takes on the topic of what happened to the American Dream? 

We make a list of our top seven political songs and discuss some of the tools that songwriters have used in the past to sneak information into the collective consciousness with well crafted songs that hold deeper meanings. 

Find out more about M. Lockwood Porter at www.mlockwoodporter.com

Welcome Mental Hygienists! 

This episode came out of a question that I put to my friend Sean. What is Innovation and are we mislabeling it as a society? 

We start out talking about Technology and move into music and arts. We discuss what is and isn't innovative (in our opinions) and how mislabeling things as "innovative" or people as "genius" has detrimental effects on society as a whole. 

This conversation brought out how hard it is to pin down what actual innovation is and isn't. It's a bit of a tricky concept, but one that I think is well worth discussion. Let us know what you think on twitter @tomrhodesmusic and @nerd_church. 

Big Love

Leonard Cohen was and is a big influence of mine. His use of the english language and mixture of darkness with beauty helped to shape my world view and writing at a pretty young age. His recent passing came at a time when we need his music more than ever in this dark and beautiful world. 

I sat alone on election night drinking wine and his song "Everybody Knows" was on a loop in my head. The next morning I found out that he had died and I realized that I would never get to thank him in person for the countless hours that I spent listening to his music. Since I can't say it in person I will try to do that the best way that I know how, by playing one of his songs and trying to pass on what I love about it to others. 

RIP Mr. Cohen. Thank you. 

Welcome to the Mental Hygiene Podcast. I intend to use this as a way to talk about things that are important to me. Art, music, songwriting, self improvement, and to just have some conversations with friends and colleagues. These podcasts will vary from one to the next, some will be on songwriting and music appreciation, some will be on creativity, some may be personal digests, but all of them will be an approach at starting a conversation with you, the listener. 

I don't know it all. Hell, I don't know much, but the things that I do know I would like to share and if you are interested in listening I think that you might just enjoy the ride. 

The first podcast is something that I have wanted to talk about for a while, it is the power of self image.  In my life I have lived with a few different self images. In this podcast I discuss one of the largest transitions and it's effects on my life and I offer some advice on how you might use my experience to make changes in your own day to day life.

I hope that you enjoy it.

Big Love

TR