If you’re a fan of the podcast Song Exploder, and a whole lot of people are, you know that it’s all about creativity. A musician walks the audience through the components of their song and the inspirations and decisions that went into forming those parts as they came together as a whole. Meanwhile, Hrishikesh Hirway, creator of the show, drops in separated tracks so you can follow the story. 

It’s somewhat surprising then that Hrishi, a musician himself, was unable to write a song for years, even during the run of his show that so many other people find inspirational. Any idea he would get would be shot down by the negative voices in his brain, which told him that anything he made was bound to suck, that he had no business even attempting music. 

Finally, an invitation came from musician Jenny Owen Youngs to collaborate on a song for her podcast about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The pressure was off and Jenny’s belief in Hrishi’s talent was enough to break through those horrible voices.

Hrishikesh Hirway has a new single, Still Dreaming, out October 19th, and he’s on tour with Jenny Owen Youngs.

For music, tour dates, podcasts, and more information, visit Hrishikesh Hirway's website at hrishikesh.co. Follow Hrishi on Twitter @HrishiHirway and on Instagram @hrishihirway.

Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun. 

Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at [email protected].

Help is available right away.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

The Depresh Mode newsletter is available twice a week. Subscribe for free and stay up to date on the show and mental health issues. https://johnmoe.substack.com/

John’s acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250209566/thehilariousworldofdepression

Find the show on Twitter @depreshpod and Instagram @depreshpod.

John is on Twitter @johnmoe.