The Strange Interlude

Just chopping it up. Dusting off the mic.

Episode 6 of THE STRANGE INTERLUDE PODCAST. This week’s guest is the creator of the brand BLEST CLOTHING. A clothing line that fluidly merges “Faith into Fashion”. Mikhal Asad is not one to pay someone else to slap a makeshift logo on a tee-shirt then try to sell to his followers on social media. He controls the production of his clothing every step of the way. He is skilled in graphic design so he makes own logos, prints/cuts the vinyl, then goes ahead heat presses it on the clothing all from his home studio lab. He and I touch on the underlying development the brand that he was working on for years. And being that he wasn’t always into fashion, his transition from being a standout basketball player is one that came with a lot of growing pains. He speaks on the obstacles he encountered during that time, how he learned to value his own perspective over the opinions of others, and how he transferred those experiences into making a brand by keeping his faith. Instagram: @mik_tr @blest.clothing

4th episode of THE STRANGE INTERLUDE PODCAST! Our guest this week is the wonderful Shelby Mayes. She is a writer featured in a variety of publications; such as SHADOW&ACT, as well as its parent company BLAVITY, and Berkley’s THE B-SIDE. She also has had her writing published on the front page of THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN. She is currently studying political science at The University of California Berkley. Being that March is Women’s History Month, it was only right that the talk was heavily geared towards topics celebrating and concerning Women. Women of color, and Black Women especially. Shelby opened up a dialogue about the Divine Feminine energy that women posses. This was a conversation that I’ve always wanted to dive into, but could only scratch the surface with other people. I’m happy to say that Shelby absolutely to it all the way there. We also touch on African culture; the diaspora of the people, the spirituality and how it’s also been demonized, as well as the appropriation of it for profit. This was definitely one of the most enlightening conversations that I’ve had in a while.

Instagram: @shelbymayes

Twitter: @shelbymayz

Instagram: @deonb360

Twitter: @d_dot360

5th episode of THE STRANGE INTERLUDE PODCAST! Our guest this week is a thinker, musician, and numerologist. Maximillian Nieves-Roque. His first name alone speaks volumes to who he is as a person. The fellow Springfield, MA native and I initial set out to go over an article written a few years back about the birth of our hometown and how it played a significant role in the making of America. But, I should’ve know that with minds such as ours, we would spiral out of that conversation into even more depth. We ended up circling in on a range of related topics stemming from depression with our peer group, to belief in oneself, what community truly is and how much of a part it plays in making a shift in society, and igniting the true genius within us Instagram: @maximilliansoul Instagram: @deonb360

This episode was really just a filler to make sure I remain consistent in putting out an episode every week like I initially set out to do. It’s a day late to the every Tuesday drop but better late than never. It’s just me this episode going off on a tangent, but with some seriousness to it. And to really give a shout out to the the next episode to come.

Second episode of THE STRANGE INTERLUDE PODCAST! Our guest this week is the 24 year old icon in the making, David Kirkman. Based out of St. Louis, Missouri, he is a Filmmaker/Director/Writer/Producer who has had sold out showings to the premieres of his films not only in his hometown but also in Houston & Dallas, TX. He’s even had a few showings over in Europe. Throughout this episode he and I go over his filmography which includes; the short-film “Retribution”, The episodic series “Gonzo” and short-film “Static” which he adapted from one of the best cartoon shows of our childhood. During this discussion we continuously touch base on how we feel about changing the narrative in film and television, to give a broader perspective of on the lives of everyday black people. Our naturally flowing conversation also got us into a quick discussion on Afro-futurism before we dove into the topics of Netflix deals, owner ship of art, honing your craft and the process of creating quality work. After almost two hours of conversation, I can honestly say that this man has what it takes to indeed be labeled an icon when all is said & done. Instagram: @Davidkirkman Twitter: @Davidkirkman Instagram: @Deonb360 Twitter: @d_dot360

First episode of THE STRANGE INTERLUDE podcast! Our first guest is he who has been spoken of as “The south’s next triple threat”. The Actor/Rapper/Producer coming out of Atlanta, Georgia. Jasun Jabbar, artistically Know As “ProtèJay”. He recently posted on his twitter (@validjasun), a video reel of his acting which went viral showing his talents being expressed through characters in shows such as Donald Glover’s “Atlanta”. As he’s playing the character Chris in the first scene of season 2 episode 1 “Alligator man”. The reel also shows Jasun as the outspoken student “Tavon” in the hit show “Black Lightning”. Being that this was our first formal conversation Jasun and I start off briefly chopping it up about what it was like for us growing up and sure enough, each of our backgrounds weren’t to far off from the other’s. When then jump right into the mix of what he’s got going on in his career and life. How he’s gotten to the point he’s at now by remaining consistent and knowing himself. And on top of all that, my man has some music that we touch on coming off his independent album titled “Note to self” which speaks volumes to this episode in itself, as I can be heard quoting from his songs a few times to finish a point throughout the interview. Imagine that? A rapper not only actually living out the words he’s spitting and his words also hold weight, to the point where i can relate to it after one listen. No CAP. So here we have, split into two segments due to a brief we loss of connection, our first episode. Please enjoy and leave feed back on any of my social medias, so that we may grow on this platform and continue to put out great conversation to push the narrative of showing and proving! Through art especially, if not just in life in general. Peace and Love. Twitter:d_dot360 IG:Deonb360 email: [email protected]

A reading from "Strange interlude" by Eugene O'Neil. A different image of the divine.