1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:01,080 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk. 2 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 2: Hey, this is John and Rossi from five for Fighting 3 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 2: on Taking a Walk podcast with Buzz Night, talking about 4 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 2: the Music Matters challenge and all things music. 5 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 3: Well, John, your work on the song Okay is some 6 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 3: of the most profoundly blunt and honest work I've heard 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 3: in a long time. It brought me to tears and 8 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 3: it's amazing. Can you talk about the creation of it 9 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 3: and how it makes you feel when it does connect 10 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 3: with audiences? 11 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 2: Well, thank you. Certainly it was no fun to write, 12 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 2: but I think after the October seventh atrocities and seeing 13 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 2: the collapse of many of our institutions, the moral collapse 14 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 2: of our institutions scared me and angered me. And I 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 2: did spend some time writing this song. You know, unlike 16 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 2: the Blood on My handsong I wrote about Afghanistan or 17 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 2: some one man saved the world about Ukraine, I took 18 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 2: more time with this one. I wanted to get the 19 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 2: tone right. I listened to some classical funeral marches and 20 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 2: some Israeli Jewish music, and the lyric came very quickly 21 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 2: that We're not okay. It was inspired by Eric Adams 22 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 2: speech after October seventh, where you know, we had thousands 23 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 2: of people celebrating these atrocities in New York City, and 24 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 2: he said, something's really wrong with our culture. When we see, 25 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,399 Speaker 2: you know, media pick up hamas propaganda, when we see 26 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 2: our college campuses rampant with anti Semitism and radicalism, when 27 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 2: we see members of Congress literally kind of you know, 28 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,199 Speaker 2: spout hamas propaganda, Something's wrong within our culture. And that's 29 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: what Okay is about and what the video tried to illustrate. 30 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: And you know, the reaction has been, you know, fairly overwhelming. 31 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 2: You know, when when Israel shared the video on their 32 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 2: social media. I'm not a Jewish person, but I got 33 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 2: a sense very quickly of the vitriol and threats that 34 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:02,279 Speaker 2: the Jewish people faced every day. At the same time, 35 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,919 Speaker 2: you know, to see the reaction from so many people 36 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 2: in Israel and around the world to the song that 37 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 2: they feel abandoned, particularly by the music industry. You know, 38 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 2: I'm sitting here in New York City as I'm talking 39 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 2: to you, and you know, twenty some years ago, after 40 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:20,839 Speaker 2: nine to eleven, we had every icon in the music 41 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 2: industry at the Concert for New York, you know, singing 42 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,279 Speaker 2: and condemning these evil acts of Osama. Bin Laden. But 43 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 2: but now it's it's cricket's nobody's saying anything. It's a 44 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 2: historical disgrace. So I think for many Israelis and Jewish 45 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 2: people to have somebody write a song about it was 46 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: was significant for them. So I take some satisfaction in 47 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 2: that I'm actually going to Israel on the break of 48 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 2: my tour in the middle of the month, and it's 49 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: not a pro Israel song, it's it's equally a pro 50 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,359 Speaker 2: Palestinian song. The hero of Okay in the video is 51 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: a Palestinian woman standing up to Hamas and and so 52 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 2: to me, there's no difference between a Palestinian child as 53 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 2: really child, Pranian child and Afghan child. And if you 54 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 2: truly care about Palestinians, you know you have to save 55 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 2: Gaza from Hamas. So I think we've been caught up 56 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 2: in a lot of this kind of you know, oppress 57 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 2: or pressing mindset for the kids, and it's we're losing 58 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 2: our kids. Twenty percent of them don't believe the Holocaust happens. 59 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 2: So we've got a lot of work to do, and 60 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 2: I think music is a part of that. 61 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 3: The video is so powerful. Listen to the song. I 62 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 3: urge my listeners. But watch the video and the way 63 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 3: you end it with the Martin Luther King quote, he 64 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 3: who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating 65 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 3: with it. Just amazing work. And I hats off to you, John. 66 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 2: Thank you well. I appreciate that, and I agree. You know, 67 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 2: the first of lyric is it's the time for choosing. 68 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 2: I don't think we can keep our head buried in 69 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 2: the sanding any longer. And Martin Luther King's quote is 70 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 2: exactly that, you know, silence to the face of evil's complicity. 71 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 2: And I hope help many artists kind of take that 72 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 2: to heart and and maybe starts speaking up a little 73 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 2: bit more. 74 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 3: Let's talk about the work on the Music Matters challenge. 75 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 3: Tell us about that. 76 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, music really matters to me. It's personal, 77 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 2: you know, for music in the schools. When I was 78 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 2: a kid, music funding was cut at our elementary school. 79 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 2: My mom came in, she started producing full musicals. We 80 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 2: actually did West Side Story. I was Tony and West 81 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 2: Side Story, and probably because I was my mom's son. 82 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 2: But you know, however it worked. It was an amazing 83 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 2: experience and the kids in that class fifty years later 84 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 2: still talk about what transformative experience that was. And I 85 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 2: had an opportunity a year and a half ago to 86 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 2: go into a Chicago inner city school, Farragut Academy, who 87 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 2: had lost their music teacher, and we wrote a song 88 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 2: me and eight students called let Music Film My World. 89 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 2: Through that process, we raised a quarter million dollars and 90 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 2: funded a music teacher for their school, so they have one, 91 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 2: and we wanted to take that nationally. And what the 92 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 2: Music Matter Challenge is, it's kind of like the Bucket 93 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 2: Challenge for music, where everybody in America can make a video, 94 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 2: tell a story about a music teacher or someone who 95 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 2: made a difference in their life through music, sing a 96 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,480 Speaker 2: little bit of our song. Let Music Film My World. 97 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 2: Enter the contest and let musicfilmyworld dot com and we'll 98 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 2: have ten finalists at the end of April. We'll let 99 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 2: the public vote on the winners, and the winner will 100 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 2: sit with me and Kaylee fund another music teacher for 101 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 2: a school in need. They'll win down for one thousand dollars. 102 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 2: There's a School Prize where schools can compete and win 103 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 2: a twenty five thousand dollars grant. But what really is 104 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 2: buzz is to raise awareness for the four million kids 105 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,239 Speaker 2: in America who don't have a music teacher in their school, 106 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 2: and this is our drive to fix that. 107 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 3: Amazing. You know, as you were telling me about it, 108 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 3: I was reflecting on one of my favorite movies. I 109 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 3: don't know if you ever saw at Mister Hollins Opus, 110 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 3: but it's wonderful what you're doing. 111 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 2: That is a great reference and I'm actually gonna use that, 112 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 2: but yeah, I love that movie. It was amazing, and 113 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 2: I think you're right if you look at the metrics. 114 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 2: You know, kids that have a music teacher, graduation rates, grades, 115 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 2: you know, their ability to succeed in the sciences all increases, 116 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 2: their social communication gets better, their anxiety decreases. So it's 117 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 2: not just an extracurricular activity. It's critical, especially for our 118 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,039 Speaker 2: young kids. And I think most people that grew up 119 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 2: with the music teacher, most people that have kids with 120 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: the music teacher, can attest to that. And that's really 121 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:31,720 Speaker 2: what we're trying to do. And it should be a 122 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 2: lot of fun. You know, everybody likes to create something. 123 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 2: Everybody likes, you know, to be seen on social media, 124 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 2: so it should be fun. And I can't wait to 125 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 2: see everybody's video. 126 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 3: And you're going to be hitting out on the road, John. 127 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, we're launching next week out with my string Quartet. 128 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 2: Will be kind of in the Midwest for the first 129 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 2: couple two weeks through April seventh. Then I'm actually taking 130 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 2: a little detour to Israel and do some performances there 131 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 2: and work on some other artistic projects, and then we'll 132 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 2: I'll come back and I'll be in Washington and we'll 133 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 2: head down to Oregon and end up in SoCal and 134 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 2: so it'll be a busy month. But my string Quartet 135 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 2: are some of the best string players in the world. 136 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 2: They add such a dimension to songs like Superman in 137 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 2: one hundred Years, you know, to watch them every night 138 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 2: as a treat alone. So I can't wait to get 139 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 2: out there, sing some songs and try to make a difference. 140 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: Well. 141 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 3: In closing, we produced this other podcast it's called Music 142 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 3: Saved Me about the healing power of music. Do you 143 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 3: believe music has supernatural healing powers? So buzz. 144 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 2: There was a time I had a concert, I think 145 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 2: it was in Philadelphia, and I walked off stage and 146 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 2: Superman was embraced by the autistic community. So I had 147 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 2: a lot of relationships within the autistic community, and there 148 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 2: was a family there with a young boy who was 149 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 2: on the spectrum, severely on the spectrum, kind of having 150 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 2: an episode. You know, certainly could interact with him, and 151 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 2: his mom said, you know, kind of said to him, hey, hey, hey, hey, 152 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 2: you know, here's John, Here's here's the Superman singer. And 153 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 2: this boy quickly stopped his tantrum. He stood up, He 154 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:10,679 Speaker 2: walked right to my face, two inches away from my face, 155 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 2: look me straight in the eye, and he's saying Superman verbatim. 156 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 2: And that experience told me that there is miracles in music, 157 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 2: and that there is healing in music, and there's a 158 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 2: science in music therapy. So I think that for me 159 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 2: was truly formative, and that's another reason why we're pursuing 160 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 2: this Let Music Film my World effort and making sure 161 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 2: that every kid has access to music in their lives. 162 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 3: John, I'm grateful I had the opportunity to have you 163 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 3: out of my podcast. Congratulations on your work, and thank 164 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 3: you for your work because it's so important. 165 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 2: Well, thank you, buzz. Maybe I can come back and 166 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 2: we can chat about your other podcast. I'd like to 167 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 2: learn from you guys, you know how music can really 168 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 2: help our wellness in so many ways. 169 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 3: I'd absolutely love it. Thank you, John, It's an honor. 170 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 2: Thank you Buys. 171 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a 172 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends 173 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,960 Speaker 1: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking 174 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 175 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: and wherever you get your podcasts.