1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: I don't like composing or improvising or working out a 2 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: piece if there's someone in the next room who could 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: technically be hearing me, because I just don't feel like 4 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: I can be alone with my own mistakes, my own explorations. 5 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 2: You know, to me, writing a song is as. 6 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: Personal as like taking a shit, basically, so you don't 7 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: want someone standing in the room going like, hey, it's 8 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: really like in order to have that kind of stream 9 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: of consciousness, any any you know, any note as possible, 10 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 1: any vocalization as possible, any word as possible. 11 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: You can't be. 12 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 1: Sort of subconsciously performing for an audience. 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 2: It just doesn't work. 14 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,599 Speaker 1: You need to get the audience miles away so that 15 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: you can create in peace. 16 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 3: Welcome to How I Work, a show about the tactics 17 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 3: used by leading innovators to get so much out of 18 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 3: their day. I'm your host, doctor Amantha Imba. I'm an 19 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 3: organizational psychologist to the CEO of Inventium, and I'm obsessed 20 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,479 Speaker 3: with finding ways to optimize my work. Date on today's show, 21 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 3: I speak to singer, songwriter and all around rock star 22 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 3: Amanda Palmer. You might know Amanda from being one half 23 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 3: of the Dresden Dolls, or you might know her as 24 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 3: I did through her TED Talk The Art of Asking, 25 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 3: which has been viewed by over ten million people. Amanda 26 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 3: is a total innovator in the world of music and 27 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 3: raised one point two million dollars on a Kickstarter campaign 28 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 3: several years ago to be able to produce her own 29 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 3: solo album independent from a record label. One of the 30 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 3: things I love most about this chat with Amanda is 31 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,039 Speaker 3: hearing her very intensive step by step process for creating 32 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 3: and delivering her amazing TED Talk over to Amanda to 33 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 3: find out about how she works. 34 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,919 Speaker 4: So, Amanda, welcome to the show. 35 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me. 36 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 4: I'm so excited to be talking to you. 37 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 3: I first discovered you by your TED Talk The Ad 38 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 3: of Asking, along with ten million other people, and from 39 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 3: there I discovered your music and I got to say, 40 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 3: your song A Mother's Confession has got to be my favorite. 41 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 4: It just it makes me cry every time. Literally. 42 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 2: Oh thank you. 43 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,519 Speaker 1: I'm actually so The version that you know, because that's 44 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: the only recorded version, is actually a demo and I'm 45 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 1: that one has just finally made it onto the shortlist 46 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: for my next striker that I'm recording this false I'm 47 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: excited about that. 48 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 2: It's funny. 49 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: Sometimes the songs that I think are just going to 50 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: be real toss offs and not stick are the ones 51 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: that really resonate with people, probably for that reason because 52 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: they're because they happen so quickly and they're so stream 53 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 1: of consciousness that I don't think they're important. 54 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 2: But actually that's usually the art that sticks around. 55 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 4: It's so funny, isn't it. And I guess, like, in 56 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 4: terms of like what you have. 57 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,080 Speaker 3: Done, what you have written, what you have produced, I 58 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 3: I just see you being so prolific in terms of 59 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 3: what you do, and I'm really keen to delve into 60 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 3: what happens behind the scenes of how you work. 61 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 4: To achieve this. 62 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 3: And so look, I guess to start with, I know 63 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 3: that you travel a lot and your days must look 64 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 3: really different, but I'm curious, are there any like daily 65 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 3: rituals or routines that you have in your life that 66 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 3: kind of, you know, set the day up. 67 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: Well, uh, well, it depends which self you're talking to. 68 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: It depends if you're talking to the like absolutely depleted, 69 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: no sense of judgment, harassed, teenage wine drinking, cigarette smoking, 70 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: non meditating, shit show of a who fucking cares all anyway. 71 00:03:53,560 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, or the other person. Yeah, I mean I have 72 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 2: a few. 73 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: I have a few rituals that I try to make 74 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: daily rituals, and actually just having them exist in my 75 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: life as a benchmark for where I'm at is almost 76 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: useful enough. 77 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: Because I have never. 78 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: I have never really in my life, with exceptions of 79 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: being on retreat, which I do try to do, is 80 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 1: kind of a binge model of discipline. I've never had 81 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:37,840 Speaker 1: a routine. I almost have so little routine that I'm 82 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: almost attached to having no routine, and that is my routine. 83 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 4: That's really interesting. 84 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 2: But I have. 85 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: Different I have different kinds of lives. I have the 86 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,799 Speaker 1: life I live when I'm traveling. I have the life 87 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: I live when I'm living in an airbnb. I have 88 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: the life I live when I'm living in a hotel 89 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: room with my husband and kid. 90 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:00,160 Speaker 2: I have a life I live when I'm in a tourb. 91 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: And you know, I've definitely hammered down some real dos 92 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: and donts, and in the in the realm of the 93 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: dos and don'ts, even if I'm not sticking to everything, 94 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: which literally never happens, I at least can use those 95 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 1: as a measuring stick to see how I'm doing and 96 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: how depleted I am versus how on course I am. 97 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 2: And a couple of those rituals are. 98 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: About where my phone is, where it is first thing 99 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: in the morning, and where it is last thing at night. 100 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: If I sleep with my phone in the bed or 101 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: beside my bed, I know I'm not doing great. If 102 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: I check it first thing in the morning or I'm 103 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: reading it last thing at night, I know I'm not 104 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:54,599 Speaker 1: doing great. And then the other the other benchmark is 105 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: just around my morning ritual, and do I take my 106 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: time to ease into the day and give myself a 107 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: little bit of self care and space, whether that means 108 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: stretching or getting to a yoga class or even just 109 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: sitting down and doing ten minutes of meditation, Or do 110 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: I just allow myself to get pulled in by the 111 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: sucking tide of chaos and to do list? And that's 112 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: another benchmark that I use. 113 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 2: And then another one is meals. 114 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: Do I actually take time to sit down and chew 115 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,919 Speaker 1: my food and eat it? Or am I stuffing a 116 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: piece of something into my face while I'm doing work? 117 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: And those are those are like my three big basics 118 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: and other than you know, work practices and what I'm 119 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: actually doing while I'm so called engaged in work. Those 120 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: are really good things to look at if I want 121 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: to know where I'm at. And honestly, since having a kid, 122 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: I've thrown the entire book out the window. A good 123 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: day is a good day even if I haven't sat 124 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: down for a meal, haven't meditated, have had two glasses 125 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 1: of wine, and sneaked off to smoke a cigarette. It's 126 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: still a good day if the baby's alive and everyone's 127 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: relatively happy. 128 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 2: I just have completely trashed my old raw book. 129 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 4: I love that. 130 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 3: I love that I'm interested in your ritual around your 131 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 3: phone because I think so many people leave by their phone. 132 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 3: They wake up, the phone is the first thing that 133 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 3: they check, and they go to sleep, and it's the 134 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 3: last thing that they check. When when did that start 135 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 3: to become like one of those kind of rituals or 136 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 3: checks for you if you. 137 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 4: Like, when when did that happen? 138 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 5: Oh? 139 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: Well, it probably it probably developed right along with instant feedback, 140 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: so I don't remember. I'm trying to think back to 141 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: when I got my first cell phone, and then I 142 00:07:55,480 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: got my first BlackBerry, and where I kept my BlackBerry 143 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: sort of plugged in. 144 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 2: Was it near my bed? Where was it? 145 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: But I would imagine it would have been some time 146 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: around then, like in the late late aughts, when all 147 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: of a sudden, there was always something to look at. 148 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 2: It wasn't just like a few emails here and there. 149 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: It was actual social connection and actual there might be 150 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: something really exciting happening all the time, all the time, 151 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: all the time, and that you know, my band came. 152 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 2: Sort of, you know, came of age. 153 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: And I came of age in my twenties right alongside 154 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: the coming of age of the Internet and smartphones. So 155 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: I went through college with no cell phone and pretty 156 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: much no email address. But then as soon as I 157 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: hit my mid twenties and started my band, that whole 158 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: explosion happened at the same time. And I, you know, 159 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 1: I have a really conflicted relationship with it because I've 160 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 1: built a whole career and you know, in some cases 161 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: like whole movements and ways of doing art and ways 162 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: of being that are Internet based. But I also feel 163 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: like I've really tasted the dark side in terms of 164 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: it disintegrating the quality of my life and it eating 165 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: away at the quality of my real relationships. And I've 166 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time doing a lot of thinking 167 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 1: about which part of it's I want in my life, 168 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: which parts of it are controlling me, and which parts 169 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:30,319 Speaker 1: I'm controlling. 170 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 2: And I definitely see. 171 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:37,679 Speaker 1: A mirror in Neil, who's also very, very phone panicked 172 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: all the time. And that relationship with our phones also 173 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 1: changed when we had a kid, because my sensitivity around 174 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: it went through the roof as I really looked in 175 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: the mirror and saw a baby seeing two grown adults 176 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 1: who were just glued to their phones, and I thought, Yeah, 177 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: this is just not a good picture. This is not 178 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:00,839 Speaker 1: good for him to be seen. We really need to 179 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: change our habits. 180 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 3: I love that you're so conscious around that, and I imagine, 181 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 3: like when you're trying to get good, focused, creative work done, 182 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,959 Speaker 3: the phone can be quite a distraction, and I want 183 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 3: to explore, like what easier approach to creative work. I've 184 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 3: heard you say that you need sonic distance, and I'd 185 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 3: love to hear more like about how you approach that, 186 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 3: like when you're sitting down to write a song. 187 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: Let's say, Well, I think what you're probably referring to 188 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: is in some interview I talked about needing to be 189 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 1: far enough away from other people that I couldn't be heard, 190 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:44,079 Speaker 1: And that's definitely true. I don't like composing or improvising 191 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 1: or working out a piece if there's someone in the 192 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: next room who could technically be hearing me, because I 193 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: just don't feel like I can be alone with my 194 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: own mistakes, my own explorations. You know, to me, writing 195 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: a song as per personal is like taking a shit basically, 196 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: So you don't want someone standing in the room going 197 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: like hey, it's really like in order to have that 198 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 1: kind of stream of consciousness, any any you know, any 199 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: note as possible, any vocalization as possible, any word as possible. 200 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 1: You can't be sort of subconsciously performing for an audience. 201 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: It just doesn't work. You need to get the audience 202 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 1: miles away so that you can create in peace. And 203 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: then that's something that I have been in relationship with 204 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: since I was a little kid. My parents had a 205 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 1: piano and it was in the living room of our house, 206 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: which had a door that closed. But even then, by 207 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 1: the time I was fourteen or fifteen years old and 208 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:48,320 Speaker 1: I had habits, I wouldn't compose a song if there 209 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,080 Speaker 1: was anyone in the house, even if they were all 210 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: the way up in the attic five hundred feet away. 211 00:11:53,120 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: So I I'm you know, I'm constantly figuring out, like 212 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 1: looking at my own consciousness and figuring out what my 213 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: habits and patterns are. 214 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 2: Some of them I try. 215 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 1: To break because I feel like, oh, that's just a stupid, 216 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 1: superstitious habit. 217 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 2: You should get rid of it. 218 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: And some of them I just have to respect, you know, 219 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: in terms of like my song sphincter, it won't open 220 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:20,319 Speaker 1: up if there's someone in the room. I just need 221 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 1: to respect that and make sure that I put myself 222 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: in a good space so that I can relax, so 223 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,680 Speaker 1: that I can let this flow without the kind of 224 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 1: subconscious boogeyman of performativeness getting in the way of what 225 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: I'm doing. 226 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:39,560 Speaker 3: I imagine that the motherhood must have changed. How you 227 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 3: achieve that that kind of distance from from people around you, 228 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 3: from the world when when you're writing a song. 229 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 4: Can you can you talk about what that looks like? 230 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: Now? 231 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 3: I think you've your son Ashes about three years old, 232 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 3: is that right? 233 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 2: Yeah? He's almost three? 234 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:01,199 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, So how does that at work with motherhood 235 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 3: and achieving that that state that you need to achieve 236 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 3: to write music? 237 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: Well, you know, what's actually ironic is that I found 238 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: that getting married, and actually not even getting married, but 239 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: attempting to cohabitate with Neil, was the far more invasive 240 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 1: step than having a child, because I, you know, I somehow, 241 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:34,840 Speaker 1: you know, I somehow find that Neil's presence is a 242 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: lot more invasive than the kids. And I think that's 243 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: also just because Neil has a huge personality. He's super dominant. 244 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: He takes up a lot of space, a lot of air. 245 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: He kind of you know, there's a lot of activity 246 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: around him and a lot of panic around him all 247 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,160 Speaker 1: the time. So if you're hanging out in a room 248 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 1: or even in three rooms away from Neil Gayman, there's 249 00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 1: going to. 250 00:13:58,160 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 2: Be a lot of. 251 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 1: Just like static drama whatever, it's not going to be. 252 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 1: You know, He's not a cool, calm, collected working partner. 253 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: He's like always running around with his hair on fire. 254 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: And that was a big adjustment for me trying to 255 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 1: cohabitate with him at all. That actually felt like a 256 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: bigger leap than the leap that I've taken as a mother. 257 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: I remember, I remember the first time I really learned 258 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 1: the lesson and then put it into practice before I 259 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: had a big show, and Neil and I were in 260 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: the same city and I finally bit the bullet and 261 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: was like, I love you, but we have to stay 262 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 1: in separate hotel rooms because I've gone through this with 263 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 1: you and it doesn't work. Because if we're in the 264 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 1: same hotel room, I need to rehearse the night before 265 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 1: the gig. I need to go through my set list, 266 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: I need to warm up my voice. 267 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 2: It's just not going to work. 268 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: And I've tried to do the thing with you where 269 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: I kick you out of the room. It just feels disrespectful. 270 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: It doesn't work. It puts us at odds with each other. 271 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: I just didn't gonna need my own space, so let's 272 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: do it. And actually, like, I can think of the 273 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: two shows where I made those realizations and drew the 274 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: straight line. When was a big show I had at 275 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: Sydney Opera House. It's a big deal, you know, giant 276 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: mainstage Sydney Opera House, one time show, lots of rehearsing, 277 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: and I booked us one room and then there we 278 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: were the night before the show and I was like, 279 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 1: oh fuck, it's six thirty. I need to rehearse all 280 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: this material. 281 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 2: Neil. 282 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: I have to ask you to leave because I just 283 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: need some space. I need to warm up my voice. 284 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: I'm not going to go out in the street. I 285 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: don't really want to kick you out, but I have 286 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,359 Speaker 1: to kick you out because I know that you're incapable 287 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: of just sitting there and being quiet, like your constant comment. 288 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 2: So would you leave for two hours? 289 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 6: And he was like, no problem, no problem, it's you, 290 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 6: it's your Sydney opera house show, no problem. Nip around 291 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 6: the corner to a cafe, no problem. And I won't 292 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 6: even text you. I'll be nodding your hair, no problem. 293 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: And five minutes later he's texting me something amusing and going, 294 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: are you almost finished? 295 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 2: Do you mind if I just come back and just 296 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 2: sit in the corner And I was like no. 297 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: And shortly after that I had my ted talk and 298 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 1: I was like, I've learned my lesson. Let's stay in 299 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: the same hotel room. But literally the night before my talk. 300 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 5: Uh uh, you're going down the hall, dude. I can't 301 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 5: deal with you and my job at the same time. 302 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 5: You're too distracting and I love you, but fuck off. 303 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 5: And we'd sort of been through the fire, so he 304 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 5: respected it. And it's the thing that's actually made our 305 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 5: relationship work. And this is also it takes two to 306 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 5: tango situation. We've been in the you know, I've been 307 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 5: on the opposite side of this where he really needs 308 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 5: his workspace and I have to scram and we respect 309 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:04,120 Speaker 5: each other, but we've had to learn the hard way. 310 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:06,119 Speaker 5: We've had to really step on each other before we've 311 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 5: gotten into the space where we can respect each other. 312 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:08,639 Speaker 2: Hmm. 313 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 4: That's great that you've got to that realization. 314 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 3: And on the topic of your TED talk, I would 315 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 3: love to know because that talk has had such a 316 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,120 Speaker 3: profound impact on so many people. I'm sure it's it's 317 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,960 Speaker 3: definitely one of my favorite TED talks. I'm really interested 318 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 3: to hear what did that process look like in designing, preparing, and. 319 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 4: Then delivering that talk. 320 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 3: I'd love you to talk me through what that whole 321 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 3: several months, I imagine looked like. 322 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: I started with a very simple idea, which is I 323 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:44,120 Speaker 1: knew about TED. 324 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 2: I knew about TED talks. 325 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: I didn't know a whole lot, you know, and looking back, 326 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 1: I knew almost nothing. I didn't even understand that TED 327 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: was the annual conference that only happens in one place. 328 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 2: But I had a real. 329 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:05,119 Speaker 1: Anchoring to share my story the connections that I had 330 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: really discovered between street performing in the music industry and 331 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 1: what I had learned and why I was into crowdfunding. 332 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:19,960 Speaker 1: And so I reached out to someone I knew who 333 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: had a TED contact, and I said, I think I 334 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: want to do this, and they said, we just need 335 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: some examples of you public speaking. I said, no problem, 336 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,159 Speaker 1: I've done tons of public speaking, And actually turns out 337 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: I had done no public speaking. 338 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 2: I just thought I. 339 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,399 Speaker 1: Had because of a rock star and I do a 340 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,879 Speaker 1: lot of interviews, but I'd actually never gotten up and 341 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 1: given a straight talk. So the first thing I did 342 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: was I sort of drafted a little rough draft of 343 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: the talk. I tweeted it out to my fans that 344 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: I was going to be giving a rough draft of 345 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: a talk at Harvard, and I picked Harvard on purpose 346 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: so that it would look impressive. 347 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 2: And I. 348 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: Had a friend film it with one camera, and it 349 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 1: was very very rough and tumble. 350 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 2: I think it's even out on the internet somewhere, and 351 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 2: it was a very very very very you know, beta. 352 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 1: Prototype of what my TED talk would become a couple 353 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: of years later. And this is even before I did 354 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:18,400 Speaker 1: Kickstarter and before all the controversy of twenty twelve and 355 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: stuff happened. 356 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 2: So I. 357 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:24,439 Speaker 1: Sent that off to Ted. I think they stuck it 358 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: in their back burner. And then, you know, a year 359 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,199 Speaker 1: went by, or a year or two went by, and 360 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:35,840 Speaker 1: my Kickstarter happened. The huge controversy happened, where you know, 361 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: people were upset that I had even used Kickstarter. They 362 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 1: were upset that I was still asking my fans to 363 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,159 Speaker 1: volunteer to play on stage with me. And Ted called 364 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,400 Speaker 1: up and said, okay, do your Ted talk. And at 365 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: that point I really had something to prove and I 366 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,160 Speaker 1: had something to say because I was being so slaughtered 367 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: in the press. And the first thing I did is 368 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: I just I wrote a stream of consciousness bunch of text. 369 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,400 Speaker 1: I recorded myself speaking it, and it was fifty minutes long. 370 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 1: Chris was supposed to be a six minute talk, and 371 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 1: I mean, I won't even get into the back and 372 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: forths with Chris Anderson at Ted. You know, they originally 373 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,719 Speaker 1: invited me to play a piece of music and just 374 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 1: give a quick introduction about my Kickstarter, and I was like, 375 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: uh uh no, I think I have a real talk 376 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: in me. So I negotiated up at many levels to 377 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: actually get my talk to twelve minutes. It's you know, 378 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: it was going to be a song with an introduction, 379 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:35,639 Speaker 1: and then it was going to be a six minute 380 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 1: talk and a song, and then it finally turned into 381 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: a twelve minute talk. And I I worked with a 382 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: friend of meals who I had just met, who was 383 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: a magician and essays named Jamie Ian Jamie Ian Swiss. 384 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:51,120 Speaker 1: I called him up and I said, you're the only 385 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: person I know who knows anything about Ted. Will you 386 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: help me with this talk? And he said, okay, well 387 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:57,679 Speaker 1: read to me what you've got and I read him 388 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: the whole forty five minute spiel and he said, well, 389 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: I can see you have a long way to go. 390 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:06,000 Speaker 1: If you really want me to help you do this, 391 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 1: I'm in. Let's start working on it. And he became 392 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:14,520 Speaker 1: my phone guru. And over the next two months, I 393 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: just drafted and drafted and drafted and cut and shaped 394 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: and economized and redrafted and redrafted, and by the time 395 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: I got my talk down to about fifteen minutes, it 396 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: was in the kind of shape where I could start 397 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:29,120 Speaker 1: rehearsing it. And I rehearsed it for a room full 398 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: of people at my house I rehearsed it for a 399 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,399 Speaker 1: room full of fellows at Harvard that I was part of. 400 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,399 Speaker 1: I rehearsed it to anyone that would listen to it 401 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:40,120 Speaker 1: over the phone. I just rehearsed the shit out of it. 402 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: And even up to the last day, I was changing 403 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:48,880 Speaker 1: words and sentences. I was changing adjectives. I was changing 404 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: a few little sentences here and there. I was timing 405 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 1: myself constantly, trying to hit the twelve minute mark and 406 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: working on the pacing and trying to figure out where 407 00:21:58,119 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: I could really pause and where I had to pick up. 408 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:02,240 Speaker 2: I drew an. 409 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:06,679 Speaker 1: Entire map of my hometown with little memory markers of 410 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: where things in my talk were happening. 411 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 2: I just I just went deep. And you know, even 412 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 2: the day. 413 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,359 Speaker 1: Before the talk in Long Beach, California, I was walking 414 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:22,600 Speaker 1: around with my you know, with my headphones, just recording 415 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,119 Speaker 1: my talk over and over again, trying to memorize it, 416 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,360 Speaker 1: trying to make links between one idea and the other 417 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,919 Speaker 1: so I wouldn't get tripped up. And even then I 418 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,560 Speaker 1: tripped up my ted talk. They edited, really they edited 419 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: that shit. Well, like there's some if you if you 420 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: went and looked at the original, there were some spots 421 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,160 Speaker 1: where I got lost and I had to find my place, 422 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: and it was a it was a harrowing performance. 423 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 2: You get one shot, dude, and that's it. You don't 424 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:49,399 Speaker 2: get a redo. 425 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,440 Speaker 1: So if you lose your place, you don't you know, 426 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 1: you don't get to get you know, go back and 427 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: start over. 428 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:55,359 Speaker 2: That's it. 429 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 3: Absolutely, How did you manage your nerves on the day, 430 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 3: because imagine it would have been just completely different to 431 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:04,959 Speaker 3: what you normally do on stage. 432 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: Yes, I did not drink the night before. I went 433 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 1: to bed early. I went to bed in a room alone, 434 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: without a chattering husband. I rehearsed my talk a couple 435 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 1: times before I went to bed. I drank a couple 436 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:24,920 Speaker 1: of glasses of water. I went to sleep. I woke 437 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: up at the crack of dawn. I worked out, and 438 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: then I just like, let go and let good. I 439 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 1: just I said, this is it. At a certain point, 440 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to have to let go. I have to 441 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 1: stop rehearsing, I have to stop fretting. I've done the work. 442 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 1: It's either going to happen or it's not. And and 443 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:47,720 Speaker 1: I you know, I went for broke, But you know, 444 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,240 Speaker 1: I also I have a home team advantage. Over a 445 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:53,920 Speaker 1: lot of those other TED speakers. I'm comfortable on a stage, 446 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: so I dealt I didn't deal with stage fright, but 447 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 1: I dealt with memory, you know, memorization freight, Like, am 448 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,720 Speaker 1: I really going to remember twelve minutes worth of TED talk? 449 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: But you know, being on a stage in front of 450 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 1: a thousand people, I was like, Yeah, that's fine. 451 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 2: I'm used to that. That's not hard. 452 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:10,679 Speaker 5: Yeah. 453 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 3: Wow, what an amazing story, an amazing outcome as well. 454 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,800 Speaker 3: Do you create deadlines to get things done? 455 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 1: Absolutely, that's the way I have written my past three 456 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,159 Speaker 1: or four songs. I've gone to my Patreon, which is, 457 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,159 Speaker 1: you know, my subscribership of about eleven thousand people. 458 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 2: I go to them. 459 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: I tell them I'm going in the studio this week. 460 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 1: I'll have a song written. By the end of the week, 461 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: you'll get a demo. And you know, since there's also 462 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 1: a financial reward attached, because if I don't send out 463 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 1: my demo, I don't get paid. It's pretty it's pretty motivating, 464 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 1: and especially with the kid and lack of you know, 465 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,400 Speaker 1: sacred time to sit down and write, I just book 466 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: a studio. I go in, I set my ass down 467 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:02,480 Speaker 1: at a piano and at eleven o'clock, I say, okay, 468 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: I've got till five. 469 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 2: This is songwriting day. 470 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:06,439 Speaker 1: I don't do it every day, and I do it 471 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,439 Speaker 1: once every month or once every couple of months. But 472 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: when I do it, I don't fuck around. I just 473 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:14,480 Speaker 1: sit down and I write and whatever comes out that's it. 474 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 2: So it better be really good. 475 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 4: I love it. I love it. Look just just sort 476 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 4: of finish off. 477 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 3: I had a few kind of rapid fire questions for you, 478 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 3: so look at. A large part of staying focus fit 479 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 3: is tuning into useful and insightful stimulus and tuning out 480 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 3: the rest. So I'm curious about a few things that 481 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 3: you're consuming at the moment. Firstly, what are like a 482 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 3: couple of podcasts that you're currently loving. 483 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 1: I don't actually listen to many podcasts at all, because 484 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,760 Speaker 1: I don't have time, and since I'm a musician, most 485 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: of my ear real estate is taken up by work 486 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:56,440 Speaker 1: fair enough. But I do listen to NPR. 487 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 2: So I am a massive fan of. 488 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: Radio Lab, and I know Radio Lab has a podcast, 489 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,159 Speaker 1: so I listened to that not religiously, but if I 490 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: did have a podcast religion, it would probably be Radio Lab. 491 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: I just love the way it's edited together, and I 492 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: love the way the thoughts connect. And I also listened 493 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,320 Speaker 1: to the TED Radio Hour, which is sort of a 494 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: great way of also staying connected to the TED community 495 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 1: and getting my brain sort of massaged with interesting ideas. 496 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:30,560 Speaker 4: Love it. What about a newsletters? 497 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:32,920 Speaker 3: I don't know what your relationship is with your inbox, 498 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:35,400 Speaker 3: but are there any a newsletters that you actually look 499 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 3: forward to receiving and reading? 500 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:39,400 Speaker 5: Yeah? 501 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,159 Speaker 1: I subscribe to the Daily Coast, which is an American 502 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: political email letter, and I click on that every couple 503 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:53,440 Speaker 1: of days. And I also I follow the e newsletters 504 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:58,879 Speaker 1: of the prominent politicians in my area, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, 505 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: just to see what they're up to and see where 506 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: they're pointing the electorate towards. And a couple of my 507 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:12,040 Speaker 1: local politicians who I wouldn't expect you guys to know 508 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: over in Australia, but you know, the sort of local 509 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 1: grassroots guys who are trying to get democratic seats in 510 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 1: Congress and who I feel need my support. 511 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 2: I pay attention to all of their stuff. 512 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 4: Cool. And what's a great book that you've read recently? 513 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:31,120 Speaker 2: I'm glad you asked. 514 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:35,040 Speaker 1: I am just finishing up an incredible book called Writing 515 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:40,679 Speaker 1: My Wrongs by Shakuar Sengur, and it's I spent the 516 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,640 Speaker 1: weekend in prison two weekends ago, not because I got 517 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,919 Speaker 1: arrested on any heavy charges, but I was there for 518 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:54,640 Speaker 1: a restorative justice retreat and it really blew my mind. 519 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,719 Speaker 1: I had never spent time in a prison before, and 520 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:04,320 Speaker 1: I was there for a full weekend of inmates stories 521 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 1: and victim and survivors stories and everyone sharing and holding 522 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,840 Speaker 1: space for one another, and it was it was life changing. 523 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,000 Speaker 1: And I actually experienced a kind of a weird Ben's 524 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 1: culture shock coming back into the real world after being 525 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:25,639 Speaker 1: sort of immersed in this very honest, very wholehearted, super 526 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:31,320 Speaker 1: vulnerable place that these inmates and these survivors were speaking from, 527 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: and I wanted to I wanted to keep reading about 528 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: what I had been learning about. And someone recommended this 529 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:43,040 Speaker 1: book to me, and it's called Writing My Wrongs, Life, Death, 530 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 1: and Redemption in American Prison, and it's basically the story of, 531 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:50,200 Speaker 1: you know, what it is like to get stuck in 532 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: the American prison system at a young age for you know, 533 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:58,720 Speaker 1: gang related, drug related homicide and the effect it has, 534 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: and it it helped me actually sort of adjust back 535 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: to the real world to be able to take the 536 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: book out with me and stay connected to the inmates 537 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: that I had bonded with. 538 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 4: Wow, that sounds amazing. 539 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 3: And finally, how can people find out more about you 540 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:17,920 Speaker 3: and consume more of your amazing music and work. 541 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: Well, you can google me easily, and I'm on the 542 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: socials pretty much everywhere, as just at Amanda Palmer. If 543 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: you're really into me and you want to be in 544 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: a committed relationship with me, which I would love, I 545 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:38,160 Speaker 1: swear I'm really nice. My community is really nice. My 546 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: community is beautiful, and I would join my Patreon. It's 547 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:45,959 Speaker 1: a dollar a month if you can afford that, and 548 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: it's actually it's a really nice place on the Internet. 549 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 1: It's one of the things that I really wasn't expecting. 550 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: But I mean, the world of Facebook and Twitter and 551 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,920 Speaker 1: everywhere else has just gotten Sometimes it just feels so 552 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: hard and toxic to be on the internet that you 553 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:07,960 Speaker 1: need to you want to just sort of go where 554 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: the nice, intelligent people are. And I've actually found that 555 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:15,720 Speaker 1: my Patreon is this panacea and there's eleven thousand people there. 556 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: I write a blog that's often public but sometimes private, 557 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:20,560 Speaker 1: just for my community. 558 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 2: People are really wonderful. 559 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,320 Speaker 1: I put my content out there, you know, every couple 560 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 1: of weeks. I write blogs at least a few times 561 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:33,120 Speaker 1: a week, and that's a really good way to stay connected. 562 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: And you can kind of pick and choose what you 563 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:37,680 Speaker 1: read and what you consume. I send downloads, I'm doing 564 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 1: my own I'm starting my own podcast. That's really fun. 565 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: So yeah, and if not, you know, just find me 566 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. I'm in all those places and 567 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,280 Speaker 1: I sort of you know, I'm sort of slutty. 568 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 2: I post around all the time, so. 569 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 4: It's not me. 570 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 3: Oh awso awesome, Amanda. It's been such a treat talking 571 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 3: to you. And whenever you're touring in Melvin, which is 572 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 3: where I live, there is a couch for you at 573 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 3: my place anytime you need one. 574 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: Well, I will hopefully be back next year when I'm 575 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: touring on my new record, Excellent Excellent, I'll be there. 576 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 3: Hey there, that's it for today's episode. If you're looking 577 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:20,960 Speaker 3: for more tips to improve the way you work, I 578 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 3: write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things 579 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:27,320 Speaker 3: that I've discovered that help me work better, which range 580 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,680 Speaker 3: from interesting research findings through the gadgets that I'm loving. 581 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 3: You can sign up for that at Howiwork dot com. 582 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:38,800 Speaker 3: That's how I Work dot co. And you're probably sick 583 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 3: of podcasts telling you to give them a review in 584 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 3: iTunes if you like the episode, so I promise I 585 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 3: won't ask you to do that, but you know, if 586 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 3: the mood stricks you, then go for it. And if 587 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:50,560 Speaker 3: you like this episode and you want more, just hit 588 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:51,600 Speaker 3: the subscribe button. 589 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:52,800 Speaker 4: See you next time.