Episode 11: Benjamin Hughes
The winter still perseveres here in the Mid Atlantic region and beyond, keeping most of us engaged in a steady beeline of home to work to home to couch. This weather can make hermits of even the most adventurous folk. It's made me appreciate the little things like: going outside for extended periods of time, dry socks, seeing people socially, etc. In places like Montreal, when the nice weather comes to pass, they seem to have a major outdoor festival every week of the summer. I guess if you stayed cooped up for such a concentrated period, you'd let loose like it was going out of style, too. God bless the Quebecois. They play hard. We could all take a lesson once spring rolls around.
This week on the show is Benjamin Hughes. Ben has set himself up with the colossal task of releasing a record every month for all of 2015. We talk about this at length in the conversation, so I won't spoil too much. Let's just say he doesn't have to throw together anything new, he's got the material already. Talk about a back catalog. The man has more unreleased material than most bands have in released material. And I've heard a great deal of it. And I've gotta tell you: it's all solid. Not really any chaff here, it's all wheat. Which is astonishing to say the least. We also delve into both of our upbringings in religious households, and how it shaped us, both the good and the bad. Then he plays a song from the new Night Windows album, which is the band he fronts. That's right. Dude fronts a band as well, writing new material for them completely separate of his solo material that he'll release this year. Makes all the rest of us look bad, I tell you.
Winter will end soon, I promise you. It has to. We'll all be whining about the heat and the humidity and the allergies and the tourists in no time. As I write this, Philadelphia is getting pummeled with icy rain. Those of you in NYC, Boston, Northern New England, and beyond: I feel for you guys. You just can't seem to catch a break. But we'll live though it, we always do. Do yourselves a favor this winter: If you have the opportunity, go do something. Anything. Be safe, please, but give it a try. Go to a museum. Bundle up and go walking for a bit if weather permits it. Get out and see people, or have people over, even if it's just cheese and crackers and boxed wine. You'll thank yourselves. I've been seeing far too little of far too much lately, and it's gotta stop soon. I'm a bit down and out with a cold (you can definitely hear it in the intro and outro of this episode), but as soon as I've kicked it, I'm getting out there.
Be safe and be well and be active, however that manifests itself this winter. Those of you on the West Coast and in the sunnier climes: keep living your charmed life, I guess. Live it a bit more for the rest of us, if you could. We're starting to get a little pale, more sensitive to sounds and light, and our thoughts are starting to wander.
Last thing: RIP Leonard Nimoy. "Of all the souls I've encountered in my travels, his was the most human." That's one of my favorite Star Trek quotes, and Mr. Nimoy will be greatly missed. He played one of the most iconic and unique roles ever in science fiction, if not in all of television and film. Meant a lot to me, and I imagine he meant a lot to a lot of you.
Everyone take care, and I'll catch you all in a couple of weeks. Thanks for listening, thanks for sharing, keep it up. Can't do this without you.
-DD