The Happiness Quotient

#73 - 'We Got This' - Timely Sage Advice & Music For Our Times

March 26, 2021 Thom Pollard Season 3 Episode 73
The Happiness Quotient
#73 - 'We Got This' - Timely Sage Advice & Music For Our Times
Show Notes Transcript

Music Soothes the Soul. 

MUSIC FOR THE SOUL - this is a good one. DAMN good. Highlighting the very best clips from my music interviews on The Happiness Quotient, consider this a Get Stoked for the Weekend or Week or Day or Life starter kit. Each short clip is accompanied by a cut from each of the musician's respective studio albums.

Featuring these fine musicians and their tune following:

Daniel Donato - Fire On The Mountain
Oliver Wood - The Battle Is Over: But War Goes On
Mickey Raphael - Hand To Mouth
The Reverend Freakchild - Keep On Praying 
Seth Walker - We Got This


DANIEL DONATO, the Cosmic Cowboy - his new album is called A Young Man's Country, and you can find it here on Daniel's website at 
http://danieldonato.com/ 

Daniel's podcast is Daniel Donato's Lost Highway: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-donatos-lost-highway/id1452703574


OLIVER WOOD of The Wood Brothers
For more about the coolest cat and greatest living American songwriter, Oliver Wood:
https://www.oliverwoodmusic.com/


MICKEY RAPHAEL
Mickey's website is www.mickeyraphael.com
The tune Hand to Mouth, the music is courtesy of Mickey Raphael

THE REVEREND FREAKCHILD
Keep on Praying! His New Album 

Supramundane Blues 

Now available here:
https://www.www-reverendfreakchild.org/


SETH WALKER:
This man is full of wisdom, and creates very beautiful music.

For more on Seth and to find his book and music, visit:

https://sethwalker.com/

=========
For more information about Thom Pollard:
http://eyesopenproductions.com/

For a free downloadable copy of A Course In Happiness:
www.patreon.com/thehappinessquotient

Our theme song, Happiness Jones, appears courtesy of The Wood Brothers.

For more information about The Wood Brothers:
https://www.thewoodbros.com/

The Wood Brothers on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTvWKQovDZlLceuct1EEMMQ

Happiness Jones video can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKIoiVWwF5A

For more about Thom Dharma Pollard, about personal coaching or his inspirational presentations, virtual or in person, find him at: 
www.eyesopenproductions.com

To join his mailing list for The Happiness Quotient, email him at thom.dharma.pollard@gmail.com

Support the show
Thom Pollard:

This is the happiness quotient. Have you heard of a course in happiness? In this short, colorful guide replete with gorgeous adventure photographs, the easy to read guide suggests how to stop chasing happiness. To unlock the mysteries to life's big questions in an easy to follow simple method of living that will help you live the life you were meant to go to patreon.com slash the happiness quotient. Don't worry, I don't ask you for money. On that page, you'll find a free download of a course in happiness.

The Wood Brothers:

All of my wisdom came from the tough dance today. And they have a learned thing in happy and appreciative and happy

Thom Pollard:

Welcome to the happiness quotient on Thom Pollard. I love music. I love to play music. I love to listen to music. It soothes my soul. A song or album can fit literally any mood. It can make me laugh, make me cry, think, see things from a different light. Music literally helps transform the soul. One of the inspirations for this very podcast coming into being was an interview I heard with Neil Young, and he talked about following the path that he knew he was destined for it must have resonated with me because it kind of felt like me, except I wasn't trying to become a professional musician. Neil talked about following his musical course. And when In so doing, one will experience collateral damage along the way. But also in doing it one will create many more beautiful things that they otherwise would never have been able to create. So in essence, we pay a price for following our heart and passion. But in so doing, we open the portal to greater Self Realization, limitless creativity, and an understanding that there is beauty in all of the vicissitudes of life, the good, the bad, the tragic, and the mysterious. Consider this episode and inspiration starter kit. We're going to sample short clips from a handful of brilliantly talented and creative musicians who have been guests on this podcast, people who have graced the world with the beauty of their expression, and will play a cut of their music after each short clip.

Unknown:

DANIEL DONATO MUSIC

Thom Pollard:

Daniel Donato. The cosmic cowboy was a guest in November 2020, Episode Number 61. Absolutely, without a doubt one of the most empowering positive individuals I've had the pleasure of knowing. Daniel talked about two kinds of regret in life and his recipe for success. The three P's He is also a devotee of the Grateful Dead and plays a soulful fire on the mountain. Let's say that there's somebody listening to this episode, and they're inspired and but they're not really living their true passion in life. And what would you say to that man or woman or kid, girl or boy who's like, I want to be this but my mom and dad won't let me or I'm too damn afraid to not be able to pay my mortgage next moniel niel DAYeah,

Daniel Donato:

I've experienced the one I've experienced the former where other people tell me I can't do things. And I always say, um, you got to trust yourself first, because it's life as a single player game. And if you have the idea to do something, then it makes sense for you to do it. There's two kinds of of regrets in life fear of action, and then fear of inaction. In most fears. Most regrets are rendered under the fear of inaction statistically, they interview you know, a lot of people on their deathbeds of varying cultures of varying ages, people that are my age when they die by age 25, and they have fear of inactions already. So I think fear of inaction is something that's why Jeff Bezos started Amazon. So it's like, you gotta you got to take action. I think that's the younger thing to answer your first one about somebody who's younger that is afraid to do something. Um, be more afraid of not doing something than a den be being afraid of doing something and failing. And I think the second one which I haven't yet crossed that bridge in life, yet it age wise, responsibility wise, but I see my father crossing it every day which is do your work and work hard, but then take time to play in whatever way that manifests in your life. That's awesome. And just staying true to that. I think that's the biggest thing that there's something I say to myself every day which is patience, persistence and positivity. I think um, I've spoken to a lot of people on my podcast I've just met a lot of people through playing music from just so many different cultures in different businesses that that have found success and those really seem to be universally obligatory rules that though I think the world rewards if you operate within Tom it's patience persistence, positivity. I think those really are the signs of a winner

MUSIC:

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN standing there

Unknown:

get up standin

Daniel Donato:

dragon with matching take some

Unknown:

cool him.

Daniel Donato:

He takes

Unknown:

you stay on

Daniel Donato:

this live he This is a business for more than just dreams come true. Bye Hold on now caught in

Seth Walker:

some motion

Unknown:

to the dog

Daniel Donato:

the same formula

Seth Walker:

Steve spent sped to the flow gave

Daniel Donato:

more that you gave to the thin NaVi campaign

Thom Pollard:

Oliver Woods wood of the wood brothers exemplifies the American songwriter one of the most prolific and talented singer songwriters today, all of her joined us in September of 2020 Episode Number 53 talked about the creative process and songwriting how it happens to you only when you don't try to force it to happen. COVID gave him time to meditate, spend more time with his family instead of traveling the world on tour, and importantly, create write new songs. He's got a new album coming out in May and I'll share that with you when that time comes. And on this episode he shared with us tunes that he just released soul of this town and the battle is over.

Oliver Wood:

MUSIC i've been k ocked down you and me would just bre i'm so interested in songwriting and musicians and i read lots of biographies and i read interviews with songwriters and just how do they know what's going on any creative person know how do they process stuff and it seems such a common answer is that they there's a lot of it that's completely unknown completely beyond their control you know so when so and i love hearing stories from like a paul simon or randy newman or certain people can really articulate what it's like jeff tweedy has a new book that came out last year that even for non music people i recommend it's so fascinating so well articulated just how that creative process works but what i love the most is the idea that number one you're you're not in control you're in control of the craft but the inspiration part is not something you're in control of so so the idea then is that you you are are to discover things you're just discovering the song you're like a kid like you're discovering it you're searching it you're following it you're not pushing it you're not in control you're not you know you just the whole idea of not trying just doing you know and just seeing where you end up and the surprise of it all you know you don't know how this is gonna turn out foundations of meditating and of just mindfulness is that is that things are always changing you know you're not gonna you're not in control things are always changing the only thing you're in control of is knowing that and accepting that and so anyway somehow the creative idea of creative mindfulness is what i'm really into right now and i think that's what happens when when people collaborate you're just making a new recipe you know and that's what's that's what's cool about the wood brothers is just experimenting and i think we're all of the same mind like okay that sounds like the that's been done let's not let's not do that we we make choices based on that we've already done that let's try something different or that's the cool thing that only we do let's do that again yeah it's just fun should be a fun discovery childlike process and that's what it feels like MUSIC BATTLE IS OVER sing the song way worth written to beat the drum you're gonna win the battle is over to work everybody play remember when you jumped to the eight o'clock Money be a millionaire thoughts can kill there be no buddy he. Yeah, so many think and even tell him where to solve the truth keeps us square

Thom Pollard:

harmonica player Mickey Rafael, my guest in May 2020 on episode 39 has been Willie Nelson's harmonica player since 1973. That is a lot of Willie Nelson shows. Imagine that. And when they first met, Mickey wasn't really even into country music. The Tale of how he met Willie is such a classic story of how preparation and opportunity and pure chance come crashing melodically and beautifully together. I never grow tired of hearing

Mickey Raphael:

I get a call one day from Darrell royal, who's the coach of the University of Texas football team. The stadium in Austin is named after him. And he's a patron of the arts and a serious music fan and supporter. And he called up, left me a message to my folks house in Dallas and said, Hey, we're in town for a ballgame. I think it was Texas, Arkansas, and we're gonna have a little picking session after the after the ballgame. Why don't you come to my hotel and bring your harmonica as a piece of my friends. So I went and I knew nothing about football either or country music but when I think but I really pride who I had met because he was a customer of my dad's furniture, furniture business. But you know what, they pass a guitar around and Willie was singing. I finally had time slips away and nightlife and I'd recognize those songs I kind of do that stuff. And I just kind of doodled around on the harmonica, struggling to play with him. And he's afterwards he says, Hey, you can see over here we're playing anywhere it comes in. And a few weeks later, they were playing at a junior high basketball you know, auditorium, basketball court, whatever. The gym at a junior high south of Dallas, loxahatchee 2030 miles south of Dallas, and volunteer benefits for volunteer fire department. So I went down there and sat in with the band and it was totally lost. And I think we played for our line four or five times, and I just because it's a great song to dance to, and people would come up and request songs. And we'd play these two step songs, you know, and it was like being in a, you know, high school combo. Yeah. And then it was fun. And afterwards, we went to a truck stop, which is what you do, and one in the morning breakfast. And I was getting ready to leave. And I thought well, I'm gonna have one more cup of coffee. And while I stayed and did that, Willie says, Hey, we're going to New York and a couple of weeks. Why don't you go with us, going up there to play Max's Kansas City, which was kind of a part of the beginning punch tribes of New York, but they were bringing in country acts like Waylon and Willie. While you can still see Jim Carroll and the New York Dolls. Wow. So before that was like a month or so away, and I would go out on weekends and find out where Willie was playing and drive my car again to some of these little bars and blogs and marketplaces that were calling because there were some, you know, lots of fights and sitting with them just to kind of learn the repertoire. I remember the story goes that Willie asked Paul, what are we paying Mickey and Paul, our drummer and bandleader who just recently passed. said, well, we're not paying him anything. He just come in to sit in and when he goes well double his salary. So I kind of became a member of the band. I mean, I never officially got hired, but I was never asked to leave Is that still work and that was Yeah, that was kind of we were already kind of alarmed by that.

Thom Pollard:

The Reverend Freak hild had just released his lbum Bodie sought for blues a lessing album that includes a ouple Grateful Dead covers from arch 2020, Episode Number 32. he Reverend had been working lso on his master's in divinity rom the Naropa Institute in oulder, Colorado, and he talked bout mindfulness in the piritual life.

Reverend Freakchild:

You feel like there's nothing I can do. And you know, this new album's called the bodhisatta blues and jack kornfield. For people that don't know, he runs this thing called spirit rock. And he was talking about being a body soft, of course, we, we thank the first responders and all the medical people. And we also think that people that are staying home and not getting other people sick or not spreading this around, and though maybe some people think we're overreacting, but we also think people that are taking care of themselves. Like, if I were to be here, just like you're saying that I choose to take care of myself, I choose to be on the show with you talking positively. How can we make this thing make some lemonade out of these lemons, we got you know, and, and, you know, take care of myself prayer meditation, you know, eating well, you know, if I can take care of myself, when something, you know, happens in my life, I can better handle it or make not make it worse, at least you know, so that can be a police officer as well. We're just taking care of ourselves. You know, there's a part in the Buddhist scriptures where, you know, I don't know how much people know about you know, but uh, he had this a cousin who was his attendant called a Nanda. And he walked around with him and listened to all of his teachings. And then afterwards, they wrote them all down, according to what Nanda said, and so Nanda says, one time, the Buddha says, You know, I think that this, you know, talking with people like the conversation we're having, you know, conversing with friends and colleagues is half of this spiritual life. And he's just another is always the straight man. It's a Buddha, he is no one on the Buddha says, conversation like, this is all of the spiritual life, you know, and so that's sort of lead in to be doing interviews in light of sort of my spiritual journey, you know, and, and it is, I think, it's an amazing thing when, you know, like, the two of us and if we have other people listening to this is great, you know, if somebody listens to this, and this is a benefit to them, that'll be wonderful. You know, that'll be you know, a dedication of merit there you know, MUSIC REV FREAKCHILD I will be shooting mass every day, Jesus Christ, the Word, the Bible. I guess I can a shout out And I'm the Christ. No no.Damn body with his body. Class say here and now

Unknown:

with waves there will be no

Reverend Freakchild:

class. We just got

Unknown:

this job

Reverend Freakchild:

preaches on the show. commodity.

Unknown:

Love one another. No.

Thom Pollard:

Recently in Episode Number 72, the troubadour himself, Seth Walker, who spoke to me about his book, your van is on fire. The miscellaneous meanderings of a musician speaks passionately, without conceit about the muse. It's important in these often confusing times. This very possibly is my favorite interview yet. As Seth said recently about our chat, we went somewhere.

Seth Walker:

Yo, boy. He says, Mom, one. I'll be alright. with just the sound you're trying to get

Thom Pollard:

to, you put the thinking in it, and it screws the whole thing up. It's like it

Seth Walker:

goes. Yeah, yeah, it's

Unknown:

like, I want to be enlightened.

Thom Pollard:

And so there you are in a state of wanting to be enlightened. It's just it.

Seth Walker:

There you go. It don't work. It don't work that way. But it's so funny, man. Really just surrender to it. I mean, there's been many times obviously through the process where I have tried to grab it and steer it and white knuckle it and it it always comes back to bite me on the ads, because I because that's just not the way the Muse works. It's not the way creativity works.

Thom Pollard:

That man that is just so right on what the Muse and so what is the Muse? I know this, this is like, sometimes there are no words for it, but what is the Muse? What is your Muse and, man What?

Seth Walker:

Well, it's definitely something that I it's, it's, it's something that I don't own. It's not mine. It's really, you know, just trying to be a conduit for it, to to let to be open enough to let it come through. And, you know, and as you as you as you grow and as you try and fail and try and you know that that Muse changes, some for sure, just like obviously with the book I I needed. I've been playing music My whole life and all sudden the world's stopped and I'm staring out the window, asking some serious questions. And, you know, the Muse just kind of redirected somehow thankful. They redirected my spirit towards a new a new form MUSIC SETH WALKER I know their thoughts we live with Question of the Day when and how in the world but I want you to know I'm feeling strong and I know together we can carry on because we got going we got but now nothing's gonna stand in the way the chain that we have today together to get together we can think of all the trouble that we've made in our future seems so unclear we gotta find oh wait a face let's run through this shadow of doubt we got gone we got no way to change that we had to get together we got let's hold on and we'll drive through shadow golf we got the way the chain we got we got we get

Thom Pollard:

I leave you with the words. We are here first and foremost to explore our creative abilities. to open up to the truth of who we are, requires us then to be only concerned about where we come from within our own consciousness. The way to move this world to a place of peace is to come from a place of peace from within yourself. sage advice thank you to the woods brothers and their management for the use of their song happiness Jones for our theme song here on the HQ

The Wood Brothers:

MUSIC all of y wisdom came from the tough da ce today and they have a learned thing

Thom Pollard:

if you'd like a free downloadable PDF of the happiness quotients a course in happiness visit me@patreon.com slash the happiness quotient for more information about me to inquire about personal coaching or public speaking in person or virtually visit eyes open productions.com right me anytime at Tom dot Dharma dot pollard@gmail.com. Remember that which we most want to find can be discovered in the place where we least want to look and the deeper and darker the well. the brighter the light we will discover. Don't curse the dark cloud. The rain inside may very well turn your garden green. Thank you for visiting the happiness quotient. I will see you all real soon.

The Wood Brothers:

happy happy happy happy happy happy baby got it words i wrote in the storm the rock my boat i was stuck in my throat when i was happy i was singing next thing i'm thinking i might as well change mine to happiness joy happiness happy happiness got it happy happy happy happy happy happy