Midwest Real

LISTEN Truth.  Is there even such a thing?  At times, objectivity seems like a given, but with a deeper look, we often find shades gray and learn that the “truth” looks quite different depending upon your point of view.  But, is there such a thing as a greater, transcendent, immutable truth?  Something we can know and take solace in, maybe even aspire toward throughout our lives?  Obviously there’s no clear answer, but if it does exist, you’re sure as hell never going to find it without looking.    For Android Jones, catching a glimpse of that deeper truth required sacrifice, toil and even grief.  But, now that he’s scratched the surface of it, he strives to foster a deeper relationship with truth by channeling it in every piece of art he creates.  As esoteric and ambitious as that may sound, take one look at Android’s recent art and you’ll find that somewhere within his delicate dance of color where the micro and macro merge it becomes clear that he’s expressing something of a higher order. For more on Andr

LISTEN I have some bad news.  The kind of bad news you’re actively putting off thinking about at this very moment.  Fear and misfortune are lurking just around the corner.  Something bad can and will happen to you, it’s just a matter of time.  As if that weren’t bad enough, most threats to our well-being are totally beyond our control.  So, now that you’re thinking about it, how will you react?  Put it out of your mind? Curl up into a ball and try to hide from it?  Or think to yourself, why not just leave life’s unpleasantness until the last possible second? The fact of the matter is that we fortunate first-worlders need a reality check.  The societal armor that surrounds us makes us soft, detached and totally unprepared for life’s inevitable nastiness.  We rarely if ever confront the dead, the suffering or the starving, though we intellectually know the ills of the world are coming for us all sooner or later. This is one of those moments: will you choose the blue pill or the red pill?  Will you try to suppr

JET PACKS. CATS. REVOLUTION LISTEN True innovation is rarely foreseeable.  If yesterday's notions about the future were even close to the mark, we'd be flying around in our cars or wearing jet packs and living in floating houses.  Instead, we carry around yesterday's equivalent to a super computer in our pockets and use it to look at cat memes, take pictures of sushi and enable revolution.  Technology has become weird, it eludes definition and form and the more deeply intertwined we become with it, the more ethical dilemmas we run into. Just as today's digital mainstays largely evaded foresight, so too will the truly important and disruptive technologies of the tomorrow.  Yet, I will always be compelled to wonder what's next and, perhaps more importantly, how it will change what it means to be a human being.  Luckily, this week, I have someone much more competent and qualified than myself to bounce my inane ramblings off of, Bianca Bosker.  She's one of those people who's close to my age that just makes me

 Each journey we take starts pretty much the same way.  We get an idea, then we daydream about how it will go: “If I do this, then I can do that, I just have to do this and this, then I’ll be this, or have that,” we think to ourselves (you can fill in the blanks with your own scenario).  But, of course as quickly as we take the first step toward starting that journey, we find that the road is longer, more nuanced and fraught with the unexpected than we ever could have imagined.  The bulk daydreaming is almost always good for nothing. For me, this has held true on every significant journey I’ve embarked upon, whether it was moving over seas, joining a band starting a relationship, or starting this show.  I’m even tempted to say it doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we do it.  But, some experiences impact and define us on such a deep level that they fundamentally change us for good.  Things like war, loss or a deeply meaningful epiphany.  In my case, these experiences are quite slippery.  There are few soli

LISTEN For creative people, modern society provides you with an interesting paradox.  You need the infrastructure it provides to support you and give you meaning, yet its design includes so many barriers and obstacles designed to keep you on a well-worn path that it’s inconvenient, if not nearly impossible for many of us to get off of it to pursue our creative goals. However, if we’re bold enough to roll the dice and lucky enough to end up with the right numbers, the success we taste is so intoxicating that all the toil was worth it.  For those of us that aren’t so lucky, a taste of failure spurs doubt.  We don’t want to have to deal embarrassment, ridicule or starting all over again.  So what do we do?  We rush back to that familiar, well-worn path. The road less traveled is so for a reason.  If you’re to plunge into its depths, you must do so with commitment and fortitude and skill.  We must view each defeat as lesson to be learned from, not an excuse to run away.  My guest on this episode, Michael Dr

If there’s one thing that really gets to me, it’s the stereotypical “rock star” persona, especially in this day and age when there’s so little separating the artist from the consumer.  You know the type, they’re usually a front man who stinks of a mixture of inebriated co-eds and cigarette smoke, all while exuding the perfect level of jaded indifference and aloofness.  As much as I’d love to remind them all that they’ll never be thrust into the line-up of Motley Crue a week after the release of Doctor Feel Good, or the facilitator of new wave of Beatle mania-like hysteria, I find it best to ignore them. Rest assured, our guest, Harry Lee, is far from an archetypal rock-douche with delusions of grandeur.  He’s a thoughtful, straightforward, honest guy who’s thankful for all the success he’s had, and mark my words, there will be a lot more of it to come.  Take a moment to check out Harry’s band, Waylayers, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.  It’s the kind of Electro-Indie-Pop that’s sure to fill a nice little

If you participate in social media, you’ve no doubt seen a plethora of inspirational memes floating around the Internet. You know the type; they’re the ones that feature psychedelic art or images of nature.  Maybe there’s even an image of Albert Einstien’s disembodied head floating through outer space, disseminating a classic quote.  Or, my favorite, a Native American staring at the moon flanked by a hawk and an especially timely old proverb.  I’ll be honest; I’m guilty of it. I share stuff of this ilk pretty much on the regular. But, I’ve come to realize something.  If you’re (I’m) not cultivating real action out of what you’re (I’m) posting, it’s nothing more than sanctimonious drivel.  In essence you’re (I’m) full of shit, no matter how well intentioned you (I) might be.  On the other end of the spectrum, we have this episode’s guest , Jae Sabol.  He’s the founder of a not for profit called One Community that’s striving to create an open-source, sustainable way of life that’s accessible to all.  They’ve

Rites of passage, robberies, floatation tanks, leather pants, this one has it all! And it’s all thanks to our lovely guests Thomas Huisking  (L.A. Real) and Jason Abbot (the IGC Cast).  When my brethren aren’t hosting their own respective shows, it’s probably because they're off climbing some mountains or doing something that requires good looks and / or smarts, like acting or writing books, or something.  Anyway, grab this episode at the usual places (Itunes Stitcher etc.).  

MAPS (The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) is a non-profit research and educational organization dedicated to developing legal medical applications for psychedelics.  Knee-deep in the FDA approval process for several substances, their research has begun to bear fruit, perhaps most notably in their staggeringly successful use of MDMA to treat PTSD.    Brad and I discuss these studies, as well as the undeniable societal, spiritual and philosophical shifts that would occur, in a world where psychedelics are accepted as valuable, powerful personal medicines that are to be respected, rather than chemical boogiemen that are meant to be avoided at all costs. Midwestreal.net

“The game of life is a form of cosmic hide and seek” -Alan Watts   Alexander Ward has spent more time on the road less traveled than some do in an entire lifetime.  He’s shot documentaries on multiple continents, produced visual art across many mediums, participated in numerous Ayahuasca ceremonies and appeared on several podcasts, including London Real.  If there’s anything I learned about him from this conversation, it’s that he’s nowhere close to stopping. We dove deep into a multitude of subjects ranging from creative process and where art comes from, to our place in the universe and Japanese Animation (yes seriously). Keep up with the ever busy and evolving Alexander at on his page and on Twitter. Of course we’re never ones to shy away from digital love, so if you’ve got some to spare, follow our Twitter account, like us on Facebook and shoot us a review on Itunes. Until next time.

    Matt Staggs is back this week for second round of podcasty goodness!  This Twitter-loving Editor, Writer and booker of talent has taken control of his life through good old fashioned hard work and the confidence he’s built through the study of Jujitsu.  Matt has managed to harness that confidence and shape his life with it, most notably in the quitting of his vile, Office Space-like day job.  Since that victorious event, Matt has continued to work for Disinfo as an Editor and Podcaster, Book guests for the Joe Rogan Experience, write articles for Suvudu, take a trip to ComiCon and a whole lot more.  Follow Matt on Twitter and Facebook and do the same for us while you’re at it! (MwR Twitter and Facebook). Until next we meet, Midwest Real.

On this, the 23rd installment of Midwest Real, we welcome the unbelievably talented Dan Rutkowski.  Dan is the mastermind behind Pisces , an up and coming game that is set to push boundaries in a multitude of ways.  With a quick look at his website, you'll find that a great deal of passion has gone into this project.  To put it simply, Dan has poured his heart and soul into this thing, and he's in it for all the right reasons.  Within five minutes of speaking with Dan, I knew this conversation would go deep, and I'm happy to report, I was right.  I was extremely impressed by Dan's knowledge on a variety of subjects, and we certainly share similar philosophies concerning what's important and life in general.  I hope you guys enjoy this one, because we definitely did!    Go give Dan some love at Pisces' website and keep yourself in the loop by following the project on twitter. Of course you can always stay in touch with us via our Twitter and Facebook as well. Until next time, Midwest Real.

If you listen to other podcasts in a similar vein to this one, this probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard of Aubrey Marcus.  In case you’re among the uninitiated, there’s not a whole lot this gentleman doesn’t do. He’s an entrepreneur, a world traveler, an athlete, a plant medicine aficionado a philosopher and more.  Did I mention he also hosts his own show?  Aubrey is an extremely inspirational guy not only because of his level of personal success and development, but because of his ability to transplant his positivity into the psyche of others.  Go give him some love on Twitter and Facebook, buy some life-improving concoctions from onnit and listen to his show. As Aubrey would say, be excellent! Midwest Real. 

Host of the Higherside Chats, Greg Carlwood joined us to discuss conspiracies, his show, psychadelics and a whole lot more.  Greg is an extremely warm, transparent well-spoken individual.  What you hear on his show is definitely what you get both in this episode, and the off-air conversations we had leading up to the show.  Give Greg your warmest regards at his website, Thehighersidechats.com.    

This conversation is most certainly dedicated to you creatives out there. (We made room for some esoteric, woo woo-ness too). Our guests this week spearhead Made in Milwaukee, an organization that has grown from a small DIY group of creatives fostering art, to a powerful one that gets love, recognition and support from businesses, governmental entities and the community at large.  The trick is, they've done it without compromising an ounce of their values or vision.  As you’ll see, Charles also turned out to be well-versed in some of the more, shall we say, “out-there,” subjects that have been discussed on this show. Check out madeinmilwaukee.com to see what they’re up to and be sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook. As for us, please do the same! (tweet- @midwestreal) (Facebook.com/midwestreal) Of course you can grab this cast on Itunes or listen to it right here.  Speaking of Itunes, please take a minute to subscribe and review over there if you’ve got a spare minute. Thank you for sticking around

Well hi there; it’s been a little while! What I love about these interviews is that people often surprise me.  Amardeep Kaleka was no exception.  As the director of Sirius, a documentary about UFO disclosure, clean energy suppression and plenty of other fringe subjects, you might think his opinions and talking points would consistently come down on the side of a conspiratorial worldview.  Actually, Arm is in fact, an extremely well informed, open-minded, thoughtful, nuanced and experienced individual.  In fact, he even openly rejected some prevalent conspiracy theories outright.  This man has seen and endured things most of us never will; yet he maintains a friendly, welcoming and calm demeanor that quickly won me over. The range of topics we covered is truly too long to list and I’m pretty sure we left no stone unturned.  We spoke for nearly two, hours in what ended up feeling like a talk between old friends by the time we wrapped things up. Check out Arm’s website neverendinglight.com to see what he’s up t

This week, we talk with NFL punter and bona fide smooth talker Chris Kluwe.  Chris was flung into the mainstream when he defended gay rights in a now famous letter published by Dead Spin.  His stint in the spotlight has lead to nationwide notoriety, a huge online following and a book deal.  Chris is truly an intellectual, who professes insight in areas that fit in staggeringly well with our own interests.  You're definitely going to be pleasantly surprised in this one.   

This week, we had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Staggs. Matt is an  editor atDisinformation.com (i.e. ‘Disinfo’) and also helms their podcast, the DisinfoCast. He also writes for Suvudu, your one-stop shop for all things sci-fi and fantasy media. Many of you may also know him as the booking agent for the powerful (Get it?) Joe Rogan Experience podcast. We had truly eclectic conversation with Mr. Staggs, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy the discourse. You can find this and all of our other episodes on iTunes (Remember to subscribe andrate), or for the Apple-less amongst us, you can download it from our archive. Stay hungry, stay happy. Do some long division or something.

We're back with another "family" cast.  Yes, this week we've opted to have an episode with just the four of us to catch up on what's been going on in the world and in our heads.  We answer burning questions about everything from our broken government and economy, to how close we are to creating the matrix, all while Dana cooks tacos.  Get in on the conversation on twitter @midwestreal and at midwestreal.net.   

The Midwest Real Podcast is back this week with a great and varied conversation with the brilliant and kind David Metcalfe. Metcalfe is a Contributing Editor to Reality Sandwich and Books Editor for The Revealer, the online journal of NYU’s Center for Religion and Media. He also runs the site Liminal Analytics, an applied research collaborative whose focus is on “the unattended, invisible, and overlooked.” He writes regularly for Modern Mythology, Reality Sandwich, The Revealer, Evolutionary Landscapes, The Teeming Brain, and co-hosts The Art of Transformations study group with support from the International Alchemy Guild. Also an independent researcher and artist, Metcalfe’s essay focusing on the interstices of art, culture, and consciousness, “Of Dice and Divinity - Some Thoughts on Gambling and the Western Tradition,” was featured in The Immanence of Myth, available from Weaponized Press. Be sure and subscribe to the podcast - now 30 (!) countries strong - and check in with us on Twitter and Facebook.