Ep. 8 - From ‘Thunder Jeep’ to Turning the Page: A Story of Determination, Overcoming, and Optimism

In this episode, we have an amazing conversation with Don Michael Barbour, a retired US Army JAG and founder of the Veterans Legal Foundation. Don Michael candidly and honestly reflects upon growing up in a traumatic environment and his determination to graduate high school early at 17 to join the Army as his way out. AC/DC, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and Elton John accompany us on this leg of the journey. He openly discusses Everclear's "Father of Mine" as epitomizing the feelings toward his father, which motivates Don Michael’s commitment to his own kids. From his service in the military to his advocacy work, his story is a testament to courage, resilience and the healing power of music. You don’t want to miss this one! Pull up a folding chair, grab a drink, find a spot around the fire, and enjoy the conversation and community.  

Follow your hosts David, Raza, and Carolina every week as they embark on an epic adventure to find the songs that are stuck to us like audible tattoos to tell the story of who we are and where we’ve been. It’s a life story told through 6 songs. Take a listen, and, if you have someone whose life you’d like to hear in 6 songs, let us know.

WHO WE ARE

DAVID: Creator & Host @ALifeinSixSongs

Drummer | Educator | Philosopher | Combat Veteran | PTSD Advocate 

CAROLINA: Co-Host @ALifeinSixSongs

Storyteller | Head of Learning & Development Services @ReadySet

RAZA: Co-Host @ALifeinSixSongs

Guitarist | Lawyer | Solo Project @Solamente.Band

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Liked songs from this life story? Check out A Life in Six Songs playlist on Apple Music and Spotify
• Follow A Life in Six Songs on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
• Are you a veteran who is struggling? Get help here:
  • Call the Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1.
  • Text the Veterans Crisis Line: Send your message to 838255 
  • Visit the Veterans Crisis Line website to chat virtually
  • PTSD Online Questionnaire
  • National Center for PTSD
• Subs

Transcript

A Life in Six Songs

Speaker 1 0:00

So I was always singing and dancing and they called me tiny dancer because I came out of there like not running out of my nose, tears pouring out of my eyes, can't breathe and you're flapping and a few seconds later I'm like holy bullshit, time dance. And then that name stuck with me.

Speaker 3 0:59

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of a life in six songs. I'm your host, david Rees, and I'm joined by my two co-hosts, carolina and Raza.

Speaker 2 1:09

Hey, hey.

Our Guest Today is Don Michael Barbour

Speaker 3 1:10

Hi there For any of you that are new to the podcast. Every week we embark on an epic adventure to find the songs that are stuck to us like audible tattoos, that tell the story of who we are and where we've been, to help us figure out where we want to go. It's a life story told through six songs. Let's go have a listen together. Our guest today is Don Michael Barber.

Speaker 3 1:36

Michael joined the army as a Canon crew member, a 13 Bravo, in 1995 and retired as a JAG Judge Advocate General in 2015. From 2015 to 2018, he worked as an assistant district attorney in Dallas, texas. In 2018, he began Veterans Legal Foundation, which is a non-profit devoted to serving those who have served in the military and their family members. Ever since then, he has been assisting veterans with a multitude of legal issues. Don Michael, welcome to a life in six songs. Great, great, yeah. We're excited to have you and excited to get into our conversation, get into your six songs. So, to start us off, before we get into those specific songs, just to get us warmed up and get our listeners to you know, get a little, a little bit of background on you, what you know. Briefly, what role does music play in your life, or how do you see music fitting into your life?

Speaker 1 2:44

Honestly, music has been a large part of my life. As a child I grew up around music lovers and music lovers that appreciated music, the lyricism, the, the musical nature of it, and over time my appreciation grew and I found that it became a very therapeutic part of my life because many of the songs that I would I'd be able to identify with. That would kind of be telling my story from the artist's perspective. It resonated with me and because of that I was able to get through many times or joys times, not even down times, but good times.

Speaker 3 3:36

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 4 3:39

Yeah, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I find, as we do more of these episodes, it's an interesting connection with guests. How many have parents that, like, had a house full of music or exposed you at a young age such that it starts to play this like just very influential role? It not an influential, like it it dictates what you do or not, but like this, comfort this like part of your home feeling.

Speaker 1 4:10

Absolutely, I agree 100%. And my parents had those wooden crates just full of albums, you know, and so I would listen. They had, like Red Fox, live stand up, and just a litany of music and and the genres were so vast that my stepdad was heavy metal, my aunt was country, my other aunt was like the bangles, and just a litany of different music and I grew to appreciate many genres of music through them being introduced and then taking it further.

Speaker 3 4:54

Yeah that's another yeah, and that's another thing we've seen. Most of the people we've had on have said the very same thing too, and I know the three of us as hosts are the same way of like. We have our genres that are kind of our more go to, but we had this appreciation of more than just the one we focus on and so yeah, yeah, it's almost like you've you've got, like you were just saying you know you've got like your parents.

Speaker 5 5:28

Then there's aunts and aunties and uncles and cousins and it's like you know, like you mentioned, you know someone's into metal, someone's into country, someone's into hip hop, someone's doing the 80s synth wave thing, and you're you're. You know you're as a kid, you're just absorbing all of these little nuggets of of music and entertainment and stuff like that. And then as an adult you realize, oh, wow, you know that all of those little bits and pieces come together and kind of you know shape, your, your, your musical, you know soundtrack and and then, yeah, and then obviously you know you you pick and choose out of there. You know what you gravitate toward and stuff that you like and stuff, stuff that just is. You know it was bad then and it's bad now too it is what it is.

Speaker 1 6:18

Yeah, I don't want and I want to piggyback on that a little bit and say not to age myself, but I was a young child when MTV became a thing and so I was just fascinated. You know, I was a latchkey kid a lot of the times, and anytime I could watch you know, look at them, yo-yo's and all that music I just, I loved it just being able to watch the artists play and not have to be live. Some artists are much better live than others, but I grew up on MTV essentially, yeah 100%.

Speaker 4 7:02

So did I like yeah, yeah, 100%.

AC/DC's Dirty Deeds and Thunder Jeep

Speaker 1 7:06

So I think let's, let's kick off your story here and we'll, we'll, we'll kind of start at the top with with your first, your first song and your prompt, for that is what's your earliest music memory 30 deeds done dirt cheap by acdc that's a very good, very, very young, still in a car seat, still sitting in high chairs, type stuff, and it drove my mother crazy because for a long time I would say thunder jeep, thunder jeep, and she said she would go hysterical asking what are you saying? And I'm like thunder jeep. And then all of a sudden one day I'm sitting the back of the car, not in a car seat, because it was as 70s, early 80s and acd comes on, dirty deeds done, dirt cheap. And I'm back, there's done dirt, jeep, done dirt. And the epiphany came and she was like I feel so bad now let's uh, let's take a quick listen time.

Speaker 4 8:55

I won't. I'll never hear the song the same again but never heard it in the other way.

Speaker 1 9:01

Yeah, I was like I swear to this day it's thunder jeep. I think we should go with it.

Speaker 3 9:07

That's what it is, totally when I was um, when I was getting the songs ready, uh, for, for the episode um, and I pulled it up and I listened you know, I'm listening to it probably three or four times through to find the clip I want. And yeah, every time I heard thunder, jeep, and then I was like I, I can't hear it, not that way now.

Speaker 1 9:28

I am sorry for tainting the pool, yeah yep, and all the listeners to you.

Speaker 3 9:34

Now we're all, we're all tainted, and that bonds us. Now we are all bound together a family of thunder jeeps yes, yes, um you can't undo that no right that's right.

Speaker 4 9:47

That's right. Um, how does it feel listening to it again?

Speaker 1 9:51

you know, uh, it, it, you know. It evokes a lot of memories because I mean these songs I would hear over and over again. It was playing on the radio. Um, I spent a lot of time in bars as a child, uh, and clubs, so you know, during closing time I had the run of the jukebox and the pool table. It was like being in that movie with a rich kid that has everything he wants. I just want that pool table and that jukebox and time alone. It was. It was fantastic. And that song particularly has meaning to me because as I grew older and continued to listen to it, the meaning behind it struck a chord which we may get into a little bit later sure, sure, yeah, we can what's the uh, what's the consulting, put a pin in that?

Speaker 2 10:57

yeah, no, I mean.

Speaker 1 10:59

I'm. I'm a. I'm an open book. So, frankly, you know that's a song about like lewd and lascivious acts and paying for them. My mother happened to be a woman of the night and I know that's what it was about yeah, it's about I uh for my what are we called one of the deeds? Yeah, one of the deeds dunder chief, and you know that is reminiscent because I was a by-product of that worth, which I'm extremely thankful for. I don't.

Speaker 4 11:34

I don't feel bad about it, otherwise I wouldn't be around yeah, yeah, no, that's true, and it's interesting how, like a song that might have felt just like fun and carefree can, its meaning, can change over time, like still super important to you, but its meaning can shift and transit transition yeah, it's the way you know the tempo.

Speaker 1 11:56

It's like the way they're putting it together. It's an upbeat song, but, subversively, listening and paying attention to the lyrics, you're like, oh, this is real talk, this is real life yeah don michael, I have to ask, so you know.

Speaker 5 12:12

So, so this song is, you know, we're, we're attaching it here right now. We're listening to it, to to it as your earliest memory, right, this is something that you know thunder jeep, and you heard the song, and it was the music that was kind of driving all this stuff. So I'm really curious at some point you must have made this other connection with the lyrical content as well, and I'm guessing that probably came much later on, like as an adult, and and so can you maybe talk about that like light bulb, like holy crap moment, or was there one, or there was, you know, my, my father.

Speaker 1 12:55

The night he was released from prison for murder. He happened to be in an organization, and one of the things that those fellows would get to do when they came out of prison they would have a litany of old ladies that just are throwing themselves at them, and my mother was the one with the lucky seat. She happened to be an old lady in this organization for years and years, and so he was there when I was born. He brought his girlfriend to the hospital, and so he was in and out of my life tangentially. But whenever I was five years old, the doorman at the burlesque club that my mom danced at uh became her boyfriend and my stepfather, and he's still with her to this day and he's the best man I've ever met in my life, and I I owe a lot of my characteristics to him.

Speaker 1 14:05

He's not my blood father, and there are three half brothers. One's nine years younger than me, another one was, you know, 12 years younger, and then I've got a 27 year old brother that lives here in Austin. And so whenever I was nine years old, I was visiting my father, who lived in Corpus Christi at the time, and I would do odd jobs with him and he's like you want to know how I met your mom. I'm like, yeah, sure, he's like I woke up and she was riding me and I was like I need a little more explanation, right wait, how old were you?

Speaker 1 14:47

again. Yeah, nine, oh wow, yeah, that's a lot to drop on a nine year old well, you know it was a weird family dynamic.

Speaker 1 14:59

Uh, you know there wasn't a lot of stability in my life. Uh, I moved to four different elementary schools. I was displaced. I didn't always live with my mother or my father. I would live with relatives that took good care of me, um, but there was a lot of just displacement and it made me thrive to who I am today. I joined the military because that's the lifestyle, where you shoot, move and communicate. Right, you, you're at one duty station and you PC on PCS on to the next. You're always on temporary duty. It, it consumes you, but in a good way, if you enjoy traveling, you know, and and so at nine I was told that little tidbit, and after I'd come back from that summer of working with my dad, um, I just nonchalantly asked my mom so how did you and my dad meet? And she kind of chuckled and I knew, right, then I didn't go any further. You know I didn't want details.

Speaker 1 16:10

I was like that's enough, you don't need details, yeah, and then I would say it was probably around 15 or 16 that I put that song together with the lifestyle that I was kind of raised in. It wasn't just my mom, but there were like three aunts who were women of the night.

Speaker 4 16:32

So you can imagine where that might stem from sure, sure, um, yeah, I think I really a tiny bit. I had a lot of transitions in my life. I moved a lot, I had a. You know, my mom was 17 when I was born and there was my stepdad. Was was also like in crime, I don't even know how to put it, but he was like a con artist and stuff. Um, and it's interesting to hear, like the transitions that you say, very matter of factly, that I do too in ways, because that's just my life uh it's I.

Speaker 4 17:09

I love your like candor about it because it resonates I'm the same way I grew up in it.

Speaker 1 17:14

So it's never been shameful for me. I don't brag about it. But if anybody asks me, I mean I share it because it's made me who I am good, better and different. I am the person I am. I'm happy with the person I am, um, and how to become different circumstances maybe I might be entitled or wouldn't be able to see from various perspectives. So I'm grateful for that.

Speaker 5 17:43

Yeah yeah yeah, I always have that thing about you know, adversity and and and and and like tough, tough experiences, right, um, and they have a way of shaping, shaping us, and and different people obviously experience adversity different ways and I think you know, back in back in the old days, you know some of it had to do with sort of you know, male toughness and things like that. But I think adversity, whether you're male, female, um, things that are difficult, difficulty, tends to shape people, um, you know good, bad, worse, you know who's to say, but, but, uh, but yeah, I mean, this is, this is your experience, and you know, obviously you've come, um, you use that and and you and, and, then you've come, you know, come far, um, and you know you've, you've, you've built yourself into the professional that you are, and you know personally as well, and I'm sure we'll get into some of that stuff here. But, yeah, no, adversity has a funny way of uh, of shaping us as humans.

Speaker 3 18:44

I agree, but 100 yeah yeah, and I just I also to reiterate everybody else I I appreciate your candor and and sharing uh, your, your story so far and and what we're gonna get into. But uh, I think it also, as, as you were you know saying the stories, to saying these specifics of you know how you were raised, where you were and who you were with and stuff, it's that thing of like you know people might want to look at someone's story and go, you know, oh, that's, you know, I'm so sorry, you know, and it's like hearing you tell it. It's like there's a, a, a, oh, what's the word I'm looking for kind of like a, a, you know pretension, you know a, a lofty I'm better holier than thou view when people kind of judge other people's lives. Right, this idea of like there's this proper type of upbringing.

Speaker 3 19:43

If you don't have that, it's somehow some you're damaged or you're damaged, or you know things like, things like that, and it's like, no, like it's just, it's just your upbringing, right, it's just your experience and that's, it is what you make it yeah and coming up as a child, I kind of load to my parents not my stepdad and I harbored this hatred so I said I'm gonna do everything different.

Speaker 1 20:14

My mom got a g ed while in prison, you know. Uh, dad, you know, was drafted to Vietnam, came back bitter with the government and, you know, lived his life off the books, his entire life. And everybody in my family almost has been to prison. I have two siblings that passed a way that were younger than me. Um, they latched on to the bad stuff I tried to avoid and use those as guideposts to be like.

Speaker 1 20:51

You know, these are my left and right limits. I've got to have that integrity, I've got to be a better person. But, like I said, I had an example of somebody with, like, strong work ethics, uh, good moral character. Um, did he do bad things? I think we all do from time to time, but you know he owned them and he said everything that you do you're accountable for, and and so, yeah, I and I I don't presume to know anybody or their station life, whether they're well to do. They came with Silver Spoon, whatever it is. That doesn't mean they had a better life than me, because I was just mentally focused on getting out of that.

Speaker 1 21:45

So when I was 12 years old I was like circling in the classifieds jobs that I wanted to do, that had salaries that I would like and what would it take to get those jobs. And I I wasn't going to get any scholarships, I was in the work program. I would leave high school half a day and go to work and I was paying bills, sometimes lived in my car. You know there was a lot of, there was a lot of dissension there, but that was my driving force and I've found forgiveness and grace for my mother because, again, I don't presume to know anybody and I'm fairly certain that the past she chose was driven a lot by her experiences that I wasn't there for and I know nothing about.

Speaker 3 22:37

Right yeah.

Speaker 4 22:39

Yeah.

Speaker 3 22:39

Yeah.

Speaker 5 22:40

Yeah.

Speaker 4 22:43

I'll move us ahead a little bit.

Speaker 1 22:45

Yeah, it's all related. No, no, no, no, good stuff yeah.

Speaker 3 22:51

No, I had more questions, but I know we've got more songs to get through. We do, we do.

Speaker 4 22:56

I'm also. I'm also. My side hustle is Timekeeper. But no, but. But it's all related, right? It's? It's, it's the different parts of your life, so we'll keep like moving through your life.

Speaker 1 23:06

Yes.

2Pac and Snoop Dogg and Leaving for the Army

Speaker 4 23:07

Yeah, yeah. The cards, the cards your dealt continue to be dealt right Correct. So for for your next song. Prompt here is is a song that you associate with a weighty trans transition in your life. And what was that?

Speaker 1 23:25

That was Two of America's Most Wanted by one of my favorite rappers, tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, who I have seen in concert, but not Tupac but, as you all probably know, his alleged killer. Yes, tupac has recently been apprehended and is now charged with his murder and, from what I understand, he admitted that he accepted a million dollars to do the deed and yeah, but that's like 27 years in the making now and that's that's in the news. But I love Tupac, the poetic nature of it and just like the streets I was really into. You know all sorts of music, but rap was certainly one of them.

Speaker 3 24:15

Nice. Listen to it, and then we can hear more of the context on the other side.

Speaker 1 24:55

I love that song. I mean, there's so many Tupac songs that I love, but this song in particular. It was my transition, my breaking free of the chains. You know, I'm no longer beholden to my mother and I joined the army, graduated high school year early to do so, you know, put myself through summer school, I was driven to get away and the you know, doing your job every day worked so hard to your hair turns great. That became my motto. I wanted to retire. At a young age I was like how can I do that? How can I amass some wealth? And the military was like oh, you can pay for my school, you can retire me at 38, which I did, and they're paying me for the rest of my life and medical benefits. You know, that's about as close to baller as I can get.

Speaker 4 26:01

I love it.

Speaker 3 26:02

Nice.

Speaker 5 26:03

Nice, michael. How did you know that that was your, that that was the ticket? You were trying to get away? You were trying to make a way for yourself, was it? Was it a situation that you thought that, okay, cool, you know, I'll do whatever it takes to get away? Or were you like, no, no, no, I'm only going to do these. You know one or two options. College is one of them, or military is one of them. Or was it? Were you pursuing like a law career back then? Did that come later? How was? Tell me a little bit about your sort of how this ties in with your sort of educational journey.

Speaker 1 26:44

So I've always been a far in the future planner. You know, like I said, 12 years old I'm circling the classifieds and younger than that I called into a radio station to be a disc jockey for them. I was like 10 years old-ish, 11. I call in and and they put it on the air because it was so funny to them. But I was serious, I was like maybe I don't want a job right now, but I want to know what it takes and I never close a door that's available to me. So I didn't decide to go to law school until probably four months before I did so. So I had to take the LSAT real quick and it's because Black Hawk down had just come out and I commissioned into the army to be an aviator and I was like longevity, I want to live a long life and these birds are getting shot out of the sky with surface to air missiles, so maybe I can do something a little safer.

Speaker 1 27:59

So I was commissioned through the ROTC program. They paid for all of my schooling, food, my lodging, and commissioned me back in 2003. And I asked for an ad delay. Very few in the nation got it, but I was fortunately so high up on the OMLS because I was focused and driven and I didn't want to close any doors, and the better you do, the more doors that are going to be open. So I really lucked out and anybody who knows me will tell you I'm the luckiest person they know. My mom will say it, all my friends will say it, my wife will say it, my kids, they both say it. I have been very fortunate given the circumstances, but I take that as a nod to me, finding opportunity where opportunity isn't necessarily presenting itself, and thinking, like you know, college wasn't my option, it was go to the army. That's the quickest way to get out and become independent. And so I did that. And what? Each day it's something new and reenlistment time comes up.

Speaker 1 29:20

I was a paratrooper. I was there assault. I really loved combat arms. I put it in for ranger school Like, yeah, we need somebody 30,000 meters behind the frontlines to have a ranger attack. Yeah, no. And I was like, damn, I should have become an infantry guy. But you know, everything happens for a reason, I believe, and so I was combat arms just because of the short-term enlistment of it. And you know, if I joined the aviation branches and enlisted, it's a minimum six-year contract. If you join the infantry, it's a two-and-a-half-year contract. You know it's a sliding scale. These ones will give you bonuses, these ones will not, and then you just evaluate that based upon your circumstance. I wasn't concerned about bonuses, but I was concerned about making my way up.

Speaker 4 30:15

Yeah, and surviving it right.

Speaker 1 30:18

Yeah, yeah, succeeding to whatever degree I thought was successful at the time, which has changed over the years.

Speaker 4 30:27

Yeah.

Speaker 3 30:28

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's you know. It's a thing about the military, like you said that. You know I talk a lot about the problems of the military and issues with the military and things like that. But one of the positives, which I think all of us that serve, are we understand? I'm going to talk all this shit, but also, hey, there was these good things and don't you say anything about it, right?

Speaker 1 30:55

No.

Speaker 3 30:56

If you weren't there. No, we talk about it.

Speaker 1 30:57

Your entirety, your opinion, but mine is, you know, great, you know, I think, gave me an opportunity that I otherwise might not have had.

Speaker 3 31:07

Yeah and yeah. And the thing I was going to say of what you highlighted is that there's all of these points in the military where you know you finish your first enlistment and it's time to reenlist and it's sort of like, okay, what do I want to do? I can leave. They want me to stay, and so I kind of am holding some cards here in a sense, or whatever you know, and especially if you're kicking ass when you're there, you have some sway and some things Collateral.

Speaker 1 31:36

Yeah, things have changed since MEPPS Day 1.

Speaker 3 31:39

Right.

Speaker 1 31:39

Okay, I can reclass, I can become a forward observer, I can go to a non-combat branch or I can get out, utilize my GI bill, which I ultimately did. I stayed in the reserves and then I got an RTC scholarship and they were still paying me the GI bill money. So I had rent money, I had food money. I didn't have to work through school away. A lot of the people had to, and I wouldn't necessarily say that I earned it, but they gave it to me so I used it. A lot of people don't.

Speaker 3 32:17

Yeah, what I also find interesting with your story there and saying how you graduated early and you had this plan at 12, you're mapping it out and you're like what's it going to be? And it's like military, that's it. I'm going to graduate early so I can go. And what's interesting about that in ways is like you had this sort of military mindset, almost right, this mission-focused mindset, and you're like that's the place I need to be. And it's not usually the story we hear at 17. It's usually the person who's fucking up and getting in all kinds of trouble and whatever, and it's like this is the last ditch effort to straighten their life out, or something like that.

Speaker 1 33:01

Throw the war and go to jail.

Speaker 3 33:04

That's right. That is the saying, and we sing them as we are running. We say that so, yeah, I found that so interesting at 17. You are like this is how I am, this is what I need, this is where I want to go. I need someone who's on the same page as me. It's these people over here. They're kicking ass and they're going to set me up.

Speaker 1 33:28

And I had no idea. But also to provide context a little bit on my stepdad. Before he was a bouncer at a club, he was a scrolled ranger in one of the bats, one of the battalions which to be a ranger. That's, you know, crim to la crème, different color, beret, and just a badass to everybody on the base where ranger battalions are stationed. So he went through ranger school, had the tab and was scrolled into a battalion. There's three of them, and so the crim to la crème go to the ranger battalions, because those are the real door kickers and the true I mean not to say everybody in the military supports, but those are the guys I don't want to be on the battlefield.

Speaker 3 34:22

Yeah, I have ultimate respect for them, you know and so, and so he was able to steer you or guide you in it.

Speaker 1 34:32

I was enthralled because you know he met my mom shortly after coming off of active duty and he brought a lot of munitions that he shouldn't have and you know it was and he would show me pictures from the barracks and I'm like, oh my goodness, this looks so cool and you know he was proud of it, and while my father was not, he still, like, wore the Vietnam that had with medals. You know, just had this disillusionment toward the government.

Speaker 1 35:12

You know, yeah, so yeah, that's, I'd say that's where the military kind of became ingrained in me and then festered. While I was looking at avenues to better my life, I saw that as a viable option. He was only down side, was getting out and meeting my mom, I think, but he's stuck around all these years, wouldn't say he's the happiest guy, but I love him to death and I tell him every year that he's the best guy I've ever met.

Speaker 5 35:45

I just love the fact this is.

Speaker 5 35:47

This is kind of going backwards a little bit, and I think, dave, you were saying something to this, something about this, which is that, you know, for some folks, military is like that last resort, but for some, for some other people and you know, for you, for Don Michael, it was like no, no, that is it, that is the reason, or that's the thing that is going to get me to the same, to the next level.

Speaker 5 36:12

I just love that approach, I love looking at it. It's literally like that hourglass. You know, glasses have empty glasses, have full thing. It's the same glass. You're either looking at it as like a problem or you're looking at it as a solution and it's like, okay, you know, and it's literally just comes down to perception, because I'm sure you know, you join the military just like anyone else would and you went through the same stuff, but just you went in there with a mindset of using it as a stepping stone toward something else, as opposed to just like, oh God, I got to do this crap so I don't go to jail, you know.

Speaker 1 36:49

Yeah, it's, we called it embracing the suck. If you embrace the suck, I love that yes.

Speaker 1 36:57

You know I wanted to go to soldier of the month boards. I wanted to go to soldier of the court, soldier of the year. I was in combat arms but I was driving the commander and the first sergeant. So in the field exercises I mean you're kind of living the high life, you have the best of everything at a low rank and you have the biggest barracks room because you have a lot of kind of governing power. They put me in the pack room while I was a driver. So I'm like doing the PT test, I'm doing the filing, I'm checking people schooling. So when options would become available, I was like I want to do the 55 mile perimeter challenge at Fort Bragg, I want to jump out of airplanes, and so I would jump on it.

Speaker 1 37:49

And it was a stepping stone for some people. They look at it as an only thing that they can do, option and they're just going to placate themselves. And you know, there's a motto you can be dumb or you can be lazy, but you can't be both in the military. So you can get by and a 20 year career, I'm living proof and retire. It was never my intention to stay in the military but driving the commander he was like there's more in store for you. You should become an officer. I'd never thought about that.

Speaker 1 38:30

He wrote a letter of commendation for me which I submitted to the ROTC and that paved the way for. I was like, okay, I can make triple the money. Logistical work, that sounds cool. It was like I don't see these officers doing anything Anybody's. They get a foxhole sandbags, cool and lanyards. That's the, you know, the NCOs and the enlisted, the backbone of the army. You know they're just there to manage. I was like that sounds kind of cool and I just kind of kept with it because I loved moving, I loved meeting new people, I love the adventure of it, and so it kind of stuck with it.

Speaker 4 39:16

Yeah. I love that I could keep going. But we have money right?

Speaker 1 39:27

I think no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no no, no, no, no, no, no, so much more.

Speaker 4 39:36

Good job, Michael, just我也. So we'll get out. So we, just we, just olive magic in.

Speaker 1 39:41

Um, and you know there's not gonna be three jobs right now.

Speaker 4 39:46

You just have to find Prayer. I know the lie, you know, oh, you really did and that's kind of a she's on the big screen in of I don't know window that opens. You're like I'm going to take it because if life was like I'm not going back there.

Speaker 1 40:00

Yeah, so I'm so thankful my resiliency came from that, I believe.

Speaker 4 40:05

Yeah, yeah, I believe it too.

Speaker 1 40:09

And I appreciate yours as well.

Speaker 4 40:15

I also love that Tupac was kind of the the score or the soundtrack of that time for you, like allowing you to jam out as you were, like moving into that transition.

Speaker 1 40:26

Absolutely.

Speaker 4 40:27

Pretty cool. There are those songs that stick with you when you're doing hard things, right.

Speaker 1 40:33

In a way that the ones that you party to.

Becoming the "Tiny Dancer"

Speaker 4 40:34

It's just different. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah pushing you forward. So so we're going to transition a little bit throughout your timeline for for this next song. And that is what's a song that when you hear it, you are just instantly transported to a specific time or place. What song is it and where does it take you? So?

Speaker 1 40:58

oddly enough, elton John's Tiny Dancer takes me back to the gas chamber, Because that's where that monitor was given to me in the military and stuck with me. Because if you've ever experienced a gas chamber, it's not pleasant, but I've always been like a water off, ducks back, make the best of the situation, kind of lift people up. So I was always singing and dancing and they called me Tiny Dancer because I came out of there like who's not running out of my nose, tears pouring out of my eyes, can't breathe and you're flapping and a few seconds later I'm like oh, I'm so tired and dance and that name stuck with me through my gen days. But you know I was elisted what?

Speaker 3 41:50

I got it, yeah. Yeah, just to give a little bit of context for people that might not be familiar with the military, as part of, I know, army basic training I'm not sure the other branches, but part of army basic training is doing the gas chamber. You put your gas mask on, you go in, you do stuff and then you got to take it off, let the gas hit you the CS gas and, yes, not comes out. And then you come out and it's to, you know, get you to realize that you can go. It's going to suck but you're going to be okay, kind of thing.

Speaker 1 42:21

So you know that, getting getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, Right context so and so they open up CS gas in there and you know you think you're gonna fool them. Right, you're gonna go in there and pretend like you're breathing it in. No, they're going to be like what's your date of birth? And you're like, oh, no, the alphabet to me. And you're like people throwing up and like people are trying to get out of there. They are not letting you go until they're happy they're not open the door and want to come out, and so you're not tricking anybody, you're getting full experience.

Speaker 5 43:05

It's not like dummy vapors or anything, it's. It's the real stuff.

Speaker 1 43:09

It's the real CS gas and the room is grass, Wow, Like they're all in the center on a table. There's no ventilation whatsoever and you are stuck in the muck and you're not going anywhere until you satisfy the drill sergeant. And you know, ended up going through it several times throughout my career. But you know, once you've done it it's kind of like let's embrace that suck. You know you're not going to fake the funk, You're not going to get out of not really breathing it in and being like a drama. Well, you're really gonna experience some awesome good.

Speaker 3 43:52

But, make the best of it. And so, with that context of this, is where Don Michael is singing this song. Here's the song he was singing with us. So now another song. We will never hear the same way.

Speaker 1 44:33

No, I would have done my lollipop guild dance for you, but I'm wearing pajama pants, right?

Speaker 4 44:44

How does it feel hearing it again?

Speaker 1 44:47

It it that song, particularly when I read it. It transports me back to the gas chamber, really, yeah, and a really fun day for me, actually, because the camaraderie of everybody coming through the same suck you can identify on the same level. Not having had the experience, and now going through it minutes after you're out there, you don't touch your eyes, don't you know? Because it's gonna be a worse experience. You're seeing all your buddies come through and they're having it worse than you, with just snot is slapping around everywhere and you're like I'm not gonna let him live this down, but we're gonna make it a good experience, you know? You just like don't let them know that they've broken you and they'll be like just move on, I've gotten to have so much crap duty that way. He's like I love this, give me more. I'm a real Sergeant.

Speaker 5 45:48

Thank you can.

Speaker 2 45:48

I have another.

Speaker 3 45:50

Yeah, please, sir, may I have another? Yeah?

Speaker 4 45:52

Oh, my goodness this is Don Michael.

Speaker 5 45:56

I don't know if you've heard the, if you watched that David's episode, but this is like the Britney Spears experience. Yes, you remember that reference.

Speaker 1 46:06

I do, I do recall, yeah.

Speaker 3 46:08

Yeah, no, james, I was gonna throw us in Timberlake Social and all my stuff.

Speaker 3 46:13

And it's so true because there's so many military stories with this. I know Carolina likes the one I tell where it was like there was one of these thick bridal magazines and I was in the all male infantry but somehow that they got in our hands somehow and that thing went all around the platoon. Yeah, there was like a sign nub sheet for it. Now, maybe that was because people were doing other stuff with it, but you know, but you would yeah.

Speaker 4 46:40

Wow, wow, wow.

Speaker 3 46:41

Yeah, the pages are stuck together, okay, but no, you were just like it was the same way with the Britney Spears. For me, I think, in that way it's just, it's something that connects you back to home and so it doesn't matter so much what it is Almost the more like poppy, britney Spears, pop culture stuff, the better, I think.

Speaker 1 47:03

Yeah, no, I had like while I was down range in Iraq I had this album that I would listen to incessantly and it would take me back to Tikrit running on the Olympic field at like two in the morning and but I mean, when I really hear a song, it definitely takes me back to the CS chamber, you know, and every time it comes on it and it's just, it's not a negative feeling whatsoever, it's kind of like that camaraderie that you will never have outside of the army. You lose it when you leave the army and I know that you can vouch for that, david. All right, I hope you know, because we were nuts to butts. We were two man tents huddled together, freezing weather, sleeping under five tons. I know you had a little bit worse as an infantry, but at least I got to sleep in a ammo box.

Speaker 3 48:09

I was just on the ground. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 48:18

Oh, I was gonna say just one last thing was I think it's the opposite effect of it, right? I think one of the comments we made with David's choice of the Britney Spears song was I'm imagining like explosions and stuff going off and artillery fire and stuff, and there's Britney Spears toxicity playing, right, and I get kind of the same feeling with this one. It's like okay, so you know, gas chamber. The last thing that I would put in that visual would be Elton John's tiny dancer, Elton John.

Speaker 1 48:49

he was outside with a piano though.

Speaker 2 48:51

Putting it at UK now.

Speaker 1 48:53

No, no, no, no, it was the USO tour.

Speaker 3 48:56

I was gonna say that's the USO tour they need. They need to be in basic training outside the gas chamber.

Speaker 1 49:01

They don't motivate those guys.

Speaker 3 49:03

Yeah.

Speaker 1 49:05

I love him, I love him.

Speaker 5 49:07

Usually they end up getting oh sorry, kevin, go ahead.

Speaker 4 49:11

No, I was just gonna say I love. I love Elton John in those ways that he's got those like. He's got those fun songs that, like you envision, kind of it's laid at a bar and you're just like singing it with your friends at the top of your lungs and getting all the words wrong. But, still just like stoppy loving it.

Speaker 3 49:31

Hold me closer, Tony Danza.

Speaker 4 49:33

Hold me closer, Tony.

Speaker 3 49:33

Danza.

Speaker 1 49:37

Yeah, Tony Danza.

Speaker 4 49:38

Thunder Jeep.

Speaker 5 49:39

Thunder Jeep.

Speaker 4 49:41

Yeah, I know he just retired. I wanna say he officially stopped touring. But I think his soundtrack and his songs like live on amongst friends, Like it feels like those songs you sing with friends at parties.

Speaker 1 49:55

They're timeless and I think they will remain timeless Like Rocket man. I love so many of Elton John's songs, and candle in the wind. He's one of those artists that will stand the test of time through the ages, I believe, but for me for sure.

Speaker 3 50:17

It seems he seems like one of those artists where people don't talk about him as if they're an Elton John fan or not, like I'm sure people that are real Elton John fans, like follow him and stuff, will say I'm a fan, but I feel, like everybody else, it's just. Like Carolina you said which of his songs was there in your life, or what's the one it's not like, oh, I'm not a fan of Elton John.

Speaker 1 50:43

It's like no, no, oh, rocket Man's, yep, that's my song, or Tiny, whatever it is, it's just one of those it takes you back to that moment with, like, your very best friend, and you're just howling at each other and you think you're killing it.

Speaker 4 50:58

But all the words are wrong, not so much.

Speaker 3 51:01

Yep, yep.

Speaker 1 51:02

Oh my God, I'm shameless. At a karaoke bar, I don't care, I would bounce it out, no matter what.

A Song That Reminds You of Your Father

Speaker 4 51:11

I love it. Let's get to your next song. We've sort of focused on songs that remind you of certain places or certain times in your life. We'll pivot to a song that reminds you of someone in your life. What's a song that reminds you of your father?

Speaker 1 51:31

So Everclear's Father of Mine, like I've stated previously, he was kind of in and out of my life and so that song when it came out, story based upon the lead singers, kind of traumatic childhood upbringing and this relationship that was lacking with the father, but the way he sang it as a grown man, as a child, like where have you been? And it really resonates with me because the stability is something that I wanted and always lacked and it seemed like in his life I was a pawn, the FBI was always following him. So having a kid with you is a good way to you know.

Speaker 1 52:27

Oh, right right, you get away with things and not to say of my family members. My stepdad certainly not abusive. My father wasn't physically or emotionally abusive to me, it was just others. There was a certain level of respect that he gave me, but he was never there. And there was this time where he came and stayed with us for three months and slept on our couch with my stepdad and my mom in the house, when I was in fifth grade. Fifth grade and I just recently asked my mom remember that time that my dad came to stay with us. Why was that? She said oh, to kill his brother. I was like, makes sense, which you know. He had his reasons, but mind blown, right, you don't know this thing as a kid. He's not there to visit me, he's there to kill his sibling Right, right, yeah yeah, and you're like whoa.

Speaker 1 53:44

I never felt that fear from him. Maybe some of his brothers weren't so nice, but I garnered a lot of respect through him, so I was kind of like a bubble boy in those environments.

Speaker 3 54:02

Yeah, let's take a listen to the song and we'll talk some more on the other side. Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 2 54:11

Father of mine, tell me, where have you been? Yeah, just close my eyes and the world disappears. Father of mine, tell me, how do you sleep with the children you abandon and the wife I signed with me? I will never be the same. I will never be the same. I will always be where you decide. I will always be the lead. Now I have a grown man With a child in my heart and I swear I'm not the real Of a pain I know.

Speaker 3 54:57

I hope you can. I'll spend the rest of the way. Daddy gave me a day To stay my way. My daddy gave me a day.

Speaker 4 55:10

How does it feel listening to it now?

Speaker 1 55:14

Oh yeah, it's spot on. You know, he and his group um women were property and there was physical and emotional abuse, which my mom will never admit to she says she wasn't, but I know that she was and I was like what about that time that he held you down and pissed on you on the bed? She's like oh, that was a joke, I'm sorry, I'm like yeah that's uh, you know who's that gal with the got kidnapped and robbed the banks Patty Hearst.

Speaker 3 55:56

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 55:56

Yeah, she like bought into their car. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 56:02

Yeah, and Stockholm Syndrome yeah.

Speaker 1 56:06

That's it. Yeah, so it was kind of like that and, you know, being a fly on the wall, um, I was like I'm not going to let that happen. I have two daughters, one's 15, one's nine, and they are the apples of my eye, they are my world, they're my only reason for living. You know, I want the best for them and, you know, maybe that would be a side job for me, as opposed to like trying to gain massive amounts of capital. If, if I hadn't had that lack of security and I was like I do not want them to ever feel wanting, uh, or that I'm not there, or that I don't support them fully and completely. So, yeah, I, I listen to this song and it's like that's what I'm here to give them, what I didn't have. But I had an example Just the wrong way to do it, right, right. So you?

Speaker 3 57:12

just a great example.

Speaker 4 57:16

Yeah, I think so. I had read your, your, um, your song list ahead of time and, uh, ever said I did it like a few days ago and ever since I've kind of been blaring ever clear on my, on my um, on my headset and David and I were talking about it how, like at the time when they were out, uh, when they were like super popular in the nineties- I don't know that they were appreciated as much as they probably should have been, but like to to kids like me, I couldn't.

Speaker 4 57:47

I couldn't put together why their music resonated so much with me. Until I heard, until I read your story and the connection to the song and I think the way he sings about breaking generational trauma, and just his voice, he like he's not screaming, but it's this like impassioned. I don't know music nerds on here Raza, like there's something about the way he sings it that it's like a cry.

Speaker 3 58:15

He sounds like he's an adult, but he sounds like he's the kid, yeah.

Speaker 1 58:19

He's right, like yeah, just pounding on the table. It was like, why did you do this to me? He's he's approaching it from a extremely emotional standpoint that you could have just done good by me. How hard would it have been to be there with a little support. And I love that song, him and him and him. You know, because of the mom, we're really on my list of Memories, but I've had a lot of great people in my life too. So you know, I didn't have to figure it all out on my own at a young age. I Could take bits and pieces from different people and collect those to make them my own, and the music, of course, that spoke to me would get me. I would. I was constantly listening music. I would just be hold up everywhere with like headphones on and just listening to meaningful music, not the popular music, but the songs that truly I Spoke a language that I felt was mine, mm-hmm. So that's what it meant to me, and that song, surely, is way up there. I.

Speaker 5 59:42

Was gonna respond to one of those nerd the music nerd. Reference and I think I have one.

Speaker 4 59:50

Because I can't words to whatever it is I'm hearing or feeling.

Speaker 3 59:54

Yeah, no um.

Speaker 5 59:55

I, I, I, the. So the theme of Sort of the the absent father is something that I just I don't have personal experience with that much and and but I've as a music nerd. I hear a lot about it and obviously that it's in movies and things like that, so I know it's. It is like a thing, right, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 5 1:00:21

No but, I know, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah so but but, but I know it's, I know it's a thing and I know it's and I know it's very, very difficult and I have friends and and I mean, you know, I Know lots of people, just thankfully, you're. I'm grateful that I don't have direct experience in this. However, as someone who is not a big fan of ever clear here, I remember when this song came out.

Speaker 5 1:00:47

I was just like I. I said it was, it was, it was. I remember the video for the song on MTV. I was just like, okay, yeah, you know like I feel kind of bad for art Exocas now because I guess his dad wasn't around, but but I still wasn't, I didn't really care for the music. And then I heard there was a song in in in slipknot first album in which Corey Taylor says something to the effect of I am my father's son because he's a phantom, a mystery, and that leaves me. And then he screams nothing. So this song actually reminds me of another song with this where there was a similar theme about the absent dad. So I wanted to bring bring that that full circle back Metal circle right but bring it in and I do appreciate it.

Speaker 3 1:01:37

And there's the metal analysis, so yeah, the, the, the mental gymnastics raza that you just went through to try to maintain the judgment-free nature of this podcast. Like I Loved your song, even though I don't like it, because it reminded me of this other song that I really do.

Speaker 1 1:01:59

Beautiful mind with like Equations floating around. I feel you, man, and now I gotta go, not.

Speaker 5 1:02:09

And that was the point, my friend, by the. I am duly licensed by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Maintain that judgment-free, and there you go.

Speaker 4 1:02:30

Such a lawyer answer oh and we never know to like what's gonna feel like an anthem for us. Like you know the Britney Spears stuff for the Elton John's. Like you never know when a song is gonna just hit that way.

Speaker 1 1:02:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah send chills down your spine or goosebumps on the back of your neck and arms. You're like, holy crap, yeah, were they writing about me? Or the therapeutic version of it is like they're successful, they've dealt with this and they have overcome. You know, maybe there's mental anguish, but then you take the next step of finding grace and forgiveness, because there's no reason to wear that weight or that burden on your shoulders when the other party doesn't give a damn about you.

Speaker 3 1:03:25

You know right, yeah, it's like let it go.

Speaker 1 1:03:28

You know your life will be better as a result. So it's it's incremental process and I wouldn't say father of mine Just because you didn't have it. You had a very involved father Coming from Pakistan. You you weren't as destitute as me, but was my life worse? I mean, I got to do whatever the hell I wanted. I was a latchkey kid. They didn't care about me. You would be jealous of that, I think.

Speaker 5 1:04:02

No, no, absolutely, yeah, um, it's.

Speaker 5 1:04:06

I, I love, I Love, I love this podcast for that reason, but I think mainly I love the fact that it's and we're you know full disclosure I think the three of us can get, can tell you, you know, the same thing, and for our audience as well, which is that Some of the stories that that, that, don Michael, and your experience that you come with, I I've, I've known you a while and in a lot of these details I I haven't known personally and hearing about them, and and and our other guests and things like that. So so everyone who who has been a guest has has brought things to the table that I Don't have any, you know, we might not have personal experience with, but the fact that other people experience it, I'm and and I think all of us are curious in that way to Not not to make judgment, but just to learn. This is a learning experience. So something about this podcast us being adults, us being us Haven't gone through a bunch of stuff. All of us have our own experiences.

Speaker 5 1:05:07

Mine are clearly different, you know, from it, from anybody else's, but it is cool to share it and it's cool to learn from it, and and and and then somewhere in there, you know, in weaving the idea of finding relatable music to tell that story. Yeah, you know our dads are different, but the fact that we can be on this platform and talk about it and have a laugh about it and have a Beverage to go along with it dude, absolutely that's.

Speaker 1 1:05:42

But yeah, yeah, yeah no, I appreciate and, like I said, I Haven't walked in your shoes. I wouldn't say your upbringing was better than mine, I think, coming from Pakistan to Freezy Freezy.

Speaker 2 1:06:01

New York or Chicago was it.

Speaker 1 1:06:03

You know they like we got to get to Florida. You know, you know, I don't want to live in Chicago. I don't want to live in upstate New York. I mean, I also don't want to live in Florida, no offense, but it doesn't get any better in Texas. A Plug from a steak no, I'm not one of those guys. But yeah, so it is what it is and it's. It's good to not feel alone in those times and to listen to music that resonates with you. It takes you out of that alone. You know, it's like this Conversation you're having in your head with somebody who can empathize.

Speaker 4 1:06:47

Yeah, yeah, I have described it before. Sometimes this some like sometimes, when you're going through something, you you don't know you're going through it, or you can't put words to what you're going through, you can't call it, you can't name the thing, but when an artist puts words to what you're feeling, like that feels like a revelation, all right and in the case of ever clear the way they sing it.

Speaker 1 1:07:10

You know you have an act about that way, but damn, it feels good to have somebody like as your cheerleader, right, and you can crank it up in the car and you can sing it and people won't think you're crazy when you're pounding on your dashboard.

Speaker 4 1:07:24

Yes you know, yes, ever clear is good for the rage thing in in the car. I feel absolutely.

Speaker 1 1:07:32

It's, unless somebody can't hear the music and just sees you screaming at yourself. The windows are rolled out. It's like I'm gonna change lanes.

Speaker 4 1:07:44

I think I was telling our daughter about this the other day because I get self-conscious sometimes if I'm singing that like people around me. But if I pass a car and the person in the other car is clearly belting something out, I just I'd be like I don't know what you're singing to, but good for you.

Speaker 1 1:08:03

Absolutely. It's those times when you're driving home from work and the radio is not playing and you're going to speed limit. That's where you know you've lost it.

Speaker 4 1:08:20

Right, that's right, oh my god yes hashtag adulting.

Speaker 5 1:08:24

At that point I'll give you a Texas plug. I've loved, you know. So for our audience. I mean, you know, don Michael and I spent some time together in Texas and my first.

Speaker 5 1:08:38

So I drove from Florida when I, you know, just before starting law school, I drove I 10 West my first time, you know, in the in the central time zone, and I had, I had an SUV and I had two things, had two stickers on my, on my, on my SUV. One was a University of Florida, so you know, go Gators, and the second one was a slipknot decal on one of my windows and and so as I'm pulling into, you know, houston, harris County, texas, I Can see this guy. I'm forgetting on which highway or which which road it was, but I can see this clearly, you know, like pointing at me, maybe it was honking, I'm forgetting. Now you know the detail. The one thing people told me was like okay, houston drivers, please be careful, just look straight, get to where you got to go, don't pay attention to what people are doing, because no I can't know, I can't say it might not end well, anyway.

Speaker 5 1:09:40

So I'm looking at this guy and he's clearly looking at me and he's trying to like, yeah, and he's like I put the window down. You know, I'm like, oh god, so, anyway, so put the window down. He's like, dude, first of all go Gators, you know, and I'm like, all right. He's like second, slipknot, fucking love those guys. Texas, texas, I like it. I was welcome from the get-go man. Houston, texas, I love it absolutely. Love, love that city and and I haven't been back in many, many years but my god, the music, the, the food.

Speaker 3 1:10:32

It's such a good city except for it had such a good time separate traffic and I'm so glad that you were in my tight group of friends like throughout.

Speaker 1 1:10:43

Yeah, it was. It was fantastic. You're such a good dude, so Thanks for going.

Speaker 5 1:10:48

Thank you.

Speaker 4 1:10:49

Thanks for coming Thanks for making the drive Raza that's right and good choice of bumper stickers. Good job, friends.

Speaker 5 1:11:02

Yeah, oh.

Bob Seger's Turn the Page and Traveling the Country

Speaker 4 1:11:04

My goodness. Okay. So Our songs up to now have been kind of reflective or looking back To people or times, but sometimes we just like like to jam out when we're doing things right, doing activities and whatnot. So for your next song, um, what's a song that's like intimately connected to what other activity? A book, a location, a trip, something?

Speaker 1 1:11:29

like, yeah, this would be Bob Seeger's and Silver Bullet man. Turn the page. And that is connected to. After I got done working at the district attorney's office in Dallas, texas, we were fortunate that, like pay off all our debts our house, cars, credit card debt we bought an RV and we moved out of our house and we lived in a 24 foot bumper to bumper RV. It was me, my wife and my three and a half year old daughter, and for 16 months we traveled to each of the lower 48 states together and created memories, sat around a lot of campfires, entered into a lot of like precarious situations, but turn the page is just very reminiscent because one. I would play it often on that trip. I love that song. I love Metallica's redo of it beautiful. Not a big fan of what's named Wayland Jennings version, but nonetheless just that. That song transports me because you know it's. It's about a traveling musician and the Trials and tribulations that you go through in your journeys when doing so.

Speaker 3 1:13:04

Yeah, let's, let's take a listen to the song let's, let's take a listen.

Speaker 2 1:13:12

Most times you can't hear them talk, other times you can. All the same old cliches Is that a woman or a man? And you always see my number. You don't dare make a stand. And here I am On the road again. There I am Up on the stage. Here I go Playing the star again. There I go, turn the page.

Speaker 1 1:14:04

The response that I was talking about. Let's see if we can get those.

Speaker 4 1:14:07

You know, yeah, that song is so just like soulful.

Speaker 1 1:14:12

It just, yeah, it's folksy rock, see, bluesy, you know if that's the thing. And it just his very distinct sound. Bob Seeger love it the opening with a saxophone. You know, when he starts to hear that, come on, you're like, oh, that's my jam, turn it up. And yeah, lots of campfires, just talking good times.

Speaker 1 1:14:42

But yeah, you Wander into uncharted territories. I wasn't wandering as a musician, but you go into unfamiliar places where you might not be well accepted. You know, yeah, and you have to remain vigilant and kind of went in Rome Because you've got your little kid and your wife and you're there to protect them, but all the while, yeah, this song resonated with me deeply and and that is the song that is like the anthem to that trip, which I recommend everybody do if given the opportunity, you know a lot of nature, walks and just finding peace and yourself. You know staying far away from cities and maybe driving into a few and but you know, just hitting everything along the way national parks, and just Taking up and and taking life in as you can and then coming back Should have been a trauma.

Speaker 5 1:15:55

Musician maybe made some money on the way, yeah yeah, just bust out the guitar, and so don Michael is gonna ask you a couple things. One was you know, one was a detail about the trip itself and and I'm not sure if I should bring up that, or or the side note was you mentioned the. You mentioned the Metallica version of this song and as soon as I saw this on on your, on your list, it reminded me of that. But but but the music video for that song, because I didn't. Do you remember watching that? Metallica video for the Metallica version I did yes.

Speaker 5 1:16:38

And the. There's a storyline in that. I was, because you know, going back to To your, your, your sort of origin story and your, your younger life story that video was reminding me or of, basically, you as a little kid, you know following, following, you know parents and some tough situations and then the sort of the, the seedier things. I don't know if those two things, if you want to talk about those, or maybe any of that stuff, resonated with you as well.

Speaker 1 1:17:09

Yeah, absolutely. I mean a lot of these songs like I was listening to this, obviously not in 73 when it first came out, or when it was Released in 76, but maybe somewhere about 79, 80. It was being pumped into my ears like thunder jeep, and so you know it Once, you listen it often and it grows on you and you, just you really love it. At that time you're not thinking about the meaning behind it, right, it's just a beautiful, distinct voice, beautiful saxophone and the way you know, with a slide guitar, that that Metallica had done it with Jeff, it is just like. It's just like and James Heckfield, the way he sings it. So I think you know I I gotta go with the original because you know it's Bob Seager and it's what I was raised on, but it's it's not only that. I mean there there've been a Number of you know situations, one in particular we were in Goodlitzville, tennessee, having a barbecue at like a campsite where there's a bunch of RVs. Some are handmade, some are a million dollar vehicles. You know it runs the gamut. We were not on that higher but we weren't struggling on the side of the road broken down. So good right.

Speaker 1 1:18:46

But one evening I'm a host and a couple of guys who I'd be friended. While they're at the park they come over and they're all sitting there and they're talking. My wife is there, my kid is there, and they start talking about you know, collecting the number of billion, not remember and Like proudly. And my wife is Jewish. So I stood up. I was like I can't, you got to go on. He like storms off and then I go to like knock on his door. He's like I've got a gun and I go inside. I'm like we've got to address this man. Yeah, he wouldn't, he wasn't going to shoot me. He was just like he thought maybe I had some animus towards him.

Speaker 1 1:19:37

I was just like you know, right, yeah, no, this is uh, I can't accept that. I can't have anybody getting away with that. So we've got to knit this in the bud. And you know there was sorry said. Um, you know I wasn't able to change any minds, but, you know, maybe think twice before you flippantly talk about race, sexual orientation, uh, you know, the Holocaust, as if it didn't happen. You know, whatever it is, um, you know, just have respect and understand that maybe not everybody carries your point of view. Um, maybe going to knock on the door and after he said he had a gun going inside. But you know, I'm I'm committed at this point and yeah, so all's well that ends well.

Speaker 4 1:20:31

Right. That's just like we're going to talk this out.

Speaker 1 1:20:33

Yeah, we let's, let's uh brass tacks, you know. Let's throw the emotion out the window and just say you'll never say that shit around me again.

Speaker 3 1:20:43

Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:20:43

Yeah.

Speaker 3 1:20:45

And yeah, almost in this way of like well, he just told me he's a, he's a Nazi sympathizer. We can't just have walking around.

Speaker 1 1:20:52

We got to go talk to him yeah, yeah, uh, or drag him through the park by his ankle.

Speaker 2 1:20:59

No, I'm not that guy.

Speaker 1 1:21:01

But like you know it just maybe have a little more tolerance for others.

Speaker 4 1:21:06

I mean, maybe. I mean, maybe he learned something Like maybe he had he, maybe in his life, you know, we don't know what people's journeys are or where they are or why they are where they are. That was a lot of meta, but um, but you know, maybe it's possible, he, you know. However, he grew up and he's never met another Jewish person.

Speaker 2 1:21:22

Right, so he learned something that day.

Speaker 1 1:21:24

I, I haven't been in his place. I was like, wow, my words have an impact.

Speaker 1 1:21:27

Right, who did that? Maybe he's been slighted and beat relentlessly and harbors this resentment, and or he has a grandfather that was really proud and he's collecting it for a different reason. But the guy sitting across from him who was kind of buying into it and supporting him, he's a FaceTime, a Facebook friend to this day. He was so apologetic he wrote a letter to my wife. So you know, like forgive, but like you know, don't let things like that pass. It's idly by without checking it. You know, and that was one situation where you know hindsight's a good thing but it could have turned real bad, real quick, sure.

Speaker 5 1:22:14

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 1:22:17

And I think it's one of those things, like you know, there there's especially in these past you know five, seven years, and you know, as we get more divided or you know, however you want to talk about it, yeah, and what? What changes people's minds, right, and what we think of, like I'm going to give you a whole bunch of facts and stuff like that is not really what does it, but I like this, this, this environment of what you said, the way you set it up, like Carolina said, like it's an environment that is set up to potentially change someone's mind, right, yeah, because of the interaction. It wasn't at some kind of rally or something like that, where everyone's you know or other sides or something like that.

Speaker 3 1:23:04

You guys are sitting around in a casual way and this happens, and then you confront it and say why. You know that person's probably in a better position maybe to get that than if he was with. You know a hundred other people that were saying similar things and a hundred other people on the other side chanting other things or something like that.

Speaker 1 1:23:27

So yeah, yeah, and it probably helped that I was a white guy telling him that instead of a Jewish person. But my wife and my child, by virtue of her being Jewish, is also Jewish. So I had to address it because I could see how my, my wife was just like sinking in her chair and you know I was like filled with a little bit of rage but I was like you got to get the fuck out of here, you know apologize. And then I needed to talk about it and I got a letter of support from the one and he apologized, but not good enough to where he came back to another barbecue and we weren't even good, let's feel much longer, because they were like Confederate flags rolling through there and you know, but I'm not that, you know, I mean that's history for them, but you know it's also tied to a lot of hatred for others.

Speaker 4 1:24:35

Yeah, that history has impact for lots of people from marginalized groups.

Speaker 1 1:24:40

Yeah, yeah, and my job is to be an advocate. If I can advocate for my own family, what am I doing?

Speaker 4 1:24:47

What exactly? Yeah, exactly, and I'm not going to get close to the time. Just connection like that, like just a conversation like that goes so much further than yeah Trying to use force or violence to get your force.

Speaker 1 1:25:03

Nothing ever comes of that, right. I'm going to give you statistics. They don't give a damn about that. That's deeply ingrained. If they're collecting memorabilia, they didn't think of it yesterday. You know, right, right and in fact I don't know if you want to talk about it.

Speaker 4 1:25:22

No, just when you connect with someone and share a story and meet. You know, see people in real life. Like it's hard to hate someone when you've gotten to know them for a minute.

Speaker 1 1:25:32

Yeah, no, and you see this different side of them and you want to get to the bottom of it. Like I'm an inquisitive person, I want to know why people do what they do and what leads to that. Like, just peel the onion back so I can better understand, because that helps me grow. You know, if I look through everything with a monocular, I'm going to have a warped sense of vision or horse blinders. So I've got to listen to the story and I've got to take it in, be as non-judgmental as I can and then address it in a way that is going to be helpful, not harmful. You know and this happened I was invited into the 18th Is it the 18th Airborne Corps, a paratrooper like foundation.

Speaker 1 1:26:20

The guy who brought me in was a millionaire and wanted to donate a lot of money to my veterans nonprofit. I went to one of the meetings. I showed up and they were saying the N word and I called up to Washington DC and this guy was a president who they would fly in every year to accept an award. They kicked him out of the program because I wouldn't let it go.

Speaker 1 1:26:49

I was like I'm not going to let some former uniform wearing individual who espouses protection for people is going to like, minimize others and think that the white race is better. And I wasn't going to let that go. And they made me a lifetime member with no dues and his ass was bye, bye. It didn't matter how much money he had. My nonprofit did not get his money, but I didn't give a damn about it after I heard that stuff. Sure, I'll have principles, you know, and they have a couple. It's a couple. Yeah, oh, my goodness, I got to say Don Michael. I mean, as far as you know.

Speaker 5 1:27:33

I don't know. Yeah, you're an advocate and then you know just the fact that you're an attorney and things like that. But that's one form of advocacy, but I think actually standing up in the moment is something that very few people get to do and I think that you're just, you know, just in these last couple of examples that you gave right, it's, it's my hats off to you, dude. I mean, it's like I'm proud to know you and then to know someone who will Don't make me cry.

Speaker 2 1:28:19

And I appreciate your validation.

Speaker 5 1:28:22

Yeah, no, it's, it's. It's one thing to say, okay, you know, get the fuck out of here. It's something else to say that, you know, I'm just going to ignore it, which is which is perfectly fine. I mean, I would. I'm one of the people that I'm non confrontational and all All of that and but. But to number one, you know, recognize, okay, I just, you know whether it was the first example, or the barbecue example, recognize what's going on and things like that. But then, actually, you know, doing something about it, but, but, but, but having a conversation about it, that's, that's what it was Like.

Speaker 5 1:28:58

I'm going to speak to this person as a man, as a person, and, and you know, try to understand whether to change their mind or not. That's a different story, but you know, you did your part. What you can do is have a conversation and stand up, which you did, it's like and then the end result, whether it's good, bad, ugly, whatever, you know, that's that's besides the point. So, yeah, no, it's, it's, it's. I mean, you know, I think bravery is one way to describe it, but standing up and and and sticking up for, for others, whether they're, you know, minorities, or or, or, or your wife, I mean, my God, you know, your, your, your spouse, your family is directly impacted by this, this, by the situation. And yeah, it's, I'm yeah.

Speaker 1 1:29:57

Life is fleeting my friend.

Speaker 5 1:29:58

What else can I say?

Speaker 1 1:30:00

Tomorrow is in promise, right. Do the best thing you can while you're here. Don't be selfish. You know there are people who have it far worse, and so where you you see an opportunity. I saw one there. You know I'm not a hothead, but I'm not. I'm not going to cower away from anything. I wasn't raised that way and I would feel like a shell of a person if I hadn't addressed it. You know.

Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and New Perspectives of Meaning and Purpose

Speaker 4 1:30:39

Yeah, okay. So as we talk about, you know, we just kind of came off of of some experiences, of just like talking and sharing perspectives and and thinking about other perspectives. This leads us we're nearing the end here. This leads us to your last question, your last song. What's the song that opened you up to an entirely new perspective?

Speaker 1 1:31:04

It was Seven Spanish Angels by Ray Charles and the country God, willie Nelson, yes.

Speaker 1 1:31:15

That beautiful, beautiful song. I was raised in a atheistic family. You know. There is no God. There can't be with the life we're given. Trust, no one. There was a God, you know. And it's just such a beautiful, soulful song where two genres where you wouldn't expect Ray Charles and Willie Nelson, both icons in their own genres and will stand that test of time, came together to create this beautiful masterpiece with redemption, love, loss. It just spoke to me so much and you know, you listen to the song and it's just like that goosebumps moment where it's like there's got to be something greater out there.

Speaker 1 1:32:15

I don't know what it is, but I'm just not going to flat out say there's nothing, because I've escaped a lot of different stuff. People say I'm the luckiest person they know. I think I'm the most fortunate person they know. You know, and I don't take credit for that, I mean people will say I stumbled backwards in the shit like good stuff, like not even looking for it, and that's not true. But my mom says that because she's jealous, whatever. But our relationship now is good. You know, I went to a birthday party a couple of weeks ago, drove six hours around trip for it. So you know there's no ill will or resentment there. But you'll never get there unless you can see beyond yourself. You know and think that maybe I'm just a small part of nothingness. Right, there's something much greater. I don't know what my purpose is, but I'm going to make the best opportunity of it, and that best opportunity is not harboring resentment and this song just. I may cry when I hear All right.

Speaker 3 1:33:39

Well, let's get you crying then no, here we go. Seven Spanish angels.

Speaker 2 1:33:51

When the battle stopped and the smoke cleared, there was thunder from the throne and seven Spanish angels took another angel home. Seven Spanish angels at the altar of the sun. They were praying for the lovers in the valley of the gun. Yeah, well, that's all.

Speaker 1 1:34:27

I love it. I love it. I love Willie Nelson. Here's my first concert ever in 1983 in Austin Texas. It's online. All I remember was a bunch of like skunky smelling stuff. My aunt had brought this cool floppy hat that you could like fold and it would just go into like a little disc. And my other crazy aunt had brought a little red riding hood. You'd flip it upside down, became grandmother, you'd flip her backwards and it become the wolf, like you know. I know that there was a concert going on stage, but I was just like a little dazed and confused by the skunks that were around and those cool gadgets that I was playing with.

Speaker 3 1:35:20

Yeah, yeah, oh, that's good stuff. Yeah, I mean, it's not just. You know, we said it on Elton John in that same way, and I feel like Willie Nelson and Ray Charles too. But you know, willie Nelson, this kind of icon, in this way of just yeah, it's just like you, just like I wouldn't say I'm a Willie Nelson fan, but that doesn't mean I don't like him. I'm just not like you know, getting all the stuff and listening to all the time, but anytime he comes on like getting this song ready for you know, tonight just Aaron is voice kicking and you're like, oh, it's like a, like a hug, yeah.

Speaker 1 1:35:58

You. You hear half a second of half a note that he's singing and you know it's Willie Nelson, that name you know.

Speaker 3 1:36:07

Yes.

Speaker 1 1:36:07

And if you're a Texan, you hold him in the highest regard, just like George Strait. You know, and I saw him again. I've seen him several times, but most recently, like a year and a half ago, he's still like he's still doing his thing. He well up to a year and a half ago and it blew my mind because he stood the entire time he played his guitar with the holes in it from the strumming.

Speaker 3 1:36:42

He's got this guitar. That's just like beat the hell.

Speaker 1 1:36:45

He's been playing it forever and I'm like he's so old I can't even stand up for that long with my issues at 45, and this guy is killing it, you know. And he's still smoking blunts with Snoop.

Speaker 3 1:37:05

Dogg, I was going to say, must be all that skunky smell.

Speaker 1 1:37:08

Yeah, it's like from the crepe.

Speaker 4 1:37:13

He will raise with the ones. That's right Well preserved. He's not going anywhere.

Speaker 3 1:37:17

That's right.

Speaker 4 1:37:18

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 3 1:37:20

Can't get buried if you're always high.

Speaker 1 1:37:25

You know, I'm sure, oh, my goodness. I love that that was 40 years ago, when I first saw him 40 years ago, and then a year and a half ago I saw him again. Same guitar, yeah, just way more beat up, and him too. But that voice, wallace.

Speaker 5 1:37:54

On the road again.

Speaker 1 1:37:56

I can't, mama, don't let your babies grow up to be count. Yeah, I mean there's a litany of them. But that cross intersection between you know the rhythm and blues and Ray Charles and his distinct voice and true country, this is not something at the time that you saw coming together and then Aerosmith and run the MC, you know, you know for, you know for runners in the you know crossing genres. I'm not a big fan of the whole like pop country thing going on, but I mean, to each their own, no judgment. Yeah.

Speaker 3 1:38:43

That's right.

Speaker 4 1:38:44

Well, I'm not super, I'm not familiar with this song, but just noticing like I was like oh, seven Spanish angels. And then I was like listening to the guitar and I was like, is that like a mariachi sound back there? It was pretty cool.

Speaker 1 1:38:56

Yeah, yeah they play still guitars and they, like you know, we got banjos, we do a lot of violin in Texas with country music, yeah, and we have the like little watch board. Oh yeah, you know, and so yeah, but it creates this authentic sound and when merged with, you know, the piano or somebody with a soulful voice and this like nasally cowboy, that is a little bit of a nice amazing sound to me. It's just that's. That's a beautiful song, yeah.

Speaker 5 1:39:40

I think all of it has swagger. It's got that Texas swagger right. I mean, when I think of Texas, yeah, I think of, I definitely think of Willie Nelson, definitely think of country music, but I also think of Pantera.

Speaker 1 1:39:58

Oh man, oh my goodness.

Speaker 2 1:40:01

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 1 1:40:02

Three.

Speaker 2 1:40:04

What do you say?

Speaker 1 1:40:06

I saw them in concert too.

Speaker 5 1:40:09

Cowboys from hell. Are you kidding me? Yeah, wild.

Speaker 4 1:40:13

I think of Beyonce because I think she's from Houston.

Speaker 3 1:40:15

She's from Houston, yeah.

Speaker 5 1:40:16

She's from Houston. Yeah, Texas is big y'all.

Speaker 4 1:40:19

Big yeah Right Texas produced.

Speaker 2 1:40:22

Pantera and Beyonce, yeah, and Willie Nelson.

Speaker 4 1:40:26

Man my goodness Her former group Pantera.

Speaker 5 1:40:31

Pantera go ahead. Go ahead, rosa. No, just because yeah. So I mean, jamie Foxx played Ray Charles. Right, he did it. He was an Oscar for his portrayal. I know for a fact Jamie Foxx is from Tyler Texas. He always talks about Tyler Texas.

Speaker 1 1:40:47

He's the most talented guy I've ever seen.

Speaker 5 1:40:50

Oh my gosh.

Speaker 4 1:40:51

He's the talented yeah.

Speaker 5 1:40:53

Yeah, but I don't know for sure is Ray Charles also originally from Texas or no?

Speaker 1 1:40:59

I don't believe, so I don't feel like not.

Speaker 5 1:41:01

I don't think he's got a Texas connection Okay.

Speaker 1 1:41:04

I don't believe he is, which is also why it's so unique that those two came together, you know, and having the respect for each other's work and catalogs to come together, and you know, this is like a song in the desert, you know, in Mexico or on the border, where people are just getting gunned down by banditos, you know, and on the run, homes are being burned down and this woman sees her man die and she picks his gun up and points it at them, knowing that there's no ammo in it, just to go home with him.

Speaker 3 1:41:51

Yeah, wow.

Speaker 3 1:41:52

Yeah yeah, definitely listen to the rest of the song. Carolina and listeners, this is an opportunity to plug for our listeners. In case you didn't know, we have an Apple Music and Spotify playlist for all the songs that are on all these episodes. So go on there and search the A Life in Six Songs playlist on Apple Music and Spotify and you can listen to all of these songs because, yes, there is more Mariachi guitar at times that comes in. I've definitely heard that in going through and pulling out the clips and, like Don Michael just said, the lyrics and the story in the other parts is they're super good.

Speaker 4 1:42:32

Awesome, I'm going to be going back. Well, don Michael, we've gone through your life in Six Songs. How does it feel to hear your life reflected through music and through these Six Songs?

Speaker 1 1:42:52

You know it's always been therapeutic for me, so I essentially got a free counseling session out of this deal.

Speaker 3 1:43:02

And by three non-licensed therapists.

Speaker 5 1:43:05

I want to point out none of what we say is medical advice.

Speaker 1 1:43:10

We'll call it life coaching.

Speaker 3 1:43:11

There you go.

Speaker 1 1:43:14

Life. And, yeah, I'm just. I'm ecstatic at the opportunity to take part in what I believe, if used correctly many of our first responders, veterans with PTSD if they understood and use the value of music therapy for what it truly can be, I think we can start to make leaps and bounds. Where shortcomings have, you know, not succeeded. And for me, I always turn to music in hard times and in good times too, you know, and it provides solace for me. So, having talked through all this and like, put the impact on my life from these songs you know they'll impact different people different ways, but for me they were meaningful and I encourage others to seek out those. You know, six songs in a life Because you learn more about it. You pay closer attention. The closer attention you pay to the music, if it resonates with you and you read between the lines of music and the way in which it's presented, it can also just magnify and intensify that therapeutic nature of the music.

Speaker 4 1:44:58

Mm-hmm yeah.

Speaker 1 1:45:01

So I was given that opportunity by you also. I thank you all for the opportunity.

Speaker 4 1:45:09

We, Before we pivot here to our lightning round. We fully just appreciate you trusting us with your story and the music that guides it.

Speaker 1 1:45:21

Thank you so much, absolutely, and I appreciate you guys sharing as well, and I'm still running through and I'm going to watch every episode.

Speaker 5 1:45:31

Awesome.

Speaker 2 1:45:33

Thank you. No, it's been a pleasure doing.

Lightning Round of Four Bonus Songs

Speaker 5 1:45:35

Yeah, bye-bye, thank you, thanks for coming on, thanks for agreeing to do this with us to share your story. Okay, so I'm not going to get too sappy, I'm going to keep us moving forward and, yeah, so toward the end we usually do a lightning round of sorts. You know, we've dealt deep and now we just want sort of the first thing that comes to mind. So I've got a list here and we're going to play four songs. I'm going to throw out the words and, david, if you have them ready, you know we can play a very quick clip and Don Michael, maybe the first sentence or two that comes to mind, and we'll just keep it moving.

Speaker 1 1:46:18

So I'll pretend like I haven't written them down too, so like this, if you want Complete hey no. Surprise Okay.

Speaker 3 1:46:27

They may be more than very eloquently.

Speaker 1 1:46:29

I don't know, we'll see.

Speaker 5 1:46:34

All right. So what is what is fortunate son by CCR mean to you?

Speaker 1 1:46:39

So oh man, that go. That's a power powerful protest anthem and it's condemning the powerful and the privilege who ultimately, and oftentimes flippantly, make life altering decisions for the underprivileged Right. And coming from a very destitute childhood, you know I harbored some resentment because I recall one time in college course I was in macroeconomics and a guy stands up and says only dumb people should serve an army. My intelligence capabilities are better served.

Speaker 4 1:47:29

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 1:47:30

And I was livid right. This is one of the times where I didn't stand up, because I was in the army at the time. I was going to school, I was getting commissioned and I just wanted to give him some wall to wall counseling, because that that is a piss poor attitude. You know, if you're not willing to stand up for the freedom that this country provides, then maybe don't take advantage of the freedoms you were given.

Speaker 1 1:48:01

Just a personal opinion, you know some people can't serve but those who can, you know, maybe give it a shot.

Speaker 3 1:48:09

Yeah, all right.

Speaker 5 1:48:10

Next one. Yeah, what is it? All right, number two round here, but the counting pros Round here.

Speaker 2 1:48:20

We all look the same.

Speaker 3 1:48:25

Oh man, one sentence, all right. Where were you? What's the connection?

Speaker 1 1:48:29

This was an introspective and melancholic song that captured a sense of the aimlessness of youth and ultimately we all go through that right Like yeah, you know everything as a child, but then you get older and you realize you didn't know so much. I mean, that's kind of a compound sentence or multiple sentences, but that's kind of where I will take it.

Speaker 4 1:48:59

We won't get out Well put. Yeah, I love that song. Pick on the grammar yeah.

Speaker 5 1:49:05

All right, all right. Next.

Speaker 2 1:49:13

What's the name of the boys? What you got.

Speaker 1 1:49:18

This is a false origin story. Putting MCA might be an ad rock the Beastie Boys together, where they were all on the run from the laws and they were like bandoleros. They didn't care about anybody but themselves, right? And then they were like let's combine our force and wreak havoc. Loved it. It was kind of like a to the system.

Speaker 4 1:49:51

That's right, yeah, and wreak havoc, they did.

Speaker 1 1:49:53

They triggered it.

Speaker 3 1:49:54

All right. Number four this is about a connected to a time and place.

Speaker 5 1:50:00

Okay, Go ahead Raza, All right, so Pirate Looks at 40. This is live at Cocua Festival. It's by Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds.

Speaker 2 1:50:13

Yes, I am a pirate. A few hundred years too late.

Speaker 1 1:50:23

Love that song, originally a Jimmy Buffett song.

Speaker 2 1:50:27

Shout out Rest in peace.

Speaker 1 1:50:28

Rest in peace, jimmy. Yeah, and that song is about being out of place, right? Obviously they're like I'm over 40. I should have been a pirate, should have been born hundreds of years ago, because that's the life I live. And then it looks at the things around us and humanity. We've lifted ourselves and our value up so much and minimize our impact on others or the earth, and so they sing about the ocean and the treasures that it holds that we haven't even experienced or seen the power of the ocean. It came before us and it'll be here long after we're gone, and for me it provides this perspective of truly. Maybe we're not as important as we individually think we are.

Speaker 4 1:51:25

That's all I got.

Speaker 3 1:51:27

I love that Nice that's pretty good Love it yeah.

Speaker 5 1:51:33

I'm going to say one last thing about this, because I really this last one I'm going to have to go back and talk about goosebumps. I got goosebumps listening to it and I'm not like an ocean person, but it kind of reminds me of I know we're wrapping up, so I'm just going to try and keep this as short as I can, that's all right, keep going.

Speaker 3 1:51:50

I can cut it out afterwards All the while, jack, thank you, see Good. Oh God.

Speaker 5 1:52:02

You know, yeah. So we like a lot of the sort of you know, heavier music, blah, blah, blah. I've been watching a couple of documentaries on sort of behind the scenes stuff and how some of my favorite bands put stuff together and this idea of like writer's block and the lyricist or the singer is just, you know, he's like yeah.

Speaker 5 1:52:20

I'm talking about myself and my emotions, and that's what we're known for, and and I'm out of ideas. And then I listen to something like this, which is like okay, fuck you right, it's like you're one person. And here these guys are talking about not just one person, but one humanity, and and and, and I mean my God, the creativity that that will that has gone into the song. I've heard like four seconds of it, but where we are in the context of you know age, and then we should have been in a different time, we should have been pirates, and what secrets you know the oceans hold. And, by the way, you know, the oceans have been here for billions of years, so I mean heavy metal guys please, yeah, please.

Speaker 3 1:53:10

Up, you go, you're fucking lyrical game. Okay, catch up with Dave Matthews.

Speaker 4 1:53:13

Hey Rod is having a moment here. Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 3 1:53:17

Your inspiration for the next Solamente album. Go back, listen to some Jimmy Buffett, some Jack Johnson and and absolutely yeah, find a new, new perspective there you go, yeah, awesome.

Speaker 5 1:53:30

Yeah so thank you, don Michael, this is awesome.

Speaker 4 1:53:35

Jimmy Buffett's music. This is a beautiful, beautiful song. And I just love Jack Johnson's, just just his whole vibe, and I'm a deep Matthew, so like I hadn't heard this cover, but I, I, I for sure will. Awesome.

Speaker 3 1:53:48

They have a whole. They have a whole album out for this festival.

Speaker 1 1:53:52

Cool, and it's Jack.

Speaker 3 1:53:54

Johnson with.

Speaker 2 1:53:56

Yeah, so many people come out.

Speaker 3 1:53:57

Jackson Brown, eddie Vedder, yeah.

Speaker 4 1:54:03

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 1 1:54:04

This is the best festival I've ever gone to. I mean number one. It's in Hawaii, where I live.

Speaker 5 1:54:10

Hawaii.

Speaker 1 1:54:11

And you know so getting out there could be very expensive if you want to go year by year. But all of the proceeds are like given to like cleaning up the ocean, and Jack Johnson's wife is a teacher on the North Shore for elementary school. You know like salt of the earth, yeah, and you know just surfing and and making banana pancakes.

Speaker 4 1:54:38

That's right, you know, it's all beautiful yeah.

Speaker 1 1:54:41

So just get a different perspective. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 1:54:45

David put Jack Johnson on the life in six songs tour someday. He starts touring music festivals and artists and see him if he's that on.

Speaker 3 1:54:54

There.

Speaker 1 1:54:55

Yeah, yeah, he doesn't venture far from Hawaii, but that's okay.

Speaker 2 1:54:59

We'll go to him with one stone.

Speaker 1 1:55:02

That's right. My daughter, my 15 year old, lives there right now in Hawaii.

Speaker 5 1:55:06

Oh that's pretty good, I mean Maui.

Speaker 1 1:55:08

Maui, maui. Yeah, we used to have a ferry from Oahu to Maui and then the surfers shut that yeah.

Speaker 5 1:55:19

No, I mean Maui just went through like a hell of a fire and yeah, no, it's like it's, it's, it's no joke and and a lot of people are, are, you know, are suffering because of it. I think it's coming back now and you know, day by day things are getting better, but yeah we were in Maui one year ago, September, and it was beautiful I don't.

Speaker 1 1:55:43

I'm scared to go back and see it. You know I've seen the devastation and it's truly sad, but they're resilient people. You know they, they will get through it and the weather is always beautiful. So even if you have to live in your lawn for a little bit, man.

Speaker 4 1:56:03

I would do it.

Speaker 1 1:56:05

I would do it in Hawaii. If I'm going to become homeless, I'm going to be getting there as fast as I can, going out there. Yeah, I'm just going to become a pirate on the ocean there you go there you go Over 40. Yes.

Speaker 4 1:56:22

There's the anthem for it.

Speaker 1 1:56:24

Yeah, nice.

Speaker 4 1:56:26

Don Michael, thank you so much for for sharing your story with us. Thank you all your inspiration, your resilience. The songs are amazing, like just thank you so much in. We want to make sure that that we uplift and highlight things you've got going on. So in the, in the last couple of minutes we have left I know you have a nonprofit Tell us what you've got going on that people might be interested in and and, if they want to, how they can get in touch with you about it.

Speaker 1 1:56:53

Yeah, so I, I strictly help veterans and their families. I don't charge them a thing. I do like discharge upgrades, va compensation, second looks, don't take any of the money I've. I took a two-time purple heart recipient from 10% to 100% disability, which you know breaks my heart. What the VA does, you know.

Speaker 1 1:57:19

But these, this changes lives and that's what is meaningful to me. It's it's the work I can do because, like that's my niche Military law. I I've done hundreds of court marshals, defense work, and I do it all free of charge. I currently have a number of clients who are either family members or victims or active duty personnel who you know are struggling, can't find a good lawyer, and you know lawyers who have financial gain as their their goal won't do well for the people who truly deserve it. So I get to pick and choose my cases, but I put myself all in and I was.

Speaker 1 1:58:15

I was talking to one before and as soon as I got it off with you I'm going to call her back. She's in Georgia. She's a female who's been racially discriminated against by command and through the investigative process. It's easy to do that to use your power against those who have less power, and oftentimes the motives are not pure. So those are the things that I want to get on. So I mean, I can do a litany of work regarding military things, but I prefer to do it free of charge if I can, because that's what they deserve. You know, give back to those who served and and are being wronged.

Speaker 5 1:59:05

Yeah, nice All right.

Speaker 4 1:59:08

Thank you.

Speaker 3 1:59:09

Don Michael, thank you so much for for being on. We thank you, I think, a number of times, but that just goes to show how how much we've enjoyed sharing in your story and, like Carolina said earlier, thank you for trusting us with it and this has just been, yeah, really, just really great.

Speaker 1 1:59:30

This has been a good evening for me. Thank you so much, awesome.

Speaker 3 1:59:35

Thank you All right, everybody that does it for this episode of a life in six songs. Like and subscribe and tell your friends about it. Anyone you think could benefit from hearing some of these stories Spread the word let's let's do what we can for people. Like Don Michael said, let's help those who need it, and with that we will see you next time.