Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

Jermaine Charles is a multi-faceted creative professional based in Brooklyn, NY. Over his career, Jermaine has also worked in radio and film production, leading to a very diverse professional experience that aligns with his unique personal experiences. In this episode, Jermaine and I talk about all sorts of things; from the fallacy of the nuclear family to his complicated relationships with both p...

A handful of my guests on this show have been recommended by listeners or people who've previously been interviewed by me. This episode's guest was pitched to me by Joel Frieders, who appeared just a few weeks ago in Episode 47 . He said he had a buddy who was a rapper and a kindergarten teacher and had the deepest voice he'd ever heard. Of course, I was intrigued. And that intrigue led to an awes...

To wrap up the first year of Detoxicity, I am interviewing Tash Neal. Tash is a musician, singer, and songwriter born and raised in New York City. He first gained notice as a member of The London Souls, and released his debut solo album, Charge it to the Game, just last week. He's performed with Lenny Kravitz, The Black Crowes and Slash.   Tash has a lot to talk about during this interview, starti...

So here's something a little different.   For the first time in Detoxicity history (and certainly not the last), I am interviewing two people at once. Gerry Hirschfeld and Chris Tsaganeas are members of the L.A.-based indie rock trio Wax Owls . We cover a lot of ground in our conversation. Gerry Chris and I discuss the Wax Owls dynamic, which is probably applicable to any business relationship bet...

Jacob Slichter is best known as the drummer for the  band Semisonic (most famous for the international smash "Closing Time". He is also the author of the book So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star, an honest account of the time in his life when Semisonic went from upstarts to Grammy-nominated radio mainstays. Currently, Jacob is a writing professor at Sarah Lawrence college and he is wrapping up hi...

Ned Donovan is an actor, entrepreneur and creative multi-hyphenate (surprise) (originally from Maine and now (well, in non-COVID times) making his home in New York City. He currently is a cast member of the D&D-related podcast Encounter Party, runs a website for theater professionals called Audition Cat, and is also developing a podcast based around eulogies.    Ned also has a pretty interesting p...

Troy Ramey made it to the top 12 of the televised singing competition The Voice. However, Troy is a lot more than a contestant on one season on a reality show. In our interview, we talk about how the passing of his father drew him closer to music being more than a hobby. We also talk about the plusses and minuses of being your own boss, and how much of a struggle that has been in the last year of...

A previous guest described himself as a connector, and I consider myself someone who values the connections that can randomly come as you walk through the world. My connection to this episode's guest, Joel Frieders , comes from my friend Jonny Boucher , who I interviewed a few episodes ago. Like Jonny, Joel is connected to the charity Hope for the Day and is a tireless advocate for mental health....

My guest for this episode is Varghese Chacko, who is a partner in the organization NYC Nightlife United , whose aim is to provide relief to BIPOC-led venues in the New York City area during the COVID-19 crisis. In our interview, Varghese and I discuss his Indian-American heritage and what diversity means to him. We also discuss how he's staying afloat during stay-at-home orders, his recent recommi...

My guest for this episode is Cornell Verdeja-Woodson. Cornell is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the meditation app Headspace . He is also the founder of Brave Trainings , a company that provides a starting point for corporations and organizations to discuss diversity and equity through authentic dialogue and intentional action. Diversity and equity form the bedrock of our disc...

Singer/songwriter Kenny Roby has spent upwards of three decades as a working musician. His most recent album, The Reservoir, was released in August of 2020. In this episode, Kenny talks to me (Mike) about the many side hustles he's had to undertake as a professional musician and why being a musician (as an actual job) is highly undervalued. He talks marriage, divorce and raising two young men; the...

Joe Kwaczala is a comedian and actor from the Pittsburgh area, currently based in Los Angeles. He also hosts the podcast Who Cares About The Rock Hall? and in 2019, was given his own half-hour Comedy Central stand-up special . Joe and I connected on a noisy New York City evening to talk about staying creative (and busy) during a pandemic. We also laugh about the difficulty of pronouncing Joe's las...

Jim Shearer is currently the host of the "Jim Shearer Show" and "70s 80s 90s Now" on SiriusXM, and you might know him from his previous stints as a VJ on MTV and VH-1. Jim pops up on the Detoxicity podcast to discuss what it felt like to achieve his teenage goal to be a media personality and how that's affected everything he's tried to do since. We also get a look at Jim's conservative, Christian...

Kurtis Powers is, like many of our guests, a renaissance man. He is the co-founder of The Face Radio NYC , an independent radio station broadcasting all over the world (in addition to being one of the station's on-air personalities). He is also a partner and creative director at Analogy , a creative consultancy that focuses on culture and lifestyle. Kurtis sees himself as a connector, and clearly...

Alex Marko is a producer and musician who comprises 1/2 of the duo Satellite Mode . As an independent musician, Alex has a lot to say about the appreciation of music and the balance between art and commerce. He also talks to Mike Joseph about approaching his career with a business background, managing his neuroses with therapy, and attempting to find a ray of light during the tough times we're in...

Josh Gondelman is a comedian, author and an Emmy-winning writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He also hosts the podcast Make My Day. In this episode of Detoxicity, Josh talks about his "nice guy" reputation (which isn't for show, he really is a nice guy), his hometown of (just outside) Boston,  his desire to keep constant "check-in" on those close to him, and the cultural differences and...

Kent Koren is many things. He's a copywriter and adman who's contributed to campaigns by brands ranging from Chase to Canon. He's a comedian who came up in the L.A scene alongside Retta, Craig Robinson and the late Brody Stevens. He's an actor and voice over artist. He hosts the Zappa-themed radio show The Mothers of Connection on Radio Free Brooklyn every Saturday. He's also the latest guest on D...

Blaze Mancillas is a comedian and actor originally from the Bay Area, who now makes his home in New York City. In this episode of Detoxicity, Blaze talks to Mike Joseph about discovering his love for performing arts while in college and turning that into a career. Blaze also delves into his multi-ethnic heritage and struggles with authenticity. You'll also find out what separates comedy audiences...

This episode features an interview with Crispin Kott, co-author of The Rock & Roll Explorer Guide to NYC and the upcoming Rock & Roll Explorer Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area . Interestingly enough, at the time this episode was recorded, Crispin was prepping for a cross-country relocation from New York to the Bay Area--in the middle of the pandemic. We talk about the move, as well as delvi...

Peter Kirk is a musician based in New York City who records and tours under the name Panama Wedding . Panama Wedding released two well received EPs in 2014 and 2015 before Peter took a break to reassess his career and become a dad. His first new single in some years "Fly to Panama" was just released this month. In our conversation, Peter and I talk about the ups and downs about being a professiona...

This episode features a good friend of mine by the name of Bill Bodkin. Bill is a journalist who makes his home near the Jersey Shore. He founded the site popbreak dot com more than ten years ago, and the site encompasses everything from nightlife reviews to interviews with professional wrestlers to a podcast that has featured yours truly as a guest numerous times. He is a writer, a father, a husb...

Kevin Calabro is a founder of Calabro Music Media , a PR and management company and a co-founder of the record label the Royal Potato Family . He works with musicians including the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Marco Benevento, and he’s based in upstate New York. Kevin and I spend a solid chunk of this episode parsing out the dilemma of what to do when the values and polit...

Devin Passariello is a New York-based music industry professional who came into the industry originally by way of being an actual musician. We talk about settling into a corporate lifestyle with the benefit of having a job that doesn’t require a suit and tie, and how to navigate life when you are "built like Flubber." On a more serious note, Devin and I talk about not judging a book by its cover,...

Julian Velard is a singer, songwriter and pianist from New York City. His latest project, Please Don’t Make Me Play Piano Man , is a recorded attempt at a Broadway musical that’s filled with as much humor as it is with melody. In the past, you may have heard him on the Howard Stern show or on NPR’s Ask Me Another. Julian also currently records the podcast Real Gentlemen of Queens with Brian “B-Ski...

This episode is a meeting of the podcasting minds. I am joined by Steven LaFond, who co-hosts a podcast called Witchever Path with his partner Jas. The Witchever Path podcast is a horror-based anthology series in which the listener gets to vote on how to determine the outcome. Our conversation begins by discussing how the podcast came to be and continues into Steven’s difficult childhood, which in...