The Mental Musician

My guest today is Zack King, a punk rock indie musician from L.A., and whilst his music is going to get the nostalgia juices flowing, especially for those who are fans of punk rock music from the 90s and 2000s, he is so much more than that. When Zack was struggling with depression, he turned to songwriting as a way to document his emotions, and eventually, he decided the best thing for him was to...

If you're an artist, I'm sure you've experienced having an identity crisis. I certainly have. Because you're often told to niche down, stick to one thing, and can't do anything else. But like me, you're not going to be interested in just one thing, and when you try different genres or art forms, you often run the risk of being criticised and isolated by your peers because y...

If you've ever worked somewhere with a toxic environment, you'll know just how draining it can be and the toll it takes on your mental health. But in the music world, even if the place you're working in is toxic, whether it's a school, a band, ensemble or studio, walking away from it comes with a price. Traditionally, you'll be called a quitter, weak, and the perception is that...

It feels inevitable that we were going to do an episode on AI in music. There's no escaping it; it's already a big part of our lives, let alone in the music industry. We are living in the AI invasion century! Today's episode is a little different. My friend Michael Wright, who has been a regular on this show at this point, he's basically a co-host, wrote the ideas for today's e...

"Follow your passion." It's the age old advice that every musician will receive at some stage in their lives. On one hand, passion can be a good thing as it drives a young musician to be committed and motivated to work harder than everyone else. On the other hand, it can push a musician to become obsessive, and ignore every other part of their life, including their mental health. Tha...

Hey, it’s Brian welcome to The Mental Musician Podcast . This show is about breaking the mental health stigma in the music industry and having the conversations most musicians avoid once the stage lights turn off. Chapters (00:00) Introduction: Welcome Michael and Michelle (6:39) Starting a conversation about mental health (12:09) Discussing why musicians struggling with their mental health (15:07...

Talking about suicide isn’t normal in society — let alone in the music industry. But sometimes what we call normal is the very thing that’s hurting us. At some point, you have to choose to create a new kind of normal. And for musicians, that can mean doing the unthinkable: putting your dreams aside to take care of yourself. My guest today, Michael Wright — bass guru and teacher from the UK — firml...

After a long period of suicidal ideation, a complete breakdown, and two seizures, I spent most of 2025 rebuilding my life . I know many of you listening to this are artists and musicians trying to do the same thing. So in this episode, I share three things I changed to get my life back on track. These lessons may or may not work for you, but I hope they give you inspiration knowing that I was able...

Being a musician can be lonely. Being a musician living with depression and mental illness can be even lonelier. My first guest today, Michael Wright, knows that reality firsthand — and instead of staying silent, he’s dedicated his career to breaking the stigma and opening up in an industry that has long discouraged people from doing exactly that. With the bass and guitar in hand, he is one of the...