The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

Why Succession is so Important to the Art World

Are you just as excited as I am to watch the series finale of Succession? Who's going to succeed? Roman? Kendall? Tom? With arguably the greatest TV show coming to an end, it felt appropriate to welcome my friend Polly Humphreys back to the show as we celebrate the masterpiece that is Succession. This is Part One of two episodes I recorded with Polly, and while Part Two will be a look at the Smartless documentary, for this episode, Polly and I revel in the mastery of Succession. How did the creators create such a brilliant show and will we ever see a show this poignant and powerful again. See, when art is as masterful as Succession, one of its ripple effects is it inspires even better art. That's why I hold shows like Succession in such a high regard and it's why it's paramount that artists find a way to tune out the distractions and create brilliant pieces of work. Good art can make the world better. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show and being so supportive. I appreciate YOU! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening. 
 

Your Brain Could be Fried Chicken

It's been about a month since I recorded a podcast. Did you miss me? Did you even realize I was gone or did a sexy algorithm feed you something else to consume? I just got back from a weeklong vacation in the French Polynesia but even before my vacation, I was feeling like I needed a break. Not necessarily a break from podcasting but a break from the golden age of consumerism. Everything is being spoon fed directly to our brain stem. We can watch Youtube videos, shows, new movies all day long but when is enough enough? Does your brain need a break from the non-stop rush of consumerism? Are you spending your days sucking up non stop content all day? I also share a new poem I wrote for Medium entitled Your Brain is Fried Chicken which you can read by clicking HERE. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show and being so supportive. I appreciate YOU! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening. 
 

Triangle of Sadness, Rick Rubin and Protecting Your Process

Do you feel like you need to protect your creative process? Like the moment you "share" a part of your work, does the work lose some of its relevance or meaning? On today's episode of the podcast, I talk about the intimate process of creativity and how social media and "sharing" often tears down the unique qualities of art. I've been in the midst of working on my fifth record and while I'm eager to "share" my process, more often than not, I often feel like my art loses meaning once it's been put out on social. I know so many people rely on social for relevance, but for me, it often has the opposite effect. So instead, I've been surrounding myself with movies, music and podcasts that make me feel MORE connected to the uniqueness of my own creative process. I just re-watched Pulp Fiction and saw the incredible new movie Triangle of Sadness. I listened to a brilliant interview with the Edge on Rick Rubin's podcast and I've been reading Rick Rubin's inspiring new book. If we're not careful, the significance of our own work can become diluted if we're not keenly aware of how certain "content" can effect our own process. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show and being so supportive. I appreciate YOU! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening. 
 

The Mesmerizing Yet Unwatchable World of Everything Everywhere...

Split screens. Fancy effects. Loud overbearing surround sound, but does this fancy movie have a heart?  Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I felt compelled to talk about this year's darling at the Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once. I'm not trying to be contrarian here when i say i couldn't watch more than 20 minutes of this movie. Sure the effects and the editing were fast and furious, pummeling my senses, but after 20 minutes, I had a headache and felt zero connection to the characters on screen. I know, I probably sound like a curmudgeon old man sitting on my door step yelling at the kids but seriously, did you actually enjoy this movie? Everything Everywhere to me represents the growing shift in the art world. An imperious attention to the visuals, the sounds, the 3D and the extravagant effects yet very little devotion to a compelling story. And if you strip all that tech and spice away, you're left with a meaningless mess of a story void of any heart. Do you want to check out a GREAT movie with a gorgeous score, rich characters and a powerful story that demands your attention? Go watch David Fincher's SEVEN. I watched it this past week and WOW, what a movie. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show and being so supportive. I appreciate YOU! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening. 
 

What is Your Text Threshold?

So one of your close friends was just admitted to the hospital for an emergency surgery. Will you be calling them on the phone to wish them good luck? Or will you opt for a text? Maybe a close friend of yours just scored a new acting gig on TV. Will you congratulate them with a phone call or instead choose a rapid-fire text? I know. I can sound so curmudgeon as I hammer my point home about texts but here I go again. On today's episode of the Spiritual Spiral, I examine the world of texting VS. making a phone call and I wonder if anyone is worthy of a phone call? At one point does something compel you to make an actual phone call? Maybe a wedding, a graduation, a new job or a health scare. Does anything call for a phone call or does everything fall into the soupy abyss of never-ending texts. I also begin the show by playing a brief clip from a recent Sam Harris podcast where one of his guests discusses the impact of algorithms. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show and being so supportive. I appreciate YOU! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening. 
 

Bandit Heart

Today on the Spiritual Spiral, you're in store for a GREAT chat as I'm THRILLED to welcome back Troy Akers to the show. Troy is based in Nashville and he is an incredible singer/songwriter who goes by the moniker, Bandit Heart. I've been such a HUGE fan of his so when I saw he was releasing new music after a long hiatus, I was stoked to have him back on the show. FYI, all of the music on today's episode is of course from Bandit Heart so be sure to find him on Spotify, iTunes and Youtube AND follow Bandit Heart on IG by clicking HERE. Troy and I start off by talking about what brought him back into the studio after a three year hiatus. We discuss his creative process, how these new songs were born, and what it's been like to work with a brand new producer. We talk about writing lyrics, the mysterious process of songwriting and the gift that comes from being a singer/songwriter. Troy also shares the meaning behind "Bandit Heart" and tells us when we can expect more music including his first full-length record. If you're a musician, artist or simply curious about the creative process, I think you'll really resonate with this episode. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show and being so supportive. I appreciate YOU! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening. 
 

I Sure Miss a Good Movie

I'm watching the Super Bowl and immediately feel the enthusiasm hit when I see a commercial for a new Indiana Jones movie! Except what happened to our beloved story of Indy? Did studio execs rehash the Indiana Jones franchise into a loud, over the top popcorn movie? Ugh. On today's episode of the Spiritual Spiral, I felt compelled to talk about my longing for the old days when we flocked to the theater to see a good movie. And I'm not talking about a big budget Marvel movie or a sequel like Top Gun. I'm talking about adult art-house movies that moved us to get off the couch, drive through the sleet or snow to watch a film that was truly cinematic. 21 Grams, Little Children, Children of Men, Sideways, Parasite, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Remember how GREAT movies used to be and how afterwards, we were often left spellbound thinking about the powerful piece of art we just witnessed. Where did all the good movies go? Is it the studio's fault? Is the craft of feature film screenwriting a lost art or are writers simply moving into the world of television? What do you think happened? I also play a clip from a recent Bill Simmons' Podcast where he and his guests also discuss the lost art of filmmaking. Boy I miss the days when a film like Reservoir Dogs took over the art world. Don't you? As always, thanks so much for listening to the show. You are amazing! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also purchase my music at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list.  I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening. 
 

The Me World’s Effect on Questions and Listening

Ok. It's Friday night. You're all dressed up for a wild night out and you wind up at some hip party in Hollywood. You've had a few cocktails, start your mingling but you begin to notice everyone there is only talking about themselves. Or, MAYBE someone takes a respite from blabbing to ask you a quick question like, "How are you?" But after you respond, of course, they quickly go back to talking all about themselves. On today's episode of The Spiritual Spiral, a brief observation about a world where very few people ask questions or know how to listen. How did this happen? Is it technology's fault? Sure it's incredible to have so much titillating and wonderful content at our fingertips, but how does all this content impact people's ability to sit still, ask questions and engage with "real life" human beings. When you're out with friends, do you find yourself getting  antsy because no one can compete with the slick world of tech and social media. As always, thanks so much for "listening" to the show. I appreciate you! Remember, if I haven't said it enough, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also purchase my music at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening.