No Dragons Press

Episode 37: “Reactions and Decisions”

Show Notes for Episode 37

OK, remember how I said I’d get another episode up right away for you? Psyyyych. Sorry.

I haven’t had the most regular of work weeks, and I really apologize for that. But I think I have a pretty good excuse, and if you follow me on Instagram, you know exactly what I’m about to talk about.

Guys, I need to tell you about ASIA. The band, not the country. DO NOT skip ahead to the chapter, I have some real things to say, and I promise it’s a way better story than you think.

If you’ve been listening for a while, you remember my friend Lisa, who is generally my partner in crime for these epic musical road trips we like to take. (You may recognize her from such things as our recent Rick Wakeman cape campaign.) So, we took some time off last week from real life to go on a bit of a road trip to Madison Wisconsin for the ASIA show.

(It was also a Journey show—I mean, they were headlining—but I honestly completely forgot about that until I got there and saw my ticket.)

Many of you probably know ASIA because of songs like, I dunno, “Heat of the Moment” is probably the most recognizable. But seriously you guys, I’ll add links in the show notes to a couple songs that will legit blow your mind, so definitely check that out, and you can go ahead and let me know when you have your a-ha moment with ASIA. You totally will.

In the meantime, here’s a quick assignment: go and listen to “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,” like right now, really give it a listen it is one of the most gorgeous and heartbreaking things ever.

I will literally post a link on my Twitter account @nodragonspress right now because that’s how much I want you to go do this. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

So. Classic ASIA lineup: Geoff Downes and Steve Howe from Yes, Carl Palmer from Emerson Lake and Palmer, and John Wetton from King Crimson. (Do you see why this was such an incredible opportunity?)

So there were some lineup changes over the years, but for several years now ASIA has pretty much been the classic lineup, minus Steve Howe, the guitar player. I mean, he’s around and stuff, he’s just doing the Yes thing right now. Totally fine, he can do what he wants, the guitar player right now is a younger guy like my age called Sam Coulson. Just shreds, really fun to watch. Anyone who has a problem with him not being Steve Howe has to go through me first, because…I don’t know.

So, John Wetton the singer—this is so fucking sad—John Wetton, singer and bass player, died just a couple months ago, and they had this whole tour with Journey set up and everything. (I keep forgetting this was actually a Journey tour…) So Billy Sherwood kind of took over for him on a temporary basis that you know, turned into the rest of the tour, and here we are. And he is fucking awesome.

First of all, the guy is an incredible player, and this sounds really weird to say but he just channels John Wetton so well, it’s hard to imagine anyone else filling this role in this band so perfectly right now. So Billy Sherwood has also been a part of the Yes family of musicians for a really long time, and he’s the bass player of Yes right now, as Chris Squire’s replacement after he passed away gosh, I guess almost two years ago? Oh my god.

Anyway, Billy Sherwood, really incredible player, go look something up, anything, guitar, bass, it doesn’t even matter, dude’s a beast.

So! My friend and I decided to sit way up in the nosebleeds so we could splurge on the meet and greets, because that’s just the kind of people we are. Yeah. That’s where this is headed. So suddenly there we were standing around with fucking ASIA, we brought a few records to get signed and you know, and they were all just so lovely and kind and gracious.

So, on top of this frankly ridiculous experience of meeting these amazing musicians who have all been important to me at various points during their own careers, it really meant a lot to have an opportunity to express my gratitude. I mean, who the fuck am I, right, but I don’t know, I think if something really matters, it’s important to express gratitude for it when you have an opportunity.

So, I’ll get into the chapter in just another minute—man, I really need to finish my logo for that progressive rock podcast so I can start it already—but first I just want to say: if there’s something you appreciate, some style of music or band, or book series, any type of art—embrace the fuck out of that appreciation. Nobody gets to tell you how much you’re allowed to feel about it.

I mean that’s the whole point of art, right? If it doesn’t kick you in the face and make you feel all the feelings and become a part of you, then what’s the fucking point?

I don’t know exactly what I’m trying to say here, other than if you feel like you need to hide behind some layer of pretend irony for people to be OK with something that’s legitimately important to you, or if you feel like somehow your appreciation is any less valid than anyone else’s, fuck that shit.

And if you don’t have someone in your life who you can share all that enthusiasm with, go and find other people who also love that that thing, and connect with them about it. Maybe you’ll find them in record stores or bookstores or shows or wherever, but find them and make connections about the obscure shit that means everything to you, and celebrate that shit together. Because being with other people who love the same thing, knowing that you’re right there with people that thing is speaking to just as loudly—that’s everything. That’s fucking church.

And I know it can feel really weird, especially with everything going on right now, to take these opportunities to celebrate. Look, life is a celebration. Music is a celebration. And you have to let yourself take the time to notice and celebrate those connections and experiences now, while we’re all here together. I am giving you permission to put as much value on those experiences as you want, because life is too short to pretend those things don’t matter.

This is the maid speaking, by the way.

Seriously guys, thank you for sticking with me, and you know, until I get that prog rock podcast off the ground, if you’re interested in checking out any of the bands I’ve been talking about, check out my Instagram account at @nodragonspress, it’s basically me sharing pictures and short videos of everything I listen to. That’s a great place to start for now. And if you have any musical recommendations for me based on what you know I like, definitely let me know!

AND NOW, the chapter! Last time, in chapter 36, we ended with a bit of a “holy fuck” moment for Addie, and we’re about to pick right back up on that. If you’re new to the podcast and you haven’t been following the story, now would be a really great time to stop listening and jump back to episode one, and welcome! And for those of you all caught up with the story, thanks so much for listening, I hope you enjoy episode 37: “Reactions and Decisions.”

No Dragons Press

Episode 36: “Addie Gets a Knife”

Thanks so much, everyone! Make sure to tell a friend, and I hope you tune in next week. Take care!

No Dragons Press

Episode 35: “Xenia Learns the Truth”

Hey, thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed chapter 13. IF you’re enjoying the story, please tell a friend, and tune in next week. take care, guys.

No Dragons Press

Episode 34: “That Old Familiar Feeling”

Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, tell a friend, and tune in next week. And thanks!

No Dragons Press

Episode 33: Suspicions and Certainties

Show Notes for Episode 33

This is Episode 33, “Suspicions and Certainties.”

Hey everyone! Today’s chapter is a little on the longer side, so I wanted to get right into it, but first, I just have to share this with you.

Ladies, Entrepreneurs, and Owning the Future

I’ve been getting together with these amazing people lately to talk about our businesses and where we want to take them and the challenges we face and things like that, and it’s just like, I’ve been so incredibly motivated to keep pushing and keep moving forward. I had a little bit of a lady entrepreneur happy hour the other day, and we were talking about just how important it is to be able to hold each other accountable, and to just feel accountable on your own because you’ve totally told other people your plans and you can’t back out on them now or whatever.

I just want to say, if you’re in a rut and you think you should be doing something else, reach out and touch base with your friends who either might be feeling that way too or might have already done something about it, because that shit is powerful. Surround yourself with people who want to change their lives and change the world, and go forth, live long, and prosper, and continue to use your powers for good.

No Dragons Press Check-In

So! In chapter 33, Suspicions and Certainties (I know, my titles have become very sad), Addie expands on her previous brainwave—and this time she throws in an A-Team reference. (See if you can spot it.)

No Dragons Press

Episode 32: “Addie Has an Idea”

Show Notes for Episode 32

Hey everyone! It is the middle of February and this is episode 32.

THIS JUST IN: Patreon supporters are amazing

Super exciting news: I am sending out the very first Patreon supporter gift today!

I’m really excited to start coming up with ways to make the process of sending out little surprises in the mail each month really smooth and streamlined, because I just really need out about operational stuff like that, but these first few gifts are really special just because of how one-of-a-kind they are.

You know, it’s not like I’m some giant subscription service right now with partners and warehousing space—it’s just me and my hands and when I’m lucky the much more talented hands of my illustrator and very dear friend Emily, and we’re really enjoying meeting regularly to talk about the different ways we can reach out and thank our Patreon supporters.

Become a Patreon supporter to keep the show running—or keep listening for free!

Okay and I promise not to totally overdo the Patreon thing here, I totally get that podcasts are free and you should be able to enjoy that without me trying to make you feel bad. And I’m not trying to make you feel bad—I love free stuff, definitely keep listening for free for as long as you want, that’s why I’m doing this.

I just wanted to offer Patreon as an option for people who might want to help offset the costs of running the show and give me an opportunity to express my gratitude throughout the year. And if you don’t want to get anything in the mail, if you only want to give a buck or two a month, that’s completely awesome and every bit if it helps me keep this thing going.

But really it’s all of you guys who keep this going, everyone who tunes in and tells their friends and binges on archived episode until they catch up and then listens right away when I post each new episode. I know you’re out there, I see your enthusiasm, and that is the real driving force behind this podcast, so thank you.

Story tine: Addie levels up

So! Really excited for the point of the story. I know Addie has really been coming down on herself lately – the combination of Bradley being a asshole and Nate being secretive and Xenia being completely perfect has her in this very bummed out state because she just doesn’t feel very valuable to the group.

Well, in this chapter, all of that changes, and I’m excited for Addie to regain some of her old spunk and really take charge here, or at least join the rest of them and stop being led around by default. It’s a cool moment for her.

Ok! Let’s dig right in. Please enjoy chapter 32, Addie Has an Idea!

Thanks for listening to the show! Be sure to check out nodragonspress.com/podcast for links to show notes, weekly illustrations, and other good stuff, and visit patreon/nodragonspress to learn more about how you can support the show with just a dollar a month.

Thanks, everyone!