The Drop the Needle Podcast is a series of honest, open conversations built around three things that shape how we live: spirituality, mindset, and music.
Host Jim Alstott sits down with teachers, healers, doctors, therapists, coaches, and artists to explore the spiritual side of life — and to show that being spiritual isn't "weird," it's human. We get into modalities like meditation, sound healing, and reflective writing, plus traditional and alternative approaches to health and mental health. And because we all carry a soundtrack, every guest shares the songs that shaped them.
The goal: take the fear and mystique out of these subjects so you feel free to explore — and show how weaving them into daily life pays off, personally and professionally.
New episodes every week. Subscribe and drop the needle with us.
Also on YouTube.
Guest & business inquiries: jim@dtnpodcast.com
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81: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 81 | Am I on the Wrong Mountain? | Matt Ludmer
Episode 81
Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 01:15:36
What if you reach the top of your mountain and it turns out to be the wrong one?
In 2000, Matt Ludmer and his partner were named the No. 1 producing team at DLJ. He walked up to collect the award, and his very next thought was, "Where do I go from here?" Earlier that year he had wandered into a matinee of a play called Wrong Mountain, and its question never left him.
Matt grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, the son of a man who sold staples and nails up and down the Turnpike. He talked his way into the University of Chicago by sitting outside the dean's office, talked his way into Morgan Stanley by walking into a recruiting lunch uninvited, and spent decades building wealth for other people while quietly studying meditation, Tibetan Buddhism and Judaism on the side. For years, none of those worlds knew about the others. At his 50th birthday, none of his best friends knew each other.
We talk about the thirteen years between knowing and leaving, why a risk manager decided the risk of staying was worse, the day he wrote ARTICULATION on his daughter's wall and saw her light dim, a week alone in a Vermont cabin where he started laughing on day three, and what his father knew about contentment that took Matt forty years on Wall Street to learn. His new book, The Right Mountain, comes out October 20.
And stay for the Playlist Round: Led Zeppelin, Queen, Al Green, a tenor aria, and the Knicks.
KEY TOPICS Reaching the top and asking "where do I go from here?" · Living two lives: Wall Street and the meditation cushion · The four dimensions of true wealth · Intelligent risk and the decision to leave · Money as achievement, not fulfillment · Being spiritual in business · Parenting and the achiever mindset · A solo retreat and laughing at your own story · Must do, fun to do, and what your heart wants · What a father's contentment teaches
SOUND BITES "Did it ever occur to you that you may be on the wrong mountain?" "I'm a wealth manager and I didn't feel wealthy." "My job is not managing money. My job is managing risk." "Money is achievement, but it's not fulfillment." "Wisdom has many, many lifetimes."
CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:06 Matt's thumbnail: Teaneck, a staples salesman's son, and the road to Wall Street 02:14 Tibetan teachers at 18, and camping outside the dean's office 03:35 Two lives: meditation in the dorm, Morgan Stanley by day 04:35 Unintentional Fridays and a play called Wrong Mountain 05:29 The lightning moment, and the No. 1 producer award 07:04 Uncle Marvin the headhunter, and where the nerve came from 08:36 A motivation box on the wall and reading Emerson 10:07 Walking uninvited into Morgan Stanley's recruiting lunch 11:58 The downside of the achiever mindset 12:28 His daughter Grace and the word ARTICULATION 14:48 Scottsdale, 2000: "Where do I go from here?" 15:37 Thirteen more years, and a wealth manager who didn't feel wealthy 16:15 Ken Wilber and a map for a fragmented life 18:10 A 50th birthday where none of his best friends knew each other 19:58 The four dimensions of true wealth 21:28 Fear, money, and a family to support 22:57 "My job is managing risk" 23:57 Losing his light, and the decision to leave 25:14 Stay with the question: advice for anyone at a crossroads 27:05 What he yearns for now, and the purposes of money 29:31 Money is achievement, not fulfillment 30:30 You don't have to renounce the world to be spiritual 31:58 Can you be spiritual and still sell? 34:21 "Your dad's a really good guy" 35:49 The secret life: who he hid from the longest 38:26 Imams, priests and rabbis: the result that matters 39:47 "I want to be wise" 41:10 The kinds of wealth AI won't change 43:31 2008, a cabin in Vermont, and a laugh on day three 47:24 Labels, identity, and laughing at yourself 48:59 Must do, fun to do, and what your heart wants 51:06 Having a view: a map made of other people's wisdom 54:07 Being lit up about your life 55:08 The Old Croton Aqueduct and the sound of a basketball 56:16 What his father knew that took 40 years on Wall Street to learn 58:04 Ma Tovu: arms wide open in Central Park 1:01:19 Playlist Round: Led Zeppelin and an omen 1:02:08 Road trips with three daughters and Diana Ross 1:03:01 Senior year: Queen 1:03:36 College, his friend Dave Goldberg, and Pat Metheny 1:05:03 Pump-up song: the Knicks, NBA champions 1:05:58 Guilty pleasure: Otis Redding and a tenor aria 1:07:25 Al Green and Sly and the Family Stone 1:08:40 The song that stops him: The Right Mountain album1:10:52 Healing frequencies and three bodies1:12:28 Today's song: James Taylor's "Secret O' Life"1:13:46 Where to find Matt, and we drop the needle
RESOURCES MENTIONED Ken Wilber, A Brief History of Everything (Integral theory) George Kinder, the "father of life planning" Wrong Mountain (the play, 2000) The Aligned Center, Irvington, NY Robert Peng, qigong master Pat Metheny Al Green, "Love and Happiness" James Taylor, "Secret O' Life"
80: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 80 | He Ran for Mayor on Love | Helix Wolfson
Episode 80
Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Duration 01:19:30
What happens when a guy runs for mayor of Los Angeles on a platform of love?
Helix Wolfson did exactly that. He legally changed his name to Paul E. Amori, put on a three-piece red suit, and ran for mayor on one question: what would love do? He came in last. He also walked off a debate stage with a dozen people telling him he'd earned their vote, and he says it felt like winning.
That's one chapter. Helix grew up in the theater, made films, built stages at Burning Man and Lightning in a Bottle, and when COVID cancelled Burning Man he helped build the Infinite Playa, a virtual version of it. That project grew into Infinite Reality, a metaverse company that reached a $12 billion valuation. Then he walked away.
We talk about what survives when you move a sensory experience like Burning Man into a virtual world, the difference between the cutting edge and the bleeding edge, and why the people who start a company usually aren't the ones who end up running it. Then we get into AI, and his answer surprised me: he thinks we're not scared enough. We go back and forth about jobs, fulfillment, and what's happening in the workforce I see every day in my recruiting work, and we land on the one thing he believes technology can't replace: being in a room with other humans.
And stay for the Playlist Round: Helix shares some big personal news for the first time, right here on the show.
KEY TOPICS Running for mayor as Paul E. Amori · Leading with love instead of fear · Career politics and liquid democracy · Building a virtual Burning Man · Amori's Casino and Burlesque · From startup to $12 billion, and walking away · Cutting edge vs. bleeding edge · Founders vs. operators · AI fear, AGI and superintelligence · Jobs, fulfillment and the changing workforce · What technology can't give us
SOUND BITES "What would love do was my mantra." "To become authentic while assuming a role is quite a feat." "The bleeding edge… is as painful as it sounds." "I'm not sure you'll like this answer, but I actually think we're not scared enough." "Those are the places where we will always want to be in human connection."
79: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 79 | You're Carrying Energy That Isn't Yours | Connie Smock
Episode 79
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 01:22:16
How much of what you're carrying is actually yours?
Connie Smock, Connie Warrior of Light, is back for her third visit, and this time we get practical. Her book, Shift Your Energy, Change Your Life!, is built around one word: fear. After 35 years of readings and energy healings, she says fear is what blocks most people, and a lot of what feeds it is energy they picked up somewhere else and never put down.
We talk about why the people who challenge us most are our biggest teachers, what sales school taught her about celebrating the no's, and why staying in a relationship that's over can hurt the other person more than leaving. Then we get into energy clearing in plain English: what it is, how to tell what's yours from what isn't, the quick clearing she says anyone can do today, and why sage and holy water never touched what was in her own house.
Then I put myself in the chair, and Connie reads me live, on the air.
KEY TOPICS Fear as the root of most blocks · The people who challenge us as teachers · Celebrating the no's · Why staying can hurt the other person more · Energy clearing in plain English · Body testing: what's yours and what isn't · Discarnate souls and "hitchhikers" · Interdimensionals and why sage wasn't enough · A quick daily clearing · The seven sacred flames · Developing clairsentience · A live tarot reading
SOUND BITES "The people who challenge us the most… those are your biggest teachers." "Celebrate the no's… because you're that much closer to your yes." "You're hurting that other person more… that other person could be with someone who actually looks forward to seeing them every day." "If you never washed your physical body ever… how many layers of filth and dirt would you have? … It's the same thing with spiritual clearing."
CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:41 Connie Smock, back for a third visit 01:52 The Listening Field retreat, and why she does qigong every day 05:32 Why fear? The spine of her book 10:01 Sales school: celebrate the no's 11:47 35 years of readings. What finally made her write it14:25 "Yeah, for you": the gap between knowing and doing17:56 The skier, the toddler, and getting back up19:59 The waterfall breath21:59 Jumping timelines23:10 Who the book is for, and why staying can hurt them more27:40 What she'd change, the workbook, and Jim narrating the audiobook29:54 Energy 101: not all of it is good for you31:13 High and low vibrations, and the headless figure on the stairs33:12 The fastest clearing: Michael, Raphael and the violet flame34:44 Energy clearing in plain English: a hundred coats36:58 What's yours and what isn't: body testing41:18 If you never clear: hitchhikers and souls that don't cross45:18 What a clearing feels like: "night and day"47:37 People vs. houses, and the interdimensionals53:11 When to call a pro, and why sage isn't enough56:34 A clearing you can do today, plus the seven sacred flames1:00:33 Do you walk the house? Intention over the tool belt1:04:30 Start developing your gifts: the clairsentient truth test1:08:59 Connie reads Jim live1:15:50 Her six-day psychic mediumship course1:19:13 Where to find Connie, and we drop the needle
78: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 78 | Joey's Song: He Couldn't Speak. The Music Did. | Mike Gomoll
Episode 78
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 01:03:53
What does a child who never spoke a word leave behind?
Mike Gomoll's son Joey died at five. With Butch Vig, he built Joey's Song: $2 million raised for epilepsy research, zero paid staff. Dravet syndrome, Freezing Man, 35 artists playing free.
Joey couldn't speak. When the music came on, he'd find whoever was in the room, grab a finger, and make sure they were dancing. Fifteen years later his dad runs Joey's Song and Freezing Man, two nights at a 2,500-seat room in Madison with members of Guns N' Roses, Cheap Trick, Tears for Fears, The Bangles and the Goo Goo Dolls, all of them playing for nothing.
Mike on the misdiagnosis years, the brain's "blue screen of death," the night Butch Vig asked what he could do to help, and why one in 26 people have epilepsy and hardly anyone says so out loud.
✨ In this episode: ✅ Joey, Dravet syndrome, and two years of misdiagnosis ✅ Why music got through when words couldn't ✅ Epilepsy as the brain's blue screen of death ✅ Zone defense: protecting Julia and Sam ✅ Grace for the people who say the wrong thing ✅ How a CD release party became Joey's Song ✅ The night Butch Vig asked how he could help ✅ Freezing Man: 35 artists, two nights, nobody paid ✅ One in 26: why epilepsy stays in the shadows ✅ Making the ask for Joey's Song
Sound bites "Then we lost Joe, and it was time to help the next family." "You saw the sun in his face." "My five-year-old son died. I need your help."
Chapters 00:00 The kid who made sure you were dancing 01:46 Welcome, Mike 02:10 Headliners, IBM, and the road back to Wisconsin 04:50 Three kids from Guatemala, and Joey's first seizure 05:20 "Then we lost Joe, and it was time to help the next family" 06:42 Why music got through when words couldn't 07:37 Epilepsy as the brain's blue screen of death 10:00 What you saw in Joey's face11:35 Two years of misdiagnosis12:11 The small breakthroughs that carried them17:50 Zone defense: protecting Julia and Sam18:55 Grace for the people who say the wrong thing20:05 Joey's Song begins as a CD release party22:23 Butch Vig makes the fatal mistake of asking how he can help24:17 "You never know who's going to show up"27:52 Rock camp for musicians32:44 Boyfriends vs. Girlfriends: the battle of the bands35:41 Why epilepsy stays in the shadows39:58 One in 26: every seventh house on your block41:37 "My five-year-old son died. I need your help."43:21 What Joey would make of all this45:03 The playlist round46:56 Three songs that always filled the dance floor48:56 Carry On Wayward Son51:52 Start Me Up52:49 Guilty pleasure: Call Me Maybe and Harry Styles54:15 The song the world needs right now: Everybody Hurts56:13 "Name," and the breakup that still stings1:01:34 How to help Joey's Song
77: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 77 | God Told Me to Make This Record | Drew McManus of Satsang
Episode 77
Thursday, September 17, 2026 • Duration 01:10:12
Drew McManus learned the word that would become his band's name on a mountain pass in Nepal. It means sitting in the company of truth. He's built ten years and six records on it.
The new one is called Elohim, and he didn't pick the title. He was told to.
We talk about the revelatory experience that preceded it and the illness that followed, about a father who was a preacher and told a skateboarding punk rock kid he had a minister's heart, and about the question Drew asked for years growing up poor in a house he doesn't pretend was safe: why did all of this happen to me? The answer, when it arrived, had changed shape. Perhaps none of it happened to him. Perhaps it happened for him.
We also get into why he won't play two of his early songs anymore, what the music industry looks like from the inside when you've refused to play along, the one sentence a Buddhist said to him at a merch table that became a mantra, and a hidden Nipsey Hussle track that he heard on the Pacific Coast Highway beside a friend who'd been in federal prison three hundred days earlier.
Elohim is out now. Twenty seven minutes, built to be played start to finish. Satsang plays Garcia's Chicago on November 4th.
Drew McManus is the founder and frontman of Satsang. He named the band after a word he learned on a mountain pass in Nepal in 2013, meaning to sit in the company of truth. Six records later he remains independent and owns all of his music. His new album, Elohim, released 4 September 2026, and the Elohim Tour runs through the autumn. Press photo credit: Drew Korf.
76: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 76 | Fire, Brimstone and Converse | Rev. Dr. Rob Zahn
Episode 76
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 01:23:30
What if the sacred and the secular were never two different things to begin with?
Rev. Dr. Rob Zahn is a Lutheran pastor, a theologian, a semiotician, and a musician. He wears Converse under his liturgical robes. He also wrote a book about LSD, a drug smuggling ring, and the birth of contemporary Christian music.
To him, none of that is a contradiction. That is the whole point.
In this episode of The Drop the Needle Podcast, Jim Alstott sits down with Rob to trace a life that runs from a small town childhood with an absent father, through a doctorate in semiotics, to the hidden history behind his book, LSD to Galilee: Incarnation in the Psychedelic Subculture.
Rob explains why he does not frame his father's absence as a forgiveness issue, even after a reunion that surfaced anger, grief, and questions nobody answered. He walks Jim through the line that runs from the Brotherhood of Eternal Love to the Jesus People movement to Maranatha Music, and why Lonnie Frisbee got quietly written out of the cleaner version of that story.
Then there is the music. Mumford and Sons in a stadium full of strangers singing the same words. Dave Matthews Band. Meatloaf. Hamilton. Disney soundtracks he refuses to apologize for.
Can a pastor tell the truth about where his faith came from and still keep his pulpit?
✨ In this episode:
✅ Growing up in small town America, raised by a single mother
✅ Why forgiveness may be the wrong frame for an absent father
✅ The father he found through one mailed letter, and the Las Vegas hotel room
✅ What semiotics reveals about culture, congregations, and blind spots
✅ Why the sacred and secular divide does not hold
✅ Converse under the robes, and other small acts of resistance
✅ The Brotherhood of Eternal Love to the Jesus People to Maranatha Music
75: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 75 | She Quit God. God Stayed. | Sunshine Witchski, The Sober Witch
Episode 75
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 01:02:31
What if walking away from the religion you were raised in isn't losing your faith — it's the first honest thing you ever did with it?
Sunshine Witchski was eleven years old when she noticed the contradictions in what she was being taught in Catholic school. She asked. Nobody had an answer she could live with.
What followed was decades of addiction, a rock bottom in Costa Rica, and a long walk back — not to the Church, but to something she could finally call her own.
Today she is a psychic medium, soul healer, Reiki master, high priestess, and the founder of Sunshine Readings. She calls herself the Sober Witch.
Can you lose your religion and keep your faith?
In this candid episode of The Drop the Needle Podcast, Jim Alstott sits down with Sunshine Witchski to talk about growing up Catholic in Detroit, the question at age eleven that started everything, the years she spent numbing what she couldn't name, and how she built a spiritual life on her own terms — one with room for tarot, recovery, shadow work, and every part of herself she was once told to hide.
Sunshine shares the moment she stopped performing belief, what rock bottom actually looked like, and the day she walked into a room full of strangers and heard the only thing that could have reached her: you are not alone, and there is hope.
Together, Jim and Sunshine get into the difference between prescribed religion and personal faith, why shadow work isn't optional, why receiving help is harder than giving it, and what changes when you decide the universe might be conspiring in your favor.
✨ In this episode:
✔️ Growing up Catholic in Detroit
✔️ The question at age eleven that changed everything
✔️ Rock bottom in Costa Rica
✔️ The room where hope came back
✔️ Prescribed religion vs. personal faith
74: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 74 | Your Loved Ones Never Stop Sending Signs | Gina Versace the Inked Medium
Episode 74
Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 01:19:32
What if the signs you've been asking for are already happening... but you're overlooking them?
Psychic medium Gina Versace, better known as The Inked Medium, believes our loved ones and even our pets, never truly leave us.
From repeating numbers and feathers to dreams and unexpected encounters, Spirit is constantly communicating. The key is learning how to recognize the messages.
Do our loved ones continue communicating after they pass away?
In this heartfelt episode of The Drop the Needle Podcast, Jim Alstott sits down with Gina Versace, internationally known as The Inked Medium, to explore spirit communication, intuitive development, pet communication, and the everyday signs that remind us we are never truly alone.
Gina shares remarkable stories from her own life, beginning with seeing spirits as a young child, through discovering her calling as a professional psychic medium, and building a life dedicated to helping people reconnect with loved ones on the other side.
Together, Jim and Gina discuss how Spirit communicates through numbers, dreams, symbols, animals, and emotional impressions, why setting energetic boundaries is essential, and how anyone can begin strengthening their own intuition.
✨ In this episode:
✔️ Childhood spirit encounters
✔️ How loved ones communicate after death
✔️ Pet communication and animal spirits
✔️ Why repeating numbers like 444 matter
✔️ Spirit guides and signs
✔️ Meditation and energetic protection
✔️ Developing intuitive gifts
✔️ Private vs. group mediumship readings
✔️ The importance of spiritual boundaries
✔️ Music, healing, and raising your vibration
73: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 73 | Are Your Dreams Trying to Tell You Something? | Cheryl Bradley
Episode 73
Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 59:27
Have you ever wondered if that "gut feeling" was actually Spirit trying to guide you?
In this enlightening episode of The Drop the Needle Podcast, Jim Alstott welcomes intuitive medium Cheryl Bradley for a heartfelt conversation about mediumship, dreams, spirit guides, intuition, and learning to trust your own inner wisdom.
Cheryl explains the difference between being born with intuitive gifts and experiencing a spiritual awakening later in life. She shares practical ways Spirit communicates through dreams, synchronicities, signs, and those subtle feelings we often dismiss.
More importantly, Cheryl reminds us that the goal isn't to become dependent on readings—it's to learn to trust our own connection with Spirit.
✨ In this episode:
✔️ How Spirit communicates through dreams and signs
✔️ The difference between intuition and fear
✔️ Born mediums vs. awakened mediums
✔️ Quieting the mind to hear guidance
✔️ Understanding spirit guides
✔️ Developing your intuitive abilities
✔️ The Yes-No Method for spiritual guidance
✔️ Learning to trust your own light
✔️ Overcoming ego and self-doubt
✔️ Why love and light are the best compass
"If it's light, it's right."
Whether you're beginning your spiritual journey or strengthening your intuition, this episode offers practical tools and gentle encouragement to trust the guidance already within you.
Sound Bites
“You do not walk alone.”
“Spirit gives you what you need.”
72: DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 72 | Motivation Dies on Day 3 — What You Do Next Changes Everything | Dre Baldwin
Episode 72
Friday, August 14, 2026 • Duration 01:04:02
What do you do when the excitement is gone, nobody is watching, and you no longer feel motivated?
Dre Baldwin calls that moment “The Third Day.”
It's the point where most people stop and where professionals decide to keep going.
From riding the bench in high school to playing professional basketball for nine years, Dre built his career by learning how to perform regardless of how he felt. In this episode, he reveals why discipline, perception, confidence, and the unseen work matter far more than motivation.
What separates professionals from amateurs when talent isn't enough?
In this episode of The Drop the Needle Podcast, Jim Alstott sits down with former professional basketball player, author, speaker, and entrepreneur Dre Baldwin to explore the mental game behind high performance.
Dre's journey didn't begin as a star athlete. He went from riding the bench in high school to building a nine-year professional basketball career, delivering four TEDx talks, and creating Work On Your Game — a philosophy and business centered around discipline, confidence, mental toughness, and consistent execution.
At the heart of this conversation is Dre's concept of “The Third Day”: the moment when the excitement has worn off, motivation has disappeared, and you have to decide whether you're going to keep showing up.
Jim and Dre also explore the connection between discipline and the flow state, why perception can influence performance before talent ever enters the equation, and how the best performers make difficult things look effortless because of the work nobody sees.
✨ In this episode:
✔️ Why discipline matters more than motivation ✔️ The meaning of “The Third Day” ✔️ Dre's journey from benchwarmer to professional basketball ✔️ How to stay ready when opportunity hasn't arrived yet ✔️ Mental toughness and performing under pressure✔️ Why consistency builds confidence✔️ The connection between discipline and flow state✔️ How perception shapes performance✔️ The unseen work behind elite performance✔️ Spirituality and the inner game of achievement✔️ Music, mindset, and the songs that shaped Dre's journey
CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:12 Helix's thumbnail: theater kid, filmmaker, Burning Man builder 03:34 COVID, a cancelled Burning Man, and a $12 billion detour 05:35 Paul E. Amori and the Love Party 05:57 The alter ego came first: mayor of Lightning in a Bottle 08:05 Legally changing his name to run for mayor of LA 09:47 Trump wins, a dark night of the soul, and "what would love do?" 12:06 What a festival taught him about fear and love 13:44 3,300 votes: love came in last 15:06 Getting Candid with the Candidates over coffee 16:30 The debate nobody else would hold 20:23 Authentic in a wig: the night he earned their votes 21:26 What losing taught him about career politics 26:03 Liquid democracy and the most loving solution 27:59 Burning Man goes virtual: what survived the crossing 33:52 Amori's Casino and Burlesque 39:04 From a startup to $12 billion, and walking away 41:00 The cutting edge vs. the bleeding edge 43:22 Why founders leave what they built 44:52 Three new companies in a few months 47:05 AI and fear: "I actually think we're not scared enough" 50:29 AGI, superintelligence, and the robots 53:54 Jim's view from hiring: who shows up for work 56:22 Fulfillment: human work vs. machine work 59:14 Eighteen job changes in one career 1:02:06 What employers can do about it 1:03:40 What technology can't give us 1:07:14 Playlist Round: Bennie and the Jets 1:08:08 Reggae road trips, Toots, and a rubber chicken 1:10:24 Hip-hop, jazz, and anything with brass 1:11:53 Pump-up songs and a guilty pleasure 1:13:46 Sleeping at Last's "Saturn" 1:15:01 Tears for Fears in the desert 1:16:15 Big news: Helix is about to become a dad 1:17:56 Where to find Helix, and we drop the needle
RESOURCES MENTIONED Meow Wolf (immersive art experiences) Lightning in a Bottle (music festival) Burning Man and its Ten Principles The Midnight Mission, Skid Row, Los Angeles Sleeping at Last, "Saturn" Tears for Fears, "Rivers of Mercy" (2022)
💬 QUESTION FOR YOU Who taught you something important without ever saying a word? Share your story in the comments. 👍 Like, Subscribe, and Share to help others discover meaningful conversations about music, loss, and what we do with it.
🔗 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Joey's Song and the Freezing Man concerts, The Sylvee, Madison, WI Butch Vig Dravet syndrome and epilepsy research
🌐 CONNECT WITH MIKE GOMOLL AND JOEY'S SONG Website: https://www.joeyssong.org Instagram: @joeyssong Facebook: @joeyssong Follow the Joey's Song podcast. The Freezing Man shows stream free on the Joey's Song YouTube channel the night of the show.
00:00 Intro 02:36 The word on a mountain pass in Nepal 13:18 How Elohim was made backward 28:27 Brian's voicemail as the album intro 31:03 A preacher father, and the phrase said most in the Bible 36:30 Being told to make a record called Elohim 40:25 Malachi, and the name he knew before his son was born 49:57 The music round: the songs that made him 59:04 Why Bob Marley's lyrics are scripture 1:01:17 The hidden Nipsey Hussle track, and the drive down the coast 1:08:56 Garcia's Chicago, November 4th
✅ How Lonnie Frisbee was written out of the story
✅ Psychedelics, sacrament, and music as portals to the divine
✅ Why the church has to keep being put in check by people, not power
Sound bites
"I'm not sure forgiveness is necessary."
"There's no division between the sacred and secular. I think that's a made up thing."
"I don't know if there's a more human experience than music."
"Which means he wasn't paranoid. He was still underground."
Chapters
00:00 Welcome: a pastor, a semiotician, a musician
01:24 Rob's childhood, music upbringing, and path into ministry
03:41 Questioning father absence through theology and identity
06:48 Why forgiveness may not be the right frame
12:07 The anger and grief that surfaced anyway
13:59 What semiotics reveals about signs, culture, and the church
19:35 Mumford and Sons, spirituality, and a stadium full of shared meaning
22:58 Why the sacred and secular divide doesn't hold
26:46 How psychedelic culture and Jesus music are historically connected
30:46 Why Lonnie Frisbee was written out of the cleaner church narrative
35:14 How Rob's congregation responds to his full story
39:42 The Chosen, outsiders, and meeting people where they are
46:53 Doubting certainty and embracing the unknown
56:43 Music, worship styles, and Rob's first ministry in Las Vegas
01:02:26 Rob's father, cancer, and the Brotherhood's underground history
01:08:01 Jim shares his own father story and reconnection
01:10:57 The music round begins: first radio song, road trip songs, high school anthem
01:15:15 Guilty pleasure soundtrack and Disney singalongs
01:16:55 A song that could change how people see the world
01:18:38 A song that feels written for Rob's life right now
01:22:12 Where to find Rob, and we drop the needle
"Walking into a room with other alcoholics told me I was not alone, there was hope."
Whether you're in recovery, quietly questioning what you were raised to believe, or just tired of carrying something by yourself, this conversation is an invitation to stop hiding and start showing up whole.
Share your story in the comments. 👍 Like, Subscribe, and Share to help others discover meaningful conversations about spirituality, healing, and connection.
Whether you're curious about mediumship or you've experienced signs from someone you've lost, this conversation offers comfort, insight, and practical guidance for trusting your own spiritual connection.
Share your story in the comments. 👍 Like, Subscribe, and Share to help others discover meaningful conversations about spirituality, healing, and connection.
🌐 CONNECT WITH GINA VERSACE Website: The Inked Medium Instagram • Facebook • TikTok (Charity work and social links in the description.)
🎙️ CONNECT WITH JIM ALSTOTT 📖 Did I Just Have a Spiritual Awakening, or Was It Something I Ate? 🌐 jimalstott.com 🏕️ The Listening Field Retreat
🎙️ The Drop the Needle Podcast explores the intersection of spirituality, healing, personal growth, and the power of music through insightful conversations with thought leaders and intuitives.
--- 🎙️ The Drop the Needle Podcast explores the intersection of spirituality, healing, personal growth, and the power of music through insightful conversations with thought leaders and intuitives.
If you're an athlete, entrepreneur, creator, leader, or simply trying to become more consistent in your life, this conversation will challenge the way you think about motivation and success.
Sound Bites
“Discipline is the doorway to the flow state.” “Ether by Nas is like he's fighting back.” “Jay-Z's album came out on September 11th, 2001.”
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