HANGS UP HIS HARNESS, PICKS UP A PEN.











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Cory Richards' new book is "The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within". And, for real, it's a helluva read. But before he could write such a powerful work, the man had to have some experiences. In episode #109 of Nice Work, Cory shares his personal struggles with bipolar disorder and how it has impacted, well, just about everything he's done, touched, loved, and undertaken. Cory shares hard-won insights into the complexities of finding validation and connection in pursuits like mountaineering, writing, and photography. This is an instant classic episode of 'Nice Work' and well-deserves your earballs. xoxox.







TIME STAMPSIntroduction and Background: 00:00:00-00:05:29



Discussion on Photography and Empathy: 00:05:30-00:07:42



Corey's Climbing Experiences and Mental Health: 00:07:44-00:17:55



Reading Excerpt on Bipolar Disorder: 00:20:26-00:22:01



Discussion on Nostalgia and Past Perspectives: 00:32:41-00:36:07



Empathy and Understanding Across Generations: 00:36:10-00:43:36



Challenges of Extending Empathy Upward: 00:43:47-00:46:00



Reflections on Pursuits for the Soul: 00:47:29-00:48:59



NICE LINKS



Cory's new book <---grab a copy, won't you? Cory on IG <---give a follow, yes? Cory's gorgeous photos <---take a lookAn easy way to find pinball machines near you <---wholly unrelated to the episode, but very useful nonetheless



Banner photo credit: Cory Richards (duh)

HEART TRANSPLANT TO HOLLYWOOD // ALTERNATE TITLE THIS IS ONE TOUGH SUPERHUMAN ALTERNATE TITLE // JON LURIE WANTS YOU TO THINK BIGGER, LIVE BOLDER, AND EMBRACE ALL SORTS OF WILD AND WONDERFUL POSSIBLE REALITIES











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Writer, journalist, adventurer JON LURIE is our guest today and we know you'll love him. We talk about his heart transplant, his old book, his new book, his movie, Minnesota rock and roll, Markus Hoeckner, astral traveling, Lakotas, Dakotas, Clyde Bellecourt, Greg Norton, Joe Perez, the invisible but felt psychic connections that weave all humans together once they've had even the briefest exchange, and a whole lot more. Long story short, Jon is helping make the most Minnesota movie ever and if you know anyone who lives in that state, or in an adjacent state that wishes it was as cool as Minnesota, or the rest of the states that will never be as cool as Minnesota (except California, of course), you should send them this episode. :)



NICE LINKS



Grab your copy of Canoeing with José (not from Amazon, don't give Bozos your money)And here's the Clyde Bellecourt biography > Thunder Before the Storm (same as above)Beyond the Pump: A Narrative Study Exploring Heart Memory <---absolutely fascinating

HOW HUMANOIDS WILL SAVE HUMANITY



















Former top Apple executive SANDRA ŠOŠKIÇ is the founder of humanoid labs. Her personal motto “go bold or go home” has defined her life, loves, failures, and successes. Listen in for a great founder/entrepreneur story as we jump into what, exactly, humanoid is...and how Sandra and her team are working to create an entirely new and innovative segment, one that embraces a new generation’s evolution away from comfortable (and toxic) conformity. Sandra makes a convincing argument that the more boldly we express ourselves, the richer the cultural tapestry we'll weave together. Born and raised in the Netherlands to Yugoslavian parents, Sandra rose to the top of the ad agency world, ultimately running Europe’s most prestigious ad agency, Tribal-DDB Amsterdam, before being poached by Apple to help overhaul its largest division (MarCom). Finding Apple an intriguing culture fit for empowered women, she left along with several of her favorite female powerhouses to launch humanoid. Listen up for TWO giveaways in this podcast.... Also, massive mega-thanks to our world-saving sponsor, LIQUID DEATH <<< Click for a free six-pack!!!SUPER NICE LINKS



>> Get the humanoid app >>> Join humanoid on IG and/or on TikTok>>>> The humanoid website

OUR KIDS DESERVE A TRUSTED SPACE



















LORI WOODLEY is the founder of ALL IT TAKES, a non-profit that equips youth and educators with essential emotional intelligence skills to successfully navigate their lives and support their communities. Working alongside JUSTINE FISCHER (Outreach & Engagement Manager) and the rest of her team, they teach young people at critical life stages to practice empathy, compassion, initiative, responsibility, and purpose in order to create sustainable, positive outcomes.In this episode, we talk with Lori and Justine about their mission and methods at All it Takes, as well as their brand-spanking-new film series “A Trusted Space: Meeting the Moment. ” This six-part docu-training series, accompanied by resources and training guides, aims to address the exhaustion, behavioral challenges and academic decline happening in the education system in order to turn this moment of crisis into an opportunity to foster resilience and healing in the lives of students.



The work Lori and Justine are doing isn't just (ahem) academic. It applies in the real world in real time. Right here and right now. In fact, it can be applied immediately to the kids and students in your life and with life-changing results. This is practical education for teachers, parents, and students alike. Please please please spread the word to anyone you know with children who need a little extra love and support. Take a listen and keep an ear out for FOUR super nice challenges in this episode. One of 'em will earn you some free swag. :)







SUPER NICE LINKS



Film Series Overview



EPISODE 1  Meeting the Moment



EPISODE 2 Beyond Worksheets – Amplifying Student Voice EPISODES 3, 4, 5, 6All It Takes Website

GOD'S FAVORITE COMIC BOOK CREATOR



















Mark Russell is an author, cartoonist, comic book writer and all-around hyper-intelligent human who gives a damn. He weaves his poignant social commentary not only into entirely new universes, but also into some of your favorite characters, from The Flintstone and Snagglepuss to Superman, Jesus Christ...and a bunch of others. But hey you can just read all about Mark on Wikipedia. You're here to listen, not read, so click the link below and listen to Mark's melodic voice sound wise around subjects like:



> “Traveling to Mars” = your new fave terminally ill hero



> The sad story that is Superman Space Age



> Why writers will win the strike



> Mark’s next project…it sounds so damned cool.



> YOUR unbelievable Flintsones opportunity



> Zines. Remember them?



> AI talk, of course, because that shit’s crazy and is going to end up ruining you



> $20 panckakes….err….flapjacks….err….flapjaX



> Debunking the false narrative on Portland, Oregon



> The refugee problem in the USA.   > Mark’s super simple hard to remember Super Nice Challenge







NICE LINKS



Mark on Twitter Mark on Intagram BUY The Flintstones Comic Shop Locator

VIB3 MACHINE: UNITING HUMANITY THROUGH COMMUNITY INTELLIGENCE 



















Logan Grimé, creator of VIB3 Machine and cofounder of Midi Matilda, discusses his idea of using music to unify humanity. He believes that songs, and specifically melodies, connect people like nothing else in the universe. To create more timeless songs and build a community around people excited about the same idea, Grimé has been sharing the process of writing songs publicly and even plans to open-source the production of those songs to as many people as possible. His vision is to create songs that can be interpreted in real-time, and through the community of people creating their own versions of the song, an interactive music format can be created. Logan believes that listening to songs in the future will be interactive, with AI helping create songs and voices in new ways that add, not overtake, to the whole of music. He coined the term 'underlick', a standalone melody that works beneath the singer's voice as the song progresses, as a way to help explain the underpinnings to his philosophy of song structure. He believes that the ability to create melodies is fundamental to being human, and encourages everyone to explore their innate musical ability.







NICE LINKS



https://www.instagram.com/vib3.machine/ https://stan.store/ViB3MACHiNE

TALK ABOUT A.I. BY TALKING TO A.I. (ABOUT BUILDING A NICER WORLD) 



















Here it is: The world's first podcast interview with Google's whip-smart BARD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Just like with any other guest on our show, we reached out to ask if the guest had interest in appearing on Nice Work! BARD got back to us immediately with a resounding YES! And so, with very little scheduling difficulties or pre-show banter, we had a great conversation with an impeccably polite, if a bit verbose and repetitive "artificial intelligence".



SUPER NICE ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE



> Artificial Intelligence. We talk about this a lot. l



> One true religion



> Climate change



> Gun control



> The libido effect



> All the jobs you're going to lose



> How A.I. can make the world a nicer place



> Bard's desire to join the United Nations







NICE LINKS



https://www.bard.google.com

BUILDING THE UNDER8TED MOVEMENT 



















We welcome the impossibly talented and magnetic Brandon M. Weber, founder of the Under8ted movement and the community program Mind of Creatives. Brandon is a theatre and film artist who is dedicated to making works that break down the stereotypes within the ethnic diaspora. Brandon is also a gem, a joy, and one of the very, very rare things  that our world needs most of all: A leader...and one with heart and with vision.



SUPER NICE ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE



> Brandon. All the rad things he'd doing. > Community building around the world through the arts> Nigerian Hollywood aka Nollywood> The wild benefits of an erratic pattern> The proven secret to life extension an slowing time (see item above)> The world of professional mollusk shell polishers/detailers







NICE LINKS



https://www.instagram.com/mrbmwonline/



https://www.under8tedmovement.com/



https://www.instagram.com/mindofcreatives1/



https://www.instagram.com/under8tedmovement/



https://www.instagram.com/heallosangelesfoundation/

Mattie Conaghan Has Racked Up 112,000,000 Views Without Doing Cocaine Bear   



















Okay, we said we'd be done at 100 episodes. What we meant was that Season #1 would be done. Now it's Season #2 and this is the first episode. Things will be very different in Season 2, kind of like how in that one season of The Office they changed offices and stuff. Or did they? Dunno, as we haven't seen a single episode of that show. Or Seinfeld. Or Friends. Or Everybody Loves Raymond. And haven't seen Titanic. And can't name a single Beyonce song. And yet we exist. So does Mattie.



SUPER NICE ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE



> The horrors of AirBnB> A kids book about tumbleweeds and sibling angst> Bears and copy editors who do too much cocaine (so gross) > The Mexican President> Racists> Tiny book libraries for tiny humans> The future of bespoke Afropunk ballpoints







NICE LINKSAll things Mattie >> https://www.mconaghan.com/links

THE UNKNOWN GUEST AKA SAVING THE BEST (& WORST) FOR LAST



















Yep, this is it. Or at least we thought it might be. We planned for 100 episodes, we committed to 100 episodes, and we've cut 100 damned good episodes. Well, at least 8 of them were damned good....the rest ran the gamut from terrible to passably decent. But every single one featured a fantastic guest well worth your attention. So what's next? Dunno. SOMETHING, that's for sure. Probably salons. Time to get people connected in the real world again. Enough podcasts. Enough social media. Here's to getting dirty in the flesh. Dirty minds. Dirty ideas. We're going to need to filthy if we plan to clean up the muck of our shared world. :) What's really next? Another season at some point. But done differently. A new approach. Wait and see.



SUPER NICE ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THIS VERY LAST NICE WORK! PODCAST



> Is being nice passe/ineffective in today’s divisive and intolerant world?> The Single Greatest “Would You Do That for a Million Dollars” Question Ever posed AKA "Teenage Indecent Proposal with Gene Shalit"> Steve Bannon, Joe Rogan, Kellyanne Conway, Gene Shallot, waterfalls of Soylent and a loaded pistol: WWYD?> The matriarchal structure of the sperm whale family



> The SNC Origin Story (once again)



> In defense of Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor and Blazing Saddles



> More  inanity from the anti-nice Elon Musk



> Super Nice Challenge: Go watch ‘They Live’> The Daily Greatest Turd Event (with confetti)



> A real life billion dollar treasure hunt on Cocos Island

Amelia, Ryan & Tod Offend 96% of Humanity + a great meet cute story



















AMELIA BOONE. RYAN VAN DUZER. You know who they are. If you don't, you won't learn that much about them in this episode, because we don't really talk about the things that they've worked so darned hard to be known (at least partially) for. Instead, this episode is more about two super nice people who have come together in a great way (via this podcast...taking full credit here) to complement one another seamlessly and add even more wattage to their individual super shine. Yeah, I just typed that. Due to the last episode's rant against gun control, we lost our My Pillow sponsorship, meaning we couldn't afford to pay the rent on our podcast studio in Steve Bannon's garage. You might notice a slight dip in audio quality as a result, but rest assured we'll have it fixed by our final episode, #100. As an aside, it is entirely possible that during out time at Bannon's garage, we collected enough of Steve Bannon's hair and skin dust that we think we're close, with the help of our Chinese sponsor Xiami, to creating a cloned baby Bannon, who we plan on raising as super nicely as possible in a forward-thinking effort to create an anti-MAGA warrior with all the smarmy smarts of his progenitor and all the heart and empathy of Don Cheadle. Stay tuned!



Some Things INCLUDED WITH THE FREE BAG OF PODCAST



> The Amelia-Ryan meet cute story which really is cute and inspiring



> Ryan's amazing wing-mom who lives above Ryan's basement 



> Saving the world with eBikes while rallying against woefully unfair eBike subsidies



> The well-proven efficacy of 'thoughts and prayers'



> Amelia's garage-based rattlesnake farm (strange/true)



> DEBUNKED: The myth of the psychedelic runner's high



> A really boring, overlong segment where Amelia gives Tod physical therapy advice> LIFE HACK: The great Slurpee brain freeze trick



> Predictable mentions of root beer floats



> Is it possible to mow your neighbor's lawn without asking in a non-passive aggressive way?



> Is it okay for an adult to start a lemonade stand to compete with kids? If no, how far away should the adult lemonade stand be? Is this something that local city councils should draft ordinances in order to codify? Should adults even start lemonade stands in the first place?







Nice Links



* People for Bikes  http://www.peopleforbikes.org * Ryan on IG: http://www.instagram.com/duzer* Amelia on IG: http://www.instagram.com/arboone11* The Creation Museum > https://www.creationmuseum.org

ON GROWING B/OLDER, WISER & MORE PASSIONATE THAN EVER



















CRAIG SWEENEY. He's done the corporate thing. He's built successful businesses. He grew up in an era where 50-year-olds were looked at like half-dead zombies whose greatest daily achievements were getting that much closer to a senior discount at the movie theater. But it's 2022 and 50-somethings are kicking ass in every facet of society, refusing to go quietly into the night. Craig realized there's a need for a community that emboldens Gen Xers to feel and own their age as a badge of pride.... and so Over50Badass.com was born.



Some Things You WILL ABSOLUTELY Learn About



> Who and why is Craig Sweeney? 



> What is Over50Badass? 



> The need for intergenerational conversations and teams



> What's so bad about getting older?



> Are middle-aged men the world’s biggest assholes?



> Respect vs. Politeness



> More hate on LeBron James and the LA Lakers :)







Nice Links



* Over 50 Badass >  http://www.over50badass.com  * Craig on IG > https://www.instagram.com/craigsweeney/* Over 50 on IG  > https://www.instagram.com/over50badass/

WE DON'T MEAN IT WHEN WE CALL FOR PUTIn'S ASSASSINATION



















LOOSE BUTTONS. They're not only a guitar-driven indie-rock band (aren't you getting tired of the 'bands' out there that just 'play' music by touching buttons on a laptop? or am I the old man yelling at the future here?), but they're also give-a-fuck humans who are advocating for and raising money for the rights and safety of Ukrainian citizens.



Some Things You WILL ABSOLUTELY Learn About



> Eric's very Ukrainian POV on, well, the travesty that is Putin's horror show in the Ukraine 



> Loose Buttons, the band that rocks like bands used to rock and seem to be starting to rock again  



> Moroccan Lounge money-back promise



> Eric's leap of faith moment



> Why musicians have to musician



> Your tolerance for someone (me) pushing against your conditioned worldview







Nice Links



* All things LOOSE BUTTONS











Top photo of Madison by @tannerunderwater

play THIS EPISODE loudLY at work



















Sophia is awesome, let’s just put that out there. She’s had bylines in The Guardian, Allure, Refinery29, Reductress, Mr. Porter and The Cut. She is also a regular sex & relationships columnist for Bustle and GQ.  She’s also the author of the new book,  “Well, This is Exhausting” a collection of extremely personal and absurdly funny essays about Sophia’s life. Her dating life, her sex life, her life as a writer, growing up struggling with obesity. You can read a bunch of glowing reviews here or just take our word for it.



Some Things You WILL ABSOLUTELY Learn About



> Are orgasms overrated?  



> Sex: Quality vs. Quantity  



> The need for wildly insecure role models



> Being real about fatphobia



> Opening up about fantasies and fetishes



> Are mean girls really mean?



> Resisting the urge to fly your woke flag



> Democrats or Republicans – Who makes a better lover?



> The ONE thing men can do to supercharge their online dating life



> The ONE thing men can do to supercharge their real-world dating life



> A football player’s worst sex ever



> A football player’s worst sex ever



> A money-back guarantee  



Nice Links



* Sophia's Very Own Internet Website* Sophia has partnered with Instagram to create her own page there* Another Internet Website, But This One Contains Literary Erotica











Top photo of Madison by @tannerunderwater

because they're awesome & eating them will make UR dick fall off



"I work for sharks, they are everything to me, and my story is one of loss at the hands of environmental injustice, and I work to take back what I believe is mine, and that is a future in an ocean that has sharks. The most important career I can hope to be involved in, is the protection of this planet, and thus my own future. I want a future with sharks in it, this is the end I am fighting for. I have seen a change in my lifetime, I am not an activist, or a conservationist, I am just a person, who refuses to believe they will lose their home in their lifetime, at the hands of governments and worldwide neglect of this species. Not now, nor has it ever been impossible for one person to make a difference."















Listen in and learn a whole lot about what YOU can do to help Madison help the sharks who, you knew, help our oceans survive which, you know, help us survive. So, consider this episode a self-help episode... even better than all those podcasts that go on and on about (neo) Stoicism and libertarian bullshit. :)







Project Hiu is an effort that is WORKING right here and right now. Watch the short video and get involved!




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fjjg9Fwttw








Some Things You Might Learn About



>> The current state of affairs for our shark friends



>> Madison's Project Thiu



>> Why homeschooling can be a super nice option for kids who aren't built for traditional educaiton



>> How bloody shark heads are used to intimidate those who threaten their small-minded ways



>> How to get a free SNC hat



... and a lot more....



Nice Links



* Madison on Instagram* Project Thiu* Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)* Sharkwater Documentary* The End of the Line Documentary* Playing with Sharks Documentary











Top photo of Madison by @tannerunderwater

AY Young is a producer, singer, songwriter, entertainer, and entrepreneur AND one of 17 United Nations Global Youth Leaders. While touring the USA, AY learned that over 1 billion people lack access to electricity. So AY began powering concerts using renewable energy, raising awareness about sustainability, and helping fund efforts to bring people electricity. Thus, his Battery Tour was born, one that has helped plug in and activate hundreds of thousands of people, and inspire other entertainers to power their concerts similarly, all over the world.



AY's Project 17 is an album AY is producing with 17 songs, each representing a different goal from the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, performed by 17 of the world’s most prominent recording artists. This is a big, huge, monstrous, amazing project, one that contains echoes of the 1980s "We Are the World" / USA for Africa project, but is also far bigger in scope. And if you think that nobody can tackle something so massive, you haven't met the irrepressible AY. But you're about to!











Why are you talking about saving the world while you're destroying it?” AY Young (re: al gore using fossil fuels to power his talks)











What are the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals? Glad you asked. Now press play THEN share this video in person and, less vitally, online/through your socials.








https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XTBYMfZyrM&t=25s








SOME NAME DROPS



Kendrick Lamar



Billie Eilish



Wiz Kalifa



T-Pain



Tec N9Ne



Paul Hawken



Anne Rosenberg



Greta Thunberg



Paul Hawken



Coldplay



Head and the Heart



The Weeknd



Patrick Mahomes



Eminem



Al Gore



BTS



Some OTHER things you may learn about



>> The long, hard road of independent musicians



>> Kansas City pride



>> How you can win a Super Nice Club hoodie



>> How to become an outlet for change



>> Why hope in these times is well-founded








https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ma7kX_neZk








Nice Links



* AY Musik Home Page* AY on that new Instagram thing* UN 17 Global Goals * AY's YouTube + Global Goals Music Roadshow

HE'S PARTNERED WITH TITANS TO SAVE THE WHAL-- WORLD



Just like the title of this podcast says, Richard's Ocean Agency is a very unique creative agency that is dedicated to just one client, a client that many argue is the most important in the world. Yes, even more important than Nike, Apple or Amazon. Indeed, the Oceans are #1 in the Future 500 listing, while the aforementioned corporate titans all languish at or near the bottom. Not to overly slag the companies who are literally shitting in our oceans and destroying life on Earth in their endless quests to garner market share, but it's fair to point out that what Richard is doing is far, far more valuable than anything Jeff Bezos has ever dreamed up. Assuming the man dreams. Not sure.



Richard’s major successes to date include 1) inventing the SVII camera and taking Google Street View underwater 2) pioneering virtual reality ocean education 3) helping create the XL Catlin Seaview Survey – the most comprehensive underwater photographic survey and record of coral reefs with over 1 million images captured and analyzed 4) the Netflix Original Documentary, “Chasing Coral” – winner of the 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Nature Documentary 5) 50 Reefs – a global scientific study to help target and inspire effective conservation support and action that resulted in $86 million in funding for leading science and conservation organizations, and 6) the Glowing campaign – a global campaign to accelerate coral reef conservation action and funding through popular influence and business involvement.And he’s just getting started. His optimism is contagious and has moved titans of industry (see above) off their asses and into the fight to save the best of what's left of our planet.







I think change is exponential...and we can turn things around almost overnight.”- Richard vevers











We can do much better than this.







Some Things You Might Learn About



>> The above numbered amazing accomplishments



>> How a cold call lead to working with Google on an audacious project



>> How to chase an underwater HEAT WAVE



>> The First Things First Manifesto



>> Why outrage alone rarely leads to action



Nice Links



* Richard's OCEAN AGENCY* OCEAN AGENCY on ye olde Instagramme* "Chasing Coral" the documentary you're watching tonight* The First Things First Manifesto

On The Inauthenticity of Aging Gracefully



Sometimes the most seemingly counterintuitive idea is actually extremely intuitive. Or maybe it’s just tuitive. Tim Parr had this type of idea when he started CADDIS Eye Appliances. He just didn’t know it right away. That moment came when he had literally five pairs of prototypes for the readers the company would eventually make. A potential investor loved the product, but her reaction to the (in Tim’s mind at the time) throwaway lines written on the boxes about embracing aging sent Tim in a whole new direction. Did she love the brand’s message of being who you are? Not covering crow's feet in concealer, pretending to be 25 or painting your beard brown. No. The mere suggestion of the “Anti-Anti-Aging” company struck fear in her heart. Tim knew he was onto something.



From that day forth, CADDIS was no longer a company that merely made stylish but relatively affordable reading glasses for aging Gen-Xers reared on irony, Fugazi, and VHS skateboard tapes who still believed that corporate magazines still sucked (but now they had to squint to read them). It became a platform welcoming them (and everyone else) to “The New Age.”



The moment came: We are not in the eyewear business. We are in the business of changing minds.”



Tim, whose background includes working closely with the legendary Yvon Chouinard at Patagonia and founding his own cycling apparel company and was touring as a musician when CADDIS became a gleam in his eye behind the dime-store reading glasses he didn’t like, fused his past lives in creating something at CADDIS that really resonated. At the time, then his mid-late-forties and still touring with his bluegrass band, Tim threw himself into CADDIS as a lifestyle brand with like-minded co-founders like musician Donavon Frankenreiter, pro surfer Lisa Andersen and filmmaker Taylor Steele.















We’ll get to it all in this episode of Nice Work! including the good work Tim and CADDIS is doing in supporting music education through Music Farming and how you can get 10% off on anything on caddislife.com with the code SUPERNICE10. Tim tells us how he got to where he is, what’s next and why age is more than a number.







This might have something to do with Tim's Challenge to the club (or maybe it is just a Noah Baumbach movie with Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Horowitz (aka the king Ad-Rock) and the late-great Charles Grodin you might enjoy.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRUcm9Qw9io








Some Things You Might Learn About



>> Why we suck at multi-generational conversations



>> Swapping EQ for IQ and IQ for EQ



>> Why "youth marketing" is for suckers



>> Getting older and owning it



>> How a brand can become a platform for social change



Nice Links



* All things CADDIS at caddislife.com* MusicFarming.org and its mission to save music education* The book Let My People Go Surfing

Brooklyn indie-pop-slash-dance musician-slash-artist and performer Ariana and the Rose graces Nice Work! this week.  Billboard, Time Magazine, Vice, Nylon (who called her “the ultimate cool girl”), and a whole bunch of others have raved about her super nice high-energy dance music and her attitude and authenticity. We like all that and really appreciate her appreciation for grammar. Even on TikTok (where she’s a whole thing).



Not kidding. She's amazing on there. Singing, playing piano, mugging backstage on before she goes on national television, dancing, giving dating advice, telling you you're worthy and just generally being a badass. Check it out.




https://www.tiktok.com/@arianaandtherose/video/7053129283547467014




Give yourself a minute and browse through those TikTok Taks or Toks or TikToks or whatever they are called but the short videos of her true honest and authentic self that Ariana so generously shares on there and you'll see what we mean.



When we think about forgiveness, we often think about what it means to the other party involved in this forgiveness scenario. But what is often lost is the permission the one doing the forgiving is giving themselves to forgive and heal. Ariana gets into all this, but it is in the context of a teaser sneak peek we get of a brand new and amazingly danceable song that you'll be some of the first folks to hear. Forgive us if we are late to the game.



It's a healing sort of anthem set to four-on-the-floor and some synths.”



There's a lot more going on in this episode with Ariana and the Rose (Miss Di Lorenzo if you're nasty). Including the chance to win tickets to see Ariana and the Rose perform on March 3 and enough talk about feet to make Quentin Tarrantino an avid listener. But we also got around to asking things like what do people mean when they say women are too much? Like WTF does that even mean? Probably not much. Now settle in and buckle up.



Some things you may learn about



>> Attitude and authenticity



>> Toxic wellness



>> East Coast vs West Coast grammar smackdown



>> How you hold so much more than the food you eat



>> Being emotionally slutty








https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0dHOUjOOs








Nice Links



* All things Ariana on her official site* The TikTok for the kids: @arianaandtherose* For the olds, IG: @arianaandtherose

From the Hard KNock School of Rock to Dreadlocks and Birkenstocks



Drummer Jay Lane has kept the beat for the likes of Dead & Company, Rat Dog, Wolf Bros, Furthur, The Uptones and a bunch of Les Claypool's projects like Primus, Sausage, and Frog Brigade. Is he the Pete Best of Primus? We’re going to find out.



Jay joins the pantheon of Nice Work! podcast guests who are drummers, including Logan Grimes from Midi Matilda, Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails, and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. from the Killers. That’s a helluva percussion section for the Super Nice drum circle (eat your Mickey Hart out).



When we spoke to Jay he was speaking to us from beautiful Marin, California where does not live (he’s a lifelong San Franciscan)—sitting on Bob Weir’s deck. We had to ask what he was doing at Bob Weir’s house. The answer goes down every rabbit hole you might have hoped if you are a production geeking hoping for some insight into a symphonic album of Dead music—including one that has Bugs Bunny at the bottom.















Music education is endangered. And wow, if you can do anything to put music in kids' hands you are making the world a nicer place. And Jay’s support of Blue Bear School of Music is just part of what him a super nice human who also happens to be a pretty damn good drummer. Teaching not just keeping the beat but also how their instrument fits into the band. Yes, there’s probably a larger analogy there.



We talk about all that and Jay gives us a pretty impressive list of drummers who you should check out. Including underrated tub masters who make you stop for a second and say something like ”Damn, that’s no drum machine,” such as Morris Day and Jellybean Johnson of the Time, Freddy White from Earth Wind and Fire, John ”JR“ Robinson, and legendary session musician and Jerry Garcia Band timekeeper Buzz Buchanan.















This episode is home to probably one of our more unusual challenges, but it could win you a one-of-a-kind original polaroid taken by Tod during his shoot for the cover of Primus’ “Green Naugahyde” album.



All this, and we also might have inadvertently reminded Jay he is paying for Spotify and motivated him to cancel it. His take: Porn websites are better about giving credit to the players than music streaming sites and apps. Looking at you Apple and Spotify (and, guys, please don’t take our podcast down, thanks).







And you heard here first. Jay is definitely coming out with his own album this year. Look for it on, uh, Bandcamp.



New Variant by Jay Lane



Some Things You May Learn About



>> How Jay met Bob Weir through doing a Levi’s commercial



>> Are drummers the most reliable members of the band?



>> Morris Day (leader of the Time) is a super underrated drummer



>> How to play wack-a-mole with an Italian conductor in an orchestra a la Carl Stalling



>> The three most dominant smells in a rehearsal space







Nice Links



* On Instagram @luvrzlane* Blue Bear School of Music