I AM TBG

Sup fools, you’re currently reading to the intro for the fourth of six interviews here on this fine, (if I do say so myself, which I do), podcast. And this interview is with none other than my younger brother Dan. Now, what can one say about someone they’ve known for the better part of 25 years? There are so many things I could say. All of them good. He’s incredibly intelligent, (more so than me), and very driven when he wants to be. It’s honestly kind of tough because I feel like I’m describing myself in a way because we both have so much influence over each other in regards to humor, music, sports and just about anything else I can think of. It’s like describing a better version of me to you and it almost feels disingenuous. Regardless of that kind of weird point, I’ve seen Dan grow up and become a fantastic guy who always cares about others and loves to make people laugh, (even if our humor is a bit dark and morbid lol). So I’ll stop rambling now and we’ll get on with the show. I’m Tom and this is the Dan Lapierre episode of Six Degrees.

Greetings and salutations my loyal 8-10 listeners. We’ve gathered today for the third full interview of season 3. The interview that I speak of is with none other than Marc “The Jarrett” Fucking Freeman, (google that shit). I met Freeman in 2007 while I was working a brief stint at Friendly’s, back when you could actually find one. We became fast friends and have had many, many adventures including a ridiculous 21st birthday where he somehow managed to get more drunk than me and proceeded to tell everyone at the party that he worked black ops and would kill anyone who relayed this message to anyone outside of the party, (side note: everyone from that party is still living and I’m not sure he’ll remember that he did that until he listens to this). All joking aside, Freeman is easily one of my closest and most reliable friends. We may not talk for stretches of time but whenever we do pick up the conversation again, it’s like I saw him yesterday. He’s a kind, generous, outgoing, hardworking, intelligent and hilarious guy that always has an interesting perspective on whatever we’re talking about.

Happy Merica Day everyone, hope everyone still has all of their digits and limbs. This week is the second of the full interviews and it’s with one of my favorite people: Kimbo Henry. I met Kimbo a few years back at a convention, (I want to say it was Inbeon Con), and we were pretty much friends right off the bat. This guy has some serious art chops and usually knows the best way to troll you. Whenever I talk to him or see him, he’s always got something interesting or thought provoking to say. When he’s not pushing people’s buttons on social media or kicking ass and taking names in his game of choice, he’s one third of the webcomic “You Can’t Be Serious”, (which you can find on inbeonmag.com). I’m sure he does a bunch of other stuff but I try not to get too much into the man’s business. He’s intelligent, skilled, funny and almost always willing to have a conversation. If you aren’t following any of his social media, you’re missing out.

Here we are again, the beginning of the second half of the season. If you’ve been listening for any number of episodes you would know by now what’s going to happen next. If you’re just joining the show, I suggest you at least go back to the beginning of this season, if not the beginning of the series to really grasp what’s about to happen, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. This week’s episode is the first of the six full conversations with the people you’ve been listening to for the last six weeks. Amanda Shea was the first person I interviewed for this season and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to talk to her. If you listen to LFOD Radio, (head back to season one to listen to Uncle Sam’s answers he’s the founder and host of LFOD), you’ve undoubtedly heard Amanda. This lady is a fucking beast and I mean that in the absolute best way possible. Not only does she co-host LFOD Radio, but she’s a poet, a model, an activist, a promoter and manager, not to mention a mainstay in the Boston Hip Hop community. This amazing, intelligent, thoughtful, driven lady took time out of her busy day to talk to me and answer my outlandish questions about time travel and other crazy shit.

Is time a giant flowing river that will change course if you alter it? Is it a giant network of infinite streams? Is time really a thing or is it just a construct? Is Back To The Future bullshit? What about Bill and Ted or Fringe or Sliders? While we’re at it, did Avengers: Endgame get it right? What is Deja vu?  All of these questions get touched upon in this week’s episode, the halfway point of season three.

Have you ever been asked the question: If you had to lose either your sight or hearing, which would you choose? How impossible of a choice is that? I mean, obviously there are people that are born blind or deaf, but having to choose, almost seems cruel. Well, what if I upped the ante and had you choose from you five senses. What would you be willing to go without? Never mind blindness or deafness, would you be able to go without being able to physically feeling anything? Could you bear to lose your sense of smell? Better yet, could you go without being able to taste the food you eat? This is the topic of this week’s episode.

If you could find out how and when you’d die, would you want to know? I’m not talking crazy specifics, but basic info. Would it help push you into doing things you might scared to do otherwise or would it just stress you out? That is the topic of this weeks episode.

History is a funny thing. We know so much and yet so little about people that we learn about in middle and high school from textbooks or from documentaries or biographies. Wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to travel to a place and time that isn’t our own and talk to someone that we know of but don’t really know? Whether to meet a hero, pick the brain of an innovator or even to find out where you came from? That is the topic of this week’s episode.

Remember when buying an album was a thing? Like before Napster and Limewire, you actually had to go out and purchase an album. It was actually a pretty awesome experience, holding the cd or tape in your hands and listening to it in the car or at home. It was even sweeter when you bought it with your own hard earned money. Well, that is the topic of this weeks episode.

Villains are inherently part of our culture and the way we tell stories. But what makes one compelling or interesting? That is the topic of this weeks episode. Welcome to season 3 of Six Degrees.