Music news: “Hi, How Are You” podcast delves into mental health with musicians
In early October, a new Daniel Johnston inspired podcast “Hi, How Are You?” premiered, a collaboration between the Hi, How Are You Project and The Drag Audio Production. The University of Texas at Austin hosted interview musicians on site at Austin City Limits Music Festival, alongside clinical advisors from American Psychological Association and Texas Psychological Association. Guests are invited to delve into the stories surrounding their music and have conversations around mental health. New episodes will be available on Spotify and SoundCloud every Tuesday and Thursday.
For those unfamiliar with the Hi, How Are You Project, the organization was founded in 2018 as tribute to singer songwriter and visual artist Daniel Johnston. Johnston, while known for his low-fi music, is revered for his mural on The Drag near the University of Texas campus which inspired the project.
In 2004, Johnston was commissioned for $70 and “all the records he could carry” for the mural. Before his passing, Johnston struggled with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
On the first episode of “Hi, How Are You?”, students Marissa Greene and Anahi Chavero chat with Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas and formerly, Grupo Fantasma. Quesada delved into the cultural stigma around mental health in the Latino community and machismo has contributed to the overall view. Chavero asked Quesada if he uses the same parenting style from his past into practice: “I’m taking a little bit of [my upbringing] and also updating it for 2021. A little bit of that and a little bit of what I have learned”, going on to citing and expressing gratitude for his parents instilling discipline while acknowledging the generational gap in parenting style.The overall themes of the inaugural episode revolved around tradition and family dynamics.
Dr. David Hill contributed on to the existing conversation: “Your family is your model for behavior. Good dynamics mean you are well adjusted, resilient. If you have negative dynamics, you can take those on and last well into your adult life.”
The Hi, How Are You podcast team have since interviewed Austin artists, Charley Crockett, Missio, Dayglow, Gina Chavez, David Ramirez, and Superfonicos (in Spanish).
The podcast is available on Spotify here. You can show support for the podcast at this link.
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