Regenerative Research and Biological Age

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert. I'm Dax Shepd and I'm joined by Monica Lillily Padman. Hello. Today we have one of the biggest DJs to ever live. Steve Aoki. He is a Grammy nominated DJ and record producer. His albums are Non Future, Wonderland, Colony with a K. likeike Krispy Kreames. That's right Quantum bes, cool And u He's celebrating, as he should, the thirtieth anniversary of his record label Dim mock. Yes. And guys If you're like me and you think, well, I'm not terribly interested in DJane. It doesn't matter. Steve is such a fascinating guy. What an incredible story he has. work ethic. The whole thing is just a fun ride. Legendary father was such a good episode. I really loved him. I think you're going too. Please enjoy Steve Aoki. This episode is brought to you by American Beverage. We've probably all had that moment where someone says something about an ingredient in your drink and you're like, shouldhould I be worried about that? 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Now available in Canada too. That's QuNce dot com slash daxs for free shipping and three hundred sixty five day returns Quins d. com slash AX He's in our chair Is child Is F from Henderson? From Henderson, yeah. My father in law lives in Henderson. Oh, yeah. M It's surprising how many people I know say they have someone in Henderson. You know they call it Hendnder Tucky. That was a common thing in Michigan too. L people would deride Taylor, Michigan. They called it Taylor Tucky. There are a lot of You really just gotta feel bad for Kentucky. Kentucky News is a online in all these other cities How long have you lived in Henderson? I'm from LA. Newport. Yeah, Newport. Yeah Santa Barbara then L.A. then moved to Vegas, moved to Henderson, and I bought the house in twenty thirteen Okay, so thirteen years there. Yeah, then I moved there in like end of twenty fifteen. My residency is in biggas. residency I as in like my DJ residency. so I was playing there every month. That makes sense. I was like, why would you go there? but that makes sense Yeah Yeah. It's like if you're always working in Hollywood or LA and you're gonna in LA. if you're an actor, you know, yeah. So if you're a DJ, I mean, I fifty shows a year there. so. Yeah, I mean, you could live anywhere. How many days do you think you're home a year? Well I do two hundred shows a year Tw hundred doars. Yeah two hundred on vacations and shit, right? Vacations is kind of tour. You'll just extend on either end of a show. mayaybe a day. Okay. sounds like you don't really vacate. Well honestly, the vacation for me is being home. Yeah. Right. Because it's nothing better. I don't care to be on a deserted island or something. Yeah. I gotta tell you about the suspicious timing of you coming today So a month ago my My daughter turned thirteen And I was taking her to Disneyland for like the weekend. And I said, is Is there anything special you wanna do? And she said, yeah, I wanna eat at Benni Hanna. And I'm like, Ohh my God, that's great. I love Benni Hanna. I'm not even sure how she knew about Benni Hanna. But anyways, we go to Benni Hanna in Anahheeim, right? And I'm looking at the wall inside of Benni Hanna And I'm like Hold on a second. fucking Benihana was sponsoring offshore race boats. Yeah. I'm super into boats and all racing. So I was mesmerized by these photos of the Benihana racing boat. And I was like, that's such a weird thing for them to sponsor as a restaurant. And then I'm fucking reining about Steve D. his father is Rocky Aoki, Sted Benny Hanah and raced Sorry, I said Aoki, I didn't your last name, right? I coming is the American way I mean, if you're in Japan, it's Aoki, If you're in Mexico, it's Aoki. If you're in England, it's Ayoki, Okay. So we can get away with Ao. But we gotta do first of all, what was your relationship with your father? do you like talking about him? I love talking about my father he's a legend for me. No, he's a legend, but like I love to bring up his name because the people that really knew him Yeah. are older than us. You have to be like fifty five and up and then you knew you heard about him ' he didn't have an impact in the eighties. He was crazy. Yeah, he was the evil carnival of of restaurant tours for sure. Okay, so let's start. He's from Japan Yeah, he's in Japan. And he was a wrestler there. He was a wrestler. He went to the US. I think he was wrestling for the Olympics on the Japanese team or something, you know, he's a high level wrestler. came to the United States. and then This is where it gets kind of blurry. He came out there for some reason, I think some wrestling thing, hard himself, couldn't wrestle for Japan and then stayed in New York. That part, I don't know the exact storyline, but he then came to New York. Doid he speak any English? No, no This's nineteen sixty one In nineteen sixty one, he came to New York. It was difficult for for Asian immigrants. You're in the least friendly city in America not speaking the language. Yeah. I mean, it's gotta be a jap. Yeah his book, he does talk about like living in Harlem and being broke and trying to figure if things out. get ice cream truck. U. He was like, okay, you know what? I'm a restaurant. so I'm gonna to paint a Japanese restaurant inside of this ice cream truck See what we get. runon Hor of tried thears group and it just didn't really work out. What a cool guy. And then he was taking classes for restaurant management at some small college. He also won like a flyweight wrestling division. Like he also was a really successful wrestler and then he was like, let's start this restaurant idea. and his father, my grandfather The original Beni hanas was in Japan. Oh, it was Yeah. Benihana means it's a flower basasically named it after a flower that grew outside of the rubble of post World War two. Yeah. Next to his cafe. And it's like this resilient flower, this red flower that just grows through anything It's like o Okay, let's this It wasn't a restaurant, the cafe, Beni Hana. And it wasn't like Habibachi grilled No cafe. It like small, humble cafe The grandfather really helped him. He brought the chefs over, he brought the hibachi grills over. And starts with four grills, right? a restaurant. An the idea to like cook in front of people. Yeah, ye. That's actually interestingly enough That's not a Japanese concept. They don't do that there. They don't do that. So that's very much an American born concept. Where did he get that idea?? I don't know where he got the idea He's a showman of some sort. Yeah say that. becauseuse no one really did that. There's no inventions. It's not like he invented it, but like definitely found this idea of entertainment Entertertainment. already conceptually out of the gates, there's problems. You're not going have huge turnover in concept. I could see someone going, well, how iss this going to work? You only have four tables and they got to cook at the table so they can't be cooking for other people. On top of that Japanese food in the sixties They only serve Japanese people. Yeah, like the little like immigrant cultures, rightight? So if you want toat Chinese food you have to go to Chinatown. And you're gonna to be eating with Chinese people. It's not made for Westerners Right R So right They open Benjanas. they open in like a Western white New York. fifty sixth street or something like that. Yeah. fifty sixth street. So my father was thinking was like, well, I want to try to break this open Yeah to Americans, not to Japanese people. This isn't a Japanese concept. Japanese people won't adopt this. like. They don't like it.'t like they want traditional Japanese food. It's not Benhanas. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah So it was struggling because it was a completely foreign concept. Yeah. and it almost didnn't work. Sure. The first phase of it was almost a complete failure up until this one New York Times writer. Oh back in the days when you could make a restaurant with review. one review And she came in and ate there and was blown away and then she wrote this incredible review. And then business picked up and sustainable. Yeah. And when did he start franchising it and building it out? This is nineteen sixty four. He started it. I think in the seventies, it just took off. He' privately scaling it out. Yeah. I think it's like late seventies or early eighties was when he went public. It was a publicly traded company. Yeah, at some point went public. So he probably got absurdly rich overnight kind of from that public offering. Then he became like an employee of the company. but in the seventies, when it was his company, he's like, okay, I'm gonna to do the offshore boat. I'm gonna do all the stuff I want to do. Yeah,ah, yeah. But I'm just gonna taget Han on the side of the boat. So it's all right up.ag Betty Hanah on the side of the hot air balloon His father iss the first person to fly a hot air balloon across the Pacific. Oh my God It it didn't say Benny Hanah on the h would be like his face on the ballon L was like a marketing mag like He was the Mickey Mouse of Benny Hanah. really was he was like a Colonel Sanders Col Sanders, Dave Thomas from Wendy's. Yeah he definitely market himself really well and he was never afraid to be in front of a microphone or never afraid to talk to people. Never afraid to be in an interview Yeah inspiring. Yeah and for Japanese people which are known to be more like keep your head down. donon't make A ruckus don't make noise. He was a complete opposite. He adopted it like this American Mindset of showmanship. A very incredible story. So what he is doing? I mean, he's a thrill seeker. This whole hot air balloon across the Pacific nuts. The fact that no one had done it and he does that. And then the Ostal racing was serious. Like he almost died in San Francisco under the Golden Gate Bridge. He started a porno magazine. did. Yeah. So He started a Jenesis magazine. actually sold it to Larry Flint Okay for years this magazine was around. Yeah, you had a club? He was trying to be like Japanese E Hefner. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was married to my mom but then had a whole other family. There's a quote from him saying he had three children from three different women at the exact same time Oh wow. Yeah, so there's that story too. Okay. didn age great was great. type of person without that No. Yeah. Yeahah, you kind of did it all. It was like a no rules. Im just couldn' do whatever I wanted. Yeah Yeah. So you have like a million brothers and sisters that you do or don't know? There's seven siblings from my father's side. And honestly, we're all very close Oh that's. Yeah, so we'll do family get togethers with all of us. Now we're in our forties. Soon to be fifties, let's see. think God music keeps me young and And my longevity and stuff like that is important. What a character and how present was he? he sounds very busy. He had a lot of shit going on He was definitely present though. He was. So when they go public, he's got some cash. He's like, let's go live it up in Newport. The crazy part of the story is and this is very public. Yeah is that he had a major boat accident came out of the coma And that's when He woke up to my mom on one side and to his girlfriend. Okay. I don't know if I was born yet. So was a mom and my older brother and sister and his girlfriend and my brother Oh my half brother, her son. News to your mom or she or to was him. Oh shit. Dude this is out of a movie, you wake up of coma and all your secrets are revealed. He's just like, I would want to go back into my coma now for. Yeah, it'd be like I like, oh, I wish I died You know, this is pretty social media. Everyone's life was a fucking mess, but no one knew. Eventually my mom did divorce and then she moved from Miami where I was born. Great boat racing down there. you gott to be in Miami. Yeah. And also Benhana headquarters moved to Florida. Okay. So you moved. I was one. So my mom moved to Newport then I grew up in Newport. wasn't born there, but really I'm in Newport born not born raaised there. Yeah seventeen. Yeah. So did he stay in Florida? Like how often were you seeing him? He had a place Florida. He was really New York. He could not leave New York He was a New York. It sounds like his arousal template, what he needed to be alive. He could only exist in New York.ike he needs a lot He's notorian. he is not aff He is a New Yorker through and through. He had a brown stone when he was living sixty third for his last part of his life. He was in New Jersey, thirty minutes outside of New York City. when I was young That's where I would go visit. You would go visit him in the summer in Angglewood And that's where you can get acres of land and a big house. I was surprised. I don't think the house was that extraordinarily expensive. in the eighties It's a different price point. Probably a three hundred eighty thousand dollars house. It's something ridiculous L like less than a million dollars. and you have all those acres, you have ten square of a big Victorian style house kind of creepy, not something I was excited to be in at night, know It's scary.. Now I know you love Bruce Lee this is weird par here Bruce Lee was breaking the mold. He was this fucking sexy dude. He was in San Francisco being cool. Yeah. And in the sixties, right? Yeah, I guess so, right? sixties because he passed away in seventy seven, I think. Okay. Your dad never met him by chance, did he? running in these fun circles. You know, he met a lot of people. He loved being out So he Defitely extrovert, socialite guy. Is he a drinker Not so much. Oh, interesting. Not so much. Yeah. My grandfather was a drinker. My father wasn't. He had a whole book on sake and stuff like that. You know, it's a conoisur of Japanese food, but I never actually experienced him drunk I saw him drunk. Yeah from a child in the seventies. Well, he was getting high on other things clearly. got six foot weight. God is doping me out life for sure. Yeah. He is friends with a lot of people in the art world, the club world. He also needs to be said, he visibly looks like a stud. You can tell there's a dude who wrestled. Like he is a stud I mean' stocky short. He's a perfect wrestler type because he's not tall and lanky and goodood luck I to take him down. Okay. so in Newport seventy eight onward. I mean, for people who' been to Newport, it is like blonde chads who go surfing and skateboarding and it just couldn't be whiter and blonder. I always joke about this because my mom who is through and through a very Japanese immigrant speaks eight broken English M to the widest neighborhood in Orange County when ten minutes away is this Irbine. It's like majority. She have been in J She could have been Yeah. She could numerous literally nice on minutes away. It was like she'd be in a Japanese community. She could have spoke Japanese al. Yeah, yeah. But she moved to Newportk. We always kind of laugh about that. You know, in the end,m glad that she did do that for me because being a fish out of water in many cases when you're younger, you know, it's just different you know, being an immigrant very different life Th then when you're an adult. You got a real experience racism or you get a real experience feeling left out at the loudest levels. Yeah. at your most insecure. you are. And then you're also so impressionable. you're so vulnerable, you so like emotional. you're so confused. There's multiple factors. A, you've gotten older and you've found success and status. That's going to change what you deal with. but also just Being Japanese in nineteen seventy eight versus now is a much differentng in the US. Yeah, definitely. You know, social media is almost like an educational tool for so many kids. to s go like, oh yeah, I shouldn't say that. R. Yeah I should do that. Like the social norms are if I do that, I will get canceled. so therefore I should not do that. Yeah. Back then there was like Oh, the social norm to not do this. Also we got a really big education on Japan in the early nineties when Japan was really rising to economic dominance and there were now movies about it. Some of the culture was coming in this direction. I also just the general understanding. There's the kids now That love anime anda and Japanese cultural stuff that's like cool. And the food Everyone eats Japanese. Yeah, exactly. Everyone's been to fucking Benni Hana. Y father your father' weirdly part of that movement. Cool Yeah. I mean you miseducated us. I was like, cool, this is how they cook in Japan. Every That's another funny thing is that Benni Hana is more American than Japanese and people don't realize it cooking of the showmanship The hats, that's a French style hat, right? Yeah. So there's a lot of interesting things that my grandfather was like, Ohh, we want the red French style hats 'cause they're louder. they catch shrimp better when you flick at me. But it's smart because he was trying to get Americans in. so he has to visually make it appealing to Americans. You don't wan to push them away if they walk in and they're like I recognize anything in here I'm leaving. The only offering was the food and it was good. I love Benny Han. But if that was the only offering, it's not becoming some big national sensation. Just going back to what you're saying about your daughters like it's a birthday thing. Yeah, yeah. It's like every kid's birthday spot. Okay. It's my birday It's do Beny Han. It's just kind of like Part of normal conversation now when you your kid is. Yes. It's cool that it's become that. I forgot what the statistic is I used to work at Bennhas when I was a teenager. I think it's like seventy percent birthdays or something. S something like I don't know what the percentage is or not fact check, but it's a large percentage. You get any fluff off of people knowing you are associated with Beni Ha that provide anything cultural capital For me coming up as an artist, no. No, I mean as like a kid on the playground. Oh o No really know.. I mean my close friends would be like, oh, can we eat a Benjana or something. Is it your birthday? Yeah, but not really. So how did you do in elementary and in middle school and how did you find your way? Like When I grew up when I was first through fourth, fifth grade for a period of time it was one of boys in my class. Wha Usually that's a good thing so But like when you're a kid, if the two guys don't like you, you're kind of screwed. So in your school there was only three boys in class. Oh, that's so bizarre. Was it a private school? I hopped around because I just could not make friends. so my mom would like, okay, let's try try this school bad socialization, like I could not figure it out. Yeah, yeah. Well, let's fair,' I don't think it was off to you to figure out. It was really tough to make friends. So what was the inroad? like for a lot of kids, it's skateboarding or it's smoking weed or you know, you find a little niche you can cement yourself. Yeah Yeah. so the interesting thing that I saw is that I went to public and Catholic or Christian. The Catholic and Christian private were the most difficult. My grades were the worst. My socialization there was horrible. One thing I recognizeed when you're an outsider The teachers all recognize that and you just get sent to the principal's office all the time. Oh, really? It's like easy to pick on the guy that everyone doesn't like. There's something wrong with this kid. No one likes this kid, o, just go to the principal and then I would just get spanked and like Oh back then I would get o man, it was horrible. to spanked with a big holes on paddle I just hated it's brutal. And my mom would have to pull me out. I was like failing in these classes and I loved being in public schools in Newport. because also public schools in Newport's going be different than other places too. But it was still rutal sometimes. It's the dude who himself got shit on by another echelon of popular kids that decides he's up got to find someone to shit on, so you're just gonna be next. My mom put me in school early. Oh boy. So I was one year younger. No physically smaller and That doesn't help.. you ever I was curious when I was learning about your dad? I was thinking of kind of the pressure when you have a dad like that. I don't even know, but if you ever shared with your father challenges I would Asume his response would be like, yeah, get tough. like I did. You know, it's interesting. I never ever shared that stuff with him. You didn't. Because he's not one to listen to that. He always wants to hear the good things. So I'd always have to tell him the good things. I would never tell him the bad things ever. Yeah, yeah. I would never like complain to him One of the things I learned growing up, let's say I got hurt And he went to the hospital The first thing I would hear from my dad when I see him was I had to pay for that Like stop getting hurt. Like why you always go to the hospital? What's wrong? You're not hurt. You can't really say the bad stuff. I always want to try to impress him. I think with him, he has a lot of kids. So we're always trying to compete for his attention. Even, you know, when we were like children to adolescent to like adults from my late twenties when I finally it was like I actually making money on my own. Yeah, yeah. I wanted to share that with them immediately. Yeah off course, of course. Your siblings were older. I'm kind of in the middle, but from my mom. Yeah, from your mom you were living with. I felt like a only child because my mom's kids, they're ten and eleven. Oh years's old wayay older than you. So by the time I was eight, they were already out of the house. Okay. So from eight to seventeen I was like a only child there. Who welcomed you in in high school? Like what ended up being your niche? Like you said, skateboarding and punkin hardcore music. Yeah, yeah yeah. And that changed my life. Saved your life, may. Yeah, it really was like thirteen, fourteen year old age. That's when the clay gets molded. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My son's nine months. When he's ten, eleven, twelve, I'm gonna make sure that like we set him in a really good ay molding environment Be that's a really important age. Well you start becoming aware of Oh, people have identities. I've got to pick one. Exactly. what one feels natural to me? Which one will I be accepted in? Most of the time it's sports. Yeah, right. If you're not a jog, you're like, all right I tried sports. I tried all that. It wasn't working It's always peers peers have so much influence. Yes. So when I went with these kids a show We're skating and going to shows. That's what we did. That was my life. Yeah. And then you see other kids, like they're your age and they're like screaming around and like thrashing guitars and they're like not on a stage. They're right here. They also have all been shit on in school. So there's like a beautiful bonding and there'sinking about it. Y. I relate to all this stuff. Yeah. I am that same kid up there. Yeah barrier of entry to be that kid is actually right there. And they're not that good. That's another thing I try to tell. Yes. The great thing about punk music is like you go to a show and you're like I don't know. I think in a few months I'd be able to play drums as good as this guy. That's what I did. Exactly That's why I love punk. 'a then I was like, I don't know how to sing. I don't know how to play any instruments My friends that we were going were like, we don't know, let's just figure it out. Yeah. We know a guy knows how to play drums. That's the most important guy you need. That's the most technically skilled thing that you need to have is a drummer that knows how to keep a beat.eep time man Yeah. And we found a drummer and hey, we'll bring him to the shows and get him inspired. I'm like, can we try to do this in your garage? Yeah. And he lived off the street for me and would goo there after school every day and practice and learn how to play bass, guitar drums and I was like singing, I didn't know how to sing. I was like, we're just fucking around. That was the start of my music journey. And it's like this rough and tumble like you could just show up. Yeah, yeah, wake up out of bed and whatever and then just do it. That's the cool thing. To care would be uncool. You're buffeted from any failure. It's such a great entry point for creativity. It allows you to feel like you can become something And then when I did that with my friends, we were like messing around and we're like playing in living rooms, which was a start. Then everything opened up. this idea like, anything I can do it all, whatever is exciting to me. Then we started writing in a zine. We would go out with my friends, the kinkos, making little poetry and cutting up little fun like, you know, ransom note letters and making poetry out of them making zines and passing out to friends and saying filting t shirts. L everything was like, oh, this is all doable. We could actually make a business doing that kind of stuff. Yeah, I think when people that were in that culture, they just see a mosh pit. they're like, oh, these kids are crazy. But it's like, yes, everyone did zines. We all made collages. Wait sorry, what's a zine It's like a handmade magazine That you're making at Kinkos. You're like Yeahinkosinkos are a spot So like you're figuring how to reo off kinkos. Yeah, I figuure that out. I don't know if you remember like they had those big rectangular blocks. you stick in there and the c copy. it's like one, two, three, right? Yeah, yeah ye. So you go you make all your copies, right? So you do like a thousand copies, which is a lot of m. a few cents of coffee Take that bathroom with You smash it, It goes to like a million. You're like, then you go to the front, your friend takes like a thousand coffeies runs out to the store. It's like, I only made like ten coffes.. I was doing z all the way through college. We had a friend, my roommate. He worked there. So I would just bring it to him and he's like, okay, here's like five cents. We also all had this little device that you would put on a pay phone so you could get free calls. That was like everyone in the punk rock world in Detroit had these. When you drop a corner in there, it makes a digital noise. And that's actually what puts the credit on the phone. So we all had these little things from radiohck, and youd pick up the thing put like three dollars worth the coins on. that's. Yeah, all kinds of like mildly gently illegal stuff happening That so fun. Another fun illegal activity I did when I was a kid was sneaking in movie theaters. S Sure. We did all do that. That was always fun. Yeah. Yeah. I was always scared. That was like one of my favorite. Well, you had multiplexes in Newport. so you could probably go in and bang out six movies. We loveved doing that. The way I do it I don't know if you talk about this, but it's kind of wholesome It is Yeah. But you go in, first of all, you know at the beginning, you were saying like, oh, I left my wallet Inside the theater. So they that you and you go in the theater. thenen you go through the back. I had a belt or a shoe. the shoe and through the exit door Leave the door open, then you have to go down a whole flight of stairs. This is Edward Cinemas in Triangle Square. And then you go to the bottom where it opens out to the street and then you let in like six of your friends. Perfect. And then they go So they the seat then you go out to the front like, got by wall, thank you. and then you go around and then you go around the back and the room and you could watch like however many movies J keep it going. Okay, Wow. Yeah, let it ride. We would just buy one ticket and then see like eight We did pay for one For one. you buy one, get eight free. That would be the solution if you didn't w to pay Yeah, exactly Stay tuned for more If you dare We are supported by All state Checking all state first could save you hundreds on car insurance. Not checking what the warning light means before pulling out of your driveway, you absolutely convinced yourself it was probably just a sensor thing right up until you were standing On the side of the road waiting for a tow. Yeah, checking first is the right move. So check All state first for an auto quote. It could save you hundreds. 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Make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you Helixleep dot com slash armchair So you must have been pretty good in high school because you got any UCSP I'm surprised to be honest, I got in. I applied to like every UC school. I got rejected to every school. You didn't get accepted at UC Santa Cruz? Nope, My GPO was three point one Pretty good. horrible for UC. Well, not for UC But it's point zero like you see Santa Barbara. I don't think you can get in now unless you're four point zero plus plus. Yeah. So I was like I got in. I think they had to let me in one of the UC schools. Wh do them Yeah I have to talk and I would just for the listener, I would say, I can imagine if you're a listener in Milwaukee right now, you're like, they wanted diversity and they wanted you in there. but you should know in ninety five, already all the UCs are already predominantly Asian. They didn't need Asians. That's true in ninety five That's still a question in my head. likeike how did I get in? I think it's like it has to be because they had to let me into one UC school because I'm from California Yeah preferential treatment to California residents. awaited. Yeah. I think that's part of it. because I went to UCLA in ninety A. And at that time it was thirty nine percent Asian and thirty one percent white And there's no way they Yeah' like they need affirmative action I don't think was the case. Yeah. I did write in my newspaper thing. I was like, I think affirmative action helped me get into school, but then I was like, but there's so many Asients here. I don't think. So here's where you and I could have potentially met in real life, which is I graduated high school in ' ninety three. I went on a road trip for a year with my best friend and we ended up in Ia Vista for like four months, just living in people's dorm rooms and on del Pi and friends. just couch surfing for months, the most mind blowing place imaginable if you're from Detroit. It's like this college is on an ocean. The first party we went to on our first night there was like these dudes living on a cliff with the ocean in my backyard An infamous Isa Vista for these insane parties, right? Halloween is just this enormous party. Tens of thousands of people come. It's a wild exciting place. I then went back to Detroit and then I moved to Santa Barbara in ninety five When you started it, you see us wow But I was living downtown on Bass Street like right next to the state. Yeah yeah. But I would go to IV. Yeah occasionally to like there's a house party every other house. When they designed Iav Vista. I don't think they realize what was coming. Yeah, what kind of chaos? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah. You put a bunch of eighteen year old kids in a bunch of houses. on the ocean. Yeah. It's almost like anarchy. You do what you want. Yeah. They're throwing parties every night. I didn't want to leave, actually. Yeah, I'm sure. So when I graduated in two thousand I was so embedded in that little world. It's kind of a king of a castle. You start this record label? Yeah. so I started my label, but really that was a byproduct of being in this hardcore punk world. We would just put on shows in my living room, which was the size of this room here. Yeah. And you were in student housing? So the first year I was in student housing. and then the next year I lived in a vegan co op Typical for a straight edge hardcore kid. Okay, o. I'm vegan. And you're not drinking. Yeah, that's another interesting dichotomy, becauseuse I'm living in Alavista with the party capital. One of the biggest party schools because of Ala Vista in the United States and I'm straightedge like no drugs, no drinking. but there's a really small but strong and present trritish hardcore scene in I ofis as Santa Barbara that the whole hardcore community knew about. Oh wow, okay. mainly because of this label Zine distribution company called Ebulition and Heart attack. They're publishing their Zenine from there and they had a record label. that was putting out all of those kinds of bands from there. So when I went to school there I was more excited to be close to this label Yeah to be going to school at UCSB. Actually that was the most excited kid in me. I was like, I want to intern for them. And I ended up writing for the Zine for seven years. Wow. Everything for free and you would never wish to get paid. You care so deeply about this, you know Yeah. And I just wanted to contribute, like helping put on the shows writing reviews for the bands and eventually starting my label, which requires no capital, by the way. That's the interesting thing. most people think. It's called DimMac. Yeah, DimMac. And how's that related to Bruce Lly? I know it's a nod somehow. Yeah when I was coming up with this label, idea, I'm like, what is thing That represents me in a like symbolic way that's cool. I love Bruce Lee. So I was like, oh, Dim Mck is a Chinese death touch. It's like a martial art movev where you touch someone. It's like a mysterious thing. They can die like two days later. Yeah. But Brce Lee is like known to harness it and he mysteriously died of a brain hemorrhage, So some may say he was killed by it.. So I was like there's like that mysty like That's cool. records. I love it. By the way, did you ever buckle? 'cause I'll just tell you, my best friend Aaron and I we lived in a punk house span Current that was huge in Detroit. I love current. You know Crent? I love cururrent. My cousin, Justin was the baseb player current. Yeah, the greatest. Wow. Council records. Council rec Council records. Ottawa Jihad Yes. That was my world. That's the real screamo email. Yes, pre emo. Yeah. because people when they think about email, they think about you know The produced email. Yeah, Sunday realal Eestate. Yeah ye the ordination of Aron, I don't know if you know yep, saw them play many times. All these bands stayed at our house. so we're in Detroit and dearbourne, and I'm living with half half the band I love all those bands. Yeah, they're the greatest, right? I've never got a Jawbreaker. Yeah jawbreaker Oh my God. We could geek out for. We could go down a music tangent. Yeah. shutter shut shutter the think. Yeah ye ye At some point, I would love you to see my vi. Yeah, I would love to see. Thanks for That's very absolutely you to my house. Okay. I pick up these records of Constantine Zincati and that era. I love it. Aon and I move into this house. half the band lives there. Bands are sleeping at our house every single weekend because they're in town playing shows. So just like every great band. And Aarin and I are drinking forties eating steak and everyone else is straight edg and vegan. But over time we fucked them up and they started drinking. So I think we. So I'm wondering, did you ever buckle and when did you start drinking? BeCcause that was a big deal back then and No you was Yeah. So Straighted all the way toil about two thousand two. Oh wow. Last year before I left Santa Barbara, I was living in another vegan co op called BeCo co op and we were put on shows there atch where I had four hundred bands play in my little apartment there. So anyways, I moved to the house becausey I got kicked out of the apartment. Oh shocking. This band came in town that I was signed on my label called Kill Sadie. They're from Minnesota. Anyways, they came over and like I was really close with them and those boys got me into drinking. Sure, sure. I mean at that point, I'm like, whyy am I straight at? yeah. I'm twenty one now. twenty two or whatever age I was I'm like twenty I'm likeike, What am I doing? Questioning everything putting 's on my hands like all I'm not going to hardcore shows really anymore. I'm like Okay, let's do this. Well just see how fun it is. Yeah. And everyone's drinking. they're all my friends. That's like, you know, you have the nice bonding. Yeah. Drinking is a bonding thing. It' important bond. This is fun. Yeah. I love these guys. Yeah. Why is Straight up? Is it like you want to keep your clarity? What is it? Like why? My understanding of it is basically you have like the godfather of all of this. The Michael Jackson of punk is Ian McKay, who had minor threats.. abbsolutely Discord records. Yeah, Discord records which put out all the greatest punk bands. DC with they had real good musicianship. You would have heard of Fugazi. That was his next band Fugazi. Yeah. And so he was very vocally progressive. He was like into women's rights. He was into living a clean life and he proselytized. And I think it all fell from him, No? Yeah, it really did. So like in the eighties when minor thr was around this the early eighties music was the opposite. It was skinheads and races. Yeah, there's a lot of that But it's a lot of nihilism. like I don't care. I'm gonna to get drunk. I'm gonna do lots of drugs and just say fuck everyone. And this's like this negative energy of like fuck the world. Yeah. whichich is all British. That's all comes from love. Yeah, it's like kind of like really angry energy. And then Ian's like, hey, we could be punk and rebellious against things that are controlling us. But let's have this attitude of the opposite. unfuck the world. Yeah posositive mental attitude. Help people at shows. S of guys down, help them up community exxactly. And then it's like, oh, you could be punk. you could scream, you could go to the shows, but you could actually go, I live a drug free life. I don't drink. f. I don't have sex. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That feels extreme. Yeah, yeah, you know, with everything, there's like extreme. Yes. And then there's a lot of straighted people that are really into Harry Krisho, you know like shelter, B merch ever. still have a ton of it. And I love those bands too. Yeah. And I was like, Oh, I don't even know what Harry Krisho was, but like because of the bands, I was like, you like learn about like I'm into it. Yeah. Wow, cool. And that leads all the way to Jack Anntonoff a couple of weeks ago who we had, which is like, B he's doing shows. He's eight years younger than us or ten years Every show has to have a philanthropic component. so it's like, you know, there's a food drive at everyhere.. He started a thing that really just carried on even to when Jack was doing it. It was really cool. Okay so you leave Santa Barbara. than God you're drinking now. and then you go to LA. Yeah. So I moved to LA. There was a fork of the road because I was super into academia Yeah, you double major in sociology and women's studies. That's right. Yeah So when you're a sociology women's stududies major, it's all critical writing and thinking. And then once you get to that fifth year, I was like in school for five years, I just didn't want to leave school. And you started early, this is perfect You actually finish right on time. Tue. Yeah, yeah, it's true. I kept going. I'm like, how do I stay in it? Because now I found my groove. Now I'm hanging with professors. Now I like want to get professors respect and have them talk to me like a colleague on here. Yeah, ye. Yeah' like, okay, now I'm reading the text. I'm having real thoughtful conversations and those thoughtful conversations are already being had at thesees Parkcourore shows. So there's a lot of cross And we're all reading books and talking. it was just cool to be intellectual to talk about. Yeah. So I was like, this is great. This is aligning with my academia. And then I was like, o, well I guess maybe I'll consider staying academia. I percent offer graduate and PhD programs I accepted to two and then that's when I had to make a decision because I was like, okay, do I go down this road? Do I Fllow music. Wow. At the time, my band are my bands I mean, we're playing fun but it wasn't like sustainable. And then I got a demo from a band that was like interested to get signed or for ha me release their music. Yeah. The singer of the band played at the Pickle patch, This was my apartment. She was in this really cool band called Discount. Don't know discount Yeah Discounts from no idea records from Florida. I was like obsessed with discount. She was on tour with hot water music. There was discount hot water music and another band. And she's like, I'm in this new band It called The Kills. It's a rock and roll thing. I couldn't believe what I heard on that demo. And I was more like, wow, she just asked me to put out this record. Yeah. I'm just a little guy. But I put out some other bands that kind of showed proof of concept. So I was like, you know what becausecause she gave me the cign and I like so inspired by her. I'm just gonna do the music thing. W. I think this is what I need to do. And the kills was probably your first really successful. It was the second. Okay, or potentially the third ex the first would be Plainpaken for Stars. It was like Dimmoc seven. and then this band called Pretty Girls Make Graves from Seattle. which was one of the members of Kill Sadie. that got me drunk. Okay Yeah. That band is the reason why Alis one of Kills was like, hey, I saw your success with the Pretty Girls. Would you consider putting out this EP? And I'm like, yes, yes, yes, exclamation point, exclamation point. Wish I could find this letter because back then there was like handwitten letters. So it was just interesting time, two thousand two. and then I moved to LA. I said I'm just gonna to do the label. I'll do the academic route maybe later in the. can be there waiting. Exactly. ye, yeah, you could resume that. Yeah. So then I moved to LA and then I was like, well, it's definitely the best place for me to start DMC. This is the music ub of America. I mean in my mind. Well, you got C capitol records. you got Warnerb. I mean you really historically this is where all the big labels are. Yeah. and then I moved to LA. and then I already got hit up by major labels. smmart major label andR Scouts are always looking for other ones in the underground that are scouts, which are indie labels. Okay, so they're tracking. Yeah, they want to incubate their bands with indie labels. I'm like free dinners, free lunches.. And so I started hanging out with the Capitol Group and Interscope and all the different labels. and I was like trying to get a swing of things in LA. It's already kind of like buzzing then The next band once I moved to LA, this even before I was really DJing. So probably coincidentally at the same time, but I was just kind of just playing here and there was a band called Block Party from yeah And once again, the same kind of thing happened With Alice from the Kills, the Maner Bock party is like, we saw you doing some really great work with the kills. We would love for you to consider releasing our block party' way more electronic. Yeah, there are British indie rock two thousands like Frs Ferdinand, pre Arctic mononkeys, that kind of British rock invasion that was happening in the US. Okay. But they're one of the earlier ones because we got their first demo in two thousand three. and that's right when I started DJ All right so how do we start DJe? You're just you get some equipment because you're bored and you start fucking with it. Yeah. So when I moved to LA, I was doing the label full on. when I thought of turntables, I had a record player. R. People don't realize there's two different things. Yeah. Turntables are the ones you like go backwards and forwards and scratch. You need a techniques with magnetic drive. Yeah. A record player boom, you put the needle down and you play a full side go make a cocktail. I hadd a recer player because that's how I listen to music I a pretty sick vinyl collection. And when I moved to LA, there's this bartender that became my friend. He was tatted, he was cool and he Definitely welcome me to L. Iember he's like I've seen your band. I was in a band called Esperanza as well. and another punk band. I played guitar. It's like I saw your band playing, headline records. But the word on the street is you have the sickest vinyl collection Which I do. Yeah. I definitelyforementioned byin of Yeah. I'll tell you why I have it. I'm a collector. So I've been collecting since I was a kid And it's not like I had a lot of records, but I always was a completionist. I wanted all the revelation. I want all the discord. I want all the labels I followed. But the thing is I'm also a hoarder and I'm a known collector in college. So when my friends would leave college, I remember Koji Baanishi used to be in strictly ballrooms, this other band He left. He's like, I don't know to do with these record. I might give them to me. So you are a dumping ground for other people's collections. Yeah, I'm like, you can take them back whenever. I will just Be a great, you know steward Steward Yeah it. They're like, you know, Steve will take all your records. It's not like it's like a valuable thing, expensive thing. It's as heavy as a lot of space. Yeah. So I just became like the dumping ground of vinyl and I just amassked this insane collection. I immagine your apartment being no room to walk. Oh my gos. look like that. Just milk crates everywhere. And so my friend The bartender of Th three Clubs, He's like, comeome to Th three Clubs and bring your records. I'll show you how to DJ. It's very simple and play whatever you want. And I'm like, I could play hardcore. Yeah, ye. Wow, this is amazing. Let me get straight, me and the bartender will be happy and all the other people hate it. Yeah. I man. He had a night called Sides. you just play whole sides of records. You just sit there and you play whatever you want. I was a radio DJ at KCSP. I was K Juice, which is like the platform for just a library Okay. for the dorms. But I didn't make it KCSV status. I was never good enough But I was like,h, this is cool. I got to play records for thirty people drinking beers and me and my friend. I was like, this is awesome. So I started going there and playing. And then he's like, Hey, you know, we should just DJ together. And I'm like Yeah, I'm down. And we'll call ourselves the cry babies. because he was always thinking of ideas I mean, Kali Deway, if you look him up, he's got an incredible history of L.A. He ran with the Red Hot Chili peppers and then he started his own record label and now he has an incredible fashion line. Oh really follow. Oh wow. Yeah. and he designed for Canye West easy collection. Like he's just a well known curator, creative director, street kid, just awesome burst of creative energy. And I didn't end up DJing with him ever Okay, but my first gig, I have to find the flyer was under DJ Cry. No one really knows this. It wasn't Steveieoki, and it wasn't Kid Millionaire, which I later used as a name. It was DJ Cry. How were you spelling Cry? CRY. Okay.. Yeah. Yeah. And I opened for my friend, this guy Sam Spiegel, who was a producer. I was always in a studio He was a big part of my early part of my career. He let me open and stuff like that. When do you get bit by the electronics Bug So this is like two thousand two era. rightight when I moved to LA. I was starting DJ a little bit. There was a record by. James Murphy's LCD sound system. He dropped this record called Losing My Edge as one hundred and eighteen beats per minute and it was this loop of a beat and him talking over the beat. And he's just talking about the history of dance music. It was hypnotic. When I got that record, I went to Aiba or wherever I did to get that record. I'd play it. That was when I was like, wow, I could produce something like this. It's simple enough, It's hypnotic and it grooves and you stay on track with it for a long time. Beats have the same appeal that punk did in that okay, I get an eight hundred eight or. I get these three pieces of equipment. I don't have to know how to read music. If I have rhythm, it's very again accessible The hip hop revolution is like, oh, I don't need expensive instruments. I have these albums. They already have the music on it. It's all very DIY. It's kind of weirdly similar Yeah I remember the beat because the beat's like to doot tooo Yeah very seven good the duke. bassline just stays there the whole time and it grows with the vocal and it gets louder with the live drums and stuff. but I'm like I think I could do this. And then I was like, okay, I went on Craigslist and I got this guy that can teach me pro tools. I was like, I love the Neptunes. I loved that world of music. And I was like, I kind of want to do that. You know, I was kind of figuring out what I wanted to do. You know. I'm a hardcore punk kid But I love pop music as well. My sister, Devin. She wass infast and furious Yeah, She was suooky and fast and furious. very attractive. And she had a successful modeling career, which led her into some movies and it opened her up into music. So I was going with her in the studio when she was doing more of an RM B thing and I was trying to learn to do very quick samplple beats and sounds to make hip hop beats for my sister really That's adorable. And then I heard LCD sound system losing my edge And then that's when I was like, I'm the artist now. Yeah. This is where my heart is going. I want to go faster. I don't want to go ninety to one hundred BPM. I want to go One eighteen to one thirty BPM. I want to start playing this out Yeah. So I have to give a lot to the LC selling system. James Murphy, what he was doing in New York at the time in the early two thousands and the party scene. you know, what I was doing with Dim Mck and the party scene in LA. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a wonderful. Yes, that was wonderful. Yeah I was going back and forth. I love it So we took more time at the beginning, which I love. That's my favorite. So we are going to have to kind of Fast forward a tiny bit. And let me own. So whatever I knew about hardcore, I know nothing about electronics and the dance world. Yeah yeah, yeah Quickly remixes, you kind of get known for remixes first, right? Right, Right, right. So you're just kind of mashing up different things. Remixes are remixing is the best way and this is why I tell every young producer or someone wants to start producing or that someone wants to become a DJ or once again in the world Let' start with remixes because now there's technology that you don't need to ask for the stems. Let's say you listen to a track, stem would be like bass, guitars isolated instrumentact isolated vocals. Exactly. And you need the stems in order to remix mix, you know, or change production. Back then, you need the stems. Luckily for me, I had my label And I had the stems for the bands on Dimmk. So my very first remix happened to be block party because I had the stems when I was remixing helicopter. I also called my friend who was on tour with MIA at the time to also remix the other side of the twelve inch Because there was no digital back then. You would press the twelve inch and that's how people would hear this. He was also throwing a cool party and I was throwing my LA party. So it's interesting because all around the world there was these little pubs of community is growing. where we're playing indie electronic underground hip hop and we had this cool little thing happening. I was doing LA. He was doing Philadelphia. someomeone was doing London, Japan. and that's where we would end up if I did a show. I would Th underground little hipster parties. So he did the other side. I did the other side with my friend Blake Miller cou of science. It was his first remix and now he's a very well known DJ and people known him as Dippplo Another ding, ding, ding, he was at the fight. I was at Saturday I was seated three seats next to us, and I love his body. So let's just be clear, I love his physique, but he was up and down a lot. We had to get up and let diplo in and out a lot. And that was my first sighting was tied in the He was tied. I was sitting next to a line bracker and then Diiplo was very social. so he was going back and forth. Yeah. But again, a great physique, so I didn'tate seeing his biceps inst Yeah, you just't work out a lot. It's fun to go back in time and see who's still in the game, you know, and Wes is still crushing it. So it's good to see that. When do you start going on these massive tours and when do you start getting the big audience? I mean, I know by twenty twelve you're the highest grossing dance artists in North America. I know by twenty ten you've recorded with Will I am now. When do you make that big leap to where you have an audience two thousand seven was a pivotal year for me. That was the first time I played Coachella. Oh, okay. Yeah. so that was big. It was a horrible show. Okay. Okay. S man. Yeah, it was nerve wracking. It's like kind of thing you just want to throw up after a set ' it was so bad. Just 'cause it went wrong or people didn't like it. Oh. manyany times. Oh Technical difficulties or you just weren't on your game. I wasn't on my game. I was nervous. The wind blew the needle off the record The wind seems to be an issueell. They don't tell you about the wind. The wind blew the needle And then the music stops. I'm like, I'm sorry, there's a crowd going. Who are you? You Like I don't know who you are and you suck. I'm on four hits of E and now I'm miserable. How do you make. They still booked me again. I was surprised, but by two thousand seven, I had the most insane party in LA. We had Lady Gaga's first show. We had a lot ofies pop artist for show a lot of underground hip hop, like Kate Cuty' for a show. Kanya was rolling through at the time. What venue are you hosting this ass? It was cin a space right on Hollywood Boulevoard, which is very small, but we had the best underground shows. And then at the same time, I formed another allegiance with one of my best friends at the time, DJ AM and we had another party I was curious. I was friends with Adam as well. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yes. So we were like running LA's hipster, underground rock, electronic, hip hop Anyone' about to blow up They had to play at one of these Dimmark parties. I was just getting booked because of that, notot necessarily because of my songs. I only had a few songs. I was like the guy that had a cool scene. Like your dad. Yes. I. Yeah ye. It's similar and different. Yeah. And then two thousand seven, I mean, I think I was already doing like three hundred shows. T how big of audiences at that time I don't know one thousand, mayaybe less, I don't know. It wasn't like crazy, but I was getting paid like five hundred bucks So it's easy to like spend five hundred bucks like Yeah ye, especially if there's a record store in that town, yeah. Yeah. And now it's playing everywhere. Stay tuned for more armchair experts There This episode is sponsored by Better Help So Monica, here's something that really stuck with me. BetterHelp's twenty twenty six state of stigma repeport surveyed two thousand Americans and revealed that eighty five percent of Americans believe getting support is wise. Yet seventy four percent say society discourages people from doing so. That's a huge gap. Most of us agree therapy is a good thing, but there's still something holding some people back from actually going Right. And I think that's where just talking about it, normalizing it makes a difference. I mean, as you know, I'm obsessed with therap I've been in it consistently for years and years and years and I have said this and I shouldn't say it, but I do think if you're struggling and you've been struggling for a while and you haven't sought therapy, I judge you a little bit. Oh Okay. I know what I'm not And I gott to go to therapy to work on that, you know, but also there are options for you. You can help yourself and BetterHelp makes that first step easier. They match you with a licensed therapist based on your needs and with over thirty thousand therapists and twelve plus years of experience, they typically get the match right the first time Don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with Bter Help. Sign up and get ten percent off at betterhelp dot com slash DAax. That's betterhlp dot com slash dAax This episode is brought to you by Sfi all in one finance app where you can bank, borrow, and invest all in one place. Let's talk bank accounts for a second. 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They have a new feature that quickly shows you the most interested qualified candidates first So you're not buried in a pile of applications from people who aren't even the right fit. Their matching technology is seriously powerful, and candidates can actually explain in their own words why they're interested in your job. That context up frront saves so much back and forth. There's a reason they're the number one rated hiring site on G two. Save time and meet great candidates sooner with zip Recruiter fourour out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at ziprecruiter. com slash staxs that'sziprecruiter. com slash stackax. Meet your match on Zip Recruiter. I was exposed to this world a little bit through Adam, DJAM, and knowing what he was making on a weekend to fly two cities and play two cities in one weekend. And it was astronomical. If you're making forty grand in a weekend. Oh you're h huge. Yeah Like he was making twenty to thirty grand turning him down sometimes because he's gettingain that consistently and I'm getting like maybe one thousand dollars, but I'm happy with you. Yeah sure. You're playing music. I was at one point making fifty dollars in a bar tab. You know, a few years before that, now I'm making like five hundred to fif five hundred dollars. And then sometimes on like the privates you get like five thousand dollars. This is crazy. And you're probably thinking the whole time, this has gota be the ceiling Yes, right? likeike Oh my God five thousand dollars. Yes, yes, ye. I remember like in two thousand seven. I got booked in the Philippines and they had billboards up of me everywhere. they gave me like five grand. A that time, I'm getting like five hundred hundred dollars at my own party and sometimes a little bit more fifty hundred two thousand do. I'm getting five thousand dollars in the Philippines and this movie wanted to book me to be a DJ It was like a scene where I was like a slave DJ in this guy's office. Okay. It was Tropic Thunder. No So I didn't know because they don't say the movie title. Yeah They don't say who's gonna be the movie. I have the script. It says DJ Ooke on every you know, because there's like actual physical scripts. They're all watermarked. Yeah. It was Todd Phillips. He was the one, I think it was Still directed it. So They're like, okay, hey, we want you to be the slave DJ for the scene with Tom Cruise where he plays Get low. Yeah, yeah He plays the iPod, thank God, he didn't have book in on our DJ. I was like when I saw that, he didn't book in on our DJ and he used the iPod. I was like, yes, they didn't book But anyways, I had this Philippines offer and I couldn't say no of the Philippines offer. So I passed on the movie. To this day, I'm like, I wish it's like, you know, I wish home' like, I wish I made of that movie because that would have been so epic to be part of like one of the funniest Yeah. was at that time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you had to say yes to the Yeah, because it's a free thing. It's like you get thousand dollars It's not like about the money. it's about just being in it. You couldn't pass up life pass up your career. Yeah. So fast forward to twenty twelve, five years after that, you're the highest gross. Now you're making millions of dollars to each change. Yeah. It gets pretty crazy, right? Imagine some of these festivals you're going to are astronomical Yeah. the other thing that's interesting is that I did become the most traveled musician in a calendar year on the planet. So I was touring the most. I didn't realize that I was, but what got me there Being in the punk bands. Right. You're just so used to When you're in a punk band, first of all, like every single tour I was on, I toured the US fourteen times by the time I was twenty one. We never stayed in a hotel. Right, right, right' the other band's house. Yeah, you just stay in like friends' houses or you sleep in the van or you just figure it out, but you never stay in a hotel. So when I started staying in hotels, I was like, I get a hotel Yeah I'll play for free. Yeah, yeah. What are you guys talking about? Yeah? I get like a car to pick me off a se.y Touring you get that bootcamp of being in a band you go from I touring alone U until twenty eleven, I didn't tour with anyone. I was touring alone. And I was happy to fly Eco in middle backseat. L I was like g of me in this van with four sweaty guys. Yeahelly. We haven't showered in too. bunch of vegan, I eating too many beans. M Yeah. Touring was a cinch for me at that point. So twenty twelve, you put out Wonderland And that's your first solo album. I'm just thrilled. I learned this today. I cannot believe you had John Duncan, the guitarist for exploited on this album. That's impossible I saw explain it when I was eleven years old with my brother. I was fucking terrified. That was the scariest event of my childhood. When I think exploit, I always think about the cover with the spiked m. I wear that shirt all the time. I still have it. It's at every butt patch, every punk was like patch. That was cool to have that because I wanted to have some goes from the punkin and hardorcore world. And you got nominated for a Gammy for that outbum. I did Have you been able to look back obviously twenty twelve to get that honor, that distinction of being the highest grossing DJ? That's a moment. But being at the Grammys from where you started, were you able to like be there and be present and accept that really had happened? Yes, the two times that I've been nominated, I went to the Grammys and it's definitely that moment. I'm like, it's really happening to me. You're a shit head for my love. Yeah ye This doesn't make sense. How did I It was everything we were against Yeah And all of a sudden you're there. That's so true. Yeah It's so interesting. Yeah to try to integrate that. like, oh, I'm at the place I made fun of and guess what I like it here. Yeah ye It's like, how do I get here? I'm not supposed to be here. Yeah. ye. You know mix up. Yeah mix up. Like there's something not supposed to happen. Definitely felt that way for sure. Yeah. I still feel that way sometimes. I'm like, how am I even here? You know, I'm just doing what I love to do. It is hard work when you're doing the work. Yeah Yeah But when you're on stage and you're having the best time of your life, it's not hard work and you're like, wait getting paid for this. Yeah, this is crazy. Now when you shows how many people are there? Well depends. So like the festivals like for example, EBC. I just played last weekend. Okay. Where's that? It's in Las Vegas. So that is the largest, I think it's the largest festival in the world. two hundred thousand now a day. Wow.. Three days, six hundred thousand people Oh my gosh. So when you're in the pit and you're looking out, how many people are physically right there? Tens of thousands of people? I would say minimum like sixty to eighty thousand. Oh my gosh. But It's like so massive. At some point, you don't know. It's just a sea of people. Yeah. You're not sure if it's one hundred or forty. Yeah, anything beyond probably thirty thousand. All you're looking at is like just the flagpoles of signs Because it's just like a lot of heads, a lot of little flashing lights and flagpoles of signs like as far as you could possibly see. And you do a bunch of crazy shit at your shows or at least you used to, right? I've toned down a lot. You have because you're getting older. You said don't bring that up. Arobatic crowd workor, surfing stunts, throwing cake at fans. Cakes are still present. they are. o Yeah, I didn get arm surgery at one point, but yeah, the cakes are definitely for people that don't Ustand it, yeah, it is a signature. You at that st. It's funny that you asked that I just posted on my Instagram the first cake video that I had done and that was back in twenty eleven. I just picked up a piece of cake and threw it. Well no it does require I had to go to the bakery andy the cake.. I got a video guy this film this. I think this will be a funny cool idea. I have no idea what to expect. This is going to be confusing to a lot of people S. Maybe no one's going to get caked andl'ess going be holding the cake going what the hell do I to do with this thing? So there's a lot of those questions that arose in the beginning, but now when you do it consistently and you post it up and you're like That's what this guy does. I'm gonna show up and I don't want to get kid because it's my birthday. Birthday Ben That'speat. We're just repeats of our parents. Yeah ye. I mean, look, you have a real run with Wonderland getting nominated then between twenty eleven and fourteen, now your sts getting licensed, you're liking the scion commercials, Budwiser, you're in Step upp all in the movie. You and Diplo have a song in twenty two Jump Street. I mean, look, I don't know DJs and I know your name. You become ubiquitous and one of the Titans of this space It's a very drug heavy space. It is, yeah. Yeah, how have you navigated that aspect of it Well, the straight edge lifestyle, it did rub off, as we talked about, but I never did drugs after. You never got. I never did Coke, I never did meth or heroin. Just some MDMA when appropriate? No MDMA. As a DJ, ye Because most of the audence is on MDMA. Yeah, no MDMA, no acid, no hallucogenics. Before I was straight, I tried one drug and that was acid. Oh, that's not a great drugug.. And I did it like by myself trying to be like balsy. and then I realized I was like, I can't get out. this's not all gonna be forever. That scared me away from all drugs. that can take you out. make you life too me Yeah. I was like I will never touch this again and still I never did. Now I'm like in this place if it It has a healing or it's like a longevity the Michael Pollin approach. If there's like some benefit that I could be more creative or something, then I can baby step towards something Yeah. So I'm curious. Yeah Yeah. You're kind of like machine Gun Kelly in he's a volcano of things he is interested in. It starts like you had or have an Eesports company. You're into gaming, you're in different video games. Right when Eesports was taking off in the mid twenty ten, sixteen, seventeen. Anytime I have this interest or curiosity, then it leads me down into a base. And then yeah, I want to figure out like how do I get myself involved monetize or to help provide another mirror into this world You're doing yourself for a guy. What year did your dad die In two thousand eight. Wow, bommer. Yeah, he missed a lot of this stuff that I wanted to. I wonder what the moment would have been if he A would have been able to say like Holy smmokes, I think you're more successful than I was. He would never he would never would never say that. If he would say it could he say wouldould he be proud or would he have that terrible dad thing where it's like they can't be surpassed by the son or that You know what, onene of the most important things he said to me before he died was, I don't have to worry about you anymore for. It's the subtext is, I'm proud of you. Yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah. because you didn't overly say anything. Not a lot of I love using stuff. No, no. Not really, not his j. But he was relieved. L That's him saying like, I'm relieved. You've done it That's why like I was always thinking like how do I Get him to say that. Yeah, you're gonna have to win an offshore raceboat race. I mean, I do have the adrenaline junkie and that spirit of chasing the edge. you guys are very similar in a lot of ways. You're just like not as modern version. You're not starting to porn omag or have three babies on the same weekend Well, luckily, he wasn' in the cancel culture. I mean he wouldn't have made it. Yeah.n't made it. Okay, my last question is you had a baby in July. I did. Yeah, boy. Rocky. H name iss Rocky. Oh Oh yes. Fuck yeah. He's back. Can't wait to take him to Benny Honiver's birthday Yeah When you think about the future, obviously, I don't even need to ask. I'm sure you're just the fucking loving it's so fun, right? Hving a little kid. Yeah because he's that age now where he's laughing a lie. He's alert, he's not aloof. He's not walking yet. so I'm not sure what that'll be. He's crawling so it's easier to control kidain. Now there's a very rough phase from when they learn how to walk to they actually get good at walking. They just want to walk everywhere. Yeah Yeah. my house is a lot of stairs and stuff Yeah, you might be shopping for a ranch in the next little while. but obviously you won' be able to twowo or two hundred year once that little boy's in school. Yeah, yeah. so I don't know what that's gonna look like. I don't know how we're gonna navigate that 'use my wife travels with me everywhere too. Right. We have a great nanny though. We have an incredible nanny. Yeah. And you can do that for the first five years. then they'll go to school and they'll wantna be with his friends and you'll go, I can't take this kid out of his life all the time. Yeah, exactly. I don't know how to deal with that. Also be like my early fifties at the time Yeah, you'll be f You might in a different headspace. It's hard for me to like, I've been touring since I was a teenager. Yeah. It's weird. I've never broken below two hundred besides COVID Really? Yeah. two hundred seven was the lowest was last year. So it's strange to me to not have a free weekend, for example. Yeah. So' to comfortable that. You don't have to worry too much about that yet. You've played all the shows. That's true. What you haven't done is this chunk. If there's something novel left in life, it's that thing Now I'm excited about that chapter, but man, I love stage. Yeah. I love. playing for people. I thrive. It's your life. I thrive there Yeah. That's awesome. I live for it. I love it. I'm so happy because you've been doing it for a long time and you haven't burnt out. No, and also the thing is is like when you play like festivals like EDC or Ultro or toomorrowand, these festivals, you have to prepare all this new music It forces you to be creative. put you on a schedule. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. That schedule is important to me, That challenge to maintain my presence of my current music. It's not about like your last singles. It's not about all the songs that have impacted the culture. It's about What about now? Do I have a song now that's gonna actually matter. Yeah. And you'll get to, like a stand up, you'll get to evaluate that real time. You'll know if it works or not. Exactly. You'll have real feedback real time. I love that. That's why Vegas is like my laboratory. So do you have a residency currently? I do. Where at. So in Vegas, I do about fifty shows a year there. You play omniwks on beach that whole world, but that's great because I'm in Vegas. Yeah. So I just drive from home. And then one hundred and fifty on average, like. Oh my God. Wow You're aging slower That's the only good news. Yeah, yeah. Time moves just a fraction slower at altitudes. So you spending so much time at altitudes. o Yeah, your clocks a little behind ours at sea level. That's a good thing. I definitely think about my biological age a lot more than I have. Be you also give a lot of money to regenerative brain research. The brain is who we are Yeah, yeah. you know, like you could change your heart out, your liver, your body parts, but your brain You don't want to transplant a that. You can't do that really you can actually now with Parkinson's patients could take a chunk of your brain out So you're not having to have the jitters and still be who you are because your brain's so neuroplastic, right? So who you are can just M moveve over this sidey of the brain. Yeah. It's like stroke people, they lose their verbal control. They just relocate it to a different part of your brain. Yeah, it's a brain. So interesting. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, Steve, this has been a delight. I'm really infected by how much you like it. You're so. you so deserve to be here. The fact that you itince a kid. It's the gratitude. When you're fighting for it for so long and then you finally get there. Yeah. You gott to remember like The second you don't think it's that important to you. Someone else does and someone else will take it. Yeah. And then when you're like, o, I'm back guys, they're like, no, we already have someone else. It's like, you better fight for that every single time you have the chance. This the thirtieth anniversary of the label. Yeah, it is. Yeah ninety six twenty twenty six. We survived thirty years as an independent label. It' am. It's so impressive. It's really wild. Well, this has been lovely man. I'm really glad I got to meet you. Yeah. Thanks for having me.. You deserve all this. I'm thrilled for you. Yeah, thanks. I sure hope there weren't any mistakes in that episode, but we'll find out when my mom, Mres Monica comes in and tells us what was wrong Oh Sometimes water. is so delicious. Sometimes rarely. almost never for you. I know. At least once a day for me O I haven't, and I just go like, o, thank God, this exists. hits. Yeah, like I feel it hydrating me. M. And It's got a good taste. I know people say it doesn't have a taste, but it does have a taste. It tastes like water. It does That's true. It's unmistakable. Yeah God, R When you have sip of water, you know right away, that's water good or bad water. Huh But you wouldn't Hmm, that's interesting. We've filed it under no taste, but that's not true eresting, but it doesn't have any of the properties, right that taste has like, salty, whatever the he sweet. I'm taking one of my shoes off. I can't possibly take off the left Why? Oh, no Shin now I can't take off the right. Why? Because of the deformities. Oh, well, just so distrress J like, who cares You know, I'll keep them under the table That's how Ill handle that. 'Cause I didn't wear socks. I'm in a special outfit ' we have a special guest. Yeah. And then I tried footies Oh yeah. They were visible. I hate that. I know. I struggle with this as well. I think it's a common struggle. And even if you get the ones that are Not visible, then it doesn't go up high enough and falling off in your shoes or like eighty percent. I know. They need to make it with like an adhesive on backack or something. But all to say because this person' so fastion forward. I was like, why I can't have socks hanging out. I'm gonna to go socksless in shoes, which I never do because my feet sweetat real quick And that's what happens. so. let's just see your feet. Well, this one is fine is No, it's got that czy toe nail Well there's the bris on it. and fuck, yeah. And then that disgusting toe nail that I have to use it. You can really see. so it's fine. Okay. It's fine. Wow, well We went to a momentous event. But we did, we sure did. Yeah. We went to a graduation. Yeah No, I'm sorry. A culmination. A culmination Exiting elementary school. You know I rarely, I'm almost never on the side of like Oh, like why do we have to have a new word for everything? Like I'm generally like, sure who cares doesn't bother me. I do think it's crazy that we can't call it a graduation. Oh, I didn't even interpret it as that, but probably maybe you're right. Well, I don't I didn't think they put a lot of thought into it. likeike we're not we don't use that word as much as just we're calling it this. No, I looked it up. you don't call it that because there's no diploma. Oh, a culmination is a graduation without a diploma. Basically like byy the way they did give them a diploma. I know I know. A graduation I guess only counts if it's like high school or college. Right But I think that's silly and they can just all be graduations. Well, that's what's fun about the experience of having kids in the modern society, which is it's so different from when I was a kid. And then so your knee jerk is like, this must be crazy and silly. 'cause my thing is like, no you got one graduation. it was hugely meaningful ' you only got one of them and you looked forward to it and it was finally done And that's what I enter it with going like this is silly and indulgent.. Why do they got to step up from every grade Yeah That part the whole like get a trophy for everything you know yes I do think that's ye. Yeah, there's some like, I have some hesitation against it. Sure. And then I'm there witnessing it and I absolutely love it. I know. And then I go, why do I care? What What is it I care about? You care about people getting soft. U in the world getting soft, which I tend to care a little bit about, but not, you know, whatever' on probably perfectly proportional to our age and generation. Yeah. It's like you guys had a little more of that than I had Right. And now they have a lot more of that than you had. I still eye roll at a lot of the things that are happening now. Yeah. But yeah, I had a fifth grade graduation. And then I try to step back and go like There's no right or wrong. It's just they did it that way when I was a kid. Now they're doing it this way. And then if there is some real obvious problem as a result of it, people will notice and they'll write op s about it and we'll probably fix it. So what's the big deal But I do you just I just bristle like, w There's another thing that's like, This is what I'm telling myself when I'm objecting to it is like you're setting them up for massive failure in that The world's not going to celebrate them. That's how I feel. A mediocre job doesn't get a ribbon. You're not going to get a raise or a promotion at work for just being normal. It's misleading, right? Yeah But then I guess you could quite easily make the argument of yeah, exactly. That's how life is. So why not give them during childhood when they're innocent or carefree, like, why not let them have this experience since they're never going to have it again Yeah, there's just different schools of thought like on childhood. Like my parents school of thought was childhood is to prepare you for adulthood. Right. It's like it's not there just to be carefree and fun. It's like to learn lessons, to learn things that once you're an adult and you're on your own and you don't have help from us, that you can live. But the Japanese They're kind of the opposite. They they go like, o, adulthood is fucking rough. It's sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. So they weirdly really protect the childhood as being way more carefree because they know what they're going to have to take on. So it's like, I don't know, they've been doing it that way there for a very long time and it's worked out just fine for them. otherther than that they're not having kids. Yeah. No, this is not my learning college, not my observation Oh yeah, I was going to say. I was like I don't like, I don't think of Japanese children as like being like so effervescent or like running around or being like they're pretty contained and mellow. Well the been typically Yeah, I haven't been to Japan to even witness how kids are, but I do remember having a class where they were saying specifically they're not trying to prepare them. Oh interesting. They're recognizing this is a Once in a lifetime chapter which is like no this is the time to be all these things because you're not gonna to be able to be all these things. Yes, whichich whatever, they're all vailable Okay, but then the event itself. Yeah It was great. So we went you and Kristin, obviously and Lincoln and grandparents and me and Anna and T Chy. Yeah we all went and u We're going to talk through the whole thing, okay? So First of all, you had been given a number beforehand. You didn't know what it was, but Delta gave you a number. a purple p of paper and the number was twenty four. Okay, yeah. So then at the top of the graduation, the principal says, okay, if you were given a number, if you're in this person's class, you'll go to the left and you'll make a line middle aisle. Exactly. And then if you're in this person' class, d d. It made no sense. R. It didn't make sense what she was saying. It was clear everyveryone was confused. I was muddling around with all the parents' holding numbers and no one knew where they were supposed to line up or in what order. Yes. And then she said it again, also confusing And then you did have loud clarificy. You said, Well, there's I raised my hand for a while and she didn't call me. Okay. And then you I was like, okay, I gott just Yeahah, so I loudly said Hey, there's a couple middle aisles. Is it the ones running parallel to the stage or these ones perpendicular? Oh, it's the middle o then we got clarification on that. So theiddleation on That's the middle aisle. That's great. I do think because it was an auditorium. Yeah. was it was with gust. It wasn't exactly the way you just did it. Wh I had to be heard in the back roow Yeah. It was extremely assertive It was. Yes. And I was like, you were certainly nervous. I got nervous. I did a little bit of sinking down because you know what happens is they see they see it's you that they look at the group of they look at your people obviously because That's how life works. That's how people work. They're like, o, and people are laughing and then they're looking and I was like, Oh my God a lot of attention. a lot of attention. I was thanked by all the parents that were in the confused 'cause we were just trying to comply, but I just got that sense we're not moving closer to this being lined up the way it's supposed to be I stand by that it needed to be sorted out. needed to be sorted out. I agree with you there. And a ton of the parents thanked me like this like, Oh thank God you said I didn't know where the house was. So I was getting tons of validation there. But then I started getting really so conscious like Does that principle feel like I just completely interrupted her thing.. And then I was planning to go apologize her. That's nice. And so my full intention was to find her and say, I'm so sorry if that was disruptive or rude But She found me. I was like in the middle talking to the teacher And she came, she goes, Oh my gosh, thank you so much for. And I was like, o, and I go, thank God, I was coming to say, I'm sorry if that was. But she did at least express that she was grateful that I got involved. Yeahah So anyway, you guys got lined up appropriately and you were one of the lucky ones that got special flower. Yeah Delta handed me a flower. sing there with a flower. Yeah, it was so cute. Some of Yeahah. And then you sat back down. They sang beautiful. they sang such a cute song. What was it? And just I just s on the last fact check, I've come to terms with the fact that Delta's Little, which I didn't know Right So weird. Yeah. I really don't know how I didn't know that. I think this is because her personality is so big. Well also because she's just the person you see every day. It was when she went to the dance and I saw these photos, and I was like, Ohh, she's a head shorter than everyone. Yeah. So then at the big singing thing, I'm like trying to find her and she's kind of buried behind tall people Yeah. But you can see her teeth from a mile away. That's how you find Delta er rabbit teeth. She just has the biggest smile. She's the cutest rabbit teeth you can see from so far away. Yes. And the song was so, so sweet.ry, cry, cry. Yeah E everyone's already cried Yeah at that point. It just has just begun. And then they did a really Really beautiful thing where at first I got anxious. Yes. when this was announced what was going happen. You started doing math immediately. Yep. Yeah. So it the graduation is just two classrooms of fifth graders, but so probably like eighty kids or seventy So many Those I didn't realize like how many kids are in these classrooms these days a lot. And then that made me so like God, these teachers, you know Oh my go. They're nurses, you know, its them and nurses. Oh. And so for each kid, a teacher spoke about them, like wrote a little like paragraph about them and said it out loud. they came up and got their little diploma. Yeah. Yeah yeah. And yeah. so at first when I hear this is happening, I was like Oh I did the math. I was like it's gonna take at least a minute to read. Each one probably more. Y. It's like seventy five minutes at the quickest version of this. Yep. This is yeah. The brain starts doing that And then I was like, o, okay, but good her classes first, notot that it' even Well, no, yeah, I did too, but then I'm like, I can't believe I be a addick. So it's almost worse.'s nothing to look forward to. That's true. Yeah. So anyway, They say all these beautiful things about these kids and it really After the first couple, I was like, oh my Godd, this is just so important that they are doing this because as we know teachers say about you stick. Yeah. It really sticks. And I was like each one of these kids gets a moment where they're being told about their, you know, assets and like moments throughout the year that happen. Did you have So first runound of anxiety was the time? Yeah Se secondcond round of anxiety was like, oh these teachers have to say something unique about each student. How are they going to do it I How is it not going to become generic? Yes. but fucking hats off to the teachers. each one was so specific and thoughtful. No one No one phoned any one of them. Yes. they were they're all unique and I was like, oh my God, this is great. But then I did I did have some u U what's it called? like mirror neuron stuff happens.ing Yeah with some of the kids because I was like, okay Some of the kids got the teachers to cry. Oh sure. Over them. But I thought in a great turn of events, it wasn't like the most popular kids in class. It wasn't like They got double like, A, they were already really popular and the teachers crying over. To me, that wasn't happening. I know. But sometimes it was. Sometimes Sometimes they deserve both, I guess. Yeah. No, it just I just know me. and I was like you would be I would want that so bad. I want teacher to cry and not be able to keep it together at all. C theyand had to say he to me. That is the high bar. I just want them to be so sad. Devastated. missed me so much. I announced their retirement I can't possibly go on my class. Yeah. That's what I would have wanted It would have been what I was striving for. Yeah. And some people got it, some people didn't And there was one that was like, I have no idea what's you have no idea about these kids, obviously and what's been going on. But there was one that you based on the little speech, you could kind of put some pieces together about this kid and it was everyone was crying. It was so moving. Yeah. And I did think This person will hopefully never forget this Yeah and make decisions based on that. based on, no, I'm a leader. I'm this. I'm a, you know Oh, it was just so lovely. And of course Delt's was so, so wonderful and we're crying. tryry more crying. Yeah, I felt I did feel a little dead inside. You did? Yeah, 'use all of you guys were crying so hard. And you feltudged. Well, I know, I didn't feel judged. I didn't even clock whether you. I know no one was, but I knew I was like, I'm not like really. I was feeling emotional, but I wasn't I wasn't emoting crying I wasn't crying tears. And then And then I was like Not these people are pret not you, but I was like some of these people are just performing, you know. I thought it crossed my mind that you thought I was performing. No, if it's your kid, I mean, I felt I was like, oh my God, I cannot believe she's graduating fifth grade. I can't believe she's just old look at her. Oh my God. I mean, it was definitely like I had tears in my eyes In your mind A my m. No, I had tears, but there was no spillage. Right, know. It didn't break the. And some people, not the parents, obviously, but some other people were crying so hard. time that I was like disk isn't real. You're a comoy. I know it was real The is real and everyone's on a spectrum of how easily they cry and what they cry about You know, but I felt a little in my head about that. 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For entry details and official rules, visit on everyverycorner d. com It's so great how you can be having multiple experiences at the same time. because I too was having like I was having like three levels of engagement with it Ay it's my sweet spot, right? We know what I'm going to cry about. It's earnestness. It's like it's earnestness in the face of a cruel world. Y. that's that always hits off course. Yeah vulnerability and sweetness in spite of the fact that everyone's been fucking terrible and mean Yes. And then there was this little girl that was just brought the house down. this little girl with a lot of different developmental stuff going on who fucking graduated fifth grade. and the way she was celebrating waving her diploma over her head. I was that girl made me crying like five times. and then I just stared at her in the front row swinging her feet. She's so happy. It made me so happy It It was happiness cross. I know. I know I too happy for her to not be crying about it. Beautiful. Yeah, okay. I had an experience with that beautiful girl as well Yeah where I was like Oh my go, she's so Like yeah, so happ. But then I was in the dr so supportive. It was not like when I was in fifth grade. those kids were like separate. and they were in a room and you're like, oh no, stay away. I know. was it was so beautiful. but I did have a moment of like, I felt sad and then I felt guilty for feeling sad. Right. And I was like, you can't feel sad about this or What you probably have is fear, which is like, look at this beautiful human being on Earth and Earth's not designed for her.. How will she do? I know Look at her fucking crushing it. I just hope it's still. That's what's going on.' like you immediately care and want to help and protect. And that's what a wonderful part of us that we all feel that anxiety. Yes. Yeah. And that's nice. And then I Oh, we're kind of nice. Most of the time I think we're terrible, but then know, we're kind of nice. All of us feel this way about this old girl. Right. And that's so wonderful. Yeah. she was so cute So I had all that stuff going on and I was like very present for that stuff, but very, very actively as well. I got crazy U aware in a very anthropological way And this will be so du to you and to everybody, but it took me a minute to figure out why But ceremonies are often when we most coalesce around what our group values are. These are kind of the moments where we declare group values. Yeah and like pro social and antiocial like It's these rites of passages where we kind of talk about how you should be in the world. and I just got like per aware of like, oh wow, yeah Culture' being passed on to them right now. likeike it's so concrete right now 'cause it starts with a song about having dreams have a million dreams go get those dreams. I know. And I was just like, This is so American. L this is how the system works Everyone in here should be dreaming of being spectacular Right? which obviously is not reality. Not everyone's going to be spectacular. And then I was just thinking about how opposite this is probably from the Japanese graduation. That's more collective society, right? Right Fing probably how to be a great family member or whatever Whatever virtues are reaffirmed in those moments for there Express thing so it was like have a you know, dreamed the stars. It's just so interesting. Again, I say it was zero judgment. Of course there was a moment. I'll never forget it and I of course argued with him. at my brother's high school graduation Um you know, the valedictorian comes up and says something ands salutictorian and it is and it's like Chase your dream, you know, it's all this dream. Work hard, Chase your dream. Not work hard. You know, like that part's not really in it. Yeah. Even similar here, right? It's like, just go out it and And be the best you can be and blah, blah, blah, bl. Be great. Be mean, be great. And my dad was like squirming in his seat and after he was like, what is this? He was like, why don't people just strive to be mediocre? Yeah. He literally said that. He was like, strive to be content. He said mediocre, which was I was like, Dad,, that's a pejorative in our society. Exactly, but he means strive to be safe Just strive to get some things Yeah. You don't have to get all the things. You don't have to be the best. justust have enough Yeah to live a life. Try to get enough. Yeah. And he really hated that.omom. Oh the Swedish thing is the right amount. Oh Lakoma Loma Yeah, he really and I like I was so eye roll with him. I was like, Dad, that is not like that's not an inspiring message. It's not what you do. And he was like It should be And I of course thought that was silly as someone who was chasing a dream. Yeah But I do as the older I get, agree a little more with it, I think. I mean, that's not really fair for me to say because I did get a lot of the things I wanted to get. Yeah, there's a certain reality which is like of these seventy five kids, all seventy five of them can't be president in the United States. It's not going to work out time wise for them. Yeah. And they're not going to be CEO's and they're not going to be world famous artists. So on some level I start a little judgmental like, man Do we not set everyone up for total failure? Like when they're not spectacular, which ninety nine point nine percent of people are not spectacular thenen they're just disappointed in themselves. They didn't fulfill this thing that seems so easily everyone should you should have. Yeah, I know. So I think about that and then I go like, yeah, this is a little messed up But Then I step back even further and I go forget right or wrong, it's like, this is just how it is here. And what's the result? So we have a system. and regardless of what the intentions of the system were, whatever results the system produces are what the system creates. Yeah. And the result is Yeah, dude, a person came to this country from South Amera South Africa and became the first trillionaire to ever live because he came here it's wild. And every invention not every damn near every fucking invention happens here And so It's just the system by which you get this other thing. You can then decide all the way later Is it good or bad to be America versus Japan versus Spain versus whatever? I don't know. I kind of think no. I think well, they're all there's Americ Yeah. This's just all trade off. Yeah There's good things about all the places. So I literally would I didn't leave it going like this, we shouldn't do this. I just like, oh, this is how we get this result. And it's really baked in. and this is a very progressive and very self aware school. Yeah. even they probably haven't consonsciously thought, oh we're passing on this culture It's just It's just what you do and you do it innately because it was given to you and then you pass it on. I know. It's hard though because even though I agree that it might be maybe setting us up to all fall short. I also fully bought into that. Yeah fully. and like I was like, I'm getting what I want. I'm chasing this crazy dream. I'm gonna do it. I like, you know, when you're like young and you like ' so embarrassing design wise now, you know, but like you like get like words from like TJ Max. would if there was a dream, I'd always get it. L that was like such a word for me. And It worked. Yeah. like For me it worked. I don't The system is living and breathing because one percent do break through. Yeah. And you need to be motivated Yeah And I'd rather live in a place where that's possible even if it's not probable I was Exactly. I was Exactly. ye. And a lot of people would. And then some people won it. Yeah. It's just all really interesting. And so yeah, so there was that thing that was me best. and then Even the nature of this thing that was beautiful, everyone gets something read about them to Iidentify something special about them. Yes. And it's like, yeah, that we all like we all need to be special. We all need to be individual. We all need to be uniquely special. Yeah I know. And we'll figure it out because that's what we want and what we do And again, it's not right or wrong. It's just like, oh, I was aware. I was just noticing, oh now this bit of culture is being passed on. this bit of culture. Well yeah, no, at first, again, she said the thing, this is gonna to happen. And then I was like, o my go, we're gonna be here for so long. And then I was also like, o, I also was like, Jesus, like canan't they just writeelt indulgent Exactly. it felt indulgent. And then the part was like, can't they just like write it on a paper and give it to them or some things this whole like standing in front of everyone while you're hearing nice things about you, fel it was a little bit like, oh my Godd happening and I was like, this is a beautiful thing. I love it. Yeah. Bea this is my culture, yeah. I don't know. It's really its just funny Before I had kids, maybe, I don't know. I just sat through all these things. I never really was aware of what was happening during these things. And I just I just like I know each one was like, I know you're going to be a star in sixth grade or I know you're going to be a mathematician. It's like One of them was like going to be run for president. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. ye. Yeahah, I was really putting myself in the position of being up there. And like what I would have wanted them to say about me. And like what would they have said about me at that age? Yeah. I was thinking about that too. what they would say about me. No, I felt really I was like, oh my Godd, I'm naughty boy, but I bet I would have won them over and up. Like they they would have they would have talked about me being naughty and then said I was really funny, I think. Well, there was one boy that before the wom before the teacher could speak about him, he said Okay, I gota, I want to say something and I was like This is Dax. But then it was so sweet. you wanted to call out a dude that works in the office. Yes, it was so sweet. because at first I was like, o my. this kid is way too confident. Who's he even He's everyone has come up and played their part and he has to do something like no, stop, stop. I need to say something. you're like, well, what's this tall puppy doing? Exactly. man selfless I know. a gangster. It was great. Yeah. They took a turn ' I was like, Oh no. And then I was like, this is just like Dax Ben it was sweet and I was like, Iess it is like him. I guess that is part of it. It was neat. I really I really enjoyed watching And then I participate in my culture. A crying Was that the kids crying? Well because we're baalling after. I was happy to see that because as I told you when I picked up Linkolen from the fifth grade, dance no was everyone was crying because they realized they weren't gonna to see each other. And then when I picked up Delta, they didn't seem to have any awareness of that. But now it seems to have hit them at the. No, But that made me sad. And it is sad theseese chapters, you know, I was thinking about her little preschool graduation that we did in COVID. Remember it was COVID, so we just like went one by one. This is when I had just crashed the motorcycle. Exactly. wasmeric sling Yeah. S day. And like, I just And we were said bye to that school. And now this school and it's like, what the fuck is going on