About this song, Benjamin had this to say;
"This song in a lot of ways is about my never ending struggle with bipolar disorder and addiction. It also encompasses a battle with delusions everyone seems to live with. In that I believe it is relatable to most people who have self doubt, anxiety, depression and manic tendencies.
In the back of my mind there is always that underlying question of whether this life is worth it. There is always an unsureness of whether we are winning the war as a human race. Our better angels seem to believe that we are and that good can prevail through the suffering and turmoil. Our demons insist that the battle is already lost and that the determination of evil historically will prevail.
Nihilism is a dangerous drug and it consumes many corners of our society. It is ungrateful, resentful and it is always the easier path. Righteousness is nuanced, appreciative and requires real wisdom in order to balance the axis of justice and mercy. Righteousness requires a ton of work and often a little bit of luck to prevail.
Sometimes fate plays its hand and we lose even with the best of intentions. Sometimes there are no answers or solutions for the tragedy of life. I have for most of my time here allowed that darkness to devour me and it almost won. I am very fortunate to be here and I don’t take that responsibility lightly.
We must stand and fight. We must, begrudgingly at times, believe in an ideal vision for humanity. This life may be sad, but it is always beautiful.
-Benjamin Tod
I dedicate this song to the memory of Luke Bell."
In this episode, we ramble on down to my friends Benjamin Tod and Ashley Mae's little slice of paradise in Kentucky, to hang out in a big field with their work truck and new puppy. Truth be told, i've never seen Ben happier than he is now, getting his hands dirty building something bigger he can call his own. Its almost like he is a family man now, but instead of kids his family is a bunch of animals, piles of dirt, a couple big loud trucks and Ashley. Good for him. They are building the Muhlenberg Music Mission for the kids, of course. (https://www.muhlenbergmusicmission.org/)
The band, Lost Dog street band, recently announced a little hiatus from the hard knock life of touring. Again, good for them. They spend more than half the year on the road playing shows, and have for years. Each time, they can't wait to get back to the chickens, to the cabin, to the little daily work of building a life rooted in the land. Who can blame them? That is what's real after all. Not social media, likes, comments, views, show business and the like. At the end, you have the songs and what you've built for yourself. I know they love their fans, but they love their chickens and tomatoes too. I just hope they continue to find peace and salvation. Maybe even host a couple good cookouts at their house. I'll be there, buddy!
Pre-order Benjamin's new album, "Songs I Swore I'd Never Sing";
https://anticorpmusic.com/collections...
Our undying love and gratitude go to our executive producers for making this project possible: Brad Sirois, Mitchell Davis, Keith McQuillan, David Jameson, Lisa Galvan, Irvin Maddox, Josh Collins, Brady Jones, Julie Nestoroff, VJ Arizpe.
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