Diary Entry 250. "Noshoes" (1:2 with Scott, AKA "Noshoes")

[00:00:00] Happy Tuesday, Diary listeners. Well, y'all know me. If there's anything I'm consistent in is my inconsistencies. I know I said I would do this more like a diary, and it is still. Not really any interviews, things like that.

[00:00:28] I don't know how hard I pressed that as a contingency of this year, but I was ready and wanting to lean into giving you guys an understanding of my weeks and how God works in my weeks per week and kind of just going into that.

[00:00:54] However, within all of this, I'm still living and God moves and delivers to me in many ways. And I find that I have to give room for the ways that I am offered certain things, people, whatever it may be.

[00:01:22] So, at the B, what was it? I'm struggling to remember the exact date. I want to say it was February 2nd, Groundhog's Day. Yes, it was. It was Groundhog's Day. That I went, and I didn't go to church that day. I went to an open art event at Black Lotus Tattoo Gallery.

[00:01:50] And I met some really awesome people. And one of the people I met was Scott. And Scott is an audio nerd.

[00:02:05] He makes it. He makes it. He's pursuing it in every way imaginable. And he was so cool. And I really enjoyed his presence at this event that I said, you know, let's have you on the show.

[00:02:25] And he agreed and we did a thing. And I interviewed him. It's very conversational as interviews with me tend to be.

[00:02:36] But this week's diary entry is called No Shoes. All one word. Because that is who Scott is. And that's what we're calling this first part, this first piece of Scott's diary entry with us. No Shoes. So, here it is, listeners. Enjoy.

[00:03:04] Welcome to the Apprenticeship Diaries, where raw meets refined. Let's be real. We're still working on refined. What it took, what it takes, and the stories that are made. Join us as we learn from professionals about how their stories begin. And I think you just got to give me permission. Then we're good. All right. Awesome. Awesome.

[00:03:31] So, we're going to be talking about your step into the audio world and really exploring that. I'm excited to have you on. You're actually the first interview that I've had since I... You know, the universe is weird. Every time. Right. Or God. I don't... I get spanked a lot. It's like every time I do a psychedelic trip, which we also discussed at one point, which we might get to this time. Sure.

[00:03:59] I just get spanked. And I'm told, nope, you don't know what you're talking about. So, I made the view of like, oh, I'm not going to do interviews anymore because I don't want to have to hunt them. And as soon as I make that declaration, I meet like a bunch of people who are awesome to interview. So, I'm very blessed and happy to have you on the show. Thank you. No, thank you for having me. I'm super pumped and I completely get it.

[00:04:25] You know, it's like for me, especially when like I record a reaction, I'm like tired that day and I feel like I didn't understand the song at all. And then everybody's in the comments like, this is awesome. And then like a week later, I listened to a song I love. I feel like I connected with it. Everything made sense. And it's like 30 views, which, you know, I'm happy to get any still. But it's hilarious how that can happen. Yeah. It's so true. It's so true.

[00:04:56] How long? Well, how long have you been pursuing this as of right now? That was one of our big questions. And you can expand upon that any way you want to go all the way back if you would like. OK. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, music is like a serious endeavor for me is definitely a more recent thing. Um, I've been doing it about five years now, uh, as far as like freestyling is really my base.

[00:05:24] Um, of course, if we take it all the way back, I'm pretty much a lifelong musician who took a little hiatus after graduating high school. Cause you know, without school band and, you know, my parents had me in like music lessons. Cause I really enjoyed doing that and everything. It's just like, you know, not a lot of people really make it clear that you can make a living making music without being the all-star euphonium player or whatever it might be.

[00:05:54] So, um, it actually all started with my buddy, Zach, one of, one of my dearest friends. I've known him since we were 11 years old and, um, got to seeing all his phases from cooking bacon that was marinated in an Arizona tea on a grill in his backyard to now he's a vegan living with his girlfriend. And I just got to see his new house.

[00:06:19] Um, but you know, we, we'd be hanging out and he'd always asked me to freestyle with them cause he enjoyed it. And, uh, I always told him, you know, I'm not that guy. I don't do that, you know, but he just kept pushing and he always kind of pushed me a little bit. He was like, come on, man. What guy did you think you were? You know, that, uh, that's something I'm still figuring out, but I feel like I'm closer to that now than I was then.

[00:06:47] But, uh, but the long story short of that is one day I was alone and I finally said, okay, there's, there's nobody around. I'm sitting in like my parents minivan because my car was trashed and I, uh, and I pulled up a couple beats and I pretty much fell in love immediately. Um, you know, I, my joke is always that you got to say pee, pee, poo, poo before you can say disestablishmentarianism.

[00:07:17] Yeah. And, um, I don't know if I can say that right now. Right. It's a hard word. I practiced. I couldn't get Dwyer down. But, uh, but yeah, so, so I'm in the minivan and I'm freestyling and, you know, it's probably like expletives and nastiness and I'm just yelling. And, but I was getting the words out and, um, and, uh, I love how many things happen in cars, right? They're beautiful places.

[00:07:47] Transformative. Really great sound quality. Actually. That's one of the funniest things is early recording for a lot of people happens in like the backseat because it's everything soft in there. Like your, your windows are a little bad for it, but if you can, you know, at the end of the day, if you're just starting, who really cares exactly how crispy it is? You might sound like trash. Who cares how great the recording is? And, um, Who's listening at that point?

[00:08:17] Hopefully nobody. That's what I was thinking. That was where I was at too. Well, I wasn't, I wasn't at that at first. At first I was a nut and I, and I rerecorded a million times that I was like, what are you doing? Nobody, nobody knows you're doing this. Exactly. And that, and that's a hard hump to get over.

[00:08:38] Cause I mean, you're, you're very familiar with the visual art and I'm sure that's a very vulnerable thing for you as well, but there's a difference of actually having your face on camera. Your voice on camera where it's actually truly you. Yeah. That's that's there. Um, but yeah, so I started freestyling and after about a year, I think that was kind of the point where I was like, Oh, this isn't just a hobby.

[00:09:07] This is like something I truly love to do. Like, um, and more and more, I feel it, especially as you know, the chains of rhymes grow in my head and things like that. And I just become more able to speak lucidly with a rhythm and with rhymes and proper timing and, and all of that, where there are those moments where that flow state just hits and you just feel completely alive.

[00:09:34] And you might say things that you didn't realize you were thinking it's, it's happened to me where I've, I've started like blubbering because like an emotional beat came on and everything inside of me that I had no idea was there. Just all of a sudden came out and my boys like sitting on the floor, watching me like choke my way through the end of the freestyle. Once it finally hit me, what was actually happening. Um, but, but yeah, it, it all kind of started there.

[00:10:03] And then I realized, you know, I'm rapping on all these YouTube beats. Maybe I should learn how to make beats of my own. And so, you know, I made, I don't know, probably 15 singles or so and whatnot on like YouTube beats as I got into school. And then I started learning sound design and production.

[00:10:24] And a lot of my early experience was based on like designing for video and adding in the footsteps and the sound of the girl climbing the rock wall. Yeah. Yeah. So it's, uh, it's all kind of spiraled from, from that first day in the van. And, uh, and this also happened in 2020, right? Yeah. Yeah. It was during COVID.

[00:10:46] It was, uh, right before actually, right before, uh, COVID came, I had, it was that it was like the day before Thanksgiving. And I had a blessing that nobody's going to knock it if you're in your car by yourself. Exactly. Everybody was happy. Well, and, and, you know, like talk about an emotional time, a time to reflect, you know, to have a lot to say, to just see what happens.

[00:11:14] It's, it was very, um, that's a very cathartic thing that you, you had for yourself there at that point. Yeah. Yeah. It was a really beautiful thing. Um, I, I, I have it myself. Cause one of my favorite artists is back Miller and, uh, on his NPR tiny desk, there's like a little side common. He makes where he's like music's a beautiful thing, baby. Beautiful thing.

[00:11:38] And he just like, then he goes into the next track and, um, but, uh, you know, I, I really love like the spirit and the idea of that. And then of course COVID gave me a lot of time. And, uh, that's when the channel started. Cause I was doing, I was watching other reactors as a way to study hip hop. Cause I was always a rock head as a kid. I grew up with, you know, I played in the school band and everything, and I was a brass player, but drums were really my passion.

[00:12:07] And, um, so what do you listen to? You throw on like Queens of the stone age or Led Zeppelin or AC DC, and you learn to drum like the greats and do all that. And, but yeah, so I started the channel to learn and study for myself and figured, well, I know about music. I can learn about rap on the fly. And at the same time I can become some type of personality and gain a following that can later enjoy my music.

[00:12:35] When I feel comfortable and feel like it's worth putting out there. Cause I'm also a big believer on like there, you know, if you're going to make the same, I hate to be so critical because art's a beautiful thing. Everybody should do it. But like, there are some things that just don't deserve to exist because they've already been made. And why would you want to make the same thing twice? It's, I, it just doesn't make sense to me. So. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:13:02] What, what did you, uh, what did you play in band in school or what instruments? Yeah. Yeah. I started as a trumpet player and that lasted from about a fifth, fourth and fifth grade, and maybe a little ways into sixth. And then, um, my band teacher noticed I was having trouble with the embouchure, the, uh, the shape you keep your lips in.

[00:13:26] And, uh, one of my friends that I've known since we were like six years old, who I unfortunately don't keep in as close of touch with as I should played euphonium, which, um, for yourself and everybody else who has no idea what that is. It's like a baby tuba. So, um, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Very similar to a baritone. Uh, some people are more familiar with that.

[00:13:50] It's, we could get into the nerdiness of how a euphonium is conical and a baritone is straight bore and, but they're basically the same instrument. All three actually are played with the same keys in the same arrangement, just different octaves. Yes. Yes. Okay. Okay. And, and the shape of your mouth is different with them. So it just gets wider. So like trumpet, you have like an embouchure like that, then like euphoniums like that.

[00:14:20] And then like tuba is like, you're trying to blow a golf ball through an exhaust pipe. Got you. Okay. All right. That makes sense. Yeah. That's certainly, you know, a lot of those instruments, it's about how you're able to actually interact and that airflow. I mean, I know flute is and things like that. Oh, 100%. Yeah. I did. I should have done something that was more with, uh, my hands when it came to music.

[00:14:49] I chose the worst instrument for me, which is the clarinet. Oh, I was going to guess bass clarinet, but I can see it. Yeah. Yeah. Was it just based on that was the worst one to pick? I just feel like taller people were generally given the larger instruments because you just, you can't be super short and have it over, have the mouthpiece hanging over your head or nothing like that. Yeah. That's true.

[00:15:19] That's true. I never thought about that. It was purely, um, following the social pressure of friends of mine who, who played it too. Yeah. They made it look cool. It's a beautiful instrument. It's very pretty. Um, but I, you know, I didn't know anything about it. Um, my mom and dad had rules that if they bought something you're, you're doing it.

[00:15:43] Like if you get involved, even like you have to finish it, you don't have to keep doing it, but you have to at least finish the year. And if they buy something like that kind of instrument. Oh, because I insisted that she was like, well, we could rent it. And I was like, no, I want to buy it. I want my own. She was like, all right, kid. Well, you're locking yourself in. And I hate it, you know, and I might not have hated it. Uh, I don't, I don't, I don't know.

[00:16:12] I wasn't good at it right away. I'll admit that too. I wasn't good right away. Um, which says a lot about me, I guess. Well, that's the hard part, right? It is nobody's good right away, but everybody wants to be. And honestly, if there's an instrument that sucks to be bad at it's one with a read because they just, you know, it doesn't sound pretty when you're bad at it.

[00:16:38] But an instrument with a read is like the most horrific honking noise you will ever hear. It's awful. And, and the kind of music that you can actually know, I'm sure there are people who just get wild, get wild with a clarinet. But like on its face, you're really stuck in a classical zone, maybe a little jazz, but it's not something that spans the gauntlet of genre when it comes to music and fun.

[00:17:06] And I did not have teachers that were fun. Yeah. Yeah. I get that. I get that for sure. But that's a lot about me. I, I really admire music. I think that was the other pressure is everyone in my family was really good at it. And so I, I appreciate people who are drawn to it. My brother is a drummer and a lot of people. Yeah. A lot of people in my family can sing or, you know, play an instrument.

[00:17:32] And so I guess there was a little bit of envy that I had to, and I, I don't know why, but I felt like maybe it's in the gene. What's not. No, no, certainly not. But that's actually one of my like biggest proponents, especially with like freestyling with, I've almost gotten all of my friends to at least try it with me.

[00:17:54] And, um, but my, my big thing is like what my drum teacher told me one day, like years and years ago that he was like, you know, you don't have the natural gift, but you work really hard. And it's like, I'm going to take that as a compliment because the other way would be devastating. But, um, but, uh, that, that's kind of really influenced my philosophy and, you know, it's, it's part of what drive drives me to like keep that practice.

[00:18:23] You know, it's an everyday thing for me and has been for five years, even if it's just five minutes. Yeah. Um, but that's also just how I engage. I'm sure other people write a lot more, whatever it is they do. Yeah. Now is, uh, just because it's freestyling and things like that, uh, is that why hip hop was more the genre you went after? Yeah, for sure.

[00:18:49] I mean, there's, I struggle with musical genres at times because I find that they're actually a lot less about what's happening in the music and more about the culture that the music came from, which is also why I took the time and still do on a weekly basis to do these reaction videos, to be aware, to have an understanding.

[00:19:12] And, you know, I don't want to be the white guy rapping that doesn't know who Tupac is at the end of the day. And, you know, I get different reactions from people like, Have you already, I'm sorry to cut you off. Have you already covered Kendrick? I actually haven't gotten too deep into Kendrick. I have a lot of respect for him. I have a lot of, uh, you know, I, I understand his place and I've heard some really great songs from him.

[00:19:41] But as far as like the whole Drake and Kendrick beef, I never got into it. Cause in my opinion, Drake is a pop star that makes a mockery of hip hop as a culture and rap as a form of music. And not to mention all the other horrible things he probably is doing in his free time. You know, I haven't seen it, but I haven't known Kendrick to miss either.

[00:20:06] And, um, so to me, it was one of those things of like, why do I want to see a MC battle a guy whose name shouldn't even be on the roster? Yeah. Like they're just two different animals. And that, that I think relates a lot to my philosophy where. Good philosophy. Uh, of kind of like, and I, I think, you know, I, I'm going to keep talking about freestyling, but, um,

[00:20:33] I like, I like, you know, I like the opinion because I'm sure the people who come to listen to your reaction videos, you know, this is what I ran up against with like having a podcast and being an artist and being a tattoo artist is like, well, who the hell am I? Right. Yeah. Well, I'm a voice. Exactly. How do you define yourself? You know, what rate do I have to have an opinion? Well, um, um, I have them.

[00:21:02] So I'm going to talk about them. I'll be honest. You know, like, uh, I think that, uh, when you are, at least in my opinion, as a professional artist, I think that everybody deserves to have an opinion on that. And it's a gift for me as a creative to hear those opinions, because. If what I did didn't hit the way I wanted it to, that says something, you know, like, and I want, I want to analyze that a little bit.

[00:21:32] You know, it tells me something that I'm, I'm putting out in the world. And if it's not what I want, then I got, I got to get better at it. You know, exactly, exactly. And, um, and yeah, so where I was going with that is I really see myself more as like an MC rather than a rapper. I would prefer to be underground my entire career and retain actual, you know, principles.

[00:22:01] And the big definition, the big thing I think is like a rapper is a celebrity. Drake is a rapper. He raps, he gets paid to do it, but does he truly have command over the English language? Does he break words? Does he bend them? Does like literally bending language to your will and having that skill and mastery.

[00:22:26] And, um, as someone who enjoys more of the old school guys, more of the underground guys that are recent or well, still current, but also still coming from like a lot of them started in the nineties and, uh, and everything like that. But yeah, that's a huge one. Yeah. Like Aesop rock and MF doom and people like atmosphere. And, uh, I mean, there, you know, there's so many names.

[00:22:55] And of course there are some of the big ones that are great too. Lil Wayne is awesome in his way and M and M and, and all of them, they all have their own unique offering, which is also why I have a big issue with the whole goat discussion. Cause I don't think, you know, little Wayne will never be a better M and M than M and M is. And M and M will never be a little Wayne than little Wayne is. But, uh, but coming back full circle. Yeah. I really, I want to be seen as an MC, not a rapper.

[00:23:23] I want to, but then I also now have the producing on that. I do and everything. And it's all just continually evolving. But that, that power over language is what really lies at its core for me. I love it. Um, I know, I think we had discussed this a little bit. Um, speaking of language, I think, I think I brought it up cause you had mentioned atmosphere that I like, um, I like French hip hop a lot.

[00:23:53] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I, I think that, uh, it's fun to hear emotionality, uh, without even knowing what the hell they're saying. I mean, I'm learning, I'm trying to learn French, but, um, I like, I like the vibe. I like the feeling. I like the, you know, all the different parts of the music without understanding what the message necessarily is. Cause I think you get so many, you know, inferences from there. Um, it's pretty cool. Yeah.

[00:24:24] I've, uh, there I've actually, I've gotten to experience a couple different, uh, countries, versions of hip hop. And it's been really interesting. We have, uh, this, uh, shout out land bar, um, a Burmese rapper. You told me about. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, it's unfortunately we don't hear from him too much more any often. I don't even know what I'm saying. We don't hear from him too often anymore, but.

[00:24:52] When he was very active with us, I mean, we actually reacted to a song that he spearheaded. That was like the revolution anthem for Myanmar, because there was an active coup in the country. The privatized military took over the government. They're leaving people in the streets. And he put this song together with a bunch of other artists.

[00:25:15] And, you know, we're listening to other less horrific songs that are, you know, uh, a little bit more lighthearted as well. But listening to rap in Burmese and even, uh, Filipino rap with, uh, Easy Mill. He came in with a Tagalog. And, uh, there's a couple others, a Slavic rap.

[00:25:40] It's been, it's been really interesting seeing what my community will bring me since I base everything off of, uh, suggestions. Right. I have, uh, um, uh, a group in, uh, uh, hip hop artists in India that reached out to me. And, um, of course I had no understanding what he was saying, but I did catch on to, I think it was a heavy, I don't want to get it wrong.

[00:26:08] Cause it's insulting one way or the other, but it had the crip blood kind of infusion in it. And he, he really wanted me to like shout it out. And I was like, I'm sorry, bro. I can't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Yeah. Yeah. Right. I, I, I hear the homage and he's like, well, you know, just my life here in India just feels a lot like that. You know, like, and I was like, yeah, dude, I believe you.

[00:26:37] It's probably, uh, I don't, I don't know. I probably would task anything that are, you know, our original hip hop groups even dealt with, honestly. Um, but yeah, I was like, I, I, I was not slapped. I was corrected by my husband, but proverbially slapped by during COVID by, um, trying to go out with a red bandana on. And he's like, what the hell are you doing?

[00:27:05] And I was like, they're asking for all these masks. I was like, it's like, I don't have any right now. I'm just going to wear this bandana. Cause that's when, you know, nobody, nobody knew what they were saying. And we were just all asked to cover our faces up. Right. He's like, you can't leave with that. And I was like, what are you talking about? And he was like, the bloods. And I was like, are you for real, dude? I was like, we're not in LA. We're not even in Baltimore. I'm like, I'm going to Carroll County to do it, to, you know, like a convenience stop.

[00:27:34] He's like, that's how you get killed. It's like, all right. All right. I was like, I'm not, I'm not, this is a war I'm not picking. But even him, he was like, nope, you're not doing it. Yeah. Yeah. So I, I told, you know, this guy in India, I was like, I can appreciate what you find as an inspiration, how you connect with, with, you know, the message I'm like, but that is not something that, uh,

[00:28:02] I don't, I don't think that if you came here and, and shared it with even the side of it that you identify that they would overly appreciate. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. It's, and that's such a, it brings up such an interesting thing. And that's, and that's something I've had to encounter over time as well. I mean, I think actually my video tonight, uh, is, uh, to a song called, uh, Illuminati by homeboy sandman.

[00:28:31] And, um, it's super interesting track really goes into the, you know, the history of how black people have been treated in America and. You know, all the horrors of that and how America was built off of their backs and, you know, just so many things. And at the end of the vid, you know, and I, I catch things and, you know, I see things and whatnot, but at the end of the video,

[00:28:59] I kind of like pointed it out somewhat jokingly, but also seriously, it's like, look, here are the things like I'm, I'm catching on to. I think by looking at me, we can all tell I'm not the guy to like really go into it. But, you know, like I am aware like this and, uh, it's a, it's a strange, it's a strange balance there where, you know, especially even in my rapping, I've had different interactions with.

[00:29:28] Some black friends when I tell them like, oh, I started the channel so that way I could, you know, show respect. And they're like, oh, it doesn't matter. Like anybody can rap. And then other people are like, that's good that you did that. You keep doing that. You need to do that. And either response is fine. I wanted to do it anyway, but, uh, it's the dichotomy there. Like there's just no right answer. And what's an opinion. Yeah.

[00:29:56] I mean, you know, like you can take it or leave it. I've had some, I've had hate thrown at me, like just pure venom for no reason. And sometimes it's great. Like if it wasn't so long, I have it, you know, embroidered, uh, and put up on, you know, just, just to just. Because it's, I don't know.

[00:30:21] You, you can, uh, it's typically not from the people who you're actually reacting to, you know, they're not, they're not affected by it. It's, it's whoever is a fan or who just wants to smack you down for having the audacity to do something. Exactly. So, yeah. And I, that's for me is like, well, at the end of the day, I'm doing something. So, you know, all you're doing is criticizing me doing something.

[00:30:50] Where's, where's your channel? Can I see it? Can I look at it? Cause that's what I'm saying. That's not exactly. I had that exactly happen earlier where good a while ago I did this. Uh, it was like, uh, is that your chick by Memphis bleak? And it features Jay Z and I was just not entertained. Uh, you know, it's, it's just like the girl's song. I, you know, and look, I get it.

[00:31:19] It was new when it came out. That idea wasn't overdone yet. But, but I feel like a lot of people don't understand. It's like, this song is still like, really not communicating that compelling of a message. It's like, Oh, she bad. Let's smash. Like I can, I don't need you to write a song about that. I just said it in two sentences. You know what? It's good. You know what? It's good.

[00:31:47] I only like those songs when I'm on a treadmill doing like a workout. And that's the purpose, right? That's it. That's it. And you, you probably would only feel it if a, you were a woman and B, you were a gay man. And I said it. You're like, yes, I am making myself right now. Like, yeah, cause that's what's like, that's why you're doing it. That's why you're there. You're like trying to hype yourself.

[00:32:17] And, and it's, and it's all that. I'm awesome. I'm a boss. I'm doing the thing that I, you know, it's hard for me to do, you know, I'm owning the world. But other than that, it's not really. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what was so funny to me about it. Cause he's like, he's like, man, you, you don't even get the history. You should stop reacting to stuff that you don't understand. And it's like, no, no, no, no, no.

[00:32:42] The problem is not that I do not understand this, sir, but you know, to make them feel bad. I was like, see, you had a chance to educate me and now you're roasting me. So thanks for contributing absolutely nothing to this. Right. Cause I'm big on the conversation. Like I am ready to be wrong. Honestly, some days I'm begging for it just so somebody will actually say something that means something.

[00:33:06] Cause I feel like so often we spend so much of our time just saying stuff that means absolutely nothing to each other. And like, I mean, I think you said it beautifully in the beginning. I was not entertained. Yeah. You know, the reality of it is, is that. I mean, it was like the Superbowl. There was, there was like page long things breaking it down for people. Like what was done.

[00:33:37] The best was the short thing by a comedian friend that I knew that was like, yo, this was the sickest roast ever. Let me break. And it was just, it was like, this whole thing was a slap in the face to drink. And I was like, yes. And he's like, and as a, you know, a petty bitch, I dig it. You know, like the ones that were like, you need to get all of these innuendos. I was like, what?

[00:34:07] I didn't even see it. I didn't even see it. I didn't like the fact that I was seeing it on the socials. I was like, why is this a whole thing? Why aren't we talking about how Philly would like was completely vandalized and they won. What happens if they lost? Like, I mean. No more. It's gone. It's eradicated. I don't find up on freaking horses trying to push these people back.

[00:34:35] They're like ripping down lights in the streets because they won. And I'm thinking, why are we talking about the Superbowl halftime show? And I'm not reading this, like this epically long thing that, that has to do with this show, because in my mind as an artist, okay. If I put something up on the wall and I got to give you a dissertation about what I'm trying to do, it's not successful. Right. Not successful.

[00:35:05] What you said is I'm reacting. I was not entertained. That's it. Like. What is a football game? If not this big thing that's like basically a fucking coliseum of the new age. Right. Where like people are going there to be entertained. Yeah. That's the whole point. Yeah. It's not supposed to be cryptic. It's not supposed to be that you have to be some kind of road scholar or some art or some kind of it.

[00:35:33] For me, if you have to have that much of an education on it, fine. You, you can tell me, like you said about dude, tell me about it, educate me a little bit, but I'm still going to argue that it's not good art. Sure. Sure. Because if you have to tell me all that, well then it didn't hit. Yeah. And I think for me, it's interesting when you get to like that level of rap with like Kendrick or Aesop or people of those degree, because one of my favorite things to hear

[00:36:02] is when people are like, well, I don't understand it. And it's like, I love it and neither do I. Yeah. And that's actually, you know, something my friends and I have talked about where some of my friends, they really like music where it's like, you turn it on, they tell you how they're feeling. It's very clear. It's transparent. You get it. And that's fine. That's great music too. It doesn't tickle my brain in the same way. Cause I like the puzzle.

[00:36:26] I like not understanding because then there's still something more to, you know, dig through, but at the same time, and that's actually one of the reasons I love Aesop's community so much because there are, there are people like the guy from earlier when Memphis bleak makes a plainly obvious song about girls and cars. And they're like, how did you not love this? And then Aesop fans are like, bro, you don't get it.

[00:36:56] Me neither. Let's listen together. Right. And it's like, that's such a different connection right there. Yeah. Yeah. And it's, it's loving and it's like, you know, I mean, one, do you just sort of, do you, uh, do you react again? Like, do you give it an amount of time to like, come back to the same thing and try it again?

[00:37:25] So only when I've made mistakes, like not actually recording my audio. Uh, I do all of my videos unless like everybody's demanding. I do a song I've heard before. I pretty much do every video on the fly, on the spot. First time I've heard the song. And that's my, my ethos with the channel, at least has always been like, look, I'm not

[00:37:52] here to promise you I'm the smartest, the best or any of that. What I am here to promise you is you're going to see what I really thought at this exact second. And, um, cause I don't think you like in my mind, I, I can be a very crass and, uh, and what, and other things as well. And it's like, as long as you're always real, they'll never be able to get you for it. Yeah. Like, Oh, you guys are mad at me.

[00:38:19] Go watch my video from 10 years ago where I was the exact same guy saying, making the exact, like, you know, like me, that's cool. Yeah, exactly. It's like that way. I know it's like, I'd rather people not like me, but not like some facade I created in hopes they would like it. Yes. Cause that's just even worse. Oh, it's way worse. It's way, way, way, way, way worse. Yeah. I know. Totally do it that way.

[00:38:46] I was just, I just asked that because I know that for film, for example, I different, um, I've gone through certain things that when I come back to certain films and I rewatch them, I'm like, Oh, for sure. For sure. Okay. Now it's hitting different. Yeah. You know? And that's something that I still keep like more personal for myself where like, you know,

[00:39:11] when I'm throwing music on in the car and of course, you know, the great stuff that I listen to and even some of the not so amazing stuff boils up into my playlist and, um, and, you know, I enjoy getting to study it further that way. Um, but, uh, but I guess I, in theory, like, I guess I might come back if something like

[00:39:37] really struck me, but I'm also more on the side of like, I never really wanted to be a content creator. Like the channel is a vehicle. These are, these are all like, I like making the videos. I love interacting with the community, but it was more like a audio video diary for myself. And it's like, why not? You know, I'm loud. I don't care what people think. I'll put it online. And, you know, then somebody gives you your first bad comment.

[00:40:05] You cry a little bit, but, um, but, but yeah, yeah. Yeah. So long-term really, I see the channel at least shrinking in volume of how many videos I put out and especially the amount of videos I put out relevant to other people's art and coming back to more like, Oh, how did no shoes produce round the Rosie for dabda?

[00:40:29] And then, you know, open up the project and, you know, bridge that like, this is showing off my stuff, but like also slightly educational. Cause I also enjoy like the teaching and I'm, I'm a nerd for it. Like, yeah, it's, I love that. Well, it was the same with this podcast, which is why we're, you know, we're commuting and doing this. I identify a lot with that process and I don't, I, with this, I don't know where it was going to go.

[00:40:58] It has morphed into so many different iterations, but, um, I like the pursuit of passion. I like hacking those, those aspects of things. And, um, I completely, I completely get it. Um, and it is called the real no shoes, right? The channel. Yeah. So that's, uh, so, uh, you said we might talk about psychedelics. If we're going to go over my name, this might be a good time to get into it, uh, because

[00:41:26] that's how I came to that name. Uh, so really, really in practice, I'm just no shoes. The real no shoes is more a name of convenience because there's some other crazy guy out there who either doesn't post anymore or like posts like once every three years named no shoes. And so annoying. Yeah. So I became the real no shoes and, uh, and, uh, no spaces as I always have to tell people.

[00:41:56] But, um, but the, the name started accidentally where one night I was hanging out with my buddies. Um, it was like, it was the holidays. It was around like new year's Christmas, but it wasn't either one of those. And, um, you know, we, we tossed back a couple of tabs and we're hanging out. We're probably like smoking on the back porch.

[00:42:20] And at that point in time, my favorite pair of shoes was, uh, the Nike PG ones, all George ones. And, um, they're big defining features. They have like a blue strap across the laces across like the toe box. Um, and they're black. So I was sitting in my buddy's, uh, like living room with my feet up on the chair, reclined

[00:42:47] back, you know, and it's dark in there. You know, there's like a white fake Christmas tree put up that just looks so fuzzy. And, um, and then my buddy Zion, uh, rest in peace. I actually got this little tattoo from Dan for him a couple of years back. Uh, he, uh, a very innocent and gentle soul, but, uh, he was asking me if I was wearing slides

[00:43:16] because it was dark and the blue strap was all he could see. And, um, I guess he assumed the black part of the shoe was my foot or I had gotten frostbite or something. I don't, or socks. I don't know. But, uh, but so I, I, I just love to mess with people. It's the, so what, what is it like? The, the damn it. What's the word?

[00:43:41] Like the something, man, it's playful suspension of disbelief is where I really like to live as like a cartoon character of a human being. So I start messing with it. I'm like, nah, these, my no shoes as if they're like some fancy type of shoe. That's not a shoe. I don't know what it meant, but then as substances do and with, uh, you know, the ego walls coming

[00:44:08] down and everything, the, the name kind of just stuck with me throughout the night and slowly and slowly kind of became like the name I gave my ego in a sort. So then like when it came time to really start putting the music together and to say like, Hey, this is me and I'm good enough that you should actually listen to it. That's kind of where it came back because in my personal day-to-day life, I'm naturally

[00:44:36] a very shy person who was just trained to be outgoing and talkative. Cause I did sales as my first jobs out of high school. And, um, so yeah, no, no shoes is really just the part of me that has enough ego to say, nah, I'm great. Check it out. I believe in this. Right. And, uh, and I've got a, I've got another like pseudonym.

[00:45:02] I use penny God for my like producing, which that came as an accident too. When I was asking a friend about the name of a band we were listening to and he, he like snorted at me. He just laughed in my face. I was like, all right, I guess nobody's using it. But yeah, that, so that's the origins of no shoes. And then obviously you got to make your social handles and then you find out about the other no shoes and the real no shoes.

[00:45:30] There is no other no shoes. That's what I'm saying. There's just an annoyance that never committed. Exactly. Right. Whoever you are, he's probably the person contacting you being like, you don't understand. Actually, I found out the guy that did say that does make music. So I'm not, so now I'm thinking, huh, maybe I should react to a song of his and see just

[00:45:59] how, how close to the culture he is. I can very well, that would be entertaining. Right. Right. That I think that'd be fun. Yeah. I love, uh, I love that you're playful that way. It's obviously helpful, uh, on social media too, because, uh, you know, you gotta be a little extra as well. Exactly. Yeah. But I, that's how I was raised.

[00:46:25] Like if, if I wasn't being like borderline picked on, they just didn't like you. Right. Right. Like that's all, all my uncles taught me. Like, and I realize it now, like looking back, like that's what did it. And like my dad used to like make up words all the time. And, and then like, it's just all come together to some, some strange mixture that I now that I'm now am. I love it. I love it.

[00:46:54] My husband's a lot like that. Um, this is the only freestyling that we do. He'll like hear a song and it'll be like, and we just start making noises together and then bouncing off of each other. I think people underestimate how valuable that is. I, I, I'm a big believer on the, like, there's like two separate parts happening during freestyling,

[00:47:22] the mechanical motion of just actually moving your mouth in time. And then whatever your tongue and your soft palate, you know, forming the words. And, um, that, that's one of the things that I like harp on people the most. I'm like, tap your foot, your mouth will know what your foot is doing. And then like, as long as you can just keep making noises. And I do that all the time with, especially when I'm like trying to find like a new flow

[00:47:50] or like dig into something, you start making noises. Then you slip one word in here and in there and then three words. And then it's sentences. And it just goes from there. And he was the original skibbity or ski, uh, you know, whatever skibbity. He used to say skibbity skibbity. He's going to like, and then when I found out skibbity toilet, I was like, the hell? And I was like, oh man, they taught every, they just ruin it. They just ruin it. Like everyone's ruined.

[00:48:20] Why? But yeah, he, he does. Well, and he's a lot better than me too. I think men, I don't know. I don't, I don't know the dynamics, but in my experience, men have a lot more, I think they play more with, you know, that kind of, you know, making noises and stuff and playing with their, their ability to make those kinds of sounds. He's really good at accents too. And language and all of that. Okay. I'm abysmal, abysmal. So half of it is me joining him.

[00:48:50] And the other half is him making fun of me in joining him. And then just, you know, I think he just finds me adorable and I want to be better, but I can't. That's fun. No, that's fun. I'm not. It's very fun. Our, our relationship is entertaining from what I've gathered from a lot of our friends. He's very Italian and I'm very like, I don't know, serious when I shouldn't be.

[00:49:17] So it makes it like inadvertently funny. Yeah. That sounds about right. That sounds about right. It's like, oh, she's getting so mad. And he'll send me things like, I knew it was wrong like 10 minutes ago. Now I'm just doing this for my, myself. Exactly. Exactly. I love it. I love it.

[00:49:43] Well, and so when we were talking, you said that you've moved further from like, you know, experimenting on your own and like, you know, your car or your parents' car and then moved on to going into school. What, what was the, I guess, I guess talk a little bit about that. Like what were you finding as limitations or was it just you were insatiable? Sure. Yeah.

[00:50:09] I think limitations is less of it and definitely more just like the insatiable side of it. Uh, you know, I went back really just, I, all I wanted to learn was how to make a beats and I was only going to go back and get my AA. So I went to, uh, I went back to school community college.

[00:50:31] I got my AA and AV and P and, um, I graduated, uh, technically about a year ago, but because they don't do graduations in the winter, uh, a little less than a year ago. Right. And, uh, and I, I really just fell in love with it because when I got there, I really started to realize, well, I'm out here trying to affect people with words and now I can affect

[00:51:00] them with just the bass sounds underneath those words. And, um, I, I work at that college now, I run their cage for them. I'm, uh, getting my bachelor's now at another school and, uh, that's in radio and audio. So now I'm actually fully in my concentration as opposed to being spread out into video and other things. That's awesome. But, um, I, I'd really credit the head professor of the AVMP program there, Pagano.

[00:51:30] He's, uh, he's an amazing mentor and extremely talented and, um, maybe too intelligent at some times where, you know, what I remember I was in my first class where I could decide what my final was. And of course, after designing these videos and doing all these different things that were related, but not what I wanted to do, I was like, I'm going to make a beat. This will be my first one.

[00:52:01] And I, you know, so I, I was, the idea was we could do whatever we wanted as long as we had some type of academic pursuit that could flow through it. And what I wanted to look into and I never ended up doing was pure tuning. So I researched pure tuning. I never actually did it. And, um, the short and simple version of what's an insanely complicated mathematical form

[00:52:28] of music is that the normal music we listened to is equal temperament, the ABC, you know, those scales. And then pure tuning says, okay, use fractions. So if each note in equal temperament is one eighth of an interval or each interval is at an eighth position. Now you could have them at 24th or 13th or 128.

[00:52:58] And, um, now you can create these scales that feel completely different than anything anybody's ever heard. And they're of your own creation. But, uh, what he did was he gave me a book that was written by someone else. And then like a handcrafted journal of his own that was like pages, like ripped out and copied into it and stuff he'd written himself.

[00:53:23] He had a scale that looked like a pyramid and just like all these crazy things. And I'm like looking through this book and I'm like, it clicked all of a sudden. I'm like, this is why this guy frustrates me because he's so smart that like learning from him can be a little bit difficult if you don't understand that. And then, you know, and so after that, I really finally got to see it.

[00:53:49] And, you know, I think being a little bit older in community college too, he kind of felt like he could talk to me a little bit more or whatever than, uh, some of the other students who might be still like very sensitive 18 year olds in there. But, um, but yeah, so Pagano, uh, what, what the greatest guys I know, uh, big inspiration, amazing guy. And he really inspired me to take it further because I never thought I'd go to college.

[00:54:17] Then, you know, I never thought I'd get my bachelor's as I was just going to get my AA. And now here I am in my second semester of my bachelor's and I love it. I have so many friends there and the classes are just as fun as they are interesting for the most part. All right.

[00:54:42] Diary listeners hate to cut off, uh, no shoes there, but, uh, now, you know, a little bit more about him and there's more to come next week. We'll find out more about this creative and, uh, just certain things that have pushed him to where he is today and what he's invested in today. Uh, you can find him on YouTube, Instagram. His name on YouTube is no shoes.

[00:55:09] Again, that's all one word, no spaces, just no shoes. I'll represent it in the post as I, as I highlight him today. But, uh, in the, like, you know, when you, you say at, you know, it's so it's at the real new, no shoes. Uh, I'll, I'll link everything. He has a link tree on all of his, uh, spaces so that you can find everything attached to him. I hope that you do. Uh, his videos are great.

[00:55:37] Um, his passion is pure and I really hope that you come back next week to find, find out more about Scott, AKA no shoes, the real no shoes. God bless listeners. I'll catch you next week. Thanks for listening. You can find the apprenticeship diaries on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Our IG is the underscore apprenticeship underscore diaries.

[00:56:07] If you would like to offer constructive criticism or an interview, drop us an email at theapprenticeshipdiaries at gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from our listeners.