Rock and Roles with Danny Goldberg

This is my second podcast with Bobby Miller, who maintains dual citizenship in the worlds of media and that of the spirit.

This is my second podcast with author and columnist Eric Alterman. Eric Alterman is best known as a columnist for The Nation and author of ten books about politics and culture including the bestselling (and prophetic) What Liberal Media? However, Eric’s role in Rock and Roles is to be a voice of Judaism from a perspective of deep reverence for ancient texts; a love of the “conversation” among Jewish scholars that has been going on for hundreds of years and a great ethical clarity. In this discussion, he explains several traditions of Jewish thought. Eric insists that he does not have a mystical bone in his body but he did recently admit to me that when he saw the new documentary about the Grateful Dead he felt an ineffable connection to the Dead community.

Writer and director, David Silver, is one of my oldest and best friends is well known to Be Here Now Network listeners for more than one hundred episodes he has done with Raghu Markus on the Mindrolling podcast. David joins me in exploring the challenge of remembering spiritual teachings and a belief that God is inside everyone, with attempts at social responsibility at a time in America of much dissension and anguish. We did not “solve” the problem but it was one of my favorite podcasts nonetheless.

Paul Krassner, best known as the long-time editor of the legendary alternative culture publication The Realist; an extraordinary archive. Paul is also the author of more than a dozen books, most recently The Realist Cartoons. A cultural hero of mine since I was a teenager, Paul Krassner was the subject of my first podcast a couple of years ago. For this one, I wanted to get his reflections on the first few months of the Donald Trump administration and Paul holds forth with passion and intensity. How to integrate spirituality and politics views rooted in a moral world-view remains an inward struggle for me.

Ben Lee returns to the show to talk about his newest album "Ben Lee Sings Songs about Islam for the Whole Family". Singer and songwriter, Ben Lee, introduces his new project which aims to draw attention back to the peaceful, spiritual and philosophic concepts at the heart of Islam. Ben shares tracks from "Ben Lee Sings Songs about Islam for the Whole Family" as well as his thoughts on the relationship between Islam and the world.

Danny brings Bernie Sanders campaign writer, Richard Eskow, onto the show to talk about spirituality and politics. Richard Eskow is a freelance writer on politics, economics, and social issues. He is the former campaign writer and editor for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. Richard has been a longtime contributor to the Huffington Post and other online and print publications on the topics of politics and spirituality. Beyond writing, Richard Eskow has a background in data analysis, finance, and public policy, and was the head of an international health economics and consulting firm that worked for the US State Department and in over twenty foreign countries. He is currently the host and managing editor of The Zero Hour, a weekly three-hour talk radio program that is syndicated in Chicago and several other cities and is distributed online through iTunes.

Joshua Greene is the author of two of my favorite books about spirituality. Here Comes The Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison which in my opinion is the best book about the Beatle’s spirituality and Greene has a personal relationship with Harrison that gives the book a lot of heart and detail not to be found anywhere else. Green’s latest is a biography of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who created the so-called Hare Krishna organization. It is called “Swami in a Strange Land: How Krishna Came to America” and Greene’s excellent research and accessible writing style is helped by his personal experiences with the Swami.

On the latest Rock & Roles, Danny chats with Father John Maria about his life of service as a friar, music, faith, and activism. I met Father John Maria in the context of his involvement with the recent Lampedusa tour for Syrian refugees with Emmy Lou Harris, Steve Earle, and Robert Plant among others. Father John entered the Dominican Friars at the age of thirty-three and he was ordained to the priesthood on May 12, 2015. He was born as John Devaney and received his B.A. in Communications with a concentration in Radio/Audio from Emerson College in Boston, MA in 1998. From 1993 until 2008 he worked for public radio stations(blues and jazz and rock formats). He currently hosts a weekly on the Catholic Channel of Sirius/XM Satellite Radio called “Word to Life.” Father John’s first assignment as a priest has been to the Priory of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City where his responsibilities include work as part of the team at The Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York at various NY hospitals.

It has been awhile since I did a podcast about my spiritual teacher Hilda Charlton who I met via Ram Dass in 1972.   Hilda left her body in 1988 but I feel that I am in touch with her on almost a daily basis. Jed Schwartz lived in Hilda’s apartment for many years and is one of the people who oversees the Golden Quest which has published Hilda’s books and the website Hildacharlton.com. Talking to him about Hilda for almost an hour made this one of my favorite podcasts to record. I hope the vibes come across.

Danny sits down with author, musician, and teacher David Nichtern. David and Danny get into the content of David's new book, "Awakening from the Daydream," which reimagines the ancient Buddhist parables of the Wheel of Life and Samsara. David Nichtern breaks down the concept of the Wheel of Life in plain language. He and Danny explore this as well as the self and the interconnectedness of different practices.

This week, on Rock and Roles, Danny brings on entertainment industry veteran Elliot Mintz to discuss spiritual practice, the industry, and politics. Elliot Mintz shares how he found a balance between his inner life and career in the entertainment industry. As well as discussing some of those that has met in the industry, like Elliot, who are well along the spiritual path and working to use their celebrity to better the world.

Danny brings on rock artist and actor Michael Des Barres to talk about life, rock & roll, and philosophy. "You must own whatever persona you are going to choose, not let it own you" - Michael Des Barres

In this inspiring episode of Rock & Roles, Danny speaks with Israeli singer-songwriter and activist David Broza about his influential musical career and activism. As a young man, David’s recording of, “Yihye Tov”, became the anthem of the Israeli peace movement during the Israeli – Egyptian peace negotiations of 1978. David has since used his successful music career to bring attention to several humanitarian causes and promote peace in some of the places that need it most. His genuine pursuit of harmony and human connection has given David access to both sides of the conflict in the Gaza strip to spread his message of peace. “The role of the artist is to inspire the people that are not artists. To show them the light.” – David Broza Show Notes 00:25 – After a brief introduction, David shares the meaning behind his peace anthem, “Yihye Tov”. Danny goes over David’s recent work including a new documentary on Netflix, “East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem“. 02:55 – David’s political activism was inspired by his parent’s and grandfather’s work of promoting education for peace. When David was 16, he helped his grandfather by distributing leaflets on campus promoting peaceful philosophy. 07:30 – With David’s help, his grandfather bought hill-top property in the “no man’s land” outside of Isreal. This property became Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom, a thriving village intended for Jews, Muslims, and Christians to co-exist. They live together harmoniously and promote their ideals of conflict resolution and peace. 11:15 – As David began his musical career, he met poet Yehonatan Geffen. Geffen had just written a poem in commemoration of recent peace negotiations with Egypt. David is asked by Geffen to write music to the poem which became “Yihye Tov”. The song became a hit, playing non-stop on the radio. David catches the attention of the grassroots movement “Peace Now” and is asked to join them. He accepts and follows the group from town to town, bringing attention to the cause. 14:40 – In the decades since the success of the negotiations, much progress has been made in Israeli and Palestinian relations. However, there is still much work to be done. Danny and David discuss how the situation came to be, and what the future of peace looks like between Israelis and Palestinians. 21:50 – Danny asks David to describe his personal experiences since the success of “Yihye Tov”.  He tells of meeting the Palestinian band, Sabreen, who saw beyond his ethnicity and embraced David in friendship. He would come to nurture the relationship, partnering with Said Murad and the rest of the band on projects throughout David’s career. 31:20 – David discusses his collaboration with Steve Earle and a multi-cultural studio crew on the powerful album, “East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem.” 41:30 – What place does spirituality have in David’s life? What moves David most is humbleness. Understanding that you do not have to control the situation, just be part of it. This philosophy has allowed him to work with people from all walks of life instead of rejecting them for their views. This has allowed David to reach so many different people and spread his message in places it would otherwise not reach. 50:00 – David speaks of a powerful experience visiting Shuafat, an overflowing Palestinian refugee camp with a long and dark history. He returned to work with the children of the refugee camp. This experience acting as proof to David’s connection to his own spiritual integrity. About David Broza Since 1977 David Broza has combined a career as a singer-songwriter and musician with a commitment to the peace process in the Mideast. His song “Yihye Tov” was written in the context of the Lebanon War and to this day is an anthem in Israel that plays a similar role to activists there as “Give Peace A Chance” does in the U.S. As Steve Earle says, “In Israel, David Broza is me and Bruce Springsteen and a bag of chips” Broza asked Earle to produce his most recent album East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem which is an unprecedented collaboration of Israeli, Muslim and Arab Christian musicians recorded at the Sabreen Studio in East Jerusalem. A documentary of the same name about the making of the album is available on Netflix as of Sept 15th, 2016. David has recorded over thirty albums in English, Spanish (he spent much of his youth in Spain) and Hebrew. He is married to the designer Nili Lotan and divides his time between New York and Israel.

My sister Rachel has worked for years in bridging spiritual ideas with the more legalistic framework of most conflict resolution. She recently published an anthology which she also wrote for called “Faith and Practice in Conflict in Resolution : Toward a Multidimensional Approach.” Dr. Rachel Goldberg has been mediating for over 20 years, and her work and training background include practice in individual, organizational and multi-party interventions and research on how worldview and values affect practice, and best practices in environmental and inter-cultural conflict resolution. She is now focusing on designing and providing a new framework, Multidimensional practice, which integrates emotional, somatic, and spiritual intelligence with classic conflict resolution practice. She is an Assistant Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies at DePauw University, in Greencastle, IN.

Pamela des Barres and Danny sit down together for a chat on the congruity of spirituality, writing, music, and Pamela’s reclaiming of the word “groupie.” Pamela des Barres Show Notes One of Danny’s oldest friends, Pamela is famous for her friendships with some of the most famous musicians of the sixties (i.e. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Plant, etc.). Presently, she’s an author, writing coach, and leading “Rock Tours” around Los Angeles. 2:00 Pamela discusses her upcoming book, “Let it Bleed,” coming out in February 2017. She also shares how she came to lead women’s writing workshops over 16 years ago. 2:55 – Well known for loving Elvis and Jesus Christ. “The King and the King of Kings.” Rock n’ Roll isn’t incongruous with spirituality. Jesus and Elvis have always been inspiring figures for Pamela. Both were rebels, breaking down barriers, especially for men. “Jesus was the first rock god–carving his own path, reminding people of who they are, and getting in trouble for it. He was the first rebel for me.” 4:00 – As a child, the inner itch for spirituality started early for Pamela, visiting churches at the age of 8 and having a fascination with Jesus. 6:00 – As she matured into adolescence questioning arouse from encountering so much repression in the various religious traditions she explored. Danny adds in his attraction to the cultural shift in the 60s was a reaction to America’s materialism 8:00 – Pamela’s love with Jesus and began to seek alternative approaches to learning about him. She found Paramahansa Yogananda, and his book “Autobiography of a Yogi” through her love of music. The Beatles introduced her to Maharishi, which led her to Yogananda and the Self Realization Fellowship. On the interconnectedness of spirituality and rock n roll: “Music is god and touches the highest part of ourselves.” 14:20 – Pamela recalls how she was the woman in Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” short film, and one of the first people to hear the infamous song. She also shares an extremely far out experience she had with Jimi’s soul after his passing. 20:09 – They share their experience with the seekers of the the sixties that went with a “spiritual shtick.” Danny and Pamela also discuss the influence of George Harrison had by bridging the east with the west, and also by making compassion cool with the first benefit concerts. “George was important in ways that many don’t remember.” 24:56 – Rock Tour LA are the guided tours Pamela gives all over Los Angeles, sharing her intimate stories with some of the most famous musicians of the 60s/70s. 26:00 – How does one not get caught in your thoughts? For Pamela, it’s all about living in the now moment, and not fretting about the past or future. In the instance of her tours, where she’s always talking about the past, the freshness of the listeners is what helps ground her. 28:00 – Spiritual Practices. For Pamela, mantras and chants from the Hindu tradition have been the most consistent, powerful, and helpful for her, amongst a variety of other practices. Also shares about meeting Krishnamurti. 33:00 – Danny and Pamela discuss whether the idealism and social movements of the 60s actually improve anything? Pamela feels that the idealism made a dent and that’s important. 36:37 – Pamela expands on the term “groupie” and her experience as being someone that has worked to reclaim that word from being so pejorative. 38:00 – William Blake and the writing heroes of Pamela’s life and the far out experiences she’s had with these figures that have expanded her life and touched her soul. 43:00 What’s most inspiring right now when it comes, to music and reading for Pamela. 45:00 Church of Religious Science and how it helped Pamela integrate her beliefs early on, and be the first to teach her “your belief system creates your world.” Check out Pamela’s website for more on her Writing Classes, Workshops, and Rock Tours!