An Eagle, a Hawk, and a Sensitive Guy Who Beats the Shit Out of People
No, they don't walk into a bar, they appear in this newsletter
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Open Mike Eagle: rapper, psychology major, comedy guy
If there’s a door into Open Mike Eagle’s mind, I want to walk through that door. Honestly, all kinds of things happen in that place and if I can crawl in there, even for the span of an interview, I’m going in and looking around.
This week on the Depresh Mode podcast, we’re re-broadcasting (re-podcasting?) one of the first interviews I did for the show and it’s with Mr. Eagle. We taped it when he was in a not very great place, having lost his marriage, his television show, and his capacity to go on tour and earn his regular income. We talk about all that plus his album, Anime, Trauma and Divorce. Mike doesn’t follow the Oxford comma but I will overlook that.
Since this episode originally aired, Mike has relaunched his really fantastic interview podcast Secret Skin.
Some Open Mike Eagle videos? Oh okay.
Mike on Wits? A show I hosted? With me on stage? Okay!
MMA fighter uses his time on the mic to fight stigma
It’s almost become a bit routine to see athletes promote positive mental health. It never ever used to happen at all but there’s just been an avalanche of it in recent years as society has collectively decided it’s important. Thanks, society.
Admittedly, I don’t follow mixed martial arts fighting, like at all. But I don’t think there’s as much vulnerable talk about mental health coming from that sport. A fighter named Paddy Pimblett changed that the other night:
“If you’ve got weight on your shoulders and you think the only way you can solve it is by killing yourself, please talk to someone,” Pimblett said. “Speak to anyone. People would rather … I know I would rather me mate cry on me shoulder than go to his funeral next week. So please, let’s get rid of this stigma and men start talking.”
Excessive heat can make things so much worse for people with mental health issues
It’s yet another reason that when it comes to global warming, I am OPPOSED. I honestly think we should stop it. I know that’s controversial.
But yeah, it makes bad stuff worse:
In patients with mental health conditions, data suggest high temperatures and humidity can exacerbate symptoms including self-harm and panic attacks.
It is generally understood that crime rates rise in the summer months, Mirgain said, but perhaps less acknowledged are the increased rates of suicide and suicide attempts. Heat hinders our ability to sleep, process stress and problem-solve, she said, which is dangerous for people in crisis.
"We aren't thinking as clearly and we're not having access to those parts involved in solving complex cognitive tasks," Mirgain said. "Those become impaired with heat stress."
I did NOT include this item just so I could offer this video:
We’re having an old tree cut down in our backyard this morning
The things been rotting and looming over us for years now, always kind of threatening to crush our house and my family if a strong wind comes around. And those winds and storms come around all the time because it’s the upper midwest.
So there’s a crew of guys out there, taking it down. And throughout the process, a hawk has been landing on the tree, circling around, just being intensely interested in the process. I don’t know if it’s looking for squirrels displaced from a nest or tiny birds being freed up for the gobbling. Or maybe it just finds the process interesting, as we do. After all, I only noticed the hawk because I was watching the process myself.
There is no mental health angle here. I just liked watching a hawk watching a tree come down while I watched a tree come down. I was watching like a hawk.
Old-time Hollywood bloopers make me feel good
Something about all those classy people fucking up makes it feel like fucking up is just a thing everyone does, even people who are well-dressed and delivering snappy dialogue. And if they fuck up, well, fucking up is easier to accept from myself or anyone else.
This IS about mental health.