MELISSA ETHERIDGE is my guest this week.
Yes, THE Melissa Etheridge.
She’s touring once again, kicking off in Perth in May, then heading east stopping all stations, Adelaide, Melbourne, The Gold Coast and Sydney which is already sold out - she’s bringing some family with her as you’re about to hear she is very very excited. About it.
If this is your first time hearing about this remarkable woman, let me bring you up to speed. Melissa Etheridge is a Grammy Winning, Oscar Winning, Singer Songwriter superstar. For over 30 years her distinctive voice has told stories of love, passion and heartache.
She’s publicly lived through challenges that most people experience in private - her journey of coming out, a cancer diagnosis, hairloss from the chemo, and recently the absolutely tragic loss of her son Beckett who passed away from an opioid overdose at just 21.
Yeah, heads up - we talk about that, and I end up crying in this chat.
Melissa however has used her grief to explore ways of treating addiction by supporting world-first research into the use of plant medicines previously associated with sacred ceremony and how they might be able to save lives so affected by addiction.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
00:33 Moving to a Big City
01:10 The Journey of Life and the Value of Relationships
02:06 The Significance of Age and Experience in Artistic Growth
02:23 The Pressure of Releasing Music at a Young Age
02:51 The Impact of Social Media on Artists
03:23 The Benefits of Starting a Music Career Later in Life
04:00 Taking Time to Reflect and Write About Life Experiences
05:21 Balancing Personal and Public Stories in Songwriting
06:20 The Power of Music to Express Emotions
07:50 Finding Joy and Moving Forward After Loss
10:00 The Importance of Belief and Love in Overcoming Challenges
11:11 Living in the Present Moment
14:07 The Excitement of Traveling and Experiencing Different Cultures
14:47 Australia: A Long Trip Down Under
15:11 Excitement of Being Loved by Fans in Australia
15:45 Country Music Influence in Pop Culture
17:14 Attending the Super Bowl
17:33 Dealing with Fame and Privacy
20:17 Personal Experience with Psychedelics
22:17 The Potential of Psychedelic Therapy
23:19 The Etheridge Foundation and Psychedelic Research
23:57 The History and Future of Psychedelics
25:13 Protecting Mental and Physical Health