The Matt Kollock Show

TMKS #38 – Why Do I Hate Country Music?

Country music is having a big moment. So I feel like now is as good a time as any to say what I really think about the genre. And it's not very positive! 

At the same time, it's complicated. Although I've told people I hate country music, I don't think that's actually true. However, there are definitely some aspects of the culture surrounding country music that I do hate. 

I go all the way back. It gets pretty spirited. I make some connections. I figure some things out. 

Unfortunately, I also forget Keith Urban's name in a crucial moment. Oh well. 

What are your thoughts on country music? What about the whole idea of genre? As I mention in the episode, musicians seem to not care so much about genre as long as the music is cool. 

Here are some relevant links: 

• Stream "We Can Levitate" on Spotify 
• Watch the official lyric video for "We Can Levitate" on YouTube 
• Sign up to receive my weekly email newsletter 
• Listen to the Underground Eclectic playlist on Spotify 

Thanks for listening! 

TMKS #37 – We All Die, We All Die

Today we're here to talk about the reasons why you and I should be more delusional, more irrational in our pursuits. Why? One simple reason: WE ALL DIE! 

One week into my Incandescent, Electric era and I've got some thoughts. Some ideas. Some new ways of looking at things. And yeah, I've got some complaints. But you know what? I've got solutions, too. This is the way. 

I'm going to play this game, and I'm going to play it like a gentleman. I am all in. 

The idea of "eating shit" as a creative person – and small-business owner – is also discussed. Put on your best shit-eating grin! 

Thank you for being here! Please rate and review this podcast. You're so great! 

LINKS! 

• Sign up to receive my email newsletter 
• Listen to my music on Spotify 
• Watch the "We Can Levitate" visualizer on YouTube 
• Listen to the Underground Eclectic playlist on Spotify 

TMKS #36 – Bye Bye, Sad-Guy Era

Here we are. It's the end of an era – the sad-guy era of my music career. This is a good thing! 

On today's episode of the podcast, I break it all down. I reflect on what's happening these days, and take time to appreciate this past year or so of my public-facing music life. 

Most importantly, I fill you in on the new era that is about to begin soon! 

Here are some important links: 

• Underground Eclectic playlist on Spotify 
• "Tender Situation" (Ween Cover) [Official Music Video] on YouTube 
• "Tender Situation" single on Spotify 
• My profile on Spotify 
• My website 
• Sign up for my email newsletter 

TMKS #35 – Me Naked

Today we celebrate five years(!) of The Matt Kollock Show by getting naked! I'm talking totally, fully nude. Completely bare. 

Episode 35 of the podcast features me rambling for about 15 minutes, addressing topics such as: 

• The 10-year anniversary of my spiritual awakening 
• The five-year anniversary of the debut of this podcast 
• The passing of acting icon Val Kilmer 
• EMDR Therapy 
• April Fool's Day 
• Creating short-form vertical video content 
• Disrobing in the lyric video for my cover of Ween's "Tender Situation" 

It was a lot of fun and it went by in a breeze! 

Here are some relevant links: 

• TMKS #5 – "A Very Special 420 Episode and Story Time with Matt" 
• "Tender Situation" single on Spotify 
• "Tender Situation" lyric video on YouTube 
• Sign up for my email newsletter 

That's it for now. See you in two weeks! 

TMKS #34 – This Is Indeed A Tender Situation

It's another solo episode of The Matt Kollock Show, friends. Just me and my microphone and my mood. 

I'm feeling weird about things. You know, the whole state of the world and the political situation in the United States and all the fascism. Yeah. And here I am podcasting. Singing my songs. Marketing my wares. Is that okay? 

Well, that's why I'm here today. To wonder aloud about all that. I think I got somewhere. 

So in the main meat of TMKS #34, I address how everything is absolutely insane right now. 

Thank you for listening! 

Links: 

• Sign up for my email newsletter 
• Stream "Tender Situation" on Spotify 
• Watch the "Tender Situation" visualizer video on YouTube 
• Visit my website 

TMKS #33 – 'Family Plot': The Postmortem

It's time. 

Time to mark the end of the Family Plot era of my music career. 

So to honor the occasion, I got on the mic and shared my real, honest thoughts about the album, how I feel about it today and whether I'm pleased, disappointed or I'm feeling some other way about it all. 

I look back at the promotion and marketing. What could I have done differently? What lessons did I learn? How does this inform the next era? 

It's sad. it's also very exciting. And the record doesn't go away. The music never dies! It's out there. It'll always be out there. I'll be playing songs from the record for the rest of my life, probably. I'm just moving on to focus on different things. 

Again, it's time. 

Here are some links: 

• Family Plot on Spotify 
• The "Family Plot" video on YouTube 
• "The Shame Shovel" Tiny Desk Contest entry video on YouTube 
• Me on the Adult Child podcast 
• Me on Bandcamp 
• My website 
• Sign up for my email newsletter 

Thanks for listening! 

The podcast will return on March 19, 2025. 

TMKS #32 – Family, Creativity and Therapy feat. Antonia Montoya

Episode 32 of The Matt Kollock Show contains multitudes! 

Not only does this installment of the podcast feature a fantastic interview with artist, therapist and musician Antonia Montoya, but it also includes a spirited, SPIRITED rant about The Current State of Things from your host, me. 

I'm glad I got that out there! 

But this episode is really all about the conversation I had with Antonia back in May of 2024. Such a different time, am I right??? 

Antonia is a mental health therapist and practitioner of traditional medicine who specializes in walking alongside clients through grief, anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD and challenging life transitions. She loves working with clients to help them transform lifelong, systemic, ancestral, and/or historical patterns. She supports her clients in their exploration and reconnection with their true selves while teaching practices for creating the change they seek in their lives. 

We discussed a number of rad topics, including: 

• Living as social animals in an individualistic culture 
• Life-altering experiences (and the importance of integrating them) 
• Group dynamics and the status quo 
• The relationship between creativity and therapy 
• Therapists having therapists 
• Meaning making 
• Family lineages 
• Creative deadlines 
• Making music as Alonerly 

I hope you really dig this episode of the podcast! 

For more from Antonia, follow her on Instagram @curanderatherapist and support her music project Alonerly on Bandcamp. You can also learn more from her profile on the Psychology Today website. 

For more from me, visit my website and sign up for my email list. 

The Matt Kollock Show will return! 

TMKS #31 – Filming "Family Plot" feat. Austin Hille

Episode 31 of The Matt Kollock Show contains explosive revelations about the making of the official music video for my song "Family Plot," so be careful, friends. 

Yes, I am back to squeeze a little more toothpaste out from the album-promotion tube, and I couldn't be happier about it. 

Family Plot, the album, took many years to make. By the time I put it out, I wasn't so sure about spending more time in that world. So I kinda disappeared. I talk about that in the intro to today's episode. All the stuff that happened. What I did instead of promoting music. All that. 

But the main thing about today's episode is my interview with my friend, the artist Austin Hille. 

Austin created three videos for songs from the Family Plot album, including one that's dropping today for the album's final single and title track. 

Our discussion covers a range of topics, including: 

• First experiences becoming interested in "THE ARTS" 
• Unexpected turns in life and art 
• Training to be an actor and learning how to be an open, accessible channel 
• Drugs 
• Upbringing, family and community and the roles they play in creativity 
• Texas and living in "the most conservative county in America" 
• Making the "Family Plot" video and the importance of trust in collaboration 
• What it means to be a "benevolent trickster" 
• Not taking things too seriously 
• Being inclusive of all the emotions 
• Taking over the family farm 

I think you're going to enjoy our conversation! 

For more Austin Hille, follow him on Instagram @austin.hille and check out his YouTube channel. 

Some links and things: 

• Watch the official music video for "Family Plot" on YouTube 
• Watch my 2025 NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest entry video on YouTube 
• Watch Austin's video for my songs "No Secret" and "Zombies Of The Heartland" on YouTube 
• Check out my latest blog post, "Music + Movies" 
• Follow me on Letterboxd 
• Sign up for my email newsletter 
• Make sure you rate and review this podcast on your favorite platform! 

I'll be back on February 19th with Episode 32 of the show, featuring an interview with the artist, musician and therapist Antonia Montoya. Be there! 

TMKS #30 – What's An Alt-Rock Auteur?

It's a milestone episode of The Matt Kollock Show. Welcome back! 

Episode 30 of the podcast features me exploring what it means to be a self-described "alt-rock auteur." Fun stuff! 

It's also album-release week! So there are lots of big things happening. Family Plot comes out – FINALLY!!!! – this Friday, June 21, 2024. So I talk a little bit about how I'm feeling with regard to that. 

Mostly, it's just me on the mic, holding space for myself and offering a glimpse inside my mind in its current state at this very particular and interesting moment in time. I think you're going to dig it. 

Links and Things 

• Rate and review the podcast on your platform of choice, won't you? 
• Check out the awesome EPK (Electronic Press Kit) Annie created for Family Plot 
• Here's the link to the blog post I read aloud in this episode 
• Sign up for my email list to ensure you're always caught up on my stuff 
• Thank you!!! 

TMKS #29 – Sensitivity, Cycle Breaking, Culture and Creativity with Celina Gonzalez, LMFT

Welcome back to The Matt Kollock Show! 

Episode 29 features my conversation with Celina Gonzalez, LMFT. 

Celina is a licensed therapist and a gifted communicator. I was so happy to be able to talk to her on the podcast about all the things. As I say in the show, I'm getting a little sick of hearing myself discuss topics like childhood trauma, CPTSD, cycle breaking and family estrangement. Am I just full of shit???? So thankfully, Celina was able to offer a grounded perspective rooted in her training and experience as a therapist, yes, but also drawing from her own life experience and the cycle breaking that has occurred in her family lineage. 

You're going to really appreciate what Celina had to say, especially if you are a person, like me, who is highly sensitive and has experienced childhood trauma. 

Guest Bio 

My guest today is Celina Gonzalez, a bilingual and bicultural licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 15 years in practice. 

She is the co-founder of DBT in Color, a San Francisco-based therapy collective dedicated to equipping individuals with skills for alleviating emotional pain, with a focus on identity and culture. Her therapeutic approach is informed by Attachment Theories, highlighting the profound influence of early relationships and life experiences on our emotional development, relationships, and self-beliefs, and grounded in Dialectical Behavior Therapy- a mindfulness based behavioral therapy which offers practical skills to navigate overwhelming emotions and strengthen connection to inner wisdom. 

As a woman of color and daughter of immigrants, Celina brings a unique and deeply personal perspective to her practice, inviting reflection on the impact of historical context, culture, language, and immigration on identity and emotional well-being. She specializes in helping clients, including those with CPTSD, balance acceptance of their pasts in pursuit of healing and change. 

Learn More 

If you are interested in learning more about Celina's work, I encourage you to visit the websites for DBT In Color and her therapy practice, En Confianza Therapy. 

*** 

• Rate and review the podcast on your platform of choice, won't you? 
• "Celebrate The Sensitive" is now streaming everywhere! Here's the Spotify link. 
• Family Plot, my epic hard-rock concept album about childhood trauma and my healing journey, comes out on Friday June 21, 2024. Soon! Pre order the album on Bandcamp. 
• Sign up for my email list to ensure you're always caught up on my stuff 
• Thank you!!!