Ted Gioia thinks our culture is stagnant.

Algorithms have us addicted to distraction, Hollywood's out of creative ideas, and people don't read hard books like they used to.

16 lessons about writing and breaking free from dopamine culture:

1. Ted's golden rule for writing: "Always be honest."

2. Three questions to ask yourself when critiquing something: Is it fair? Is it accurate? Will this be persuasive to all fair-minded observers?

3. Struggling as a non-fiction writer? Become an expert in something first.

4. Read slowly.

5. Success won't always come quickly. Ted's career is just now taking off — 50 years after he started writing for publication.

6. People will judge you on your outputs, but you should focus on your inputs. For Ted, that means reading mind-expanding books and listening to music. He does both for 2 hours per day. Then, he writes.

7. What kind of books should you read? Ted says: "Read for mind-expansion, not entertainment, and seek out challenging books."

8. Wondering which book to read? Think of books like drugs and pick up the one that'll give you the greatest out-of-body experience.

9. Do you struggle with writer's block? Do this: (1) buy a blank journal that only you will see, (2) write about something that happened at the end of every day — but there's one rule... you have to be 100% honest, (3) do this every day for a month, and (4) sit back and read what you've written at the end of the month. You'll be surprised by how much good stuff you have.

10. Your high school English teacher was right about this one... write in the margins of your books.

11. After you finish a book, summarize it in your own words. Helps with retention. Think summaries are too time-consuming? If just spent 10 hours reading the book, devoting another hour to synthesizing it is a relatively good time investment. 10-to-1 ratio.

12. Why is our culture stagnant? Consumer brands are increasingly old standbys. Look at video games. Minecraft (launched in 2011), Call of Duty (2003), Grand Theft Auto (1997), Madden NFL (1988), and Super Mario Bros (1985).

13. How about another example? The comic book market driven by the same brand franchises that were dominant in the 60s and 70s. All of the top 20 bestsellers are from Marvel or DC Comics, which were founded in the 1930s.

14. Want a third? Hollywood sequels. They're everywhere now. Top Gun, Spider-Man, John Wick, Mission: Impossible.

15. Music is like cloud storage for societies. That's why the historians in traditional communities were usually singers. Music preserves culture and folklore.

16. Consume old stuff when you're young and new stuff when you're old. This is the opposite of what most people do.

Ted is the most well-read person I've met in years. You name it. He's read the book or listened to the album. This guy knows the Western canon.

"We need a slowness revolution in our culture right now". He nailed it.

Ted is a rare gem. So much wisdom and integrity. A Jungian jazz critic who passionately appreciates his own dreams. Who digs the "muse" inside "music." Kudos likewise to David for eliciting  and summarizing so incisively the many gifts of Ted Gioia.

It is so rewarding to find an interviewer like David Perrell -- he deeply respects his subjects, and not only listens to them and provides such insightful questions -- he has obviously done his work researching their work. These interviews give so much back to us as writers and poets; unlike other hosts, he does not let ego get in the way of his interviews -- he lets us see his subjects with every personal perspective. He draws out the best from his questions, but also permits his subjects to give their all -- which we then become the grateful receivers of. Marvelous podcasts.

I shed tears at various points. I can't thank you both enough - not just for the insight (and reading list goals!) but the validation of my beliefs and motivations. As a former Television producer and life-long writer, this has been so valuable to me. Thank you.

“There’s a danger I might get mystical at some point.”  LOVED THIS ENTIRE INTERVIEW.

I rarely credit YT for its  algorithm but it delivered your podcast into my life and I could NOT be happier. I’ve found my tribe and I’m enormously grateful. My only worry now is that I might not leave the house for the rest of the week  because I’m wallowing in these interviews and blissed out that I’ve finally found my people. Sincerely, thank you David. 😅

I don't have words for the quality of the conversation. Didn't know Ted before this. And now I am a fan! Loved this! Thank you David! ❤

Honestly, I think this is the best interview I have even seen. I'm even more impressed by Ted's knowledge and David's ability to make difficult topics translate into easy conversations. Thanks a lot!

I needed to hear this conversation! I teared up between 45:00-50:00. I’m a creative who’s been off of social media for almost five years figuring out who I am and what I’m about. I’ve been wondering if there are still places for people like me in the world and this inspired me beyond belief!

Incredibly inspiring interview. I signed up for Ted's Substack immediately.

OMG can’t believe you got Ted Gioia on the show! I’ve loved his books for years and what he’s doing on Substack now. One of my favorite writers alive, and definitely my favorite writing style. I dream to write like him someday and honor to the craft full-time.

“Really enjoyed it!”

Thanks for this great interview David that really resonates with me, and for introducing me to Ted.

We all know that Ted is an intellectual. But this interviewer is super bright, super well prepared. It is heartening to see someone from a younger generation being so old worldly erudite.  I am thoroughly impressed. This young man is going places.

Timestamps:

2:30 The age of minimalism
8:45 Our crisis of trust
25:30 How songwriting has changed
36:15 Artistic formulas
40:48 Why our culture is stuck
1:08:14 Become a domain expert
1:26:45 Crazy dream stories
1:32:57 Lessons from The Beatles
1:33:45 Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Eminem
1:41:17 The homogenization of culture
1:46:25 Why we're so distracted
1:47:11 Dopamine culture

Fantastic. Another amazing guest.

Beautiful chat—full of rich insights into becoming an authentic writer who has depth and substance to offer. Key takeaways: 1. How the name of "honest broker" came about: a example of how seemingly weird incidents and experiences in life turn into nuggets. 2. Input (what and how much you read) matters to your output. 3. Brutally honest journaling is the way to regain touch with the true self.

This also happens to be a rare podcast where the host doesn't directly tell you to like or subscribe--and you end up doing just that.

I keep shouting out loud while watching this “this is my dude!!!” This is medicine for my heart. It’s like the battle seemed unwinnable and the zombified forces of the soul-suckers were poised to quash my once relentless optimism and Mr. Ted rides in on his horse and blasts my dismal projections of what’s possible with his wizard wand lolz but true. I don’t know if Vampire Weekend or I originated the word a-punk but man, Mr. Ted is like the writer’s equivalent to the spiritual fresh air that was Zwan’s Mary Star of the Sea.

I'm not even 4 minutes in and oh my god, I'm so thankful to hear y'all talking about a more maximal style of writing. I love writing, and I can't stand cutting out so much because of how ADD friendly it feels like I need to make it...