Podcast Spotlight: Peace of Mind with Bhi Bhiman

This isn’t a new concept and I won’t pretend to take credit for it, however, it’s worth repeating over and over. The democratic nature of podcast enables creative people to experiment with the medium and create some truly wonderful new things. Peace of Mind with Bhi Bhiman is just the latest example of this. It’s part protest album, part podcast, all innovative.

Peace of Mind delves into the societal, political, and philosophical issues currently facing many people. Though the themes may not necessarily be new, the format certainly is.

Bhiman clearly has the creative chops to deliver on the promise of such a unique podcast premise. Come for the interesting format, stay for the engaging podcast.

We were fortunate enough to share emails with Bhiman and discuss the podcast, how it got started, and the plans for the future. See below for our full Q&A.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

DISCOVER PODS: How’d you get into podcasting?

BHIMAN: It was a new and interesting way for me to release my album. It’s a political album, and I have been known to be a political artist a time or two, but often things get misunderstood or, worse, not understood at all. And this was a way to really control the narrative in my own words.

DP: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to Peace of Mind?

BHIMAN: The news right now is very reactive and moves minute to minute; rarely do they kind of step back from the controversy, and really look at what’s at play. And I think with Peace of Mind we do that. It’s a mix of storytelling, political activism, political science, and social science. [Take episode 1 “Brother, Can You Spare Some Peace of Mind” for example. The song is about madness in the Trump era. We have Glynn Washington, who is at an impasse with his Mom, over Donald Trump. They have trouble speaking to each other because they are oceans apart. And that rings true for me, and for millions of other Americans, I suspect. And I talk to author Dave Eggers about his experiences meeting pastors at Trump rallies and undocumented immigrants living in sanctuary in churches. And we wrap with social psychologist Lee Ross about why people (and animals) develop deep connections as a community based largely on our appearance.] It’s deep, but it’s fun at the same time. The featured song, and the “stems” (individual tracks, such as guitar or percussion) serve as the soundtrack to each episode. I think it’s a wholly unique experience.

DP: How’d the idea of producing a joint album and podcast come about?

BHIMAN: I’ve been kicking the idea of doing a podcast around for a while now. I’ve actually had 2 other podcast ideas over the years. But last year, my podcast-obsessed wife and manager, Katie, brought up the idea of releasing my album as a pod. I had just wrapped production on this new record, and it was very political. And sonically adventurous, in a great way. And the popularity of podcasts, and political and society&culture podcasts in particular, really cemented the idea as viable to me.

DP: The podcast obviously tackles a lot of key issues in society today. How do you and your guests stay focused? 

BHIMAN: The interviews are generally focused on a particular theme, but we definitely stretch out. Sometimes you just have to have a longer chat with someone to get to the best parts. We often end up using just 5-10 minutes of a 1 hour interview. Radio story producers will be none too surprised about that, I’m sure! We do a TON of post production work to make everyone succinct, and to make me sound like I’ve done this before.

DP: Describe your recording set up? What equipment are you using?

BHIMAN: I have a Macbook Pro, a UAD Apollo Twin Mki, Yamaha HS8s, and a couple of SM58 mics. Pretty simple. Zero analog gear other than guitars and amps. ITB plugins are so good now. Who has the time/space/$ anymore for analog?

DP: Where do you want to take your podcast?

BHIMAN: I am having fun seeing where this takes me. I am meeting people from all fields of work doing our country a great service. I feel privileged and humbled to speak with all my guests. They are all doing selfless work in one way or another. Believe it or not, when you’re on tour, playing late night shows in clubs, you don’t always meet those types of people!

DP: What other podcasts are you listening to now?

BHIMAN: I love Snap Judgment. One of the best produced shows out there. I’m a bit obsessed with Conan O’Brien, and his Conan Needs a Friend is really great. And Drilled, which is about the creation of climate denial.