MIGUEL CHEN

photo by Jeff Antons

MIGUEL CHEN

Have your accomplishments as an author felt unique compared to your success as a musician? If so, how?

Well, for starters, way more people know me from music world than book world, so the level of success is maybe higher in that realm. There is also an element of the band being a team effort versus the books being more of a solo venture (besides of course my co-author Rod and my publishing team). In writing about wellness, did you hope to reach punk rockers specifically? Have you found there to be a correlation between the punk rock lifestyle and struggles with depression, substance abuse, and other conditions/experiences that are often detrimental to wellness?

The first book was really aimed at punk rockers, the second one not as much. I’m really just trying to present lessons I’ve learned in a language people like myself can process. That certainly includes punk rockers, but I think it can reach further than that. I do see a lot of depression, substance abuse and other issues in punk rock, but I know it exists in other subcultures just as much. This just happens to be the realm I exist in. Do you see a unique opportunity to reach out to punk rockers through your books, offering them perhaps a more positive alternative to coping mechanisms that may cause more harm than good?

That’s my hope! Though I’m not sure most of my target audience can actually read (JOKES!!)! In I Wanna Be Well you reference movements within punk rock aimed at achieving inner peace, such as PMA and posi-hardcore. Do you feel that such movements retain a significant presence in punk? To what extent do you see evidence of that in your audience as a musician?

I’m not sure what posi-hardcore is. As for PMA, lots of punk rockers are familiar with the concept, but only on a surface level. I think everyone is just trying their best, and many don’t realize the power they have to change their own minds and be more positive. Do you feel that your mindset has benefitted your relationships with Kody, Ray, and Darren as bandmates who’ve logged in countless hours together touring and overcoming challenges? Are they receptive to your perspectives on wellness?

My bandmates definitely see me at my best and at my worst. They can definitely see the difference between a balanced, happy Miguel and a pissed off, tired Miguel. I think without the work I’ve put into myself, I probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as I have, either in the band or in life. What is your perspective on the so-called Left Hand Path, and have you discussed this much with Kody? Do you feel that there are ways in which your own perspective could be compatible with, for example, Satanism (atheistic or otherwise)?

Is that the one where you tug off with the opposite hand? I’m alright with it. However you need to go number 3 is your business. Have you found that sharing your personal story has to helped to enable fans and readers to embrace change and accept the inevitability and even beauty of death? Do fans often reach out to share their own stories of loss with you?

Again, I can only hope that my work has some sort of positive impact. The only evidence I have of that is people telling me directly. I do receive a fair amount of messages and talk to a fair amount of fans on the road, it’s really humbling. Has fatherhood offered any unique insights that may apply to your overall approach to life and wellness? What advice might you offer to new fathers who struggle with the overwhelming realities of parenthood?

Being a father and a husband further cements this inkling I’ve had for many years that my life is not only about me. It never has been, and especially now, it never can be. That gives me extra motivation because if I can’t pull myself out of a rut for my own sake, I can certainly do it for others. Do you have plans to continue Stat Dad, and are you inspired to continue developing your songwriting specifically? What do you think are your greatest strengths and challenges as a songwriter, as compared to an author?

Nah, Stat Dad is toast. I will probably keep writing songs though, have always liked doing that. The last TBR 7 inch and full length each have one song I wrote. I've been writing songs since I was 13 years old, and even though I do it way less often now, I think it’s something I will probably always do. Writing songs and books are definitely two very different processes. I think in music it’s easier for me to trim the fat, and use less words. I can get the message across with a less is more mentality. I try to apply that same philosophy to my writing, but sometimes I definitely get carried away. I’ll often write an article or a chapter and end up cutting it down by half, because I realize I’ve already made my point. You’ve remarked that yoga has become like punk rock for you as an outlet that is also integral to your identity. Do you feel any significant differences among peers in one community compared to the other? Have you observed much crossover between these communities?

I’ll say this: there are just as many crazy people in yoga as there are in punk rock, maybe even more so! I think it’s great, we’re all just a bunch of fucking weirdos, trying to figure life out. I’ll say the punk weirdos tend to like better music. Other than that, there’s actually a lot of similarities. Balanced people are balanced whether or not they do yoga or are punk rockers. Conversely, imbalanced people exist in both worlds to equal extent. Many yoga teachers who teach balance are completely out of whack. One of my recent interviewees was Jason V, who is a psychotherapist and practitioner of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Do you find similarities between your approach to wellness and the clinical approach of such therapies as CBT? Have you ever spoken with him about issues related mindset and wellness?

Jason Voorhees? He doesn’t really talk much, he’s more of a man of action. In the wake of recent mass shootings and the ongoing mental health struggles Americans seem to be especially susceptible to, do you find any particular cultural norms in our country harmful to a person’s overall wellness? For example, studies have suggested that individualistic cultures such as ours give rise to more problems resulting from poor coping behaviors, responses to mental illness, etc. Thoughts?

It’s a societal sickness and it feeds on itself. People are struggling so much to make ends meet that we’re all turning against each other, having nervous breakdowns, finding other people to blame and breeding extremists in the process. If we took some of the pressure off, people could focus on mental health, on doing work that fulfills them, on being good to each other. Step one, make sure everyone has their basic needs met. People are afraid, and it’s our work to help them not be, right? Incidentally, have you seen Andrew Yang and his universal basic income proposals? I think this would clear up a lot of the mental health and violence issues we’re facing today. Not telling anyone how to vote, but this dude has some ideas that really line up with my idea of a better tomorrow. As a final note, I’d like to give you credit as being influential to my own journey towards wellness, mindfulness, and inner peace as opposed to the depression and fatalistic mindset that I struggled with for many years. If you have any personal comment please share, otherwise thanks for doing the interview! You’re a good dude, dude. Thanks for having me.