Overthought, A Podcast

Does it get any worse than being sick when you have to sing? Chris and Isaiah manage to compound the unpleasantness - using only the power of their miiiinds! Featuring guest appearances by Guilt and Shame ("the other G&S"), and wistful praise of the placebo effect.-=- Show notes -=-Website: Lucia Cesaroni, Sopranohttp://luciacesaroni.com/Article: The Guardian - 'This column will change your life: the mind-body connection', by Oliver Burkemanhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/27/mind-body-connection-oliver-burkemanArticle: Montages Magazine - 'Unbreakable, Part III: Visual style' by Dag Sødtholthttp://montagesmagazine.com/2014/08/unbreakable-part-iii-visual-style/Website: HowStuffWorks - 'How Haptic Technology Works'http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/haptic-technology2.htmYouTube - Parpignol from La Bohèmehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcNfF6P8WWcArticle - Idea Sandbox - Performance = potential – interference (P=p-i), http://www.idea-sandbox.com/gyb/performance-potential-inte

Is opera dying? Is it a poor fit for the culture and entertainment needs of the 21st century human? Do flagging audiences and house closures signify a need for innovation or a fundamental weakness in the art form? Chris and Isaiah discuss shared experiences as cogs in the (faltering?) opera machine, and offer opposing viewpoints on where the art form might be headed. Disclaimer: contains multiple disclaimers.

In this episode Chris and Isaiah tackle the causality loop that can exist between obsession and creativity. For Isaiah, obsession is something that happens in response to an internal compulsion to create. For Chris, the obsessions can often be the source of the pressure itself, which leads to a creative output. Chicken and the egg, my friends.Wild and fantastic comparisons are drawn between obsession and mortality, and the urge for us all to create a legacy in order to escape death.For an obsessive person with a brain that's always thinking and processing at full steam, unwanted or unimportant thoughts sometimes come in and start to get processed, even if those thoughts are not helpful, or mentally healthy.   -=- Show notes -=- John & Hank Greenhttp://hankandjohn.com/Picture of deskhttp://www.overthoughtpodcast.com/images/Chris-desk.jpgWordPerfect 5.1 keyboard shortcutshttp://www.overthoughtpodcast.com/images/wp51-keyboard-shortcuts.jpgArtist - Carravaggiohttp://www.caravaggio-foundation.org/Book - 'The W

In this episode of 'Isaiah Misquotes Science', a discussion about instincts, in response to a singer who told Isaiah to always "go with your gut". But what if you literally can't hear what your gut is telling you, over top of all your mind traffic? Some people seem to be able to access this part of them more easily than others. But, apart from noticing & running away from lions, are there practical modern day situations where letting go, and following the gut allows us to do our best? Let's find out by overthinking the subject for an hour! -=- Show notes -=- Article: Pscyhology Today - 'Your Backup Brain'https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201110/your-backup-brainSciShow: Why Body Hair? (Partial Answer: Pheromones)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7nlo-CseGQMyers-Briggs MBTI Basics: Sensing or Intuitionhttp://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/sensing-or-intuition.htmGrammarist - Instinctive vs. Instinctualhttp://grammarist.com/usage/instinctive-instinctual/YouTube: TED-Ed - How

Chris and Isaiah wonder if confidence a necessary "next step" that takes you from being an enthusiastic amateur to a true professional. If this is the case, then why are some highly skilled professionals so lacking in confidence, while some other less-talented folk can exude confidence so easily. What is the crucial distinction between confidence and arrogance? Surely, true confidence must come from a quiet and genuine spot from within. But then, to be truly confident, do we lose that part of us which seeks to strive for better? -=- Show Notes -=-YouTube: The Sound of Music - I Have Confidence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PX9SIQdCjsYouTube: Carrie 1976 They're All Going to Laugh at You [GRAPHIC/VIOLENT CONTENT] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD0EUQnElEEBook: 'Come, Thou Tortoise', by Jessica Grant http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6216433-come-thou-tortoiseWikipedia - Too long; didn't read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Too_long;_didn't_readArticle: 'Hedonic Treadmill: Happiness Throughout a Li

In this discussion about life's irregularity (geographical, financial, social, mental), Chris & Isaiah attempt to determine if this irregularity is a necessary component in The Singer's Life. Is your creative mind sparked when your life is so transitory that you can't remember your current hotel room number? Why do we sometimes crave regularity, but then feel near-instant boredom when we finally experience it?Isaiah impulsively & briefly describes 9-5 jobs as "magical", and Chris forgets how to speak properly. -=-Show notes-=-Wikipedia - The Uncanny Valleyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valleyPodcast - OnBeing, September 21, 2015 with Ellen Langerhttp://www.onbeing.org/program/ellen-langer-science-of-mindlessness-and-mindfulness/transcript/7906YouTube - The Attitude of the Beginners Mind by Jon Kabat-Zinnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-7Hy_VkWvkBook - 'Theatre of the Unimpressed' by Jordan Tannahillhttps://www.chbooks.com/catalogue/theatre-unimpressedWebsite - 'Marion Newman, Mezzo Soprano' (a

At some point, your career stops being defined by who you'll become, and starts being defined by who you are right now.Isaiah and Chris talk about this transition, as they've experienced it so far. How is it that we grow into self-sharing artists, no longer afraid of the adjudicator's evaluation? Does this evolution of career happen the same for most singers? Does it serve us well? Does this tipping point actually exist?Special background guest Connor chimes in on the jackhammer.-=-Show notes-=-YouTube - The Seventh Seal - Confession Scenehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4L4ceFr8IIFolksong Collecting - International Percy Grainger Societyhttp://www.percygrainger.org/biograf5.htmGoodReads - Ira Glass Quoteswww.goodreads.com/quotes/309485-nobody-tells-this'Oranges and Lemons' - English Children's Songshttp://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=805Screen Shot of 'Brilliant Bach Rehearsal' in Chris' iTuneshttp://www.overthoughtpodcast.com/images/Brilliant_Bach_Rehearsal_iTunes.pngBook - 'The Inner Game of Music', Barry

A frustration at work causes Chris and Isaiah to take time out from their regularly scheduled programming to discuss the idea of "the long game". It's often necessary, especially in the early stages of a career, to work for free or for cheap - or, in fact, to invest time and money of one's own - to gain experience and build a reputation. But how do we tell the difference between an opportunity to invest in one's future, and someone simply taking advantage?

In the most meta episode ever, Chris and Isaiah talk about second times. What are the challenges we face when our job is to reproduce great performances with consistency? Can expectations unmake us? How can we harness our emotions - even our disappointments - to help us share something true with others every time we step onstage? -=-Show notes-=-Brian Deedrick, tour guide extraordinaire - TripAdvisorhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187323-d629667-r215670060-Insider_Tour_Berlin-Berlin.html Pancea - definition at freedictionary.comhttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/panacea YouTube: National Geographic - Weather Versus Climate Change (Neil deGrasse Tyson)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBdxDFpDp_k Wendy Nielsen - Soprano, Voice Teacherhttp://www.wendynielsen.ca/ YouTube: Die Stille, Schumann (Liederkreis, op.39) - Bryn Terfelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2al7oLAV7Hs YouTube: Così fan tutte: "Un'aura amorosa"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTAa2KwCF3U YouTube: Gluck - Orfeo - Addio o miei sospirihttps:

An engaging and entertaining talk about the rewards, sacrifices, pitfalls, and triumphs of a career in classical singing. As Chris and Isaiah discuss their experiences with self-doubt, opera contracts, creativity, and life's purpose, it gets pretty real.==================SHOW NOTES:--------------------------------Schmopera - 'On the Recording of Opera Singers'http://www.schmopera.com/on-the-recording-of-opera-singers/A Boaring Day, not a Boring Dayhttp://cheezburger.com/5818263552Opera Lyra (Ottawa, Canada)https://operalyra.ca/YouTube: Vertigo (or Dolly Zoom) Effect Using Your Tripodhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jukF_hi3oLQYouTube: 'Die Krähe' ('The Crow') From Schubert's Die Winterreise, op.89Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Murray Perahiahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfhYUmKaURM'Watch This Kid Fall Into a Piece of Art Worth Over $1.5 Million and Put a Hole in It'http://time.com/4009403/taiwan-boy-art-stumble-paolo-porpora/Lucretia (Rembrandt) - National Gallery of Arthttp://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collectio