Reality Shield is a reader-supported newsletter. Both free and paid subscriptions are great. If you’d like to post comments, get loads of perks, join the community & support my music/writing, please consider a paid subscription :)

Subscribe now

Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Episode 10: Sarah Desjardins - “Softly, Softly”

A few years back, Kirsten and I got really into Yellow Jackets. It’s a masterfully executed show - wildly creative and gripping. And dark. Very dark.

Whenever I get sucked into a new show, I get curious about the actors - particularly those with which I’m unfamiliar. My wife is an actor, and I enjoy indulging the possibility that any day, she could be cast on a runaway smash series.

I knew of the series lead, Melanie Lynskey. Melaney a force. Her cameo on The Last Of Us kind of stole the show. But I was new to Sarah Desjardins who played her character’s daughter, Callie.

Imagine my surprise, finding Sarah’s profile on Instagram to learn that she’s not only from my hometown of Vancouver, but was already following me. As Kevin Drew would say - “Follow Back”.

We had coffee shortly thereafter and have been buds ever since. Oh, and her career has exploded. We took our boys to see Tron: Ares when it first launched, and whenever she was on screen, I had to stop myself from standing up in the theatre and telling the entire audience “I know her!”.

Among other things, we chat about:

• overthinking the creative process

• accidentally exposing kids to R rated movies over your shoulder on a plane

• panic attacks

• tarot card readings

• how, in order to be happy, you have to be willing to be a bit cringey

This episode features a surprise needle drop of “Unsolicited Advice” by Charles Spearin.

Listen to Dying of Exposure

If you enjoy this podcast, please review it, rate it, like it, follow it, share it - do whatever makes sense. It really helps.

Thank you and enjoy!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

Previous episodes:

Reality Shield is a reader-supported newsletter. Both free and paid subscriptions are great. If you’d like to post comments, get loads of perks, join the community & support my music/writing, please consider a paid subscription :)

Subscribe now

Hello love,

The announcements keep coming - Regina is now on sale. I’ll be playing at Darke Hall on Oct 4th. Stay tuned next bit as there are still more shows to be announced and several fantastic support acts coming aboard this fall run.

AND

Returning to Dawson City Music Festival with the full band. This is way up north in the Yukon. One of the most special festivals you’ll find. Last time I was there in 2010, I bro’d down hard with Fred Penner, discovered Tune-Yards (wow), and giggled at flowers beneath the midnight sun at 2am.

BOOK RECS:

Get It While You Can by Nick Jaina

“Dear __________,

Do you know about quantum entanglement? It’s when two particles interact in such a special way that even if you separate them, their movements will continue to affect one another. You could be in Los Angeles with one of these particles and I could be in New York, and if your particle spins a certain way, my particle will spin that way, too. This connection happens instantaneously, which is to say that it’s faster than the speed of light.

This is such a remarkable scientific fact that I can’t understand why everyone isn’t talking about it every day. This is more important than health care or algebra or the housing market. You could say that our desire to bridge distance is what is killing us. More and more, we want to get to places faster and we are burning ourselves up to make that happen. It doesn’t make any sense. If we are already connected to everything, we can stay right where we are.”

During our recent tour down the west coast of the US, Israel Nebeker and I stopped in Ashland, OR to have lunch with his old (and my new) pal, Melody. Her partner Nick couldn’t come, but had sent along a book. Even his inscription is poetry.

I’d known the name Nick Jaina, as he once lived in Portland and is a longtime peer to many of my own musical friends from the PNW.

I tore through this book over several recent travel days. It’s a memoir, sort of. I love that it breaks rules and doesn’t fit neatly into a genre. I love that it is both prose and poetry. I love that it approaches the writing of a book like the writing of a song. That the thesis is both obvious and obscure. That the story is secondary to the fact that you understand his essence. His personhood.

Many times, I’d look away after a particularly wonderful passage and sigh with delight.

No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

“You might think you could run away and change your name and I dont know what all. Start over. And then one mornin you wake up and look at the ceilin and guess who’s layin there?”

This is a very famous book which begot a very famous (and strikingly bad ass) film by the Cohn brothers. It’s the first Cormac McCarthy novel I’ve read.

I am jealous of those who can read in a moving vehicle without feeling emergent barf in all of four minutes. Years ago, when Gord Grdina was in my band, he read McCarthy’s The Road in the back of the van over the course of a European tour. Every now and then, he’d pause, and look up, and just say, “……….fuck.”

Gord’s daily book reports on The Road made me intrigued about McCarthy, but they also made me hesitant to dig in. There is a lot of darkness in the world, and we must be efficient with the additional darkness for which we opt.

Anyhow, this book is macabre in delicious ways. It is very male. In my mind’s eye, I had a hard time not resorting to Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem, the leading actors in the adapted film. This is natural, I suppose.

On the surface, it’s about Texas and drugs and guns and people who value money to psychotic extents. But the subtext of this book is exhaustion. How it is so very exhausting to watch your society slip into madness. Into selfishness. To watch others do the worst possible things and say to yourself, “what the fuck do I do with that?”

All my love. Thank you for your eyes and your ears,
x

Dan

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

UPCOMING SHOWS

Jun 11. Uxbridge, ON - Springtide Music Festival ! SOLD OUT
Jul 2. Burlington, ON - Royal Botanical Gardens # $ ADDED
Jul 3-5. Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival & ADDED
Jul 10-12. Sudbury, ON - Northern Lights Festival Boréal * ADDED
Jul 17-19. Dawson City, YK - Dawson City Music Festival # % ADDED
Aug 21-23. Owen Sound, ON - Summerfolk # @ ADDED
Sep 5. Pender Island, BC - Pender Island Community Hall SOLD OUT
Sep 12. Prince George, BC - Knox Performance Centre LOW
Sep 17. Courtenay, BC - Native Sons Hall LOW
Sep 18. Nanaimo, BC - The Port Theatre
Sep 19. Tofino, BC - Tofino Legion
Sep 25. Bowen Island, BC - Bowen Theatre SOLD OUT
Oct 2. Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre
Oct 4. Regina, SK - Darke Hall ADDED
Nov 13. Montreal, QC - Church of the Gesu
Nov 14. Quebec City, QC - L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
Nov 16. Kingston, ON - The Spire
Nov 17. London, ON - Aeolian Hall SOLD OUT

# full band show
! with Young Novelists, Hollowsage & The Three Mile Islanders
$ with Joel Plaskett
& with Steve Earle, Father John Misty, The Barr Brothers, Foxwarren & more
* with Sarah Harmer, Begonia, Foxwarren, Terra Lightfoot, Charlotte Cornfield & more
% with Georgia Harmer, Field Guide, Communism, Daniel Romano, Ellorie McKnight, Steven Lambke, The Fretless & more
@ with Jane Siberry & more

Reality Shield is a reader-supported newsletter. Both free and paid subscriptions are great. If you’d like to post comments, get loads of perks, join the community & support my music/writing, please consider a paid subscription :)

Subscribe now

Hello love,

Behold the glory of promotional tour images, uniformly adjusted to a 500 pixel width. The below are all shows that have been announced in the last few weeks. Rather than spamming you each time, I’ve collected them into one spiffy little blast. Some are with the band, some are on my own. I’ve got some more announcements up my sleeve for the coming weeks/months.

Please forward this on to pals living near these parts!

In other news, after not really paying attention to sports for at least two decades, it has consumed my life. Over the past couple of years, I’ve assumed the role of “Coach Dan”. My boys play soccer and, more recently, baseball. Turns out, I love sports.

The Vancouver Canucks are so bad that it hurts. I have high hopes for the Montreal Canadiens, but it’s hard to believe The Cup won’t end up in the hands of the Avalanche or the Hurricanes.

SERIOUS QUESTION:

Is it alarming that I have essentially no memory of my childhood hockey teams being champs in two different years in different cities? What’s going on there? I have weird gaps in my memories. I heard Julia Louis-Dreyfus once say she can barely remember making a single episode of Seinfeld.

I played hockey as a kid for 4 or 5 years, in rural Ontario and in Toronto. Going through a storage closet, I found these old trophies and cannot conjure much recollection of these truly historic moments in world history. I have glimpses of the rinks. Of trudging through the snow with my hockey bag. Of the one and only penalty I ever earned. I remember kindness from coaches even though I was a supremely mid left winger (or sometimes defenseman). I remember I loved it.

What’s interesting is that, though I have a hard time recalling much of anything in particular about my own experience on the ice, my sense of the game is rock solid. Of positioning. Of flow. The rules. I barely remember learning to skate but can do it with ease as an adult. It’s in the muscle memory.

All my love. Thank you for your eyes and your ears,

x

Dan

UPCOMING SHOWS

May 23. Saint John, NB - Area 506 Waterfront # ^ ANNOUNCED
Jun 11. Uxbridge, ON - Springtide Music Festival ! SOLD OUT
Jul 2. Burlington, ON - Royal Botanical Gardens # $ ANNOUNCED
Jul 3-5. Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival & ANNOUNCED
Jul 10-12. Sudbury, ON - Northern Lights Festival Boréal * ANNOUNCED
Aug 21-23. Owen Sound, ON - Summerfolk # @ ANNOUNCED

Sep 5. Pender Island, BC - Pender Island Community Hall SOLD OUT
Sep 12. Prince George, BC - Knox Performance Centre LOW
Sep 17. Courtenay, BC - Native Sons Hall
Sep 18. Nanaimo, BC - The Port Theatre
Sep 19. Tofino, BC - Tofino Legion
Sep 25. Bowen Island, BC - Bowen Theatre SOLD OUT
Oct 2. Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre
Nov 13. Montreal, QC - Church of the Gesu
Nov 14. Quebec City, QC - L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
Nov 16. Kingston, ON - The Spire
Nov 17. London, ON - Aeolian Hall SOLD OUT

# full band show
^ with Marc McLaughlin
! with Young Novelists, Hollowsage & The Three Mile Islanders
$ with Joel Plaskett
& with Steve Earle, Father John Misty, The Barr Brothers, Foxwarren & more
* with Sarah Harmer, Begonia, Foxwarren, Terra Lightfoot, Charlotte Cornfield & more
@ with Jane Siberry & more

Subscribe now

Verses

E | Abm | A | E
Abm | A | B7/F# | B7/F#
x2

Chorus/Intro

E | F#m/E | G#m/E | F#m/E
repeat

Tablature

## Chorus/Intro ##

E
x
x
x
6-4
2
0

F#m/E
x
x
x
7-6
4
0

G#m/E
x
x
x
9-7
6
0

## Verses ##

E
x
0
1
2
2
0

Abm
x
4
4
6
6
4

A
x
5
6
7
7
5

B7/F#
x
0
2
1
2
2 (thumb)

Reality Shield is a reader-supported newsletter. Both free and paid subscriptions are great. If you’d like to post comments, get loads of perks, join the community & support my music/writing, please consider a paid subscription :)

Subscribe now

Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Episode 9: Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) - “Follow Back”

In the mid 2000s, Kevin’s genre-busting band Broken Social Scene changed the indie music landscape in Canada and around the world, and his label helped break acts like Feist, Stars and The Dears. We talk about how I was the first artist signed to A&C who wasn’t previously a friend of his, and how at the time, he didn’t like my music. What a jerk!

Among other things, we chat about:

• how naivety can be a superpower in creative settings

• how social media has removed mystery from music discovery

• the origins and popular rise of Broken Social Scene

• crappy bosses

• Ennio Morricone’s film scores

• the music industry

• “aboutism”

This episode features a surprise needle drop of “You Don’t Wanna Leave It Alone” by J.E. Sunde.

Listen to Dying of Exposure

If you enjoy this podcast, please review it, rate it, like it, follow it, share it - do whatever makes sense. It really helps.

Thank you and enjoy!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

Previous episodes:

NATIONAL LIGHT TOUR
PRESALE
Wednesday, April 8 @ 10am local time
Password: LIGHT
Ticket links below or HERE

Reality Shield is a reader-supported newsletter. Both free and paid subscriptions are great. If you’d like to post comments, get loads of perks, join the community & support my music/writing, please consider a paid subscription :)

Subscribe now

Hello love,

My boys (12 and 9) are mildly obsessed with a Canada-centric parody artist called OGR-Scintilla. To accentuate the depth of this artist’s Canadianism, his songs are sung (or rapped) in a distinct hoser accent. He is the Hoser of Weird Als... or maybe, the Weird Al of Hosers.

His songs reference Canadian tropes like hockey, icy roads, maple syrup, and Tim Hortons. I’ve noticed, as my boys prattle around the house reciting OGR lyrics under their breath, their hoser accents are perfect. Like it’s in their blood.

If you’re not Canadian, you might be wondering - what exactly is a “hoser”?

I’ve been asked by Americans if hosers are like “Canadian rednecks”, but this comparison doesn’t work.

In my experience, redneck is usually intended pejoratively. It speaks to a backwoods small-mindedness. The anger of white poverty. Folks who feel they’ve been robbed of the American dream. Add a dash of intergenerational sore-loserdom from the American civil war.

Of course, “rednecks” do have a right to be angry. Their dream was stolen. Not by immigrants or gays, but by the same gilded age robber barons after whom their abandoned mining towns were named. The descendents of those robber barons now own the hedge funds that own the shell companies that own the grocery stores and shopping malls and, well… +90% of the stock market. And it’s getting worse, not better.

As Naomi Klein so eloquently put it, “They got the feelings right, but the facts wrong.” - they’re mad at the wrong people, but they’re mad nonetheless. Jobs are scarce, iPhones are expensive, and prescription opioids are offered to numb the dissonance. Their god-given middle class prosperity of yesteryear has expired.

In short, redneck is a loaded term. Hoser is less complicated.

Hosers are not born of resentment. They are the Big Lebowskis of small-town Canada. Each blessed moment is an opportunity for a BBB (Bonfires, Brewskies, Buddies). Their quest for a good time is eerily zen. In my experience, it’s rare to find a hoser whose company you do not enjoy, and their political alignments cannot be presumed in any direction.

Perhaps they never dared to dream of prosperity. The carrot was neither dangled nor promised. Ignorance is bliss.

The term hoser was popularized in the 80s by brothers Bob & Doug McKenzie, portrayed by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in SCTV’s recurring sketch The Great White North (and, eventually, the film Strange Brew).

In the 90s, America was introduced to a suburban brand of hoser by Mike Myers (also Canadian) in Saturday Night Live’s Wayne’s World, which bears an unmistakable influence from The Great White North.

The origins of the term hoser are unclear, but the internet hypothesizes that it may refer to someone who uses a hose to siphon/steal gas from a car (preferably in the parking lot of a Zellers). It’s also a verb - if you suffer a great defeat at pond hockey, you could say you “got hosed”.

In 2002, modern hoser culture gained a head-banger flare from the Canadian indie film FUBAR. This runaway cult hit popularized the term “GIVE’R!”, which you can still hear offered coast-to-coast during any kind of “hold my beer, I’m about to ride my BMX off the roof” type moment.

I grew up mostly in cities, and to upper-middle class parents (a lawyer and a minister). To claim true hoserdom myself would be disingenuous. My kids are even more urban than I was at their ages. But I believe there to be an inner hoser in most/all Canadians. There’s a reason these cherished hoser characters resonate so deeply with us. They’re part of our national identity. Benevolent chaos.

Friggin’ rights, bud.

Still curious what a modern hoser sounds like? Take it away, OGR-Scintilla:

Stay tuned for further touring announcements, there’s more in the pipe.

All my love. Thank you for your eyes and your ears,

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Share

Leave a comment

UPCOMING SHOWS

Apr 10. Hood River, OR - Private Show SOLD OUT
Apr 11. Sisters, OR - Frankie’s Upstairs
Apr 12. Bend, OR - Domino Room
Apr 15. Atlanta, GA - Eddie’s Attic %
Apr 16. Marshall, NC - Zadie’s % ADDED / FREE
Apr 17. Raleigh, NC - The Pour House %
Apr 19. Wayne, PA - 118 North % SOLD OUT
Apr 21. Boston, MA - Passim ^ SOLD OUT
Apr 22. New York, NY - Baby’s All Right ^
Apr 23. Providence, RI - The Parlour ^
Apr 24. Manchester, VT - Billsville House Concerts ^ SOLD OUT

Jun 11. Uxbridge, ON - Springtide Music Festival ! SOLD OUT
Jul 3-5. Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival &
Aug 21-23. Owen Sound, ON - Summerfolk # @

National Light Tour
Presale begins Wednesday, April 8 @ 10am local (password: LIGHT)
👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Sep 5. Pender Island, BC - Pender Island Community Hall ANNOUNCED
Sep 12. Prince George, BC - Knox Performance Centre ANNOUNCED
Sep 17. Courtenay, BC - Native Sons Hall ANNOUNCED
Sep 18. Nanaimo, BC - The Port Theatre ANNOUNCED
Sep 19. Tofino, BC - Tofino Legion ANNOUNCED
Oct 2. Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre ANNOUNCED
Nov 13. Montreal, QC - Church of the Gesu ANNOUNCED
Nov 14. Quebec City, QC - L’Anti Bar & Spectacles ANNOUNCED
Nov 16. Kingston, ON - The Spire ANNOUNCED
Nov 17. London, ON - Aeolian Hall ANNOUNCED

# full band show
! with Young Novelists, Hollowsage & The Three Mile Islanders
& with Steve Earle & more
@ with Jane Siberry & more
% with Nathan Evans Fox
^ with Matt Pond PA

Reality Shield is a reader-supported newsletter. Both free and paid subscriptions are great. If you’d like to post comments, get loads of perks, join the community & support my music/writing, please consider a paid subscription :)

Subscribe now

Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Episode 8: Lauren Lapkus - “Bulsh Detector”

I’ve known Lauren for years. She’s one of the funniest people with which I’ve ever spent time. If you’re not already familiar, you may recognize her from Orange Is The New Black, Big Bang Theory, or Comedy Bang Bang).

Among other things, we chat about:

• her first real acting gig in an improv sketch with Ryan Reynolds

• how actors can never know which of their projects might blow up

• allowing your current self the same grace you might give your younger self in retrospect

• how pointing out fascism doesn’t matter to the half of society who welcome it

• how AI ubiquitousness might bring a new premium to live performances

• how awkward it is when you have something to say in a conversation but the moment passes you by.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of “Select All Delete” by John K Samson.

Listen to Dying of Exposure

If you enjoy this podcast, please review it, rate it, like it, follow it, share it - do whatever makes sense. It really helps.

Thank you and enjoy!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

Previous episodes:

Hello love,

I’m headed back to Oregon, and then the eastern US for some shows with two very special artists:

• I met Nathan Evans Fox shortly after he went viral for deconstructing the paper castle of modern evangelical Christianity. I can’t wait to share some stages with him.

• I met Matt Pond PA when he was playing in The Wooden Birds. We did a run supporting them all over the USA in 2010. We played tiny bars to very few people and in many ways it was a tough tour, but I always had a fondness for Matt. He’s a scene survivor and a beautiful songwriter.

  

ALSO-

I’m playing a FREE pop-up show this week in Vancouver. I’ll play some old songs, some newly written unrecorded songs, and afterward I’ll hang out to sign stuff and maybe shotgun some Bublys. I’ll also bring a bunch of LPs from my basement if you want to stock up on records.

Thursday March 12th @ 7pm
Txt POPUP to 310-347-4597 for the secret location

There are some Canadian summer festivals coming up - some are with the band, and some I’ll play solo. More to be announced soon, as well as a whole bunch more Canada happening this fall.

All my love. Thank you for your eyes and your ears,

x
Dan

Share

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

UPCOMING SHOWS

Apr 10. Hood River, OR - Private Show
Apr 11. Sisters, OR - Frankie’s Upstairs
Apr 12. Bend, OR - Domino Room
Apr 15. Atlanta, GA - Eddie’s Attic %
Apr 17. Raleigh, NC - The Pour House %
Apr 19. Wayne, PA - 118 North %
Apr 21. Boston, MA - Passim ^
Apr 22. New York, NY - Baby’s All Right ^
Apr 23. Providence, RI - The Parlour ^
Apr 24. Manchester, VT - Billsville House Concerts ^ LOW

Jun 11. Uxbridge, ON - Springtide Music Festival ! SOLD OUT
Jul 3-5. Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival &
Aug 21-23. Owen Sound, ON - Summerfolk # @

# full band show
! with Young Novelists, Hollowsage, Three Mile Islanders
& with Steve Earle & more
@ with Jane Siberry & more
% with Nathan Evans Fox
^ with Matt Pond PA

Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Episode 7: Tony Hale - “Bring Two Crutches”

Hear my discussion about contentment, anxiety, careers and faith with dramatic/comedic genius Tony Hale (known most notably for his work on Arrested Development, Veep, and Toy Story 4).

Among other things, we chat about Tony moving to New York not knowing a single New Yorker, the miracle that 2.5 seasons of Arrested Development got made, using faith as a crutch, how regular people can be more “known” than celebrities, the invention of the “stoncert”, aging gracefully in Hollywood, how seeing your own emotions articulated in art is akin to cultural representation, and how if you can’t practice contentment now, you won’t be content when you get what you want.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of “Change My Shape” by Sam Tudor.

Listen to Dying of Exposure

If you enjoy this podcast, PLEASE review it, rate it, like it, follow it, share it - do whatever makes sense. It really helps.

Thank you and enjoy!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

Previous episodes:

gratuity. noun

• something given voluntarily or beyond obligation

Have we reached the post-genesis era?

Are we sick with influenca? By that, I mean consumed by compounding influence… drowning in perspective. Lost in endless reactive cycles. Inhaling our own exhaust.

We no longer discuss policy. Instead, we debate how a policy is perceived - whether it scores a win for one party or another.

We no longer discuss art. Instead, we obsess over who is consuming what art - we kneel before platforms of distribution and celebrate those who have learned to use the machine most effectively.

We see a meme. We understand a dozen layers of ironic residue within it. We know it is propaganda, but the levity is appreciated.

We watch a Super Bowl ad. We acknowledge how it feels- to be sold a feeling beyond our shortcomings. We wonder if maybe a different voiceover approach would have been even more compelling.

We know too much. We dissect the dissection. Analyze the analysis.

We are traffic. Macro-data. Post-post-modern. Death by a thousand thousands.

We become desensitized. Numb. We shut the door.

But.

There remains a visceral inferno within. We still feel things. The dissonance between the world of society, and the world of self. Two worlds, both real and not real, both immeasurable.

I believe there are still fires within us. Unique offerings that we can gift to one other, whether or not the machine deems them valuable.

I recently took my 12 year old son Jude to see Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie in the cinema. We giggled. A lot. I observed him, giddy to wade slightly more deeply into the grown-up world.

I’ve known one of the film’s creators, Jay McCarrol, since 2015. He was in Hayden’s band, who joined mine for a cross-country tour. Near the end of the run, Jay mentioned his web-series, Nirvanna The Band. In one sitting, I devoured every ounce of it, alone in a hotel room. I cackled.

It felt… gratuitous. Its purpose only to exist. Being a thing simply because somebody enjoyed making it. Low (no?) budget, filmed in Jay’s apartment with his roommate, Matt. It was genius. A tone of humour so hard to articulate, but ever-present in myself and my peers.

Eventually, VICE picked it up as Nirvanna The Band The Show.

And now, it is reborn as a feature film. I understand the corporate mechanics of the entertainment industry. I know that this film was green-lit to make money. And I acknowledge that art and commerce have always been frenemies. But miraculously, Matt and Jay have preserved the spirit of their original 2008 web-series about two best friends whose sole mission is to get a gig at The Rivoli in Toronto.

I do not usually endorse nostalgia, as it can be dangerous. Nostalgia places a halo on the past, glowing brightly enough to blind us from the complexities therein. It affords us permission to willfully worship the facade of a myth, and ignore the scaffolding behind it.

But this film scratched an itch I’d nearly forgotten about. The joy of being young and broke, doing dumb creative shit just for kicks. Note that NTBTSTM is not dumb. I can’t even fathom the amount of calculation and preparation required to make a film of this magnitude with a budget this Canadian.

It’s hard to tell which antics were faked and which were actually executed amidst unknowing bystanders. There is a subtle grey line between planted actors and “normal people”.

I don’t wish to say much more because the film is a perpetual reveal.

I’m sorry if I’ve become the traffic, here - more analytical overwhelm on the heap. My aim is not to unpack why this film is important to the zeitgeist.

But I do want to celebrate fresh ideas. Innate impulses. The playful audacity to make gratuitous things, in small or large scale. To be silly and creative. To foster delight for the self, and as result, others.

I hope this film is a big success. And I hope that movie studios might take note and start acting more like creative incubators and less like hedge funds.

In my own corner of the artgeist, I’ll admit there have been times when I have attempted to reverse-engineer music that others might like, and it was never (ever) fulfilling. It also generally does not achieve the desired outcome. Worst case scenario- imagine if it DID work… forever tied to the success of something that feels untrue. Distancing oneself from the very vessel that propels you.

Without fail, the most rewarding and memorable moments of my career have come from unexpected magical discoveries. Vague targets. Cosmic high fives. Communal elation with collaborators and/or audiences. Unlocked truths. Wonder. Moments when I felt understood and in my skin. When I liked myself. When I have revealed myself and been accepted for it. These feelings stay with you, hugging your molecules for decades.

The irony is this: when it comes to my own body of work, I am most proud of the creations that felt like gifts.

Happy accidents. They occurred, and I was lucky enough to be involved.

I’ll leave you with 2 last thoughts:

1. In 2004, I followed along with some university pals to a screening of Napoleon Dynamite. I had never heard of the film and knew nothing of it. We smoked some weed and I laughed harder and more continuously than I ever have in my entire life. My abs hurt for days.

   

2. I love Kurt Vonnegut with all my heart.

   

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Want to “Ask Me Anything”? Add your question in the AMA section HERE.

Hi Jared,

As it happens, I recently taped my NINTH episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! - an unlikely tenure for a certified non-comedian.

In 2011, during a short stint in LA, our tour manager forwarded me an itinerary for some press obligations. I’d never heard of “Comedy Bang Bang” but I’d certainly heard of Sarah Silverman.

What followed was puzzling. Sarah and Nick were there, but as Erma and Bobby Bottleservice. They did not break character and very little explanation was given. Periodically, the host Scott Aukerman would ask me to play a song. My offerings were overtly melancholic and non-comedic, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Afterward, when I asked how on earth I was chosen for this engagement, he said my publicist Brendan Bourke had mailed him my latest CD, Oh Fortune.

I was too Canadian to ask for anybody’s contact information, so I presumed I’d never see any of them again. Then, in 2014, Scott responded to a tweet:

I slid into his DMs. We kept in touch loosely, and in 2016, Sarah tagged me in a tweet:

Scott then invited me to join a live taping of Comedy Bang Bang in my hometown, Vancouver. I met many wonderful people that night, but after dinner, Lauren Lapkus’ boyfriend Mike Castle joined me for short detour to a coffee shop. We quickly discovered a love for the same albums and novels, texted nearly every day for months, and he remains one of my best buds.

In 2018, Lauren and Mike asked me to perform the song A.M. AM by at their wedding.

I fell in love with Damien’s song and eventually released my own cover recording in 2024:

In total, I’ve done four episodes as a (not so) surprise guest at CBB live-tapings in Vancouver, and five in-studio episodes while on tour in Los Angeles.

CBB has fostered a fleet of pals in the LA comedy scene, and a whole lot of delight in my life. Frequently, listeners will mention that they discovered my music on CBB.

SIDEBAR:

Some time ago, my friend Coralie gifted me a bundle of REM memorabilia from the 90s (she used to work with the band). I knew Scott was a fan, so I shipped it down to him. He said the tour-crew bomber jacket was too small for him so he passed it along to his buddy Adam Scott. I used this as an ice-breaker when my wife spotted him walking alone in Manhattan.

Taping CBB is also “feet to the fire” panic-inducing mayhem. These people are impossibly quick and experienced improvisers, and though I may have some sense of humour, they are professionally funny. Often, at the end of a session, my abs hurt from laughing.

I have learned some things over the years:

• Don’t try to be funny, just treat it like a playful conversation. Try to be relevant to the flow and let Scott drive the bus.

• Comedians perform as characters, but I’m always a non-character participant. As such, it’s a bit of a tightrope:

  • If I’m overly reserved during the between-song banter, it’s weird.

  • If I take up too much space, it feels thirsty and desperate.

MY PROUDEST CBB MOMENT:

During a taping in 2019, Will Hines’ character Randy Useless had made a big deal about En Vogue’s song My Lovin’ (Never Gonna Get It). He liked how the MC alerted you when it was time for a breakdown.

To close the show, I played my song Peaks & Valleys. I was just about to proceed with the song’s instrumental “breakdown” outro when the heavens opened up and I realized my moment had arrived.

I stopped the song abruptly and pointed at Will. His face contorted for a terrifying moment, and just before my gag fell flat on its face, he jumped into action:

“AND NOW IT’S TIME FOR A BREAKDOWN!”

I played on. Scott lost it. A truly cherished memory.

I’m extremely grateful to Scott for inviting me back so many times and including me in his community. What a whirlwind.

x
Dan

Finally getting these recordings up from Europe this past fall. We didn’t manage to record every single show, but we got most of them.

These recordings are just for paid subscribers, I’m afraid. If you’d really like to hear them but aren’t in a position to contribute, just DM me via Substack and I’ll figure something out :)

Subscribe now

Share

Leave a comment

Read more

Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Episode 6: Steven Ogg - “Please and thank you”

Hear my discussion with Hollywood madman Steven Ogg about mental health, creative yearning and ski-jumping. Steven is known for his intense roles on The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Snowpiercer, and widely adored in gaming circles for his portrayal of “Trevor” in Grand Theft Auto V.

Among other things, we chat about the tendency to dislike other artists purely out of jealousy, managing ones inner demons, endlessly craving work, the pros and cons of Instagram, the 7/4 time signature, and how being pissed off during a bit part audition early in his career landed Steven a much larger role on Law & Order.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of “Silver Civic” by Charlotte Cornfield.

Listen to Dying of Exposure

If you enjoy this podcast, PLEASE review it, rate it, like it, follow it, share it - do whatever makes sense. It really helps.

Thank you and enjoy!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

Previous episodes:

Hello love,

I recently wrote this love song for America. It hurts a bit. Like watching someone you love drink themselves into oblivion.

And now here I come down the west coast with my dear pal Israel Nebeker (of Blind Pilot acclaim). Some of the shows are nearly sold out, and some of the shows are barely sold at all, so please feel free to spread the word. It would help a lot!

I’m told there are about a dozen tickets left for Halifax next week, and Fredericton with Amy Millan is sold out.

Looks like it’s going to be a busy year of touring. Plenty of Canadian, American and European dates to be announced in the coming months, plus US shows with Matt Pond PA and Nathan Evans Fox listed below! It feels good to have plans.

All my love. Thank you for your eyes and your ears,

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Share

Leave a comment

UPCOMING SHOWS

2026

Jan 23. Halifax, NS - The Marquee $ LOW
Jan 24. Fredericton, NB - Shivering Songs # SOLD OUT

Jan 29. Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern !
Jan 31. Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios !
Feb 1. Eugene, OR - Art House !
Feb 3. San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord !
Feb 4. Oakland, CA - Wyldflowr Arts !
Feb 5. Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall !
Feb 6. Ojai, CA - Ojai Underground !
Feb 8. San Diego, CA - Soda Bar !
Feb 10. Santa Barbara, CA - SOHO Music Club !
Feb 11. Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge !

Apr 10. Hood River, OR - Private Show
Apr 11. Sisters, OR - Frankie’s Upstairs
Apr 12. Bend, OR - Domino Room
Apr 15. Atlanta, GA - Eddie’s Attic %
Apr 17. Raleigh, NC - The Pour House %
Apr 19. Wayne, PA - 118 North %
Apr 21. Boston, MA - Passim ^
Apr 22. New York, NY - Baby’s All Right ^
Apr 23. Providence, RI - The Parlour ^
Apr 24. Manchester, VT - Billsville House Concerts ^

Aug 22. Owen Sound, ON - Summerfolk

$ with support from Marc MacLaughlin
# with Amy Millan
! with Israel Nebeker (Blind Pilot)
% with Nathan Evans Fox
^ with Matt Pond PA

Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Episode 5: Shad - “Commit to the thing”

Hear my chat with mega-talent Shad about family, art, hip hop and the music business.

Among other things, we chat about his family’s displacement throughout Africa before settling in Canada, Shad’s scary realization that music mattered to him, supporting Common as a young rapper, sidestepping the word “artist” and focusing on whatever sounds fun, the fortuitous timing of “Hip Hop Evolution”, the shifting sands of the music industry, and how your kids don’t give a crap about your career.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of “Morgana” by Hank May.

Listen to Dying of Exposure

If you enjoy this podcast, PLEASE review it, rate it, like it, follow it, share it - do whatever makes sense. It really helps.

Thank you and enjoy!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

Previous episodes:

Verses

G | Am | C - D7 | G

Chorus 1 (“So when it’s getting close”)

C | D7 | G | Em
Am | D7 | G - D/F# | Em
Am | D7 | G | G

Chorus 2 (“It always comes so fast”)

C | D7 | G | Em
Am | D7 | G - D/F# | Em
Am | D7 | G | Em
Am | D7 | G - D/F# | Em | Em (there’s an extra bar here after “glow again”)
Am | D7 | G | Em
Am | D7 | G - D/F# | Em
Am | D7 | G | Em
Am | D7 | G | G

Tablature

G
3
0
0
0
2
3

Am
0
1
2
2
0
x

C
0
2
0
2
3
x

D7
2
1
2
0
x
x

Em
0
0
0
2
2
0

D / F# (walk down chord)
0
3
0
0
x
2 (use thumb or index)

Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Episode 4: Ego Nwodim - “Go where there’s peace”

Hear my chat with Ego about her tenure on Saturday Night Live, inner work, creativity and bizarre career paths.

Among other things, we chat about the mythology of New York City, Ego’s academic origins studying biology, the zen-state of performing improv comedy, how trying to be funny is the least funny thing, the chaotic power of Comedy Bang Bang, making friends as an adult, how acting allows you to play out versions of yourself that might get stifled in real life, the strength of vulnerability, celebrating excellence in others, and the faith of letting personal practices go when they’re no longer helpful.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of “October” by La Force.

Caveat: This conversation occurred before Ego announced that she was leaving SNL.

Listen to Dying of Exposure

If you enjoy this podcast, PLEASE review it, rate it, like it, follow it, share it - do whatever makes sense. It really helps.

Thank you and enjoy!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

Previous episodes:

Hello love,

Well here’s a boatload of US stops on the horizon. All added shows are on sale as of today at 10am local time!

Tickets & Info

In summary:

• 3 shows added to the west coast run with Israel Nebeker in February

• 3 solo central Oregon shows announced for April

• 3 shows announced in the east with Nathan Evans Fox in April

• 4 shows announced in the east with Matt Pond PA in April

ALSO:

• Marc McLaughlin will be supporting the band on Jan 23rd in Halifax, NS at The Marquee Ballroom!

  

• I’ll be sharing a bill (solo) with my dear pal Amy Millan (of Stars / Broken Social Scene) in a gorgeous church in Fredericton, NB as part of the Shivering Songs Festival.

  

• The full band will be performing at Summerfolk in Owen Sound, ON on Aug 22.

  

All my love. Thank you for your eyes and your ears!

x
Dan

ps. have you listened to A CHRISTMAS SONG yet????

Subscribe now

Share

Leave a comment

UPCOMING SHOWS

2026

Jan 23. Halifax, NS - The Marquee $ LOW
Jan 24. Fredericton, NB - Shivering Songs # LOW

Jan 29. Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern !
Jan 31. Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios !
Feb 1. Eugene, OR - Art House ! ADDED
Feb 3. San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord !
Feb 4. Oakland, CA - Wyldflowr Arts ! ADDED
Feb 5. Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall !
Feb 6. Ojai, CA - Ojai Underground ! ADDED
Feb 8. San Diego, CA - Soda Bar !
Feb 10. Santa Barbara, CA - SOHO Music Club !
Feb 11. Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge !

Apr 10. Hood River, OR - Private Show ADDED
Apr 11. Sisters, OR - Frankie’s Upstars ADDED
Apr 12. Bend, OR - Domino Room ADDED
Apr 15. Atlanta, GA - Eddie’s Attic % ADDED
Apr 17. Raleigh, NC - The Pour House % ADDED
Apr 19. Wayne, PA - 118 North % ADDED
Apr 21. Boston, MA - Passim ^ ADDED
Apr 22. New York, NY - Baby’s All Right ^ ADDED
Apr 23. Providence, RI - The Parlour ^ ADDED
Apr 24. Manchester, VT - Billsville House Concerts ^ ADDED

Aug 22. Owen Sound, ON - Summerfolk ADDED

$ with support from Marc MacLaughlin
# with Amy Millan
! with Israel Nebeker (Blind Pilot)
% with Nathan Evans Fox
^ with Matt Pond PA

Christmas music thrives on nostalgia.

As much as I do love a lot of Christmas music, I’ve always felt a bit disconnected from it - like there’s this overzealous desire to telegraph a seasonal elation that isn’t quite realistic. It can feel disingenuous or superficial.

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, a rift arises between our desire to feel that mythological glow and the imperfect nature of real life in the present. Sometimes Christmas feels bittersweet, and that’s just part of it.

I’ve often been asked if I’d consider writing “a Christmas song”, so I decided to write an honest one… a song that, to me, actually feels like how Christmas feels.

I hope it might be of some service to some folks :)

x
Dan

Listen to "A Christmas Song"

Lyrics

This ain’t a breakup song
It’s not about what went wrong
It won’t drag on and on
It’s just a Christmas song

And it’s not a love song
Heard faintly across the restaurant
As sure as the day is long
It’s just a Christmas song

So when it’s getting close but feels so far
Silver Bells and credit cards
And it hits you in your heart
You’re not ready yet to let it come and let it go
And let another year start
And you feel like you’re doing it wrong
Well here’s a Christmas song

And it’s not a wedding song
So no finger-guns or singing along
By the time the turkey’s on
You’ll be sick of this Christmas song

It always comes so fast and hurts a bit
I want to make it last and feel all of it
It doesn’t feel like the way I remember it
Maybe that’s just it, the hardest bits are part of it
Maybe that’s just Christmas, kid
Sorta sweet and kinda sad
In the middle distance where life always lands
And it hits you like an avalanche
That we just want to feel the glow again, the glow again, the glow again

It’s not a myth or some cosmic test
It’s just some people out here doing their best
To make it special for the kids and that
They’re not ready yet to let it come and let it pass
And let another year end
Merry Christmas, I love you
Never question that
Safe to say I might be doing it wrong
But here’s a Christmas song

Credits

A CHRISTMAS SONG
by DAN MANGAN

WRITTEN by Dan Mangan, Jason Haberman, Don Kerr & Mike O’Brien
PRODUCED by Dan Mangan, Jason Haberman, Don Kerr & Mike O’Brien
MIXED by Dan Mangan

ENGINEERED
by Jason Haberman at SOUVENIR (Gilmour, ON)
by Don Kerr at Rooster (Toronto, ON)
by Dan Mangan at National Park (Vancouver, BC)

PERSONNEL
Dan Mangan – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Rebecca Hennessy – Trumpet
Tom Richards – Trombone
Emily Steinwall – Saxophone
Jesse Zubot – Violin

MASTERED by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel Mastering (Toronto, ON)

DESIGN by Dan Mangan

PHOTOGRAPHY by Louise Mangan

MANAGEMENT by Kieran Roy, Bled Celhyka (Arts & Crafts)

Subscribe now

Share

Leave a comment

Hello love,

I just looked back and counted - I’m about to start my 21st tour of Europe.

In 2007, someone named Dennis Adler found my music on Myspace and messaged me, asking if I’d like to play in coffee shops around Germany. I figured - why stop there?

I bought a Eurorail pass and spent six weeks lugging my guitar and CDs (original pressings of Postcards & Daydreaming) through train stations all over Europe and the UK. I played anywhere that would have me for any amount of money.

I crashed on the couches of friends-of-friends. I slept in a Bart Simpson sleeping bag above Brick Lane in London (thanks Charlie!).

Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. There is no default - only variations from variations.
   At first, I remarked: The streets in Europe are so narrow. Upon further pondering, I decided that: No - North American streets are freakishly large. Turns out, streets come in different sizes, and traveling helps to reveal your innate biases.

2. Socialist drivers are superior.
   I feel more safe at 145km/h in Germany than I do driving 110 (70mph) on any interstate. Social cohesion breeds a sense of collective care - that we will all get there faster if we work together. There is order, and an understanding of what is expected of each driver. Nobody “owns the road”.

3. It is never not funny to say the word AUSFAHRT.

   

4. Germans will give you unsolicited feedback.
   They will literally wait 30 minutes in a merch queue to tell you that the middle portion of the show was lacking. Do not take it personally. They will still buy merch and name their dog after an obscure lyric from your least popular song.

5. Paris is for lovers, not bands.
   Playing shows in Paris sucks. The load in sucks. The load out sucks. Parking sucks. Driving sucks. It’s hard to get people to show up. The city is undeniably special, and is a modern miracle of human civilization, but if you’re on tour… it sucks.

6. It’s okay to be naked.
   North America is culturally rooted in puritanism and we’re terrified of our bodies. For the first 5 minutes in a European spa, it will feel awkward. Then, someone will whack you with birch leaves, launching you beyond your mortal limitations. Covered in sweat, you will lock eyes with a squirrel through the glass, pause your quest for “main character” importance, and revel in the humbling truth that existence itself is absurd.

7. Glasgow will gift you a hangover.
   You’re not allowed to order yourself a pint in Glasgow without buying one for someone else as well. Also, you’re not allowed to buy someone a beer without an accompanying shot of whisky. Everybody in Glasgow understands these rules.

8. Stop doing the math.
   It will hurt your heart if you convert Euros or GBP to Canadian dollars in your head every time you buy something. Just live in the now.

9. Visit Bad Gastein.
   It’s in the Austrian Alps. It was a booming resort town in the 1800s. It was all but wiped out by two world wars and newfound air travel to warmer Mediterranean options. As the lore goes, it served as inspiration for Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s still functional, but half the buildings are empty - defunct relics of another world. If you do get there, experience the Felsentherme.

   

10. Make friends for life.
    Ernst-Jan has been our tour manager and sound tech in Europe for over a decade. His nicknames are E.J., Ernst-dahling, and Hunnibubbles. He is a big goofy sweetheart and we love him very much. If you see him at a show, say hello - he is very friendly.

    

    

All my love. Thank you for your eyes and your ears!

x
Dan

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share

UPCOMING SHOWS

2025

Nov 24. Luxembourg, LUX - Opderschmelz
Nov 23. Antwerp, BE - Rock Lobster SOLD OUT
Nov 25. Antwerp, BE - Rock Lobster SOLD OUT
Nov 26. Utrecht, NL - Ekko LOW $
Nov 27. Hamburg, DE - Nachtasyl LOW $
Nov 28. Berlin, DE - Silent Green LOW $
Nov 30. Darmstadt, DE - Darmstadt Landesmuseum SOLD OUT $
Dec 2. London, UK - Moth Club LOW $ *

2026

Jan 23. Halifax, NS - The Marquee LOW
Jan 24. Fredericton, NB - Shivering Songs #

Jan 29. Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern !
Jan 31. Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios !
Feb 3. San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord !
Feb 5. Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall !
Feb 8. San Diego, CA - Soda Bar !
Feb 10. Santa Barbara, CA - SOHO Music Club !
Feb 11. Los Angeles, CA - Moroccan Lounge !

$ with support from Merrick Winter
* with support from Sinead Una
# with Amy Millan
! with Israel Nebeker