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It gives the soundtrack of our lives. And you know, I'm so grateful and honored that I now have a stake in the game and that people, you know, tell me things like, oh, you know, I risen to your music when I go work out, or you know, I was really depressed and it was so exciting, you know, because I listened to your music and he told me out of my depression or he gave me some insight. So I mean, yes, it not only does it affect me, but now I'm grateful that my music is helping to affect others.
Welcome to the Music Saved Me Podcast. I'm Lynn Hoffman and normally you'll hear me on Music Saved Me interviewing musicians about the healing power of music now. Previous episodes have included Winonah and Jelly Roll, among others. Today, Music Saved Me producer, creator and the host of the popular taken a walk podcast, Buzz Night steps into sub for Me with an episode with actor, musician, activist Corey Feldman. Here's Buzz with Corey next on music saved Me?
Hi, Corey, I wanted to ask you, do you believe music has saved you at any point in your life?
Oh? God, Yes. In fact, I would say that music has saved my entirety of my life. If it wasn't for music being on this planet, I don't think I would have survived any of it, to be honest. As a kid, you know, going through the abuse that I endured, it was always music that took me away. I mean I remember being a little kid, you know, running around in my grandmother's living room. She used had one of
those old wind up record players. And one of the very early records that I ever got into was Billy Aley in the Comments because that was just you know, the thirty five rpm or what ever, you know, a record that she had sitting out there, and and when she played it, you know, or we played that album, you know, reminded me of Happy Days because those were the songs from Happy Days. That's how I knew the music.
So I was like, oh, you know, it's from that TV show, little known to me that it was actually from thirty years prior, but that was that was the first music I got into. So I got into like the old fifties and sixties stuff. And then the first band I got into was Kiss, which is crazy because they were really popular in the seventies. And then Sean Cassidy. I don't know if you even remember who Sean Cassidy is, but that was my first pop star that I got into.
And then you know, later developed you know, this thing was, you know, having a big affection for Michael Jackson's music and then later getting into Beatles and Pink Poyd and stuff. So music has always been kind of a segue for me when I'm depressed, you know, when I'm when I'm manic, when I'm angry, when I'm happy, when I'm wanting to sell it. I mean, it's sexy time, It's everything, you know, music,
music is the soundtrack of our lives. And you know, I'm so grateful and honored that I now have a stake in the game and that people, you know tell me things like, oh, you know, I listen to your music when I go work out, or I put your music on to go run to because it motivates me, or you know, I was really depressed and it was so exciting, you know, because I listened to your music and you know, it pulled me out of my depression,
or it gave me some insight. So I mean, you know, yes, it not only does it affect me, but now I'm grateful that my music is helping to affect others.
So I think it's fair to say that you believe music has spiritual healing powers for mental, physical, emotional problems.
Absolutely. I mean, first of all, I think that you know, there's great science and research behind the idea that you know, the tone, the very tone of the music can affect you in a different way, The frequency of a musical note can affect you in a different way. You know, these different effects, different emotions that are evoked just based on the chord that's being played. It doesn't even have to be a particular song or a particular lyric. That's that.
Then you add on, you know, deep and meaningful lyrics and things that have you know, a message behind it, and you can really, you know, gain quite a lot from listening to certain artists. So yes, absolutely, it's provocative and thought inspiring.
Why does music have the ability to give people hope and really dark times.
Well, I think that it's if you go back to our history, I mean literally go back to the earliest days, you know, you will find that music has always been inspirational and motivational. You know, they used it. I mean even going back to like the old war films, you know, nineteen twenties and stuff like that. They would use these big, proud marching bands and you have very boisterous sounding stuff, you know, to make us feel like we were in charge and we were winning. And you know, it's like
even propaganda films. We're using music very early on for stuff like that. And even before that, I mean you go back to the country days, you know, when they didn't even have film yet, they didn't have anything, but they had records, you know, records where I think the very first form of medium there was radio and there were records. I mean, those were the things that really started at all. So I think music has just always been something that's connected humans.
Describe how you feel when you realize that your music has impacted a member of your audience who may be going through a challenge.
It's a beautiful feeling, you know, especially when somebody says something to me, like, you know, your words really inspired me, or you know, I was reading your lyrics and it made me realize that, you know, I could do better, or life is worth another chance, or I shouldn't give up on myself. But things like that, you know, it's
so beautiful. It's such a beautiful feeling to know that something that I can create from the pain that I've endured and I put that into my art, and that that can actually be transposed to another human and they can download that frequency and feel that connection. I mean, that is a very powerful medium. You know, it's beautiful.
As someone who has had struggles, what do you want folks in the audience to know about those? And some need that they might be forgetting Well, you know.
What, Look, we all about these struggles, right, Nobody has a perfect life. If it was, then you wouldn't be getting the full experience and you would be getting deprived of the human experience because you know, look, there's no reward without risk, There is no glory without work, there is no you know, victory without struggle. So we must
endure the bad to achieve the good. And I think that you know, as a human being, you know, you write, and especially as an artist, you write about your struggles, but you also write about coming out the other side of it and what it takes to endure it. So I think it's good to always lead by example and
to put positive messages. You know, there's so much music out there that's meaningless and nonsensical, and you go, you know, what do we really need to know about your moody or do you really need to you know, talk about you know, how much money you have or what kind
of car you're driving. Nobody cares. But when it's something that's motivational and inspirational and can cross generations and give you that spirit, that that uplifting feeling in your soul that makes you want to dance, it makes you want to you know, feel inspired and do good things or whatever. I mean. That is such a powerful tool that we're given as songwriters and as artists. I don't think it should ever be taken for granted.
Talk about some of the artists and some of the songs that have lifted you up at dark moments that might be meaningful to someone listening today.
You know, one of the most powerful songs ever goes back to Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror. I love that song because it's you know, it says so much and Michael didn't even write that one. It was actually
written by Taya Garrett. But it's a beautiful song. I mean, it's just it's so on point because we all, you know, we all feel insecure, and you know, sometimes we look in the mirror and we give ourselves that self assurance that we need to keep moving, to keep going forward, and sometimes we don't like what we see looking back at us, and that's when we have to phase ourselves and deal with it and have some self healing and repair work. And so I think that's a very powerful song.
It's always been so spiritual and inviting. And I wrote a song actually that is kind of inspired by that song, which is called It So Simple, which is about, you know, how the world can be a better place if you know, we choose to take the time to help each other out, to care about each other, to be real, you know, things can get better, but it's up to us. It's
an inside job. So you know, that's a song I wrote when I was fifteen, so you know, and again I think that actually was before Men in the Mirror came out. But it's in that same vein of you know, kind of self work, self healing and looking inside ourselves. And I think that's a beautiful message. Beatles have been, you know, my therapy and you know, through the last forty years or whatever. So God bless them.
Any particular Beatles songs, oh.
Too many to count. You know. I love pretty much everything everything that they ever did. I love all of it. You know, the Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, their solo stuff, the Wing stuff, Paul stuff, Post Beatles, everything, and then you know, Pink Floyd is another one, Billy Joel is another one. There's so many great songwriters that I love.
And then even you know, more contemporary artists, people like you know, Eminem, I've always liked Eminem, you know, or a lot it's more said, I think it's great, or you know, even and even still like people like Halsey, who are amazing, you know, moving into today's artists. So you know, there's a there's a wide spectrum of music that I listened to, but as long as they're saying something, that's really what it comes down to.
Corey, thank you for sharing your journey on music save me.
Thank you, Music saved me. God bless you.