Fugues

Trailer

Episode Summary

What's a fugue? In this podcast it's a story - a story that sheds light on how our conscious experience of any given moment operates. Find out what each fugue tell us about the basic ingredients of mind.

Episode Notes

What's a fugue? In this podcast it's a story - a story that sheds light on how our conscious experience of any given moment operates. Find out what each fugue tell us about the basic ingredients of mind. 

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Credits:

Written, produced and hosted by Gabriel Berezin.

Music and sound design by Grant Zubritsky and Monuments.

Logo and art design by Justin Montan.

Follow Fugues on Twitter and Instagram.

Episode Transcription

Did you ever have one of those epic dreams that seems to cover 3 months of time,  multiple locations, your dead grandmother, and your first boyfriend, 

and they’re dating, and it’s creeping you out

so you instinctively jar yourself awake 

 ...eyes open, you’re looking around your bedroom, 

And you’re reminded that your divorced mother is dating a much younger man?

And then, hoping maybe you’ve somehow cleared the dream slate…

you fall asleep again, 

and you’re dropped right back in the dream where you left off

Watching your sweet Nana make out with Jeremy Barlock?  

In FUGUES, we’ll hear your dreams, no judgement,

  but we’ll also explore how they work...

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Have you ever had an argument with your boss...in the shower?  

I mean she’s not physically in the shower with you, 

But it’s a whole scene playing out, 

with your version of her telling you in great detail how you blew the last project? And you’re fighting back, making your case.

While the water’s pouring down your back, 

do you speak out loud to the phantom version of her 

Okay, good, I do too….

In Fugues, we’ll hear how people interact with the personas, 

The inner representations of the important people in their lives. 

Your mother, your God, your high school chemistry teacher, Barack Obama. 

They’re all in there and you’re having inner dialogues with them, 

Probably more than you know. 

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Remember how you said you were gonna quit smoking a month ago, and you were really nailing it this time, no setbacks

then you Netflixed a couple episodes of Mad Men after dinner one night

and watched yourself, 

as if from a little mental cage, 

go buy a pack of Camels?  

In other words, is free will an illusion?  

The quick answer is...kinda...but not all the time, and maybe that’s not even the right question.  

We’ll talk about what the right question might be.

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Inner Voice: hey, this sounds like an infomercial.

Gabe: what?

IV: this. sounds. like. an. Infomercial,

Gabe: quiet…

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So what do these things have in common?  

I believe, hidden inside these examples of everyday moments 

are clues

Clues that help us identify the invisible, but universal elements of our movie-like experience of the world.   

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IV:...oh. my. god.

Gabe: what now?

IV: this is boring.

Gabe: would you be quiet!

IV: and what’s with the name of the podcast?

Gabe: i’m getting to that.

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Quick editor’s note: that asshole you’re hearing?   

That’s...my inner voice, it’s basically always there, and it’s not...always such an asshole,  

but it’s an example of one of the mental ingredients or phenomenon that we’ll be talking about in Fugues.

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IV: thanks for the shoutout, shouldn’t you explain the nerdy title now?

Gabe: would you shut!  up?!

IV: what’s a fugue, man?

Gabe: actually that’s a fair question 

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Conventionally defined, a fugue is two things:

  1. it’s a piece of music with multiple melodies played at the same time,
  2. and it’s also a trance state of psychosis, where a person experiences amnesia, and loses their sense of self.

IV: still don’t get it.

Gabe: I’m not done…

What connects both meanings, is they each have a beginning, middle and end.  

So each story that we tell here, be it an autobiographical event of my own, 

or from one of my guests, 

or from a...fictional character in an alternate timeline (we may get a little scifi here)  - 

is a fugue.  

Each story is a fugue. 

And each fugue will illustrate a handful of mental ingredients. 

IV: shouldn’t you have led with this?

I’m Gabriel Berezin, and I’ll be your host.

IV: and I’ll be your co-host, Gabe’s inner voice.

Gabe: God, you suck

Together, we’ll explore

how these ingredients impact our thinking and behavior,

to help us understand ourselves and others better, 

to become more self-aware.

Maybe this could enable us to get the most out of our funny and tragic, miraculous lives.

IV: sounds culty

Gabe: it’s not culty,  there’s no ritual sacrifice or sex slaves. 

IV: okay Keith Raniere

And I’m always on the lookout for more fugues.  

so if you’ve heard anything that resonates,  

a unique story of a universal experience 

from... eating an ice cream cone while you’re on a diet, to meeting a celebrity, email me a quick summary at fuguespod@gmail.com

So that’s 

f u g - 

u e s - 

p o d  -

at gmail dot com

So that’s it, subscribe to stay notified of new episodes,

and do all the other great stuff, rate and comment,

So we can flag the mindless algorithms 

See you soon!

IV: Okay L Ron Hubbard

Gabe: c’mon

IV: See you out there guy from Wild Wild Country

Gabe: oh shit good one, his Name’s Bogwhan I think

IV: Good luck with your  new following,  James Arthur Ray

Gabe: oh yeah, that’s guy’s out of jail

IV: See you out there David Koresh

Gabe: have some respect that guy’s dead…hey, what should we eat for dinner?

IV: just not beans again...

Gabe: all you do is complain...do you have any ideas?

IV: Not particularly.

Gabe: well beans it is then...