CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:24
Meeting a longtime fan: the “Mr. Jones” video and feeling free on camera
Joe opens by telling Adam how impactful the “Mr. Jones” video was—especially Adam’s loose, joyful dancing. Adam explains that he’s often awkward in life, but onstage (and early in videos) he felt completely comfortable and unselfconscious.
- 1:24 – 4:22
Backlash, overexposure, and becoming self-conscious
Adam describes how rapid fame and constant media attention changed his relationship with being filmed. As the band’s popularity exploded and criticism increased, he started thinking about appearance and judgment—especially during press and TV, not concerts.
- 4:22 – 6:08
Music as identity politics: fans, taste, and the ‘club’ effect
They discuss how music functions like a personal identity badge—something people wear, defend, and use to signal belonging. Adam argues that fans can resent “outsiders” liking their favorite band because it changes the social meaning of the music.
- 6:08 – 11:31
Early social media on AOL: direct fan contact (and fights)
Adam recounts discovering AOL forums in the mid-’90s and realizing he could speak directly to fans without radio/press filters. That access also led to arguments—especially when fans had a narrow idea of who he was and what he ‘should’ like.
- 11:31 – 16:40
Comedy-world overlap: mutual friends, Bryan Callen bits, and USO tours
The conversation shifts to comics Adam knows (Jeff Ross, Bob Saget, Bryan Callen) and how those friendships formed. Adam tells stories about comedy trips, including a USO-style tour where he played moody piano songs between comedian sets.
- 16:40 – 18:12
Why emotional songs connect: songwriting as a place to ‘bare’ feelings
Joe asks whether Adam’s emotional style was driven by early success or a core impulse. Adam explains that music let him communicate feelings he struggled to express socially, and that writing builds a world listeners can enter.
- 18:12 – 22:33
Becoming a songwriter: the first song in college and finding an identity
Adam describes writing his first real song in college after hearing it in his head during class and working it out on a dorm piano. That moment clarified his identity—he didn’t know how to make a living, but he knew what he was.
- 22:33 – 29:26
The grind of creative careers: bands vs. stand-up and the fear of bombing
They compare the long, difficult climb in music and comedy, emphasizing discipline and persistence. Adam argues comedy is uniquely terrifying because it depends moment-to-moment on audience response, unlike playing a solid set even to a quiet room.
- 29:26 – 40:02
Early disaster gigs and a surprise comedy win at the Friars Club
Adam tells an early touring horror story—broken monitors, exhaustion, and dead silence from the crowd. He follows with a comedic high point: drugged up after knee surgery, he accidentally improvised a story at Jeff Ross’ event and ‘crushed’ in front of comedy legends.
- 40:02 – 51:21
Martial arts detour: taekwondo habits, boxing training, and MMA talk
They bond over martial arts—Adam’s childhood taekwondo and later boxing for fitness on tour. Joe explains why older martial arts were “closed systems” and breaks down MMA tactics, including the famous question-mark (Brazilian) kick and striking legends.
- 51:21 – 1:25:32
Idols, fame, and LA culture: Mick Fleetwood, Springsteen awkwardness, and leaving LA
Adam recounts an incredible flight where Mick Fleetwood recognized him and shared hours of rock history, contrasting with Adam’s inability to speak normally around Springsteen. They broaden into a critique of LA’s fame-chasing culture, reality-TV era shifts, and why Adam preferred New York’s conversations and theater scene.
- 1:25:32 – 1:42:03
Mental health under spotlight: dissociation, anxiety, medication, and coping tools
Adam explains dissociative disorder (feeling detached, like watching yourself) and how fame intensified anxiety and claustrophobia. He discusses years of misdiagnosis and medication, the difficulty of finding effective treatments, and coping strategies like breathing control and channeling pain into work.
- 1:42:03 – 1:52:25
Tour reality: vocal limits, steroids, infections, and managing recovery
They get practical about touring physiology—Adam’s voice can be expressive but not durable, requiring strict scheduling (two-on/one-off). He explains nodes, prednisone, and how steroids can increase infection risks, connecting it to his staph-infected knee and broader immune-system vulnerability.
- 1:52:25 – 2:00:21
Quarantine creativity: cooking videos, DIY production, and avoiding TV-show machinery
Adam describes diving into cooking during quarantine, filming/editing his own Instagram videos, and the surprising interest from TV producers. He and Joe agree that keeping it DIY preserves authenticity and avoids the bureaucracy and ‘producer notes’ that can ruin creative fun.
- 2:00:21 – 2:31:45
Record deals, royalties, and the music business collapse: from bidding wars to Napster/Spotify
Adam explains how Counting Crows leveraged an early bidding war to secure creative control and stronger royalties—taking little upfront money. They dissect how Napster exposed consumer resentment, how labels mishandled digital pricing/promo, and how streaming deals shifted power and revenue away from artists.
- 2:31:45 – 2:42:33
Underwater Sunshine: podcast, free festival model, artist support—and loving music discovery
Adam lays out his current mission: building community through the Underwater Sunshine podcast and festival, featuring indie artists, filming ‘Garden Sessions’ at his New York loft, and making shows free while still paying bands via merch purchases. They close on Austin as a live-music ecosystem and Adam’s enthusiasm for nurturing new peers.
- 2:42:33 – 2:57:22
Food, cities, and the wrap: Austin barbecue, LA classics, tour announcement, and hunting
The final stretch turns to Austin’s culture and barbecue scene, then nostalgia for LA’s Dr. Hogley Wogley’s. Adam and Joe wrap with album and tour details (including Austin), and a brief tangent on Joe’s bowhunting and Adam’s experience hunting rabbits/pheasant abroad.
