In this episode, I sit down with Chris Sheehan (aka Christopher Talken), a core member of Still Gold—one of the most original, hard-to-categorize music collectives to come out of Boston. Chris opens up about losing his father at 16 after a long battle with cancer, the “perfect storm” of grief + rebellion that followed, and the self-destructive years where escaping became a lifestyle. Then comes the plot twist: a move to Hawaii, years in a tight native-led community on Maui, and the slow rebuild that helped him heal enough to come back and keep creating—without letting ego, pressure, or the “artist identity” trap ruin the work. We talk about the real artist experience: performing for 20,000 people one week and 7 people the next, balancing a day job (Chris is a chef) with touring, what sobriety actually looks like when you used alcohol to mask anxiety, and how fatherhood changes the definition of success. This is a conversation about music, mental health, community, and the long road from survival mode to a life you’re proud of. GuestChristopher Talken — Performer / Musician STL GLDTopics we cover grief after losing a parent young + how it shapes identityself-destruction, anxiety, alcohol, and changing your relationship with itleaving everything behind and moving to Hawaii for a reset“island fever,” community healing, and coming back to a new worldpunk + hip hop crossover: Yo! MTV Raps, Headbanger’s Ball, The Arsenio Hall Show, and early influences like A Tribe Called Quest and N.W.Askateboarding as a “misfit community” and cultural gatewayego vs art: why pressure kills creativityday job vs “artist”: stability as a creative strategymasculinity, therapy, and learning to talk back to negative self-talkfatherhood, marriage, and redefining success as peace + happinessKey takeawaysHealing isn’t one moment—it’s a series of decisions you keep making when nobody’s clapping.If the work hurts you, it’s time to change the relationship—not abandon the gift.Community can save you (sometimes it’s a band, sometimes it’s a skate crew, sometimes it’s a family that takes you in).“Success” gets real when it becomes: happy, stable, present, and proud.Chapter timestamps00:00 — Why honest music is hard (and necessary)05:32 — Who Chris is + STL GLD’s role as a collective09:04 — Losing his father at 16, going numb, and acting out12:40 — Escape mode: clubs, chaos, compartmentalizing grief20:14 — Breaking point → leaving for Hawaii23:25 — A decade out there: healing, simplicity, “talk story”30:22 — Coming back: new world, new mindset33:33 — Punk + hip hop roots, early influences + culture38:41 — Skateboarding as the gateway + misfit belonging55:00 — Goals, ego, and why “making it” can ruin the work01:05:11 — Day job as a chef + balancing art and fatherhood01:26:54 — Meeting his wife, sobriety, and dropping the “wild role”01:36:09 — Masculinity, therapy, anxiety, and real self-work01:47:42 — Legacy: happiness, “beating the odds,” and bonus time
