A Part of Something

Daniel Truran
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Spirituality

Exploring music, near-death experiences, their intersections, and pretty much everything else.

  1. 5d ago

    Solo Episode: It’s All Sunbeams

    Sometimes the most extraordinary things are hiding in plain sight. In this freewheeling solo episode of A Part of Something, I reflect on a little moment of wonder involving a ray of morning sunlight—and how easy it is to lose our sense of awe in the busyness of everyday life. Then things get a little experimental. Inspired by composer John Cage, I attempt a performance of his famous composition 4′33″, which consists of four minutes and thirty-three seconds without intentionally played musical notes. What happens when we stop making noise and simply listen? I also share a recent discovery: the Fuller Dome, a geodesic dome at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville that's home to a center for spirituality and sustainability. Along the way, there are some reflections on creativity, the daily grind, and making room for wonder in a busy life—plus an update on the future schedule of the podcast. If you make it through all four minutes and thirty-three seconds, I'd genuinely love to hear what the experience was like for you! Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

  2. Oct 20

    Noah Smith: Remembering Mayne Smith—Pioneering Musician, Scholar, Community Builder, and Dad

    Daniel talks with his cousin Noah Smith about Noah’s father, Mayne Smith, a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and longtime figure in the Northern California folk and roots-music community. Mayne co-founded the Redwood Canyon Ramblers in 1959, recognized as Northern California’s first bluegrass band, and his 1964 Indiana University master’s thesis is widely credited as the first scholarly study of bluegrass music. Noah talks about Mayne as both a musician and a father: his songwriting and musicianship, his years of collaboration and mentoring, the songwriter circles at Sweets Mill, and his involvement with Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage. They also discuss the recordings Noah discovered after Mayne’s death, Mayne’s final days surrounded by family, friends, and music, and Noah’s own return to playing bass as a way of continuing some of what his father passed on. Mayne Smith and Mitch Greenhill playing "Satisfied Mind" at the Cambridge Folk Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fcy7IrLLcE Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

  3. Oct 13

    Solo Episode: More Than What You Do for a Living

    Daniel hits record without knowing exactly what he wants to talk about—and eventually finds himself thinking about work, money, calling, identity, God, and what it means to be more than the thing you do for a living. He reflects on the different pieces of his life that seem to be moving at once, his sense that they may be connected in ways he can’t yet see, and the tension between making a living and following work that feels meaningful. From there, things wander into souls, René Descartes, atheism, awe, science, mystical experience, and the simple but strange fact that any of us can say: I exist. There is also some discussion of Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked and the possibility of a podcast in which Daniel simply Googles things. Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

  4. Oct 6

    Steve Perron: From Seminary to Secular Humanism

    Steve Perron once wanted to be a priest. He also wanted to be a Beatle. The singer-songwriter and retired broadcast journalist joins Daniel to discuss his book, What’ll We Do with All the Churches?, which traces his changing beliefs through his songs. Steve reflects on seven years in seminary, the doubts that led him to leave, and the longer journey that eventually brought him to secular humanism. They explore his objections to original sin, the problem of animal suffering, and the peace he found in stepping away from his childhood faith. Along the way, there are Beatles detours, stories from a career in television news, and a look at the listening-room community Steve has built at the Wolf open mic. They also discuss delivering a song’s message with a feather rather than a sledgehammer—and questioning your beliefs without deciding in advance where you have to land. Contact and links to get books: https://www.steveperron.com/ Want to visit the open mic Steve runs?: https://thewolfstl.com/calendar/ Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

  5. Sep 29

    Solo Episode: Out of Nowhere—Stories of Otherworldly Music

    In D. Scott Rogo’s books on otherworldly music, people describe music that seems to come out of nowhere—while sitting on a back porch, spending time in nature, or gathering at someone’s deathbed. They describe it as beyond anything the greatest human composers could create. Sometimes two people hear it together, but one describes a choir and the other an orchestra. In this solo episode, Daniel shares what’s catching his attention as he makes his way through A Casebook of Otherworldly Music and A Psychic Study of the Music of the Spheres. He hasn’t finished either book, but the accounts are already expanding his interest beyond music heard during near-death experiences to extraordinary reports from ordinary waking life. Closer to home, he recalls a rough day working construction when only the hardest rock on the radio would do—and how the same music can comfort him in one mood and unsettle him in another. Along the way are thoughts about healing, songwriting, and the decidedly earthly business of making a living from music. Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

  6. Sep 22

    Andy Offutt Irwin: Making Bad, Immature Decisions—but with Charm

    Storyteller, humorist, and musician Andy Offutt Irwin joins Daniel to talk about making people laugh, paying attention, and remembering what it feels like to be a kid. Andy’s album Banana Seat was recorded in Daniel’s childhood home, and its songs helped Daniel learn to play guitar. Revisiting that music leads to stories of Disney street theater, Renaissance festivals, a fire-eating apple puppet, and a bank gig that ended early. There’s also a song about a pen whose ending may still be going. Between the stories, they explore the connection between wit and empathy, Andy’s arrival on the storytelling circuit at 47, and the influence of Thomas Merton and St. Francis on his ideas about simplicity and faith. Andy shares his philosophy of performing: treat children with the respect you give adults, and grown-ups with the exuberance kids crave. Show dates, albums, and more at https://andyirwin.com/ Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

  7. Sep 15

    The Three Basic Responses to Hearing an NDE Story

    In this solo episode, Daniel considers three different ways people respond to near-death experiences: belief, skepticism, and the idea that an experience may be real while still being deceptive or misleading. Along the way, he reflects on his own “parfait of beliefs,” the stranger claims that sometimes appear in NDE accounts, and the difficulty of knowing what to accept, reject, or simply leave unresolved. At the center is one of Daniel’s strongest convictions: that we are all connected, and that the work of eternity may have something to do with learning to love one another as completely as God loves us. Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

  8. Sep 8

    Dead for 47 Minutes: What Vinney Tolman Learned About Life

    At age 25, Vinney Tolman was found dead in a restaurant bathroom, placed in a body bag, and later resuscitated by a rookie paramedic. In this wide-ranging conversation, the author of The Light After Death recounts his journey beyond the body and the ten principles he says he learned on his way to heaven. Vinney and Daniel discuss authenticity, unconditional love, intuition, technology, prejudice, A Course in Miracles, and music in the afterlife—including Vinney’s experience of every blade of grass communicating through music and love. The conversation then becomes unexpectedly personal as Vinney helps Daniel examine creative ambition, attachment to success, and his relationship with coffee before leading him through exercises involving his future self and inner child. You can get The Light After Death and accompanying workbooks at https://store.livinggodslight.org/collections/books Support the show A Part of Something explores music, near-death experiences, creativity, and the search for meaning through conversations with musicians, experiencers, and other thoughtful guests. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a rating or review—it really helps new listeners discover the podcast. https://www.instagram.com/apartofsomethingpod/ https://www.youtube.com/@apartofsomethingpod

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Exploring music, near-death experiences, their intersections, and pretty much everything else.

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Truran
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 A Part of Something
  • Show Website
    A Part of Something

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