It's the End of the Year As We Know it, and I Feel Surprisingly Fine.

As the final days of 2025 begin to wind down, this is the time of year where well adjusted adults often reflect upon the experiences and memories of the last 11 months and twenty-something days. With the relentless pace of the 24 hour news cycle, the seemingly endless parade of once in a lifetime generational events, the persistent feeling that we're all trapped in the Upside-Down, and the general everyday malaise of "what in the actual f@#k is happening right now", it'd be easy enough to find oneself mired in apathetic cynicism. Sharing clever quips like, "I'd call 2025 a dumpster fire, but that would be disrespectful to both dumpsters and fires." Or, "For the love of all that is sweet and pure, did the universe have to reclaim Ozzy, Brent Hinds, David Lynch, Tomas Lindberg, Ace Frehley, Sam Rivers, Brian F@#king Wilson, and the dude who gave us Spinal Tap ALL IN THE SAME TWELVE MONTH PERIOD??"

But no, that'd be too easy.

Because in spite of it all, a lot of good stuff happened in 2025. To name a few:

• We saw the original Black Sabbath lineup reunite one more time on stage
• Acid Bath is enjoying a renaissance moment that wasn't on anybody's bingo card
• There's somehow now a third version of Venom out there for us all to enjoy
• Bobby Liebling and Pentagram went viral, and for completely wholesome and non-criminal reasons this time
• The new Superman movie lived up to the hype
• Messiah Marcolin reunited with Candlemass for one lucky crowd in Greece
• The OG Alice Cooper band reunited and somehow made up for the last 20 years
• Werner Herzog joined Instagram and it’s arguably some of the best content on the internet
• Warped Tour returned for its 30th anniversary and surprisingly was a lot of fun (more on that in a future post)
• John Bush finally celebrated his Anthrax legacy with some overdue solo gigs and still sounds like John Bush
• There was a gentleman's bounty of incredible new music from across the genresphere that made it through my stereo
• And most importantly, the Insert Disc podcast made its glorious debut, entertaining tens of listeners along the way

That last one is a big one, and not because I've got delusions of podcast grandeur (though I'm not above a corporate sponsorship, hit me up #blueapron and/or #sharisberries). But because it's given me the opportunity to spend more time with my buds Rob and Leo, talking about the things that bring us together and make life a little better – music, and sometimes tacos.

But always music.

Opinions about music. Our experiences with music. Introductions and new perspectives about music. Stories about how music affects us and why it's so important to us. Reconciling that our kids are having a dramatically different experience with music than we did at their age, and that it's okay. Trying to get Rob to understand why 1st and 2nd wave Black Metal is better than he thinks it is. Nerding out with Leo over how good the new Helloween record is. The collective realization that of all things, the new Coroner record would be at the center of the our musical Venn diagram this year. That's pretty rad.

And it's a lot of fun.

This adventure has been a great exercise in getting out of our collective comfort zones and engaging with tunes that might otherwise not have been given the time of day. For me at least, it's not only rekindled the joy of hearing new music for the first time, but I get to enjoy it as a curated listening experience with 2 equally passionate and well versed music enthusiasts. Even if it's a record that I'm not totally vibing with, seeing Rob and Leo's enthusiasm while make their case about why they're vibing with it is still time well spent. How lucky am I?

If we've learned anything at all this year, it's that our time on this big beautiful marble is short and it's important to make time for fun. So guess what - we're going to do more of this in 2026. We're going to be more intentional in our content without forgoing the comedy gold you've come to expect. We're going to get back on a regular recording and release schedule. We're going to add regular playlists to the mix, because it might actually make sense to share some of the music that we're gabbing about for 2 hours at a time with you. And there's probably a bunch of other stuff we'll figure out along the way - not because we're planning to light up the podcast charts, but because it's fun. And dammit, we all need a little more fun in our lives.

As I stare down a half century of misadventures, I've made my peace with an imperfect world. There are still plenty of things that irritate me for sure, but I've learned that focusing on the things that are in my control and that make me happy are key to maintaining any semblance of sanity. I read like 15 books this year, took a pottery class, discovered that I really like building book nooks, and much to the chagrin of my knees, started jogging again.

And I started a podcast with my friends. Who knew that airing my grievances, unfiltered opinions, and juvenile enthusiasm about music into a podcast microphone would be better than therapy? So yeah, there will be much more of the Insert Disc Podcast coming next year, and I'm stoked for it. Be good to each other, stay heavy, and wear quality ear protection.