Mental Illness Happy Hour #790 Fathers, Sons & Vulnerability - Mike de la Rocha
15 snips
Mar 6, 2026 Mike de la Rocha, musician, author, and activist who wrote Sacred Lessons, talks about masculinity, cultural identity, and learning to be vulnerable. He traces Chicano roots, code-switching, and how punk culture created belonging. He explores grief, speaking to his father after death, and launching work that addresses men's loneliness and healing.
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Feeling Seen Drives Habit Energy
- Feeling seen is a core human need driving much of our awkward or compulsive behavior.
- Paul describes habit energy and how avoiding stillness to silence the mean voice sacrifices the possibility of joy on the other side.
Teen Years Working at Ventura Concert Hall
- Mike credits early jobs at Ventura concert hall for exposing him to thousands of concerts and broadening his worldview.
- He worked shows from ages 13–19, seeing acts from Peter Gabriel to Pearl Jam, which sparked his lifelong music and community orientation.
Code Switching As Cultural Survival
- Mike describes code switching as a survival skill shaped by race, class, and education, not just language.
- He tracked into honors classes, played football, and did punk shows, learning different cultural languages to navigate varied worlds.
