October 18, 2025 • 29 mins
Ray Prim joins us to unpack “Since 88,” tracing a journey from leaving his childhood faith to finding healing in melody and simple, soulful songwriting. We get honest about politics, algorithms, panic attacks, therapy, and why a song that sings first can teach later.
• origin of “Since 88” in religious break and political shift
• belief now centered on goodness, empathy, and action
• writing process where melody guides the lyric
• Bill Withers influence and love of simplicity
• “ear candy for the soul” as rhythm plus depth
• critique of social media and algorithmic bubbles
• AI as a session player for strings and riffs
• pandemic panic, therapy, and writing “Mr. Midlife”
• legacy grounded in connection over perfection
Please check out the links to Ray’s music underneath this video. Make sure you check him out, follow his social media, and come back for our next episode when we talk about more songs, more stories, and more soul
Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Pelè (00:01):
Welcome to Songs and Stories from the Soul, where
every melody carries a message,and songwriters share the faith,
the heart, and the story thatshape their song.
Hey everyone, this is Dr.
Pelè.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
I am so excited to have with meRay Prim, one of the most
(00:22):
powerful, the most magneticpersonalities in the music
business here in Austin.
Let me tell you a little bitabout this and then we'll listen
to the song and come back andtalk to Ray.
So in this episode, we're gonnaexplore how Ray uses melody,
groove, and storytelling to makelisteners feel the truth that
even in a fractured world, musicremains our healing language.
(00:46):
And the song that we've chosenfor this uh process is called
Since 88, one of my favoritesongs.
In fact, Ray, I gotta tell youthis.
When I first moved to Austinand I was looking for the best
musicians around here, and I ranyou know into your song and
this particular song since '88,all these years I've been a fan
of that song, and of course, ofyou.
(01:08):
So I'm really I appreciate youbeing here, man.
Ray Prim (01:10):
How are you doing, by the way?
Thank you for having me.
I'm I'm doing pretty good, man.
I'm hanging in there, stillalive.
Dr. Pelè (01:16):
Still alive.
Ray Prim (01:17):
All right, Sage, I'm blessed to be able to still be
alive.
Dr. Pelè (01:21):
Absolutely.
All right, let's go ahead andlisten to the song, and we'll
talk about Sense88 on the otherside.
Ray Prim (01:58):
See, I believe the world is broken, the sky is
falling, and God's been missingsince eighty eight.
I believe my people are dyingwhile your government's lying,
(02:25):
technology's trying its best toseparate us.
But if you stop and think aboutit, you'll see there's no way
around it.
Someday, someday you'll see,yeah, yeah.
(02:46):
Said if you stop and thinkabout it, you'll see there's no
way around it, and somedayyou'll end up just like me, just
like me, just like me.
(03:09):
You believe the music ishealing, famous people have
feelings.
I believe the hate is a cancer.
(03:34):
Oh, but a wild ain't theanswer.
Just like me, you believe theworld is broken, the sky is
(05:10):
fallen, and God's been missingsince eighty-eight.
Dr. Pelè (05:21):
In Since eighty-eight, Ray Prim channels soul, pain,
and truth into a meditation ondisconnection from God, from
each other, and even fromourselves.
It's both a lament and a loveletter to human resilience,
layered with the warmth ofclassic soul and the edge of
(05:41):
modern commentary.
Ray, how are you doing today,my brother?
Ray Prim (05:46):
I'm doing pretty good.
I'm doing I'm doing reallygood.
I'm doing really good.
Thanks for having me.
Dr. Pelè (05:51):
No, I I absolutely.
So, you know, tell us a littlebit about how this song came to
be.
It's such a a great title, um,since 88.
It's just like, okay, questionmark, what does he mean?
How did this song come to be?
Ray Prim (06:05):
Okay, so so this song has a two-part meaning, right?
So one, the first part is um Iused my mom is a Jehovah's
Witness.
Okay, and so she used to haveme knocking on doors and and all
that stuff, and I would go outand preach and all that stuff.
And then in the year 1988, Idecided enough.
(06:26):
I can't do it anymore.
And so that's what it's likeGod's been missing since 1988.
Now, I'm not saying he's beenmissing as far as been
completely from my life, butthat's when I was like, I don't
want anymore, I can't do itanymore.
I gotta do my own thing.
And then the second fold ofthat song is in 2016, which is
eight plus eight, the man who'sin charge right now came about
(06:49):
on the scene.
And it started my my since thenI've been fighting against him
or trying to get him out.
The political angle came in.
So, yeah, so split if younotice, it's like the our
government's been lying.
Yes.
That's stuff I say like that.
So it's all kind of, you know,I'll talk about a wall, I'll
talk about all this stuff.
(07:09):
So it's a mixture of religionand um and for me, music, music,
when I say that line, uh, musicis healing.
That's what gets gets methrough stuff.
Anytime I'm depressed orwhatever, that's why I I reach
for music.
Um, so it's it's more it's morelike that.
It's it's it's it's it's not onthe line of spiritual as far as
you know, God or human, uh, abigger power.
(07:30):
It's more like music to me wasa bigger power, and I had to
leave the religion because forme, Jehovah's Witnesses just
wasn't my thing.
And two, I had this nemesis.
Well, not as far as nemesis forme, but you know what I mean?
Yeah, eight plus eight, 2016 iswith it.
Where I mean I've always beenkind of political.
I was political with the bandSeven Stones, but then it really
(07:51):
pushed me that way.
Yeah.
And if you start watching mysongs from there, I'm like,
okay, you know, I throw inanother thing to keep people,
you know, not to drive peoplecompletely crazy.
But most of my focus has beenthat way.
And I've been, I've been likethat.
I mean that might have hinderedmy my followings or whatever,
but people who rock with me,they rock with me.
Dr. Pelè (08:11):
So yeah, you know, you know, I have to say, one of the
things I love most aboutinterviewing uh people who've
done, I think, powerful,courageous things like you is
where else are we gonna hearthis story about how you know
it's 88 over here for the year,and it's also 88 over here for
this other meaning and thepolitics and the religion.
That's just so powerful to hearthe background story.
(08:32):
And you know, sometimes, youknow, I wonder, especially when
I heard the line, God's beenmissing since 88.
I was like, wait a second, howfar is he gonna go with the
religion piece?
Um, but let me ask you, sincesince it was a little bit
literal, you know, Jehovah'sWitness over here, your mom's uh
focus, all that, what is yourperception or your the way you
(08:55):
view God today in in 2025?
What what's your where have youlanded now in in terms of that,
you know, with the God, whereis God kind of a thing?
Ray Prim (09:06):
You know how I look at it, to be honest with you.
I look at it is is it's theworld's a hard place to live in,
right?
For some for most people.
For most people, it's a hardplace to live in.
Yeah.
And whatever it takes for youto get through it, if it's not
hurting anybody, I'm not veryreligious myself anymore.
Um, I do believe that there's ahigh I like I say, I
(09:27):
something's gotta be out therebecause music is too magical,
right?
It makes you feel it didn'tjust pop out of somewhere, you
know, something then.
So it has to be somethinginspiring.
The fact that I can come upwith a song and I don't know
exactly where it comes from,there has to be something out
there, but it's not something II put my whole attention to.
Like I try to live a good life,I try not to hurt anybody, I
(09:49):
try to be good.
You know, I I live uh that'sfar I learned that from my mom,
and I figured if I'm living likethat, then if I pass away, I've
got whether there's if it'sreal or not.
If it's real, I'm going throughthem doors because I lived a
good life.
You know what I'm saying?
I don't hurt anybody.
I believe uh I believe intreating people the way they
should be treated, um, and I'mkind and I have empathy.
(10:11):
So I I I don't really worry toomuch about, you know, I don't
really pray and all that stuff.
Um, but at the same time, I'mnot one of these people you
shouldn't pray.
Yeah.
You know, I'm not, you know,whatever it takes for you to get
through this world, if it'sBuddha, okay.
If it's Jehovah, okay.
If it's Jesus Christ,Latter-day Saints, okay.
If you're not hurting anybody,and that's what it takes for you
(10:34):
to wake up every day, I'm ahundred percent behind you.
Yeah, at the same time, I thinkthat Christians should feel the
same way towards people like methat don't necessarily want to
go to church, but still believein being good and being a good
person, you know what I mean?
Well, that's how I live mylife.
Dr. Pelè (10:48):
Yeah, no, at the end of the day, it's our God, yeah,
right.
Every single one of us, we werecreated somehow, right?
And and so uh I think we shouldall aspire to God, and if we do
it in our different ways, hey,you know, I have to say one of
your lyrics was the world isbroken.
(11:08):
Um, I mean, first of all, justoverall, I the poetry in this
song for me, and I'm asongwriter, so you know, I'm
critical.
But the the poetry in this songis just profound.
You talk about the world beingbroken, you talk about um hate
being a cancer, uh, and then yougo to well, God's been missing
(11:32):
since 88, and then you talkabout the the the government is
lying.
I mean, you're just jumpingpoetically.
Tell us how you wrote thelyrics on this.
Like, did you first write theselyrics and then the music
showed up, or maybe the musicwas there first?
Like, how did you put thistogether?
It's so complete, is the bestway I can explain it.
Ray Prim (11:51):
I'm I'm I'm a melody guy, so the first thing I come
up with is the melody, and Ihave to make lyrics.
Like some people will writelyrics and they'll make the
lyric, the melody fit around thelyrics, right?
I don't do that, I make thelyrics fit into the melody.
And if it does, so I need tocover a lot of ground, I have to
open my mind out.
(12:11):
So first I'll have a wholebunch of things written down.
Okay, you know, thegovernment's line, and they will
do this, and they do this.
And then, you know, I've beenI've been troubled with it since
1988, but then I went left.
So I can't fit all that in theline, right?
So then I okay, I want a chunkhere, I want a chunk here, I
want a chunk here.
And I just started putting ittogether so melodically makes
sense because I don't, I don'tlike I I I never want to come
(12:32):
off sounding like I'm preaching.
You know, I want people to beable to sing and it and be
enough to where they if theystop.
Like if if I here's my what Itry to do.
The first time around, if youget it all the way, then I don't
feel like I did my job becauseI don't want you to get it right
away.
I want you to enjoy it thefirst time.
Then I want you to come backand be like, oh wait, he said
this.
(12:52):
Yeah.
Wait, then he must mean this.
Yeah.
Now this connects to this.
What does that mean?
And then they're gonna divedeeper and want to do a second
listen.
If they if they get it on thehear the first time, I tell
them, don't go to church, comeback to me.
And I if I say like tell themcompletely what to do, and I
don't make it where they thinkabout it, then I I don't I think
they'll get sick of me.
(13:12):
Like, like, you know, stoppreaching, you know.
I'm like, I don't I don't Idon't want to come off like
that.
Dr. Pelè (13:17):
So and you and you do you hide you hide some of these
secondary messages inside thelyrics, and that's why, for
example, I discovered you knowone section today, and next week
I'm I'm singing another thing.
It's like, wait a second, Ithought song was about you know,
so I keep going deeper, but onthat note, you you seem to be
blending soft core soul, maybeeven a little bit of gospel, a
(13:41):
little bit of I'm hearing AaronNeville.
Sometimes when you do yourvibrato, I'm even hearing you
know, Barry Gibb of the Beaches.
I'm hearing everything, man.
It's like you've got this.
You call your your music earcandy for the soul.
Give us a sense of this idea ofear candy for the soul, the
categories that you you pursue.
Ray Prim (14:01):
Musically, you know what's funny about that?
Shane's cousin described that.
She came up with that.
That's how she felt about it.
I I I I I call myself uh singersoul writer, but she came up,
she's like, I was just like, uh,because I was like, I need a
description for my song, mymusic.
She's like, What would youthink?
She's like, It's ear candy forthe soul.
Dr. Pelè (14:20):
And you gotta remind us who who's Shane now.
You gotta remind us.
Ray Prim (14:23):
That's baby C.
That's my girl.
Baby C.
Shane.
I normally call her Baby C BabyC, but that's Shane.
Her cousin.
All right, uh, came up withthat.
My whole bio, her cousin wrotethat whole thing.
Wow, wow.
I know I'm I'm terrible at thatstuff, but yeah, that's what
she was like saying, it's earcandy for the soul.
I was like, I like that becauseI'm all about the rhythm too.
Yeah, I figured I figure ifyou're gonna talk to people,
(14:46):
make them bob their head.
You know what I'm saying?
Like make them bob, either makethem bob the head or make them
cry.
One or the other.
Dr. Pelè (14:53):
I remember I remember coming to one of your concerts
and and you were doing yourthing, and I looked around and I
could see people just like youknow, they were they were like
you held them because that therewas a depth and and a curiosity
that everybody was feeling atthat time.
You know, another one of yourlyrics that I really like is you
(15:14):
you kind of go aftertechnology, even.
So we've talked aboutgovernment, we've talked about
religion, we've talked, youknow, you went after technology.
I think you said um technologyis is trying its best to
separate us.
Ray Prim (15:27):
That's what it's doing.
Dr. Pelè (15:28):
Well, what what did you mean by that?
Because I think that wasprofound.
Ray Prim (15:32):
They have these algorithms that divide people
live in their bubbles, and it'sbecause of this technology, it's
social media.
One person hears this onestory.
I'll go on my social media andI'm I'm you know, I'm left wing,
whatever you want to call it.
I don't consider myself leftwing, but yeah, all I'll see,
all I'll see is that stuff thatthat that's probe for that.
I won't see anything from thatside, and it's purpose to keep
us divided because if we'redivided, we won't realize who we
(15:55):
really need to focus on, andit's the billionaires of the
world.
You know what I'm saying?
It's like, don't let me getstarted on that.
I'll that's not really, butthat's what I when I said
technology, I'm talking about soI'm covering social media, I'm
covering the government, butthat's that's what it to me,
that's what it is.
It's like social media is madeto divide us.
The guy who invented it, he didit out of not out of love, he
(16:15):
did it to get back at a girl.
You know what I mean?
Wait, wait, are you talkingabout who are you talking about?
I'm talking about Zuckerberg.
Oh, Zuckerberg is a man.
He gets he did it and start hisfirst thing he invented was to
put girls' faces on there andjudge them.
Yeah, and and friend finder orsomething like that.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying?
Negative things.
So if you if you start off withhate, then it's good.
(16:35):
This is where we end up.
You know what I mean?
Like this is you know, he venthe vented it for that.
Dr. Pelè (16:40):
Well, I have to tell you, talking about you know,
Facebook, the one thing that hasalways made me leery of social
media is the idea that we'recalling people friends when we
don't even know who they are.
Like that that is so sneaky.
You know, this is people thinkthey know you know Avatar.
Like this idea of likingpeople, liking friends, the
(17:01):
words they choose, they're sothey get into you, and before
you know it, you're like, Whoa,I have friends.
I don't have friends.
Ray Prim (17:09):
You get upset when you don't have a lot of likes.
Exactly, exactly.
Like, you know, why don't theylike my picture?
Why don't they like my comment?
I've got 5,000 people on hereand only 12 people are liking
it.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, how you gonna have 5,000people and only 12 people like
something?
Only and you know what thething is, and they purposely do
that too.
They only let a certain amountof people see your things so you
(17:30):
don't reach a whole if you wantto reach a whole bunch of
people, you gotta pay.
You gotta get that billionairericher, you know what I'm
saying?
So it's like it is what it is.
Dr. Pelè (17:40):
So, you know, you do call yourself a singer soul
writer, and by the way, that'svery in inventive.
I hope you you know copyrightthat or something.
I like that.
Ray Prim (17:48):
I was trying to, but I couldn't figure out how to do
it.
Dr. Pelè (17:50):
Because that's really that's good.
Singer soul writer, I lovethat.
Um, you call yourself that.
If you if you were to think ofyour your legacy, you know, the
the the footprints that youyou're leaving behind, what
would you want people to sayabout Ray Prim, you know?
Ray Prim (18:07):
Um that I wrote lyrics that that meant something to
them.
You know, I'm not the bestsinger, I'm not the best
musician, but if I could I justwant to connect with people.
And I and and and my favoriteartist is Bill Withers.
He's not the best singer, he'snot the best musician, but his
songs resonate with you longer,and it's and and simpli
(18:27):
simplicity is is is what I love.
Like I love simple, just grabyou.
I don't care about differenttime signatures all over the
place.
I don't care about all thisbusy stuff.
Yeah, I like simple, grab you,make you feel something.
And if I accomplish that, whichI think I've done on a few on a
(18:48):
few songs, I've written over alot, I've written a lot of
songs.
But I think I hit that a coupletimes, a few times, and I want
people to be able to say, youknow what, there was a guy that
that really to meant somethingto me.
Dr. Pelè (18:59):
So if you could go back to when you wrote since 88,
what would you tell yourselfnow that you know what you know?
Now that you're rocking thosemicrophones that we've been
talking about.
Ray Prim (19:10):
I would I would say keep the keep the black fret
money, the two thousand dollarsthat I won to make the record.
Invest in your studio, right?
Invest in your studio.
I would say I would say I wouldI I mean I had a good time
making the record with Omar, butI would say, I'm not lying, I
would go back and say, listen,take this $10,000.
(19:30):
I wouldn't rewrite the songbecause I love the way the song
came out.
But I would take that money andput it invested in my studio
and um just keep on writingthat.
Because that's the that's onethat that is one of the songs I
don't like.
I I don't think I'll everre-record or try to fix it.
I mean, because it turned outgreat.
Um uh I probably re- I wouldprobably re-sing it because you
(19:52):
never you know how you allpeople with our vocals, like I
never feel like my vocals, likeI can't I can't stand the way I
sing, but I think I'll probablytry to redo that.
But as far as lyrics, the wayit goes, I mean I and I you know
what I do sing it differentlynowadays, but you know how that
is too.
You just get sick of singingsomething the same way all over
again.
You kind of change it around.
Dr. Pelè (20:11):
Well, you know, uh, I don't know how big you are into
AI these days.
If you want variety of the samesong in different styles, I've
been you just AI, it'll come upwith whatever, you know.
Ray Prim (20:21):
Well, soon I actually I've been I you know, and I I
know this is probably gonna makesome people mad or whatever,
but um, I just finished my albumand um I decided I've I said
once I finish that album, I'mgonna dive into this thing and
see what's up.
So I've got 200 demos.
Uh of of AI?
No, no, 200 demos of my stuffof over the years that I haven't
done anything with like thissong that I just don't care
(20:42):
about, right?
Yeah, because you know whenyou're writing a song, it's hit
it's hit or miss.
It's like exactly, and Ifigured I was like, I'm gonna
keep all of them just in case,whatever.
Yep.
And so, man, I put one of thosesongs in this in this suno.
It said cover your own song,yep, and pick the soul singer to
sing it.
Uh-huh.
It made me mad.
Why?
Because it was good, it'sbetter than anything I could
(21:05):
ever write.
No, I don't like that thing.
I have to tell you, I I'veexperienced exactly what you're
saying.
It is amazing.
What it wrote, and here's thething, I'm going to, I uh and
I've actually I've used it on acouple of things that I'm
thinking about doing.
I am going to use it to to toflesh out certain ideas.
(21:25):
Like, I'm gonna go throughthose demos.
I mean, there's some things itit wrote that I was like, oh, I
don't like that.
Like you know what I'm saying?
It's it's hit or miss.
And but you can, if youespecially if you're in a
position like me, that you know,I mix other people's stuff and
I mix my stuff, you can takethose stems out, redo some of
the stems, redo some of thestuff, redo some of the drums.
There's a matter of fact, likeI'm I'm glad you there's a song
(21:46):
that I'm acting that I'm one ofthe demos that I really like
that I I I love the way it took,it took a the guitar part that
I was playing, and it turned theguitar part into the bass.
Wow.
And made the the guitar riff,the bass line, and it had some
other stuff around it.
Yeah, and I was like, I wouldhave never thought of that.
Yeah, never.
Dr. Pelè (22:08):
I I have to say AI, a lot of people are you know not
very happy with AI music rightnow.
But the truth is it's gonnamake people like you who are
already professionals, alreadywritten great songs, faster.
Ray Prim (22:22):
That's all it's gonna be faster, and it's gonna also
put me out of job.
Dr. Pelè (22:26):
Well, well, here's the other thing.
People are gonna startproducing their own stuff.
Exactly, because you're you'rean engineer producer too.
So, but the thing is, I mean,sometimes if you ask it for a
guitar, it'll play the guitarbetter than you can.
Ray Prim (22:39):
Or better than for me, that's not hard to do though.
Like anybody can play guitarbetter than me.
You know what I'm saying?
I am listening.
I tell people a thousand timesI am not a music, I don't
consider myself a musician.
Like, I I I I I'm not a badguitarist, but I I'm not a
guitarist guitarist.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm like, I played rhythm.
I'm a I am what I am is a anartist who can produce, arrange,
(23:02):
mix, and write songs, right?
Yeah, so I'm not gonna go outand win a guitar contest.
But I I but what I love aboutthis thing is I don't see it
any.
I when I look at this, and whatI'm this is the main thing I'm
gonna use it for.
I don't see it any differentlythan me trying to get my strings
to come over here to my house.
Dr. Pelè (23:20):
Exactly.
Ray Prim (23:21):
And work on strings.
I will never be able to playstrings, right?
It's a session musician.
I will never be able to dothat.
So, but this thing you go intoSuno, and I give it the track
and say, I want a soul stringright here with such and such
and this key, um, play withthis, like show this much
emotion, and it spat backsomething.
I was like, Amazing, you know?
I'm like, this is I don't haveto hunt down my string players,
(23:43):
like I don't have to bug them.
Like, like, you know what I'msaying?
Like, and I know I I get on thenerves.
I'm like, because I write allthe time.
Yeah, yeah.
So I'm not this is not stoppingme, slowing me down.
It's gonna make you faster, youknow.
Yeah, and then it's like like aif I want a guitar lead, play a
guitar lead here.
Now, I think the thing me a lotof people are complaining about
is like it's stealing fromother artists or whatever, but I
(24:04):
don't even I don't you knowwhat I don't even think like I
was talking to Blevins and hewas like saying I don't think
they even know how it works.
Yeah, well Levins Blevinstelling me he doesn't even think
it knows how to work.
This thing is just learning toput notes and stuff together.
Dr. Pelè (24:17):
Yeah, and and and here's the deal for anybody who
says that they're copyingexisting musicians and getting
ideas and strategies from them.
Uh, how do people write songsagain?
That's what we all do.
If you want to write a song,you have to know a library of
styles and you you you learnedit from somewhere.
Ray Prim (24:37):
So, anyway, but but anyway, you know, it's just it's
just listen, it's just abetter, this is just better.
Yeah, that's all there is toit, okay?
And it's a thing.
People didn't like peopleprobably didn't like the the
like the record players thatcame along, or the daw, you
know.
I mean, you know what I'msaying?
Dr. Pelè (24:52):
So it's an audio workstation, yeah.
It is gonna be what it is.
Ray, you are very humble.
You almost you're not you'realmost talking down on yourself.
I'm gonna I'm gonna stand upright now and say you're a great
singer and a great guitarplayer.
Um, and so I'm not gonna letyou get away with that.
Okay, for people who may nothave seen you live or who know
(25:12):
you, you're just being humble.
All right.
I I wanted to make sure I gotthat in there.
Because I mean, come on, man.
I mean, I love your stuff,you're confident, you you've
been doing this for a minute,and you have something to say.
Now, if music is healing, andyou know, as you sing and do all
the things you do, what healingdo you still find today?
You know, because we picked asong that's something you did a
(25:34):
while ago, but what about today?
How's music treating you todayin your heart?
Ray Prim (25:41):
Man, you know, I uh because I have a song like I
recently encountered.
I don't know if you ever had apanic attack.
Have you ever had one of those?
Maybe well, you'll know, butlike this.
It ain't amazing.
Man, when that thing you feellike you're having a heart
attack, you feel like you likeyou and you just feel down and
and stuff like that, anddepression and stuff like that.
So I it was like during thepandemic, and I was like, you
(26:03):
know, I felt like I just got upto this level, and then this
pandemic comes along, andeverything I was doing knocked
me down.
I was like, man, you know, I'mgetting older.
I was like, this is my chance,I'm about to play here, I got
this, and all that stuff justwent away.
And I was like, man, I don'tfeel like doing this anymore.
I was like just down, and so mygirl's like, you know, you
maybe go to a therapist, andthen my therapist was like
(26:24):
saying, you know, I want you togo home and I want you to write
certain things.
Yeah.
And I wrote a song because alot of stuff, my time, I'm I'm
I'm I'm a when I'm gonna writeit at observed, right?
Uh-huh.
Very seldom is it's personalabout me.
I'll I'll put pieces of me init, but very seldom it's like
the whole thing's about me.
But now this one I was like,okay, I'm gonna write this whole
(26:44):
thing about me.
It's called Mr.
Midlife.
Wow.
And um that was just it, it letme know like the power of me.
The second I wrote that songand I got it out, that fog is
like you know when you gothrough a thing and you come out
the mist.
I wrote that song and startedplaying it, and it was just like
I just came out.
I was like, okay, I'm back.
Wow, you know, I was like, andit's I don't know if you get if
(27:07):
you get a chance, maybe checkplay that too, but that's that's
the one that's the mostpersonal to me, it's Mr.
Midlife.
You know, it's like yeah, I tryto tell anybody with depression
or anything like that, youknow, first go get get yourself
a therapist, and and if you canplay a chord or two, learn
guitar, learn some music, man.
It it is amazing.
Dr. Pelè (27:26):
It is medicine.
In fact, um in one of the songsthat I I've reviewed of mine, I
I talk about music beingtherapy for me.
It's like medicine, it healsme.
Um we agree on that.
Ray Prim, you know, you remindus in my view that brokenness
doesn't mean hopelessness.
Uh I think since 88 is areminder that even when quote
(27:49):
God feels missing, music bringsus closer uh to truth, to each
other, and to something higherthan ourselves.
So Ray, I just want to thankyou so much for being a part of
this and and for for sharingyour song and your experiences
and even the stuff that youdon't understand right now that
you're like how do I love AI ornot?
Ray Prim (28:11):
I think I'm on the fence, but I'm gonna jump over.
You're gonna jump over.
Yeah, I had some big some someguys that tell me first thing I
trust the guys who told me aboutit.
So I'm gonna I'm gonna jump onin.
I've and I've been messing withit, so we shall see.
Dr. Pelè (28:22):
You know, we shall see.
So everyone, uh, thank you forhanging out with us.
Please check out the links toRay's music uh underneath uh
this video.
Uh, make sure you check himout, follow his uh social media,
and uh come back for our nextepisode when we talk about more
songs, more stories, and moresoul.
All the best.
Welcome to Songs and Stories from the Soul, where
every melody carries a message,and songwriters share the faith,
the heart, and the story thatshape their song.
Hey everyone, this is Dr.
Pelè.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
I am so excited to have with meRay Prim, one of the most
(00:22):
powerful, the most magneticpersonalities in the music
business here in Austin.
Let me tell you a little bitabout this and then we'll listen
to the song and come back andtalk to Ray.
So in this episode, we're gonnaexplore how Ray uses melody,
groove, and storytelling to makelisteners feel the truth that
even in a fractured world, musicremains our healing language.
(00:46):
And the song that we've chosenfor this uh process is called
Since 88, one of my favoritesongs.
In fact, Ray, I gotta tell youthis.
When I first moved to Austinand I was looking for the best
musicians around here, and I ranyou know into your song and
this particular song since '88,all these years I've been a fan
of that song, and of course, ofyou.
(01:08):
So I'm really I appreciate youbeing here, man.
Ray Prim (01:10):
How are you doing, by the way?
Thank you for having me.
I'm I'm doing pretty good, man.
I'm hanging in there, stillalive.
Dr. Pelè (01:16):
Still alive.
Ray Prim (01:17):
All right, Sage, I'm blessed to be able to still be
alive.
Dr. Pelè (01:21):
Absolutely.
All right, let's go ahead andlisten to the song, and we'll
talk about Sense88 on the otherside.
Ray Prim (01:58):
See, I believe the world is broken, the sky is
falling, and God's been missingsince eighty eight.
I believe my people are dyingwhile your government's lying,
(02:25):
technology's trying its best toseparate us.
But if you stop and think aboutit, you'll see there's no way
around it.
Someday, someday you'll see,yeah, yeah.
(02:46):
Said if you stop and thinkabout it, you'll see there's no
way around it, and somedayyou'll end up just like me, just
like me, just like me.
(03:09):
You believe the music ishealing, famous people have
feelings.
I believe the hate is a cancer.
(03:34):
Oh, but a wild ain't theanswer.
Just like me, you believe theworld is broken, the sky is
(05:10):
fallen, and God's been missingsince eighty-eight.
Dr. Pelè (05:21):
In Since eighty-eight, Ray Prim channels soul, pain,
and truth into a meditation ondisconnection from God, from
each other, and even fromourselves.
It's both a lament and a loveletter to human resilience,
layered with the warmth ofclassic soul and the edge of
(05:41):
modern commentary.
Ray, how are you doing today,my brother?
Ray Prim (05:46):
I'm doing pretty good.
I'm doing I'm doing reallygood.
I'm doing really good.
Thanks for having me.
Dr. Pelè (05:51):
No, I I absolutely.
So, you know, tell us a littlebit about how this song came to
be.
It's such a a great title, um,since 88.
It's just like, okay, questionmark, what does he mean?
How did this song come to be?
Ray Prim (06:05):
Okay, so so this song has a two-part meaning, right?
So one, the first part is um Iused my mom is a Jehovah's
Witness.
Okay, and so she used to haveme knocking on doors and and all
that stuff, and I would go outand preach and all that stuff.
And then in the year 1988, Idecided enough.
(06:26):
I can't do it anymore.
And so that's what it's likeGod's been missing since 1988.
Now, I'm not saying he's beenmissing as far as been
completely from my life, butthat's when I was like, I don't
want anymore, I can't do itanymore.
I gotta do my own thing.
And then the second fold ofthat song is in 2016, which is
eight plus eight, the man who'sin charge right now came about
(06:49):
on the scene.
And it started my my since thenI've been fighting against him
or trying to get him out.
The political angle came in.
So, yeah, so split if younotice, it's like the our
government's been lying.
Yes.
That's stuff I say like that.
So it's all kind of, you know,I'll talk about a wall, I'll
talk about all this stuff.
(07:09):
So it's a mixture of religionand um and for me, music, music,
when I say that line, uh, musicis healing.
That's what gets gets methrough stuff.
Anytime I'm depressed orwhatever, that's why I I reach
for music.
Um, so it's it's more it's morelike that.
It's it's it's it's it's not onthe line of spiritual as far as
you know, God or human, uh, abigger power.
(07:30):
It's more like music to me wasa bigger power, and I had to
leave the religion because forme, Jehovah's Witnesses just
wasn't my thing.
And two, I had this nemesis.
Well, not as far as nemesis forme, but you know what I mean?
Yeah, eight plus eight, 2016 iswith it.
Where I mean I've always beenkind of political.
I was political with the bandSeven Stones, but then it really
(07:51):
pushed me that way.
Yeah.
And if you start watching mysongs from there, I'm like,
okay, you know, I throw inanother thing to keep people,
you know, not to drive peoplecompletely crazy.
But most of my focus has beenthat way.
And I've been, I've been likethat.
I mean that might have hinderedmy my followings or whatever,
but people who rock with me,they rock with me.
Dr. Pelè (08:11):
So yeah, you know, you know, I have to say, one of the
things I love most aboutinterviewing uh people who've
done, I think, powerful,courageous things like you is
where else are we gonna hearthis story about how you know
it's 88 over here for the year,and it's also 88 over here for
this other meaning and thepolitics and the religion.
That's just so powerful to hearthe background story.
(08:32):
And you know, sometimes, youknow, I wonder, especially when
I heard the line, God's beenmissing since 88.
I was like, wait a second, howfar is he gonna go with the
religion piece?
Um, but let me ask you, sincesince it was a little bit
literal, you know, Jehovah'sWitness over here, your mom's uh
focus, all that, what is yourperception or your the way you
(08:55):
view God today in in 2025?
What what's your where have youlanded now in in terms of that,
you know, with the God, whereis God kind of a thing?
Ray Prim (09:06):
You know how I look at it, to be honest with you.
I look at it is is it's theworld's a hard place to live in,
right?
For some for most people.
For most people, it's a hardplace to live in.
Yeah.
And whatever it takes for youto get through it, if it's not
hurting anybody, I'm not veryreligious myself anymore.
Um, I do believe that there's ahigh I like I say, I
(09:27):
something's gotta be out therebecause music is too magical,
right?
It makes you feel it didn'tjust pop out of somewhere, you
know, something then.
So it has to be somethinginspiring.
The fact that I can come upwith a song and I don't know
exactly where it comes from,there has to be something out
there, but it's not something II put my whole attention to.
Like I try to live a good life,I try not to hurt anybody, I
(09:49):
try to be good.
You know, I I live uh that'sfar I learned that from my mom,
and I figured if I'm living likethat, then if I pass away, I've
got whether there's if it'sreal or not.
If it's real, I'm going throughthem doors because I lived a
good life.
You know what I'm saying?
I don't hurt anybody.
I believe uh I believe intreating people the way they
should be treated, um, and I'mkind and I have empathy.
(10:11):
So I I I don't really worry toomuch about, you know, I don't
really pray and all that stuff.
Um, but at the same time, I'mnot one of these people you
shouldn't pray.
Yeah.
You know, I'm not, you know,whatever it takes for you to get
through this world, if it'sBuddha, okay.
If it's Jehovah, okay.
If it's Jesus Christ,Latter-day Saints, okay.
If you're not hurting anybody,and that's what it takes for you
(10:34):
to wake up every day, I'm ahundred percent behind you.
Yeah, at the same time, I thinkthat Christians should feel the
same way towards people like methat don't necessarily want to
go to church, but still believein being good and being a good
person, you know what I mean?
Well, that's how I live mylife.
Dr. Pelè (10:48):
Yeah, no, at the end of the day, it's our God, yeah,
right.
Every single one of us, we werecreated somehow, right?
And and so uh I think we shouldall aspire to God, and if we do
it in our different ways, hey,you know, I have to say one of
your lyrics was the world isbroken.
(11:08):
Um, I mean, first of all, justoverall, I the poetry in this
song for me, and I'm asongwriter, so you know, I'm
critical.
But the the poetry in this songis just profound.
You talk about the world beingbroken, you talk about um hate
being a cancer, uh, and then yougo to well, God's been missing
(11:32):
since 88, and then you talkabout the the the government is
lying.
I mean, you're just jumpingpoetically.
Tell us how you wrote thelyrics on this.
Like, did you first write theselyrics and then the music
showed up, or maybe the musicwas there first?
Like, how did you put thistogether?
It's so complete, is the bestway I can explain it.
Ray Prim (11:51):
I'm I'm I'm a melody guy, so the first thing I come
up with is the melody, and Ihave to make lyrics.
Like some people will writelyrics and they'll make the
lyric, the melody fit around thelyrics, right?
I don't do that, I make thelyrics fit into the melody.
And if it does, so I need tocover a lot of ground, I have to
open my mind out.
(12:11):
So first I'll have a wholebunch of things written down.
Okay, you know, thegovernment's line, and they will
do this, and they do this.
And then, you know, I've beenI've been troubled with it since
1988, but then I went left.
So I can't fit all that in theline, right?
So then I okay, I want a chunkhere, I want a chunk here, I
want a chunk here.
And I just started putting ittogether so melodically makes
sense because I don't, I don'tlike I I I never want to come
(12:32):
off sounding like I'm preaching.
You know, I want people to beable to sing and it and be
enough to where they if theystop.
Like if if I here's my what Itry to do.
The first time around, if youget it all the way, then I don't
feel like I did my job becauseI don't want you to get it right
away.
I want you to enjoy it thefirst time.
Then I want you to come backand be like, oh wait, he said
this.
(12:52):
Yeah.
Wait, then he must mean this.
Yeah.
Now this connects to this.
What does that mean?
And then they're gonna divedeeper and want to do a second
listen.
If they if they get it on thehear the first time, I tell
them, don't go to church, comeback to me.
And I if I say like tell themcompletely what to do, and I
don't make it where they thinkabout it, then I I don't I think
they'll get sick of me.
(13:12):
Like, like, you know, stoppreaching, you know.
I'm like, I don't I don't Idon't want to come off like
that.
Dr. Pelè (13:17):
So and you and you do you hide you hide some of these
secondary messages inside thelyrics, and that's why, for
example, I discovered you knowone section today, and next week
I'm I'm singing another thing.
It's like, wait a second, Ithought song was about you know,
so I keep going deeper, but onthat note, you you seem to be
blending soft core soul, maybeeven a little bit of gospel, a
(13:41):
little bit of I'm hearing AaronNeville.
Sometimes when you do yourvibrato, I'm even hearing you
know, Barry Gibb of the Beaches.
I'm hearing everything, man.
It's like you've got this.
You call your your music earcandy for the soul.
Give us a sense of this idea ofear candy for the soul, the
categories that you you pursue.
Ray Prim (14:01):
Musically, you know what's funny about that?
Shane's cousin described that.
She came up with that.
That's how she felt about it.
I I I I I call myself uh singersoul writer, but she came up,
she's like, I was just like, uh,because I was like, I need a
description for my song, mymusic.
She's like, What would youthink?
She's like, It's ear candy forthe soul.
Dr. Pelè (14:20):
And you gotta remind us who who's Shane now.
You gotta remind us.
Ray Prim (14:23):
That's baby C.
That's my girl.
Baby C.
Shane.
I normally call her Baby C BabyC, but that's Shane.
Her cousin.
All right, uh, came up withthat.
My whole bio, her cousin wrotethat whole thing.
Wow, wow.
I know I'm I'm terrible at thatstuff, but yeah, that's what
she was like saying, it's earcandy for the soul.
I was like, I like that becauseI'm all about the rhythm too.
Yeah, I figured I figure ifyou're gonna talk to people,
(14:46):
make them bob their head.
You know what I'm saying?
Like make them bob, either makethem bob the head or make them
cry.
One or the other.
Dr. Pelè (14:53):
I remember I remember coming to one of your concerts
and and you were doing yourthing, and I looked around and I
could see people just like youknow, they were they were like
you held them because that therewas a depth and and a curiosity
that everybody was feeling atthat time.
You know, another one of yourlyrics that I really like is you
(15:14):
you kind of go aftertechnology, even.
So we've talked aboutgovernment, we've talked about
religion, we've talked, youknow, you went after technology.
I think you said um technologyis is trying its best to
separate us.
Ray Prim (15:27):
That's what it's doing.
Dr. Pelè (15:28):
Well, what what did you mean by that?
Because I think that wasprofound.
Ray Prim (15:32):
They have these algorithms that divide people
live in their bubbles, and it'sbecause of this technology, it's
social media.
One person hears this onestory.
I'll go on my social media andI'm I'm you know, I'm left wing,
whatever you want to call it.
I don't consider myself leftwing, but yeah, all I'll see,
all I'll see is that stuff thatthat that's probe for that.
I won't see anything from thatside, and it's purpose to keep
us divided because if we'redivided, we won't realize who we
(15:55):
really need to focus on, andit's the billionaires of the
world.
You know what I'm saying?
It's like, don't let me getstarted on that.
I'll that's not really, butthat's what I when I said
technology, I'm talking about soI'm covering social media, I'm
covering the government, butthat's that's what it to me,
that's what it is.
It's like social media is madeto divide us.
The guy who invented it, he didit out of not out of love, he
(16:15):
did it to get back at a girl.
You know what I mean?
Wait, wait, are you talkingabout who are you talking about?
I'm talking about Zuckerberg.
Oh, Zuckerberg is a man.
He gets he did it and start hisfirst thing he invented was to
put girls' faces on there andjudge them.
Yeah, and and friend finder orsomething like that.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying?
Negative things.
So if you if you start off withhate, then it's good.
(16:35):
This is where we end up.
You know what I mean?
Like this is you know, he venthe vented it for that.
Dr. Pelè (16:40):
Well, I have to tell you, talking about you know,
Facebook, the one thing that hasalways made me leery of social
media is the idea that we'recalling people friends when we
don't even know who they are.
Like that that is so sneaky.
You know, this is people thinkthey know you know Avatar.
Like this idea of likingpeople, liking friends, the
(17:01):
words they choose, they're sothey get into you, and before
you know it, you're like, Whoa,I have friends.
I don't have friends.
Ray Prim (17:09):
You get upset when you don't have a lot of likes.
Exactly, exactly.
Like, you know, why don't theylike my picture?
Why don't they like my comment?
I've got 5,000 people on hereand only 12 people are liking
it.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, how you gonna have 5,000people and only 12 people like
something?
Only and you know what thething is, and they purposely do
that too.
They only let a certain amountof people see your things so you
(17:30):
don't reach a whole if you wantto reach a whole bunch of
people, you gotta pay.
You gotta get that billionairericher, you know what I'm
saying?
So it's like it is what it is.
Dr. Pelè (17:40):
So, you know, you do call yourself a singer soul
writer, and by the way, that'svery in inventive.
I hope you you know copyrightthat or something.
I like that.
Ray Prim (17:48):
I was trying to, but I couldn't figure out how to do
it.
Dr. Pelè (17:50):
Because that's really that's good.
Singer soul writer, I lovethat.
Um, you call yourself that.
If you if you were to think ofyour your legacy, you know, the
the the footprints that youyou're leaving behind, what
would you want people to sayabout Ray Prim, you know?
Ray Prim (18:07):
Um that I wrote lyrics that that meant something to
them.
You know, I'm not the bestsinger, I'm not the best
musician, but if I could I justwant to connect with people.
And I and and and my favoriteartist is Bill Withers.
He's not the best singer, he'snot the best musician, but his
songs resonate with you longer,and it's and and simpli
(18:27):
simplicity is is is what I love.
Like I love simple, just grabyou.
I don't care about differenttime signatures all over the
place.
I don't care about all thisbusy stuff.
Yeah, I like simple, grab you,make you feel something.
And if I accomplish that, whichI think I've done on a few on a
(18:48):
few songs, I've written over alot, I've written a lot of
songs.
But I think I hit that a coupletimes, a few times, and I want
people to be able to say, youknow what, there was a guy that
that really to meant somethingto me.
Dr. Pelè (18:59):
So if you could go back to when you wrote since 88,
what would you tell yourselfnow that you know what you know?
Now that you're rocking thosemicrophones that we've been
talking about.
Ray Prim (19:10):
I would I would say keep the keep the black fret
money, the two thousand dollarsthat I won to make the record.
Invest in your studio, right?
Invest in your studio.
I would say I would say I wouldI I mean I had a good time
making the record with Omar, butI would say, I'm not lying, I
would go back and say, listen,take this $10,000.
(19:30):
I wouldn't rewrite the songbecause I love the way the song
came out.
But I would take that money andput it invested in my studio
and um just keep on writingthat.
Because that's the that's onethat that is one of the songs I
don't like.
I I don't think I'll everre-record or try to fix it.
I mean, because it turned outgreat.
Um uh I probably re- I wouldprobably re-sing it because you
(19:52):
never you know how you allpeople with our vocals, like I
never feel like my vocals, likeI can't I can't stand the way I
sing, but I think I'll probablytry to redo that.
But as far as lyrics, the wayit goes, I mean I and I you know
what I do sing it differentlynowadays, but you know how that
is too.
You just get sick of singingsomething the same way all over
again.
You kind of change it around.
Dr. Pelè (20:11):
Well, you know, uh, I don't know how big you are into
AI these days.
If you want variety of the samesong in different styles, I've
been you just AI, it'll come upwith whatever, you know.
Ray Prim (20:21):
Well, soon I actually I've been I you know, and I I
know this is probably gonna makesome people mad or whatever,
but um, I just finished my albumand um I decided I've I said
once I finish that album, I'mgonna dive into this thing and
see what's up.
So I've got 200 demos.
Uh of of AI?
No, no, 200 demos of my stuffof over the years that I haven't
done anything with like thissong that I just don't care
(20:42):
about, right?
Yeah, because you know whenyou're writing a song, it's hit
it's hit or miss.
It's like exactly, and Ifigured I was like, I'm gonna
keep all of them just in case,whatever.
Yep.
And so, man, I put one of thosesongs in this in this suno.
It said cover your own song,yep, and pick the soul singer to
sing it.
Uh-huh.
It made me mad.
Why?
Because it was good, it'sbetter than anything I could
(21:05):
ever write.
No, I don't like that thing.
I have to tell you, I I'veexperienced exactly what you're
saying.
It is amazing.
What it wrote, and here's thething, I'm going to, I uh and
I've actually I've used it on acouple of things that I'm
thinking about doing.
I am going to use it to to toflesh out certain ideas.
(21:25):
Like, I'm gonna go throughthose demos.
I mean, there's some things itit wrote that I was like, oh, I
don't like that.
Like you know what I'm saying?
It's it's hit or miss.
And but you can, if youespecially if you're in a
position like me, that you know,I mix other people's stuff and
I mix my stuff, you can takethose stems out, redo some of
the stems, redo some of thestuff, redo some of the drums.
There's a matter of fact, likeI'm I'm glad you there's a song
(21:46):
that I'm acting that I'm one ofthe demos that I really like
that I I I love the way it took,it took a the guitar part that
I was playing, and it turned theguitar part into the bass.
Wow.
And made the the guitar riff,the bass line, and it had some
other stuff around it.
Yeah, and I was like, I wouldhave never thought of that.
Yeah, never.
Dr. Pelè (22:08):
I I have to say AI, a lot of people are you know not
very happy with AI music rightnow.
But the truth is it's gonnamake people like you who are
already professionals, alreadywritten great songs, faster.
Ray Prim (22:22):
That's all it's gonna be faster, and it's gonna also
put me out of job.
Dr. Pelè (22:26):
Well, well, here's the other thing.
People are gonna startproducing their own stuff.
Exactly, because you're you'rean engineer producer too.
So, but the thing is, I mean,sometimes if you ask it for a
guitar, it'll play the guitarbetter than you can.
Ray Prim (22:39):
Or better than for me, that's not hard to do though.
Like anybody can play guitarbetter than me.
You know what I'm saying?
I am listening.
I tell people a thousand timesI am not a music, I don't
consider myself a musician.
Like, I I I I I'm not a badguitarist, but I I'm not a
guitarist guitarist.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm like, I played rhythm.
I'm a I am what I am is a anartist who can produce, arrange,
(23:02):
mix, and write songs, right?
Yeah, so I'm not gonna go outand win a guitar contest.
But I I but what I love aboutthis thing is I don't see it
any.
I when I look at this, and whatI'm this is the main thing I'm
gonna use it for.
I don't see it any differentlythan me trying to get my strings
to come over here to my house.
Dr. Pelè (23:20):
Exactly.
Ray Prim (23:21):
And work on strings.
I will never be able to playstrings, right?
It's a session musician.
I will never be able to dothat.
So, but this thing you go intoSuno, and I give it the track
and say, I want a soul stringright here with such and such
and this key, um, play withthis, like show this much
emotion, and it spat backsomething.
I was like, Amazing, you know?
I'm like, this is I don't haveto hunt down my string players,
(23:43):
like I don't have to bug them.
Like, like, you know what I'msaying?
Like, and I know I I get on thenerves.
I'm like, because I write allthe time.
Yeah, yeah.
So I'm not this is not stoppingme, slowing me down.
It's gonna make you faster, youknow.
Yeah, and then it's like like aif I want a guitar lead, play a
guitar lead here.
Now, I think the thing me a lotof people are complaining about
is like it's stealing fromother artists or whatever, but I
(24:04):
don't even I don't you knowwhat I don't even think like I
was talking to Blevins and hewas like saying I don't think
they even know how it works.
Yeah, well Levins Blevinstelling me he doesn't even think
it knows how to work.
This thing is just learning toput notes and stuff together.
Dr. Pelè (24:17):
Yeah, and and and here's the deal for anybody who
says that they're copyingexisting musicians and getting
ideas and strategies from them.
Uh, how do people write songsagain?
That's what we all do.
If you want to write a song,you have to know a library of
styles and you you you learnedit from somewhere.
Ray Prim (24:37):
So, anyway, but but anyway, you know, it's just it's
just listen, it's just abetter, this is just better.
Yeah, that's all there is toit, okay?
And it's a thing.
People didn't like peopleprobably didn't like the the
like the record players thatcame along, or the daw, you
know.
I mean, you know what I'msaying?
Dr. Pelè (24:52):
So it's an audio workstation, yeah.
It is gonna be what it is.
Ray, you are very humble.
You almost you're not you'realmost talking down on yourself.
I'm gonna I'm gonna stand upright now and say you're a great
singer and a great guitarplayer.
Um, and so I'm not gonna letyou get away with that.
Okay, for people who may nothave seen you live or who know
(25:12):
you, you're just being humble.
All right.
I I wanted to make sure I gotthat in there.
Because I mean, come on, man.
I mean, I love your stuff,you're confident, you you've
been doing this for a minute,and you have something to say.
Now, if music is healing, andyou know, as you sing and do all
the things you do, what healingdo you still find today?
You know, because we picked asong that's something you did a
(25:34):
while ago, but what about today?
How's music treating you todayin your heart?
Ray Prim (25:41):
Man, you know, I uh because I have a song like I
recently encountered.
I don't know if you ever had apanic attack.
Have you ever had one of those?
Maybe well, you'll know, butlike this.
It ain't amazing.
Man, when that thing you feellike you're having a heart
attack, you feel like you likeyou and you just feel down and
and stuff like that, anddepression and stuff like that.
So I it was like during thepandemic, and I was like, you
(26:03):
know, I felt like I just got upto this level, and then this
pandemic comes along, andeverything I was doing knocked
me down.
I was like, man, you know, I'mgetting older.
I was like, this is my chance,I'm about to play here, I got
this, and all that stuff justwent away.
And I was like, man, I don'tfeel like doing this anymore.
I was like just down, and so mygirl's like, you know, you
maybe go to a therapist, andthen my therapist was like
(26:24):
saying, you know, I want you togo home and I want you to write
certain things.
Yeah.
And I wrote a song because alot of stuff, my time, I'm I'm
I'm I'm a when I'm gonna writeit at observed, right?
Uh-huh.
Very seldom is it's personalabout me.
I'll I'll put pieces of me init, but very seldom it's like
the whole thing's about me.
But now this one I was like,okay, I'm gonna write this whole
(26:44):
thing about me.
It's called Mr.
Midlife.
Wow.
And um that was just it, it letme know like the power of me.
The second I wrote that songand I got it out, that fog is
like you know when you gothrough a thing and you come out
the mist.
I wrote that song and startedplaying it, and it was just like
I just came out.
I was like, okay, I'm back.
Wow, you know, I was like, andit's I don't know if you get if
(27:07):
you get a chance, maybe checkplay that too, but that's that's
the one that's the mostpersonal to me, it's Mr.
Midlife.
You know, it's like yeah, I tryto tell anybody with depression
or anything like that, youknow, first go get get yourself
a therapist, and and if you canplay a chord or two, learn
guitar, learn some music, man.
It it is amazing.
Dr. Pelè (27:26):
It is medicine.
In fact, um in one of the songsthat I I've reviewed of mine, I
I talk about music beingtherapy for me.
It's like medicine, it healsme.
Um we agree on that.
Ray Prim, you know, you remindus in my view that brokenness
doesn't mean hopelessness.
Uh I think since 88 is areminder that even when quote
(27:49):
God feels missing, music bringsus closer uh to truth, to each
other, and to something higherthan ourselves.
So Ray, I just want to thankyou so much for being a part of
this and and for for sharingyour song and your experiences
and even the stuff that youdon't understand right now that
you're like how do I love AI ornot?
Ray Prim (28:11):
I think I'm on the fence, but I'm gonna jump over.
You're gonna jump over.
Yeah, I had some big some someguys that tell me first thing I
trust the guys who told me aboutit.
So I'm gonna I'm gonna jump onin.
I've and I've been messing withit, so we shall see.
Dr. Pelè (28:22):
You know, we shall see.
So everyone, uh, thank you forhanging out with us.
Please check out the links toRay's music uh underneath uh
this video.
Uh, make sure you check himout, follow his uh social media,
and uh come back for our nextepisode when we talk about more
songs, more stories, and moresoul.
All the best.
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