Scars Remind Us The Past Is Real: Aaron Gwyn Meets Mike Perry On JUST PRESS RECORD

Aaron Gwyn brought up the Cormac McCarthy quote from All The Pretty Horses, that "Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real."

Now, he brought it up while showing off the scar on his finger. The one from when it got severed in a go-kart incident when he was 9. Mike Perry and I were well impressed by the story and the scar. Well, I was impressed, Mike was mostly curious if the chainsaw chain cut it clean off or not.

Because Mike wears some scars, too. Not talking solely physical, but psychological, in stories, and how those are scars just the same. In fifth-grade a teacher he loved accused him of plagiarism - fairly, in hindsight. It took Mike’s parents coming to school and explaining how voraciously he read at home to clear the slate, and the accusation and defense left a mark on how doubt and credibility show up in the world.

A scar on a finger and a scarred memory aren’t really that different. They’re reminders that the past is real. They’re reminders that we lived through it. And they’re reminders that survival can make for a good story. Even if where we are now - we feel like it’s impossible to imagine how we got here.

And maybe that makes it essential to remember that scars ARE stories of our past.

I wanted to introduce Aaron and Mike because between the midwestern upbringings and blue collar backgrounds, they both have a way with words you don’t really encounter in fancy writer circles. I’m convinced it comes out of their individual obsessions with good story telling. But I had a hunch the foundation for their work today is the not often discussed or celebrated experiences they had growing up in odd situations in small towns.

If you don’t feel like you fit in, or can’t figure out who you fooled to end up where you are today, this one is especially for you.

Warning, there is some graphic talk in this one. And, we laugh at said graphic talk. Sometimes really hard.

But we’re only laughing because there’s also some extremely heartwarming talk in this one too. From why mentors - for both of them - changed their lives, to why real friends and real community are the only way to stay human.

I aspire to be able to write with the wit and clarity of these two men. Getting them to hang out - and to be able to record it - I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel releasing this episode.

Aaron Gwyn meets Mike Perry for the first time ever, out now on Just Press Record: