MP: You bring up a good point that is central in a lot of what's wrong right now, is that we've lost the ability to civilly debate and people can't handle hearing viewpoints that don't necessarily mesh with theirs, but have legitimacy.
TM: Good art is here to inspire conversation and inspire discussion. It goes back to exactly what you're saying, people are incapable of having these discussions and conversations, which is what the music and good art exists for. If people are too scared to have the conversation about the art that's inspiring the conversation, it is going to be labeled negatively because they're afraid.
MP: You mentioned that wrestling injuries played a part of you becoming a musician. Talk about your time in the ring as a wrestler.
TM: I started wrestling when I was 14 and had my first match after one month of training. I was a real natural. I picked it up quick and I have more injuries than I can count. My right shoulder has been blown out multiple times. I lost half of my right ear to a golf club in a hardcore match. I actually scooped up the piece of ear and stuck it in my pocket and they sewed it back on at the hospital. I have a real gnarly scar that kind of cuts my ear in half. I got a reputation for being a little bit of a prick. I don't think that I really was, the issue was I'd had a couple hundred matches by the time I was 17. I had wrestled on pay-per-view and toured the country, and I had a really good idea of what was going on in the pro wrestling business. I also had a natural ability to tell a story in a wrestling ring, but I'm wrestling guys twice my age, 35, 40 years old, and they're coming to me saying we can do this and this and this tonight, and we can try that. And I'm telling them that we're not going to do that and the match needs to be structured this way, and this is a better way to get to the finish. Guys didn't like hearing that from a kid, so I got this reputation of kind of being difficult to work with. They started putting me in the ring with hookers, which are people who are intentionally trying to hurt you because of your political standing within the wrestling business.
MP: Were you aware there were people like that? Seems like if you weren't, it could be a dangerous situation.
TM: So I'm in the ring one night, and before the match, everything's all cool and stuff. I have no idea