Everything Is Stories

Created and produced by Mike Martinez and Tyler Wray, Everything is Stories is an ongoing survey of personal histories. Each episode is a first person narrative from someone who has lived through consequential changes to their notion of self and the world.  Harry Crews said it best: “Nothing is allowed to die in a society of story telling people. It is all–the good and the bad–carted up and brought along from one generation to the next And everything that is brought along is colored and shaped by those who bring it.” If that is so, is what they bring with them true? I’m convinced that it is.” We don’t record to defend or demonstrate an idea. Rather, we create a document of what was seen and felt during their transformative experiences. Take a listen. Start anywhere. You may find a new definition of reality’s highs and lows. Know of a story or storyteller? Send us your tales of genuine characters and unfamiliar places for consideration to: HQ@everythingisstories.com. No story too troubled, no atmosphere too strange, no realm too foreign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tommy Cotter worked as a soundman for network television show COPS. For one year, Cotter experienced several forms of crime alongside officers in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Fort Wayne, Texas. He captured sound of prostitution stings, robberies, and domestic disputes. Ten years after leaving the job, Cotter reveals how this experience transformed him. ****** **** is a photographer who spent time as a crime scene specialist in a southwestern state. He recounts the elaborate hiring process which included a lie detector test, a mock crime scene, and a trip to the morgue. Photographing evidence, suspects, and autopsies, the experience began affecting his subconscious. Memories forgotten resurfaced, and the elements of a crime scene even began appearing in his personal photography. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by William Cody Watson. Transcript are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diego Palma is a healer. Kush is a shaman. Both are located in Peru.Their methods for spiritual discovery include medicine songs, mantras, icaros, tobacco smoke, and ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a brew made from the caapi vine and the chacruna shrub. Amazonas have used ayahuasca for centuries. When ingested, it opens the mind to cosmic possibilities. Peter Gersten is a retired lawyer. In 1987, he sued the United States Government for UFO information. Years later, Gersten began following visions and signs which led him to Sedona, Arizona. He began to believe reality was a simulation that could be manipulated by action. On December 21, 2012, Gersten traveled to the top of Bell Rock, a butte with an elevation of 600 ft. There, he believed a portal would open that could take him to the center of the universe, but only if he jumped into it. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Kwaidan and William Cody Watson. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally released in 1969, Dave Bixby’s Ode to Quetzacoatl is considered an underground classic in the psychedelic folk genre. With tracks such as “Drug Song” and “666″, the album remains dark, revelatory, and spiritual even in the 21st century. For years, rumors of Bixby’s disappearance and death spread amongst listeners. No one knew his story or his whereabouts or what influenced him to create an album dedicated to a Mesoamerican deity. He was a mystery. In this episode Everything Is Stories finds Dave Bixby in Northern Arizona where he shares his incredible adventures with hallucinogens in the 60s, a Christian cult in the 70s, sailing the open sea alone in the 80s, and what exactly influenced him to produce an album named after a feathered serpent. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Dave Bixby with additional music by Khris Reinshagen of Nostilevo and Men of Bissau. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After surviving cancer, Forrest Fenn, a dealer of antique luxuries, hid a treasure chest filled with gold coins, gold dust, gold nuggets, rubies, and other valuable things. The treasure is said to be worth over one million dollars, and he’s only given clues to where it may be in his poetry, prose, and the occasional television appearance. In this story, Forrest Fenn is interviewed at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he shares stories from his childhood, experiences of being a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, and what exactly made him want to hide a treasure. Local friends and treasure hunters also describe their encounters with Fenn and ideas of where the treasure may be found. Music by High Aura’d. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mat Fraser is a performance artist who starred on the FX television show American Horror Story: Freak Show. Born with phocomelia, a condition that results in malformation of the limbs, Fraser embraces his disability through activism, art, and the carnie-sideshow experience. In this episode, Fraser tells the stories of his condition, his relationship with Coney Island, and how he entered show business with a physical deformity. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by PC Worship. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lois Gibson is considered by many to be the most successful forensic artist in the world. Using skills in art, witness interviewing, and facial reconstruction, Gibson has helped solve over 1,200 cases by sketching portraits of both victims and criminals all over the United States. In 2005, she was even placed in the Guinness Book of World Records because of her success in suspect identifications. EIS finds Gibson at her home in Spring, Texas where she tells stories of an early career in modeling, surviving a brutal attack, and her fascination with faces. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by High Aura’d and Mike Shiflet. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a young man growing up in the Dominican Republic, Miguel Vargas-Caba had an early interest in foreign language. With minimal resources in a country wrapped up in political turmoil and an eventual civil war, Cabas began writing to people overseas to request books and stamps for his collection. After teaching himself various languages from Latin to Russian, it was ultimately his curiosity in the latter that would land him in the United States after his mother feared for his life amongst an anti-communist culture. After adjusting to life in the U.S., Vargas-Caba would eventually earn his green card and contribute to the work force for the next 30 years in the computer industry. In the days following the attacks on 9/11 he would put his love of language to the test. Music by Lee Noble and Cough Cool.You can hear and purchase their music over at Pale Blue Records. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over 30 years, Peter Willcox has been a sea captain for Greenpeace, an environmental organization based out of Amsterdam. Willcox helps international campaigns against whaling, anti-nuclear activities, and global warming. In this episode, he tells his experiences of growing up in an activist family, his first protest at sea, being attacked by the French government and jailed in Russia. He also shares the history of the Rainbow Warrior, the famous Greenpeace vessel that continues to sail today. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Villages. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scooter Tramp Scotty is a writer who’s lived on the road for over 20 years. Traveling across North America on an old Harley Davidson, Scotty never stays in a single place more than two months. In this episode, we find Scotty in New Orleans, Louisiana and Harlingen, Texas where he talks about becoming a drifter, finding places to stay, and the loneliness of the road. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Destruction Unit. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

B.B. St. Roman is the only staff member for the New Orleans Police Department Homeless Assistant Unit. Before helping the homeless, she traveled the world, recording sound for documentaries involving shamans, Buddhist monks, and Mother Teresa. And at one point, she became the tour manager for Dr. John, Louisiana musician and legend. Now, she works full-time with the homeless. She tells her stories of Hurricane Katrina, shelter issues in the city, as well as planning and dreaming of ways to help those living in the streets. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Holy Gallows. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At age 15, novelist Vanessa Veselka ran away from home and began living life as a hitchhiker in the United States during the 1980s. From highway to highway, coast to coast, truck stop to truck stop, Veselka experienced poverty, perversion, and a showdown with a potential serial killer. She shares her story at the MacDowell Colony for Artists where she works on her second novel, Light the Lamp With the Last of the Whale Oil (Riverhead Books). Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Dan Svizeny. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first seven years of her life, Sulome Anderson never met her father, journalist Terry Anderson. Three months before she was born, her father was kidnapped and imprisoned by Shiite Muslim militants in Lebanon. Through hostage videos and letters, Sulome began forming an image of a perfect parent. But after his release, she soon realized Terry Anderson was not the person she imagined. Years later, Sulome began investigating the events that led to her father’s kidnapping. In this episode, she tells her story of a personal journey into the Middle East and confronting the extremists responsible for her family’s fracture. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Gerwitz’s son was born on April 20th, 1988 and kidnapped four hours later. In this story, Gerwitz describes the peculiar circumstances of the disappearance which includes his hometown, a lifelong friend, and the many corridors of Interstate 40. Gerwitz also explains his emotions at the time which ranged from paranoia to forgiveness. 20 years later, he wonders if the whole experience was a coincidence or miracle. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by J.S. Aurelius. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An anonymous couple live in an undisclosed part of northern California. Spearheading the back-to-the-land hippie movement, the Husband moved to the area in the early 70s while the Wife traveled the world as part of the Peace Corps. Now, the couple’s home rests off the grid where they grow a very special garden. This garden provides a peaceful and private lifestyle for the marriage. But what happens when outsiders jeopardize the couple’s way of life? Will the garden be destroyed? Or can the couple preserve their land and everything that grows within it? Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Holy Gallows. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robin Baker dreamed of becoming a Hollywood starlet. As a teenager in the 60s, she became a Whisky a Go Go dancer, socializing with famous actors and musicians. After meeting and marrying Jim Baker, a World War II veteran, restaurant owner, and spiritual leader in Los Angeles, Robin’s life took a different path. With her husband, she established the Source Family, a commune with over 140 members. But when Jim changed his name to Father Yod and adopted strange rules for the commune, Robin’s role in the family changed forever. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Filthy Huns. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After anti-war protests at Washington University in 1970, Howard Mechanic became the first person arrested and charged under the Civil Obedience Act. Claiming innocence, Mechanic jumped bail to avoid prison time. He moved out West and created a new identity. For 28 years, he lived as Gary Tredway while raising a family and starting his own business. But what happens when Gary Tredway’s background is questioned? Can he continue under an assumed name or will his past finally be open to the public? Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by GOG (Mike Bjella). Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At age seven, Hector Barajas crossed the Mexico border into United States as an illegal citizen. His family soon settled in Compton, California, where Hector encountered crime, gang violence, and racial division. Hector escaped the lifestyle by joining the United States Army as a non-citizen, becoming a medic for the 82nd Airborne Division. But personal problems soon led him to honorable discharge, prison, and deportation back to Mexico. In the first episode of this two-part series, Hector chronicles the humanity of being banished, and how he seeks to return to the country he once swore to protect. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Sontag Shogun. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final part of this series, EIS visits the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana. Commonly known as “The Bunker” by residents, the house hosts veterans released from the military and deported out of the United States. A number of veterans tell stories of hardships in Mexico, efforts to join military branches in other countries, and retaining American pride after banishment. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by Sontag Shogun. Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over two decades, Duane “Chili” Yazzie has been an activist for Native American rights. Of the Navajo tribe, Chili has spent his life on the reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, following tribal traditions and questioning the relationship between Native Peoples and Anglo-Americans. As a young man, he became a member of the influential Native American rock band, XIT, playing at political rallies across the United States. Chili would later become involved in Navajo politics, being sworn into the administration of the Shiprock Chapter House, where he now serves as president. In this story, Chili explains the principles of the Diné people, while also recalling his experiences of the United States Indian Affairs relocation program, armed take-overs of corporate factories, political riots in the Navajo Capital, and an assassination attempt by a local white man to take Chili’s life. A LINE DRAWN IN THE REZ DIRT illustrates the struggle of Native Americans transitioning into a modern day America that has renounced the traditions of its past. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by High Aura’d. Transcripts available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices