Allen Saunders was an American writer and cartoonist who once said “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans”.

It was later popularised by John Lennon in his song, Beautiful Boy.

Saunders first said this in 1957 and I guess how I see this is that many of us still spend time planning ahead, creating goals and objectives, trying to weed out uncertainty, only for that uncertainty to keep coming back, those unexpected things to happen which can derail our plans – either for better or for worse. 

If I think of a few things that have really changed my life (outside of my kids), they came about by chance, I couldn’t have predicted them or planned for them. They just happened.

Like when I first discovered punk rock – when I was 11 or 12, my mum and dad’s neighbour, with no real prompting, handed me a compilation with Judy Is A Punk on it and that was it – the Ramones changed my life….and not always for the good my dad would have said

Or how my parents starting to get ill a few years ago was a completely unexpected catalyst for me to get back into playing the cello. Never thought it would happen.

Serendipity, synchronicity, karma, energy…. how these things work together to open our mind to new things, to new ways of doing things, to new people, new ideas, really interests me, and only makes me firmer in the belief that our mindset is the most important asset we have for grasping these encounters and shaping who we are.

So, with their excellent second album as Venamoris imminent – it’s called To Cross or To Burn - I was thrilled to welcome Paula and Dave Lombardo and they very kindly indulged me in my incoherent ramblings. This is a really beautiful chat about their own tales of taking chances, the unexpected, self-belief, instinct, and their life journeys both individually and together.

https://www.iwannajumplikedeedee.com


I Wanna Jump Like Dee Dee is the music podcast that does music interviews differently.

Giles Sibbald talks to musicians, DJ’s and producers about how they use an experimental mindset in every part of their lives.

- brought to you from the mothership of the experimental mindset™
- cover art by Giles Sibbald
- doodle logo and art by Tide Adesanya, Coppie and Paste