May 22, 2026 · 2h 3m
Skylar Grey trades the music industry grind for rural life and conservation
#2504 - Skylar Grey
Understanding the psychological toll of the music industry highlights why prominent artists are choosing rural self-reliance and creative independence.
- 1Skylar Grey discusses her artistic evolution from a child performer to releasing her independent album Wasted Potential.
- 2A move to a rural environment provided vital psychological benefits and a healthier creative outlet away from industry pressures.
- 3The daily realities of country living spark a broader discussion on livestock protection and American wildlife conservation history.
The brief
Grammy-nominated artist Skylar Grey joins Joe Rogan to trace her journey from a child performer to a solo artist, highlighting the release of her new album, Wasted Potential, and her shift away from the traditional music industry grind.
Grey discusses her transition to a rural lifestyle, explaining how moving close to nature provided psychological benefits that helped her escape the intense pressures of her early career and find a healthier creative rhythm.
The conversation shifts to the practical realities of country living, exploring the daily challenges of protecting livestock from predators and how these experiences reshape one's relationship with the natural world.
Rogan and Grey also examine the history of wildlife conservation in America, reflecting on how human development and environmental management have altered ecosystems and changed how people interact with local wildlife.
What was said on this episode
39 statements · 19 positive · 13 negative · 2 mixed · 5 neutral
AI currently cannot write music with comparable emotional depth
“I don't think it's capable of writing stuff with this much emotion yet”
Listen at 1:24
Human-authored music creates a valued connection through the creator’s spirit and creativity
“there's this connection with their. Their spirit and their creativity that comes out”
Listen at 1:47
Technological advances, including AI, provide tools for creatives to express their visions
“To me, I see them as just tools that creatives can use to get their vision across.”
Listen at 2:56
AI can generate entire songs imitating Skylar Grey’s musical identity
“they're making entire song. They can make a total Skyler Gray category.”
Listen at 3:46
AI-generated music quality will improve because the technology is new
“It's only going to get better, you know, Cuz it's so new.”
Listen at 3:57
AI will increase appreciation for human-made art, nuance, and imperfection
“I think it'll make us value real human made art more and value like nuance and mistakes”
Listen at 5:59
Society should pay teachers very well to attract capable educators
“You would pay them really well.”
Listen at 15:55
Modern formal schooling was designed primarily to produce factory workers
“it was essentially designed to make factory workers.”
Listen at 16:56
Joe Rogan evaluates ADHD traits as potentially being a superpower
“I think it's a superpower.”
Listen at 18:18
Los Angeles currently appears economically unrecognizable and filled with vacancies
“Every sign has a for. Every building has a for lease sign on it. It's like, this is nuts. Like, it's hard to believe that this is that.”
Listen at 25:49
Moving automotive plants to Mexico caused Detroit-area economies to collapse
“when they did that, the entire economy of Detroit and Flint, Michigan and all these areas just collapsed.”
Listen at 26:14
A $34,000 annual income likely falls within the global top 5–10%, not top 1%
“More careful tools and data sets now suggest that $34,000 places you well above the global median, but likely closer to roughly the top 5 to 10% worldwide rather than the top 1%.”
Listen at 32:30
Average US starting teacher salary is approximately $48,000 annually
“The average starting teacher salary, about $48,000.”
Listen at 34:03
Politicians should identify the best teachers and maximize their compensation
“we need to really find the best teachers and pay them the most amount of money that we can afford”
Listen at 35:07
Dry farming makes grapevine roots grow deeper and can increase flavor
“it makes the vines struggle in a good way, so it makes them reach deeper. Like, the. The roots reach deeper into the ground, and so you get more, like, flavor”
Listen at 44:10
Glass Rock Cabernet is harvested earlier for lower-sugar, lower-alcohol, delicate wine
“we're picking a little bit earlier, lower sugars, lower alcohol. It's really delicious. Delicate, beautiful wine.”
Listen at 45:51
Living in Los Angeles harmed Skylar Grey’s creativity
“living in LA really ruined my creativity.”
Listen at 51:26
Extended Tetris play can cause people to perceive falling game shapes
“if you play Tetris for too long, you start seeing like the shapes falling, you hallucinate, basically.”
Listen at 56:24
Maintaining eye contact supposedly prevents mountain lions from attacking
“apparently, like, eye contact with a mountain lion, like, they won't attack.”
Listen at 1:00:54
Recent estimates place average annual Sundarbans tiger deaths at 22–23 people
“most recent expert estimates put the average about 22 to 23 human deaths per year in the sundarbans”
Listen at 1:02:43
Bear meat from berry-eating bears can be exceptionally delicious
“if you catch one that's been eating blueberries, it's like, some of the most delicious meat.”
Listen at 1:20:07
Elk meat is highly nutrient-rich.
“It's got so much nutrients in it.”
Listen at 1:21:07
Rifle hunting guarantees deer success on Lanai.
“if you use a rifle, it's a hundred percent guaranteed.”
Listen at 1:21:15
Lanai has 30,000 deer and 3,000 people, creating pressure for population control.
“There's so many of them, you have to kill them. There's. On lanai in particular, there's 30,000 deer and 3,000 people.”
Listen at 1:21:20
Axis deer can evade arrows after hearing a bowshot from 30 yards.
“if you shoot at one that's 30 yards away and it hears that the bow go off, it'll be out of the way before the arrow gets to it.”
Listen at 1:22:10
Afternoon wind improves axis deer hunting by masking hunters’ sound.
“the best time to go was at night. Not at night, but in the afternoon, because in the afternoon it's much windier. And so it hides your sound”
Listen at 1:23:11
Lanai axis deer are hunted year-round without an off-season.
“they get hunted 365 days a year. There's no off season.”
Listen at 1:23:22
Only one of 150 subsequent hunters succeeded with a bow.
“after that, 150 different people went the next year and only one of them was successful with a bow.”
Listen at 1:24:19
Wild game meat cannot legally be sold in America.
“wild game meat in America you can't sell.”
Listen at 1:25:01
Most restaurant elk served in America comes from New Zealand.
“I think most of the elk that they serve in restaurants in America is coming from New Zealand”
Listen at 1:25:14
Maui Nui sells, freezes, and ships venison to customers.
“you could buy actual venison, and they'll freeze it and then ship it to you.”
Listen at 1:26:32
Bob the butcher can process and package hunted deer for customers.
“He'll butcher them for you and package it for you and all that jazz.”
Listen at 1:27:20
Lanai hunting can provide a year’s venison supply within a few days.
“you could, like, literally get a year supply of your meat in, like, a few days”
Listen at 1:27:40
Self-imposed pressure suppresses Skylar Grey’s songwriting creativity.
“because I put that pressure on myself, it kind of shut down my creativity and it made it really hard for me to do that.”
Listen at 1:35:01
Less effort tends to produce better songs than intensive overthinking.
“The songs that, like, take less effort tend to be the better songs. And the songs that I slave over to try to get them better, perfect and overthink, they end up doing nothing.”
Listen at 1:40:25
Songwriters should balance allowing inspiration with deliberately making time.
“I can't force it, but I also can't be lazy and, like, just avoid it completely”
Listen at 1:42:12
Daily professional creative practice will produce results.
“if you just show up every day and treat it like that, it will work.”
Listen at 1:43:26
Regular songwriting practice makes songwriting easier for Skylar Grey.
“it's also kind of like a muscle, like, songwriting for me. Once I get into a songwriting zone, it's like, coming, like, way easier all the time.”
Listen at 1:48:10
Skylar Grey aims to release one album annually rather than every five years.
“My goal in regards to that is to put out an album every year instead of every five years.”
Listen at 1:54:53
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.