HeyJaredThe Thought Distillery
Welcome to The Thought Distillery where every Tuesday I supply you with a new video-essay that isn't overly serious, doesn't project perfection yet is thought-provoking. If this appeals to you, stick around!
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 11
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 10, 2026
Latest issues
Why Imperfect Music Always Wins (opens the original)
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A like on YouTube would help :)We all know that imperfection is more human than perfection right? Well why is it that when it comes to commercial music, it’s all squeaky clean and any imperfections have been polished away. Now I’m resisting the urge to start trashing modern musicians for sounding over-produced (cough Ed Sheeran), so let’s instead look at musicians that are proudly rough around the edges. What do I mean by that? Well I don’t mean physically if I did Neil Young would be on the lis
Your Favourite Artist Might Be a Psyop (And That’s Okay?) (opens the original)
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A like on YouTube would go a long way!Recently, as I’ve got nothing better to do, I’ve been thinking about the ethics of artist’s manufacturing their popularity, and whether making it in music is really just pay to win.I’ll be looking at the prime example with the band that sounds like The Strokes on Xanax, Geese. They’ve been in hot water as of late, not ideal for an aquatic bird, sorry that was weak, anyway before looking at their manufactured buzz that brought them controversy, my hot ta
Is This the Best Song Ever Written? (opens the original)
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A like on YouTube would help a lot!Today we’re looking at what I think is the most philosophically rich song there is —one that’ll stay relevant for as long as we’re resisting the AI overlords. You’ve seen the title, it’s by the Nobel prize no show Bob Dylan with his 7 minute stream of consciousness “It’s alright Ma, I’m only Bleeding”. Off the bat, what’s crazy is he was only 23 when he wrote this 15 verse masterpiece. I mean when I was 23 I
7 Pop Songs That Are Deceptively Deep (opens the original)
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A like on YouTube would help :)Today we’re looking at 7 pop songs which, on the surface seem like harmless poppy-schlock but, when you dig into the lyrics they’re actually way darker and deeper than the melody lures you into believing. Hopefully these songs won’t feel like they belong in the “I’m14andthisisdeep” subreddit but that’s for you to decide.Also, I’m bound to miss some gems so let me know of any others that belong on this list.With that out the way let’s look at numb
7 Songs That Sound Romantic... But Aren’t (opens the original)
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Today we’re looking at 7 songs that may masquerade as love songs but, when you dig into the lyrics, they’re about as romantic as a restraining order. From unrequited love, to insecurities like obsession (topical), possession, and other fun toxic traits, you’ll feel like the singer is actually lurking in the bushes, with a pending court case. With that out the way let’s get to the first one on the list, ‘Every Breath You Take’ by the Sting led band The Police. Speaking to NME, Sting said “it
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