Dissect - S9E7 - Ladders by Mac Miller

Episode Date: November 16, 2021

We continue our season-long analysis of Mac Miller’s Swimming with its seventh track, “Ladders.” Shop Season 9 merchandise here. Follow Dissect on Tiktok, Instagram, and Twitter. This season includes discussion of substance misuse and addiction. For resources on these topics, visit spotify.com/resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout history, across cultures and religions, a ladder has been chosen as the symbol that bridges the spiritual realm and our terrestrial plane, a link between heaven and earth. Often there are seven steps on this symbolic ladder, each step representing a stage on the ascending path toward spiritual awakening or divine union. The most well-known Western tale utilizing the ladder symbolism is the biblical story known as Jacob's ladder from the book of Genesis. It's here that Jacob has a vivid dream in which he sees a ladder on earth that scales up to heaven, with angels descending and ascending upon it. Fast forward to the New Testament, and Jesus Christ

fulfills Jacob's dream, proclaiming, quote, Hereafter, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man. Thus, it's Jesus that is the symbolic ladder through which Christians ascend to heaven. On today's episode, we're going to hear Mac Miller's take on the symbolic ladder. And while he'll maintain its use as a tool for ascension, Mack will offer a different interpretation of what the latter is. It's not Jesus, but rather the only thing we know for sure that we have right here, right now, each other. From Spotify, I'm Cole Kushna, and this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. Today we continue our serialized examination of Mac Miller's swimming with its seventh track, Ladders. Ladders was produced by

Pomo and John Bryan, and begins somewhat ominously with a looping sample and an arpeggiated guitar. The sample sounds like it might be a piece of a voice singing a low G. Over this, the guitar plays a pattern around a G minor adds six chord, contributing to the dark overtones of the introduction. For me, this musical texture feels tense. There's not much harmonic motion, we're just kind of immersed in the somewhat gloomy, droning environment. Fittingly, Mac enters the song singing about finding a way out,

perhaps out of this darkness. now, but it all come falling down when a night we'd like turn the day. Mack began singing, somehow we got to find a way, no matter how many miles it take. Recall that the last few songs found Mack driving, using the road as a metaphor for life's continuous journey. On self-care, it seems substances had control of the wheel, while on wings Mac took back control, finding beauty and feeling the breeze and enjoying the sunset. Here on ladders, the journey continues, as does the optimism, established on wings, a belief in perseverance, that somehow, no matter what, we have to find a way

to keep moving forward. This opening line also feels like a callback to the opening track come back to Earth. It was there, Mack saying, I just need a way out of my head. I'll do anything for a way out of my head. Halfway through the album, Mac is still looking for the way, but there's a newfound patience and understanding to these lines and ladders, which seem bolstered by some present joy Mac is feeling. He sings, I know it feels so good right now, but it all come falling down when the night meet the light turned a day. Appreciating the moment of happiness, Mac has the wisdom to be apprehensive of the inevitable end, something that should come as no surprise to us by this point of the album. In nearly every track on swimming, Mack showcases this balanced

perspective, that any feeling of a high is temporary and inherently carries with it a come down. A high cannot exist without a low after all. This cyclical regularity is compared to the transition from night to day, from one day to the next. This cycle of time is reinforced by the final line ending in day, completing a rhyme with the first lines, Way, wrapping this chorus into a circle. Also, Mack does something interesting with his verb tenses here. He talks from the first person, I, but uses the plural tense of his verbs. By mixing the singular and plural, he conflates his individual experience with the universal. This is one of the hallmarks of the entire album, the way Mac is able to convey universal sentiment via personal subjective experience.

Mac is showing us the shit he's gone through so that we can too. It's in this way that we show each other the way. When you're on top, until the ball drop, you never seem to be so real. It feels so good right now, but it all come falling down. When a night, make the light to turn the day. Ending the song's mounting introduction, Mack sings, Can't Stop, then You Won't Stop, I know just how that feel. There's a sense of tension to this inertia, as Mack evokes a restless, uncontrollable motion that's felt throughout swimming, an album titled with the act of fluid movement.

This line also works at the description of time marching forever forward, with or without us. It can feel like we've got a race to stay in place, and Mac is right beside us, having run this length before. Assuming the advisory position, Mack warns, when you're on top till the ball drop, you've never seen it be so real. The exhilarating feeling of being high is not permanent. There will come an end, and Mack's use of till the ball drop as a description of this end implies a few interesting symbolic threads. The most iconic iteration of a ball dropping is the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, New York, where Mack even performed The Way with Ariana Grande in 2014. Relating to the night turning into daylight, this is a nod to one year turning into the next,

again accenting the notion of time forever marching forward. Dropping the ball also evokes games or sports, and it's used to mean that you fumbled some responsibility that was assigned to you, which Mack uses to convey the fall from the high. Interestingly, Mac describes the fall from the top bringing on a feeling of real, which seems to portray a high or success as a fantasy. Being quote-unquote on top is simply a mirage that will erode with time. As Ladders continues, Mack drastically switches vocal styles,

rapping the beginning of his verse and short sporadic bursts. But curiously, the production remains droning and somewhat ominous, drawing out the tension. Feel it a little, feel it a lot. I'm swimming a bit, but deeper and thought. Keeping my head on top of my shoulders. Into some shit, I'm out of the box. This is the level of mine. Neen it all right now with forever it's gone. Baby, the weather is strong. Whether it's hot or cold, we're coming knocking on your door. Mac opens the verse, Feel it a little, feel it a lot.

I'm swimming a bit, but deeper in thought, keeping my head on top of my shoulders. As we know by now, swimming is to thrive among the waters as opposed to sinking or drowning, a metaphor for being able to live freely and with control. Interestingly, Mac is only swimming a bit or a little, as he's also still stuck in his own head,

another motif that expresses Max's times of paralyzing anxiety. The deeper in thought plays off the depth of water, and while he's out there in the water, he's only able to keep his head above the surface, which is why he describes it as swimming a bit. It's more like he's treading water. Mack then continues saying, Into some shit, I'm out of the box. There's a chance this is describing manageable drug use. Mac's Into Some Shit, as in Into Some Drugs, and Out of the Box, or Free as a result. Playing off this potential high, Mac wraps, this is the level I'm on, needing it all right now

when forever is gone. The insatiable notion of needing everything right now is overwhelming, a response to finite time. In an existential sense, this reflects the lessons of presence found in wings, of truly experiencing each moment as everything we have, since the past is gone and the future is not promised. Feeling this pressure, Mack pushes forward, proclaiming, Baby, the weather is strong, whether it's hot or cold, I'm coming, knocking at your door. One of the main motifs of swimming, we know the strength that the weather represents strong emotions, and here Mack shows a rare confidence to endure the weather, no matter its extremes. Rain or shine, happy or sad, he's showing up at someone's door, which might allude to a romantic

interest given the address of baby and the sexual innuendo of I'm Coming. But because the song mostly addresses a universal we, we suspect that in this case, Mac is most likely referring to showing up at someone's door to mean he's ready to connect with others, ready to interact with the world. It's this optimistic tone that sets the song into motion. As Mac says, I'm coming, knocking at your door, the music matches. The drumbeat kicks in, beginning with three months. knocks of a snare drum.

We're coming knocking on your door. Well, I'm gonna maintain how I'm staying so high. This sudden musical transformation of the song shouldn't be over overlooked. The intro, the first hook, and the first part of the verse were all scored by a somewhat ominous musical texture, with a low droning sample and a dark minor chord. While most of us by now are familiar with the song and expecting the switch that occurs, we shouldn't take it for granted because it's not exactly the most obvious place that the song could go,

given the tone of the introduction. We get a thumping drum pattern with a four-on-the-floor kick drum and syncopated hi-hat flourishes, providing an extremely danceable groove. This beat is paired with an incredibly funky bass line. Added to the mix is a punchy, brassy synthesizer. What I love about this musical transformation from the darker introduction is that it thematically lines with the message of the lyrics. That is, as we've heard all album long,

the darker underbelly of existence is ever present. But there are times in which we can transcend that darkness and experience true flight, and we're currently witnessing Mac cultivating this on the track. And to this point, it's no coincidence that as soon as the song ascends into its euphoric groove, Mac stays the track's symbolic centerpiece, rapping, While I'm maintain how I'm staying so high, put the ladder all the way up till we touching the sky.

As we know, for Mac, the high and sky represent either happiness, fame, or intoxication. Though given the universality of this track, it seems like happiness or contentment is the central meaning here. While we've just been warned that these feelings will end in the hook, the ladder is offered as a tool to keep the climb going on and on. Interestingly, Mac chooses a ladder and not something like an elevator or escalator, both mechanically driven tools in which the passenger exerts no energy. A ladder offers

a road into the sky, so to speak, but it's one that requires effort and energy, a fitting analogy for the effort required for self-care and the ongoing pursuit of happiness mac is expressed throughout swimming. As we mentioned at the top of the episode, ladders have been used throughout multiple religions as a connection between the earthly and spiritual worlds, where each step of the ladder represents a stage and progression towards reaching God or enlightenment. Some even interpret the wrong on either side of the ladder as representing duality, which would align nicely with Mack's worldview expressed throughout swimming. What I find interesting is that on this particular track, the impression is that the music is acting as Mack's ladder into the sky, as we feel a literal

lift from dark to light from the song's intro into its main musical material, aligning perfectly with Max's feelings that music was something he used to get out of his own head. He continues the verse rapping, and I know you're dead wrong, you're in love with a lie. All I want to do is free your mind. It's not quite clear who the U is here, but they seem to be constricted in some fundamental way, as Mac only wants to liberate them from the constraints they place on themselves. Something that Mac spoke of in interviews, how he wants to be an inspiration for freedom of thought. It's nice to see kids who appreciate it and want something deeper and want to push their mind.

And that's another part of the revolution. We're just trying to tell these kids to expand your mind. mind, you know, don't believe anything. Don't even believe what I'm saying right now. Just don't believe anything. I contradict myself all the time. I always say something and I completely just go back at the end of the sentence, if you notice.

Like I say a bunch of stuff like, yeah, man, da-da-da-da-da-da. And I'm like, but don't believe any of that. Mack continues his theme of freedom in the verse rapping, we don't see no lines, we don't color inside. Alluding to a coloring book and thus the options open to a child, Mac promotes imagination, freely exploring every part of who we are, which Mac seemed to personally relate to his art. That's what inspires me now. It's just like lack of any type of line or any type of like, you know, it's music. We don't have rules. You know what I mean, this is why we're here. Like, music becoming based on what you think is cool, sucks. You mean, like being worried about being. being cool all the time is,

it's a lot, there's a lot of people that don't do things because it's like, oh, that's not cool. Like, it would be way more, I would, one of those people that sometimes. You know, there was a time where I was like, I'm just never going to show my face because that way I'll be cooler.

You know what I mean? Like, it just doesn't matter. Like, I kind of put myself out there and I'm either cooler lame as whatever. As Matt continues the verse, he foreshadows the next song in the track list, rapping, it's a very small world,

we don't fuck with the size. Yeah, see the bigger picture when it's beneficial, loving how I fit you. Mack sort of points out his own foreshadowing, since he's seeing the bigger picture by looking ahead at the next song, Small Worlds. Here he continues the threat of wanting to free our minds from limited thinking and believes in our ability to realize this, since we don't fuck with the size, and Mac loves how he fits us, meaning that we're a match. However, Mac could also be saying we don't fuck with the size as in we don't try and change the world. We just see the bigger picture and accept our reality as humans with limited lifespans on this tiny earth floating in

infinite space. We also recognize that Mack's delivery is a homonym, with loving how I fit you also sounding like loving how official, which leads directly into the next line, blow the whistle when you run out of time. This seems to tie into the previous line as well as the passage of time on the hook, running out of time being when the night meets the light. Able to see the bigger picture and feeling more free, Mac feels ready for those shifts. Also, if you listen closely, you'll know Notice that after Mac Raps blow the whistle when you run out of time. There's a pause in his flow, and we then hear a high synth note, you know, like a whistle. As if you blow the whistle, it's really all trying to say.

We don't have a lot of time to waste. Somehow we got to find a way. As if jolted by that whistle tone, Mac wraps, waking up, I open my eyes. Do you mind if I blow your mind? considering that the whistle was blown when we ran out of time, and now Mac wakes up, and seems he's demonstrating the feeling of when the night turns to day. Mac opens his eyes, a sign that he's aware, ready for the new day. Inviting Mac then wraps, A little closer baby, don't be shy, why you worried that it's going to be fine.

Here Matt continues to simultaneously address us, a romantic partner, and himself. He offers a simple breath of fresh air from the storms of anxiety that might take over our minds. Sometimes we worry that things won't go great, but really, this means they could be just fine, which is what most things in life are, neither great or terrible. And it's this middle state of fine that Mack has been striving to find contentment with all album long. The most important thing Mac seems to be conveying is that we can't let our worries prohibit us from going out there in the world, something Mac was coming to terms with at the time of swimming. I feel in a great space.

You know what I mean? Like, the more stuff I get out and like do, you know what I mean, I was all worried about shooting a video and I shot a video and I was like, oh, I just had a great time. I was, you know, triven about doing an interview and I did an interview. I'm like, that's not that bad. Mac closes out the verse with some simple wisdom rapping, I guess it's that kind of day.

It's really all I'm trying to say. We don't have a lot of time to waste. Somehow we got to find a way. His ability to still believe in finding a way shows that he's able to handle when the night meets the light, when the high is over and normalcy resumes. Mack's hesitant wording of guess,

kinda, really, and somehow, conveys that this advice isn't being offered as some commandment from on high. It's more of a conversation. While he's assuming a leadership role in this track, Mack is absolutely including himself and the universal we, reminding us all of impermanence. The advice is not to squander our limited time here, which is reinforced by the slant rhyme of waste not quite fitting in with day, say, and way. Mac's desire to find a way is a uniting one. We got to find a way, and Mac seems to have found the will to go for it with us. It's this call to community that unites the track as it goes into the hook, this time backed by

the energy of drums and bass, rather than the droning synths of the intro. We also get an additional post-chorus, all of which we'll examine right after the break. Welcome back to Dissect. Before the break, we heard Mack's unifying call to somehow find a way, which leads us into the second iteration of the hook. Re-emphasized by the verse's ending, Mac maintains focus on finding a way. Our time here is limited, and the Wei evokes symbolism of the path of life, our collective journey. As we said before, Mack has been looking for a way since come back to Earth, and the word comes up quite often throughout swimming. Given the diverse religious illusions throughout his work,

we might understand Mack's use of Wei as a nod to Tao or Taoism, especially when we consider one of Tao's central symbols, the Yin Yang, was used in the art and merchandise for swimming. Taoism is the philosophical or religious mindset of seeking harmony with Tao, which translates to the way, a description of the naturally fluid universe. Often this can be represented by water, that all of this, our existence and the world around us is water, and our strivings for enlightenment and peace are strivings to be water. The Yin-yang symbol represents the balance and harmony of our inherent two-ness. The Yin and Yang are complementary, dependent on one another, containing the essence of one another within themselves. The active and the receptive,

day and night, encapsulated in a circle reflecting unending cycles. We've observed Mack highlights simultaneous dichotomies throughout swimming, be it wings, the rose, flight, and others. We're getting a sense that each of these is their own kind of yin-yang. Undeniably, this liquid concept of the way is tied to the album's central motif of swimming, which depicts Mack moving through and with the currents of our nebulous universe. Nothing is fixed, nothing lasts forever, change is the only constant. To swim in the universe is to act with the universe, to navigate our watery existence with

effortless action. This is what Mack is searching for, to swim through stressful waters to relief. Pushing himself to act, Mac sings, I wouldn't wait forever, just shoot your shot. You don't need no more, no extras, we all we got. This truth is the foundation from which we can act. All we have is ourselves and each other, thus we are all we need. The impending end of time and our potential to miss our shots cannot immobilize us. We don't need all the time in the world to live right now, and we don't need perfection to act. Almost as if to punctuate Max's breakthrough of embracing the moment, an instrumental passage soars with the introduction of a horn section, adding celebratory fanfare to Max call to action. Interestingly, the horns play just two notes, a G and an F,

but it's the rhythm in which these notes are played that really makes this section impactful, one that's nearly impossible not to move to. The rhythm is syncopated, which is the the placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur. In other words, instead of playing precisely on the strong beats, they kind of bob and weave around them, adding complexity to the track's rhythmic fabric. Here's how the horns would sound if they were played straight on the strong beats. And now, as they appear in ladders,

notice how they just miss falling on the strong beats. Makes a big difference, right? Lights flickering, hitting the right, switches I'm living this life different than missing the flight bullshit. I had a plan to change. brain little delay but I came and you cool with it. I don't trip flip or lose my grip. And I don't know it all, but I do know this.

Before you know me, better know self. I've been in the shit so long that it don't smell. Mac dashes into the second verse with intense interior rhyme, rapping, all the lights flickering, hitting the right switches. I'm living this life different and missing the flight, bullshitting. Given that hitting the right switches is slang for being good in bed, it seems Mac here is once again vaguely referring to a sexual partner,

missing his flight due to bullshitting, a word Mac has used previously to mean indulging. Later in the album on the song Dunno, he'll describe a similar situation when he raps, We was fucking almost missed my flight. I wasn't even tripping, I said it's all right. The flickering lights could also be a reference to a lighter used to smoke. Hence he's living his life different and bullshitting by imbibing in substances he knows won't sustain him. This leads to the next lines, I had a plan to change, you can't stand the rain, little delayed, but I came and you cool with it. We could easily extend the sexual innuendos here,

with Mack's indulgence causing him to have trouble reaching orgasm. Hence the line, little delayed, but I came and you cool with it. This might be the reason he missed his flight. But given that Rain has been a motif throughout the album, symbolic of sadness or depression, seems more likely Mack here is describing his ongoing struggle with making the right choices and his inability to stop bullshitting. Whoever Mac is speaking about, which seems to be a romantic partner,

wants him to change, to experience sunlight, and likely ditch the drugs. Mack is moving slowly towards that, and he ties it all together by citing his delay is caused by the rain, just as flights are often rain-delayed. But despite these setbacks, Mac asserts, I don't trip, flip, or lose my grip, and I don't know it all, but I do know this. Before you know me, better know self. There's a sense of boastful posturing here. We know that Mack has tripped, and lost his grip at times. He's been very honest about that throughout the album. But this optimistic spirit about his ability to keep pushing, finding away is refreshing, and it feels more like Mack is saying he's not going to trip over his trips,

meaning he's learning to accept them rather than prolonging them through worry. To we continue the possible romantic partner references, the phrase, Before you know me better know self, might be a subtle nod to his longtime girlfriend, No Me Leisure, whose Twitter handle is literally No Me Lee. Much of what Mac says on ladders can be interpreted as a conversation between him and a lover. And if this reference is intentional, it appears the on and off again relationship reflects the ups and downs of Mack's advice and actions. But there's also a sense here that Mac is continuing his universal address,

offering a piece of wisdom about his audience knowing themselves before attempting to know someone else, something that a lot of us learn is a prerequisite for a healthy, long-term relationship. Matt continues playfully rapping, I've been in this shit so long that it don't smell. This feels like a lyrical callback to the first verse when he rapped that he was into some shit and out of the box. That line was delivered 54 seconds into the song, and when he says, I've been in this shit so long that it don't smell, we are exactly two minutes and 54 seconds into the song. Thus, Mack is declaring that scientifically, it takes precisely two minutes for

his nose to become accustomed to the smell of shit to the point where it no longer registers as foul. This is crucial, profound wisdom. Okay, so actually, he's continuing to point out his familiarity with the tumultuous highs and lows of life. Shit smells, but also we use phrases like, this is the shit to deem something great. So the wordplay reflects the message in a fun way. I've been in the shit so long that it don't smell. I turn a hotel to a castle. Living like a king for a grand. I don't do nothing that's a hassle besides even that castle made a sand. Just might slip into the seat. Fuck a doll if it all ain't me. Maybe we're inside the maze. Somehow we got to find a way. Okay. Matt continues the verse rapping. I turn the hotel

to a castle, living like a king for a grand. Continuing the traveling images, Mack's hotels evoked the countless rooms he stayed in during tours around the world. Turning each of these revolving rooms into a castle is likely a nod to drug use and partying in the room, thus feeling like a king. There's even a 2011 video by complex titled Mac Miller Trashes His Hotel Room that details how in his younger days Mac tended to leave hotel rooms thrashed. And I tip the maids if it's too bad.

Because most people's rooms are just like the bed needs made, and they come in ours, and it's like obviously been smoked out and liquor spilled everywhere. On his throne, Matt continues his verse, I don't do nothing that's a hassle, besides even that castle made of sand, just might slip into the sea. Every high or hotel room turned castle bender is going to end, eroded by the tides and falling back into the sea. Symbolically, everything we attempt to build will fade with time,

our identities, our creations, our societies. It's possible Mac is also referencing one of his favorite musicians, Jimmy Hendricks, and his song Castles Made of Sand. And so Castles Made a Sand slips into the sea eventually. Throughout the song, Hendrix details personal tragedies, but always ending with the refrain, and so Castles Made of Sand slip into the sea eventually.

It's a dirge for the lives we try to construct, ultimately falling to the passage of time and the indifferent nature of the universe. This actually isn't the first time Mac paid homage to this Hendricks classic. On his 2009 mixtape, The High Life, there's a song titled Castles Made of Sand. It's here that Mack expresses a different perspective on humans creating these fallible facades. With an outlook of pride, the 18-year-old Mac wraps, If you're sitting down, please stand, because I'm on the rise, and I reside in this castle made of sand. Here, the castle is made of sand because Mack is young and building with whatever is at hand, like a child at the beach, and he's proud of it, even if it's just sand.

As he raps shortly after, he's swimming in the deep end, you bitches taking lessons. This young, passionate, carefree version of Mac is going for it, and despite the fact that the castle or success he's creating with his music might end one day, he's not letting that effect his outlook in the least. He's fully indulging in the moment. It's a youthful line of thinking in line with his reference to partying in hotel rooms. But on ladders, Mack is nearly a decade older, and with more experience and wisdom, he's clearly able to look at this more holistically, understanding more fully the duality of the

sandcastle symbol, which seems why he says just might slip into the sea. Playing into the swimming and water motifs of the album, he reminds us that while water is the life giver, it's also the life taker, and everything we build while we're here will one day perish. Mac then concludes the verse responding to this existential worry, rapping, fuck it all if it all ain't me. Baby we inside the maze. Somehow we got to find a way. Mack uses a maze, a puzzling path that incites anxiety and claustrophobia, for the symbol for the human condition. We're all going to die, our planet is going to end, and in the meantime, we're all caught up in the maze of worries, anxieties, habits, and addictions, unable to live

the lives we have while we have them. However, once we realize that we're in the maze, there's only one thing to do. Find a way. Move. Swim. Searching for the way is the way. After this repetition of the hook, we once again hear the euphoric horn section. It's a magnificent triumphant outro, a moving celebration of each other.

and the life we've been gifted, the only things we have for sure. While we're here, we rise and we fall. We give advice to ourselves and we fail to heat it. We shoot our shot knowing we might miss. We build castles knowing they will slip into the sea. While these realities have the potential to paralyze us, ladders offers the flip side of this coin, reminding us that we need to celebrate the shots that we do make and cherish the castle while it still stands. Conclusions. Sitting at the center of the album's 13 tracks, Ladder seems to reflect the clarity and lessons Mac learned through creating swimming, which was the longest amount of time he'd ever spent making an album.

But this time, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say, what kind of music I wanted to make, and it was just a lot of experimenting. So we finally landed on some type of a path, and it took my time. By taking the time to search for that path, Mac found it, and that is the story. story of swimming, of searching for the way forward. The central symbol of the song, ladder presents a tool for the climb. This vertical apparatus sits in the middle of swimming as the album itself is constantly focused on altitude, whether it be the depths of the ocean or the skies above. We've seen Matt constantly oscillate between highs and lows, and we've worried about inevitable falls.

From the perch of a ladder, those falls still happen, but when we stand back up, the ladder will still be there. But we also have to ask, beyond ambiguous symbolism, what exactly is the ladder? Well, much like we learned in the previous track Wings, it could be anything. It's in whatever we find meaningful. Mack saw each other and the connections between us as one such ladder. That much is clear on this track. But we also experienced Mack using music as his personal ladder, evident in the way he directly interacts with his song. When he calls for a whistle to be blown, a high synth plays. When he knocks on our door, the drums kick in. When he puts a ladder up to the sky, the music rises.

Fittingly, while interacting with the song, Mac also interacts directly with the listener, talking to and with us. He encourages us not to wait forever, but instead to act, and the music quite literally forces us to move, to dance, to feel the energy required for motion. And just as Mac was lifted by the music, so are we.

It speaks of the universal shared experience that music offers us as it unifies us around rhythm, a literal pulse we all share, putting us in sync, tying into the song's call to recognize that all we have is each other. Indeed, music at least for me, has always been sacred, has always felt like a bridge between the earthly and the divine. When reaching its highest potential, when that perfect song plays at just the right time and it feels like it was written precisely for you for that specific moment in your life, music connects us to something, Something beyond us, beyond earth, beyond words, some ineffable realm we get but rare glimpses of. Some call this God or the divine or spiritual.

Whatever it is, it's absolutely stunning. And it's these rare but transcendent moments that Mack encourages us to cherish, as they're precisely the ones that make the often arduous climb entirely worth it. I think that my hope philosophy is as long as music stays sacred, you can't lose. So for me, music is the most important thing in my life, like more important than any of these devices that's the most sacred. So like, as long as that is the fundamental foundation of my whole philosophy with every single thing I do, music it is, you know, I don't think you'll really lose.