The Multiverse Guild Podcast With Peter Gunn: Creating Sigma Squad

Something shifts when a person survives a moment they weren’t supposed to survive. Javier sits down with creator, poet, composer, and entrepreneur Peter Gunn to trace how a near-death experience at seven turned into a lifelong mission: make art that wakes people up. We talk faith without sugarcoating it, the idea that choices carry weight, and why Peter builds stories that challenge “sleepwalking” through modern life.

That mission shows up in Sigma Squad, his graphic novel project that blends spiritual warfare themes with real research and comic-book energy. We get into why graphic novels can reach people who would never open a heavy book, how ancient frameworks and Gnostic texts influence his worldbuilding, and what he wants readers to feel when the last page hits: curiosity, doubt, and the urge to look deeper. If you care about faith-based storytelling, indie comics, or writing that can hold both fun and meaning, there’s a lot here to steal for your own process.

We also go practical. Peter shares discipline lessons from childhood obesity to bodybuilding and 20 years in the Air Force, plus concrete advice for creators navigating publishing contracts and ownership. Then we jump into AI in music production, remote band collaboration, voice tools, and the line between helpful technology and hollow emotion. We don’t treat AI like a savior or a villain, just a tool that still can’t replace the human element that makes art land.

If this conversation challenges you or helps you build something, subscribe, share it with a friend who creates, and leave a review so more writers, musicians, and indie artists can find it.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Hello everyone, this is Javier. Welcome to the Compass Chronicles Podcast, the home of uh the Sips and Scripts Podcast, writings from the inside of the grind for all you authors, and we also have the multiverse guild podcast for all you needs, your nerds, geeks, and fandom-based people. And today I have a wonderful guest named Peter Gunn, and we're gonna have a great time talking about the stuff that he has done, his uh his ministry, and all that fun stuff that we can do and talk about. So, Peter, I'm gonna let you come in, introduce yourself, and again, thank you for coming on the show.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Oh, thank you for having me on, uh BR. I appreciate you letting me be here. Um, I guess basically, uh, you could say I'm a creator, a poet, a composer. Um I'm behind the angelic band uh and linked lyrical poetry, which is LLP. Um at my core, I'd say I'm an entrepreneur, a builder, and an awakener. Uh my work is like a fusion of music, myth, and message, basically. Uh a lot of everything I create is designed to shake people out of their sleepwalking state and and and remind them of the war that they don't realize that they're in. Amen. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Um, yeah, when I when I saw your bio and I saw the um the graphic novel and everything, being an obvious big nerd just attracted me because you don't see many of those around, especially uh the stuff, the faith-based stuff and everything else. Uh and if they do, they're pretty much not too great. They're not as fun as well.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

Oh, this is gonna be, I guarantee you, this is gonna be a very brawlsy graphic novel. Like if I'd be surprised if I don't get in trouble for putting it out.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Okay, yes. Hey, if if it has a purpose, there's always gonna be trouble behind a purpose.

SPEAKER_03 2:23

So yeah, there's there's there's always the indie market. They'll take anything if Amazon won't take it. Yeah.

Near-Death Experience And Purpose

SPEAKER_01 2:29

You're absolutely right. Yeah, I've seen that. They they will take anything that goes out there just to print it. Um, so like I said, I have a couple of questions, and they're just to bounce off of you, and then I always have one last question at the end of the uh interview that we say to all our guests. So, my first question to you is you lived through some intense moments in your early life, especially that near-death experience at seven. How did that moment shape the way you see your purpose today?

SPEAKER_03 2:55

Well, I it it let me know. Number one, we're gonna be judged. Don't think for one second that you're not going to be judged, okay? You're going to leave what you left with. So if you're full of hatred and greed and lust and things like that, you're gonna go right into that for that when you leave, okay? And you're gonna be judged for it. Unfortunately, yeah. So don't think for one second that you're not gonna be judged, and then this this world is finite, it it doesn't last forever. You're you're you're there's a uh this is I'd say it's a 3D world, okay? It's fake. Okay, this isn't reality. The other side, the spirit world is reality.

unknown 3:35

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

That's amazing. Um, so um, like what made you like want to actually design a graphic novel? Like, where does that idea, where did that in in sort of um what am I looking for? Well, the answer I'm looking at, the question I'm asking for is what was the inspiration to actually say I'm gonna design a graphic novel based on my idea? Like, what what made you do that? Because I know there's a lot of people that want to do it, want to write comics or want to write books, or but what pushed you to say, let's do it, let's go all the way.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

And I personally I try to think the best of humanity, you know, I try to put them in the best light as much as I can, but it surprised me how fast people did it without question, you know? And it it's I realized that um people aren't willing to pick up a a forged thick book with a layer of dust in at the library and do reading like my geeky self-will. Okay, I love that stuff, okay? Um, so I needed to bring information to the people that would be more palatable to something, a book, Black and Graphic Nivel, that Joe Sixpack would be willing to pick up, and then put sparks of knowledge in there in the story that he might pick up on, hopefully. And then if I continue with the series, more and more knowledge, more and sparks, you know, okay. A forest fire starts with a spark, does it not? Amen. That's a fact.

Why A Graphic Novel Reaches More

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Yeah, it's always that little, you know, um that little spark, that little engine that could kind of thing, like, let's do it and let's go ahead. I mean, I have that, you know, all this is because of a of also a near life death experience myself. I'm uh I'm diagnosed with Guillain Baret syndrome, which is a nerve um uh disease. It actually burns the ends of the nerve ending, so I don't feel anything, I don't have any sensation. It's almost like I'm asleep. Like, you know, when you're handful of sleep, that's how my body feels 24 hours a day, uh, based on that disease. But like I said, this isn't about me, but I know that sometimes you need that little something to push you into doing what either God wants you to do or what's in your heart or or your dreams. And sometimes you have to fall down that little valley, as they say, to come where you are. So I understand, you know, uh what you're saying, and and I think my fans would also understand that too, the listeners. Um, so another question for you you went from battling childhood obesity, which something I've gone through my life, to become a bodybuilder. And then serving 20 years in the in the Air Force. That's thank you for your service, first off. Thank you so much. Thank you for your support. What did that transformation teach you about discipl discipline and identity?

SPEAKER_03 6:27

Well, I saw the value of discipline early in life, okay? Um when I was 12 years old, uh, I was about you know 230 pounds. And uh I'm only five foot three, so I'm not the tallest guy out there. And then to be that height and that weight, it was I was I was big. I was a really big kid. And uh I saw the value of discipline right away when when number one, um I did my research, you know, and found out what I had to be eating, and then realized that um the food pyramid was a psi up, okay, and then it actually should be turned upside down. That information has just come out finally, okay? It was back in the 80s when I had to find that out on my own as a child, basically. And then um the discipline came in when I saw the benefits of it, of the bodybuilding, getting into the gym every day, of the food discipline of eating small metered meals throughout the day, it worked so well for me that I like, okay, let's try it with other things, like with reading, writing, and and other activities during the day. So, and especially then when you get you know, you start working, you get out of the you know, in into the job market, and and if you could discipline yourself to do, you know, um little things like that throughout the day, it will it will behoove you, make your life so much better. Like, how many of us have a uh a one hour, you know, one hour for lunch?

unknown 7:47

Right.

SPEAKER_03 7:47

Could you sit down and take 30 minutes of that one hour and start writing that novel, that book that you want to write?

unknown 7:54

Right.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

You know?

unknown 7:55

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

That's perfect. That I think that's great advice. I mean, we all I I think uh we all have those ideas in our head, right? I think people always have some imagination. I think that's one of the blessings that God has given us, which is imagination, the the the idea to create stuff. And uh sometimes it could be just a little bit of uh, you know, somebody writing three lines, and those three lines can improve you know stay with you forever, and then you can just keep going. I know I've done that when I've written poems, and I'll be on the train when I used to travel and just write three words or whatever came in my mind. I would write it and then go back to it. And and I think you do that too. And then sometimes don't you ever realize you wrote something? You're like, why did I write that? Like, where did that come from? Yeah, yeah. That happens a lot to me because I'll I'll just you know, my head just goes, and I'll just write it. Uh my brain is always going 900 miles an hour. Um, but yeah, um, so I love graphic novels. I'm a big fan of anything, um, animation or anything. That's one of my biggest things. That's why I started the podcast in the first place, um, which has now become something bigger than I thought it would be. Um, but um I appreciate that, you know, we have something positive in the comic book world or the graphic novel world, because if you see how many um graphic novels there are out there that are just whoa, you know, that they're just not supposed to be out there, or at least not where kids can grab them, or you know, I I don't know. That's just me. That's my moral thing. I don't like, you know, I love them, but I wouldn't give them some to children that, you know, gore or whatever it is. Um, but I think there's anyone that enjoys it, I'm not judging you. I think it's great. I love horror comics, I love reading them, especially the old school ones. I collect them.

SPEAKER_03 9:41

So well, but that Sigma Squad, it would be for 18 on up. I wouldn't give it to a child, you know, because it is there is uh some graphic. It's a graphic, graphic novel. Let's just say that.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Yeah, yeah. Okay, so let's go into that graphic novel. Like, um, how did you like think of the colors, the design, like how did that all come in your head? How did you start?

SPEAKER_03 10:03

Did you just write something or well when I started doing research, you know, a lot like it's a lot of things, you know. Uh, when you're a writer, you do research for a book, and then I had Steven O'Claus doing for research for another book, um, the Nag Hamadi texts and Epistosophia. So the Gnostic gospel, the Gnostic knowledge about uh um what they preached, you know, and it it that's where I got the idea from, you know, because well, I mean, God and Satan, let's just say, has been done to death, has it not? You know, so but I w looked at that their architecture of the monad, which is God, and then you have the demiurge, which is considered the devil, okay, and then the demiurge's archons. I thought would be you know perfect, you know, like henchman for the you know, so it's immediately started to sound like a comic book to me. And then of course you have like well, uh, we have the the the Christian face have angels, they have Aeons, okay. So it it sounded like a great comic book to me, and that's where I started off. I got the idea from was the Pisces Sophia, the Nazica bathroom.

Building Sigma Squad From Ancient Texts

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Yeah. Wow. I that's I think that's cool. That's uh getting something out of uh history, pretty much. You know, it's yeah, ac historically act, you know, accurate, and you're taking, you know, it's imagination and act and and history at the same thing, which I think is when it's when it's done well, it's a beautiful thing. Um, so uh another question for you is you're a lead guitarist and a storyteller at heart, right? Yeah, so what fandoms, whether it's comics, anime, or music culture, have influenced your creativity style the most? Like, is it your music, is it uh writing, what what is you know, what what's your most creative juice?

SPEAKER_03 11:48

The most creative thing I'd say is the stuff I've gotten the most feedback from, and that's the music. You know, like ever since the album came out, I'm in addition with emails all the time. Like, oh, thank you for putting this out, thank you. People are because they understand they're finally starting to realize they understand what the words mean to their favorite songs. So they they love the era, like with the 80s, you know, that's what we're concentrated on, but they understand the words are uh are are are wrong. They understand that some people, if you want to go down a rabbit hole, they understand that there's evil spells put on that music. Okay, so they still want it, they still want something to listen to, but something that's not gonna put them under control.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Yeah. Um, so like me, I I'm a huge music fan. I have uh Sash Question Nicket Studios where we release uh music that I've made and directed and did stuff with. And uh I I try to put a positive message in all the songs. Always I don't outwardly say any Christian knees. I hate that Christian knees or that almost flowerly language. I sort of like to do where people need to think and need to figure it out what he's saying.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

Yes, yeah, that's what I like to. I do not. That was my my caveat. Like, I stop at preaching, I refuse to preach in the music. Okay. If you listen to like uh Lilith's Lust, that uh off the first album, um, you know, we we we blame it on a demon. It's the Lilith's fault that you're you're lustful, okay? But we all know who it's who it really is.

SPEAKER_01 13:21

Yeah, right, right, right. That's great. I mean, that's awesome. Because uh, by the way, everyone, all of Peter's information will be in the show notes, in the podcast notes, everywhere. So don't worry, you will find his stuff. I think it's worth going and checking it out. Um, so like me, I my biggest thing is always been uh music. I've I've loved music from day one um because my dad was a singer in a Spanish group. So I was around that. My mom always had music going. I mean, stuff that people will never listen to, but my mom loved it. And um, so that always been an inspiration. I played in praise and worship bands, I've done all that. Um and I know what that is to feel motivated, and and you don't want to use that, as we say, Christianese wording, because I think when you sugarcoat stuff, people don't really get what what the meat is. Um it it'll sort of like I hate that bubblegum Christian music. I'm sorry, I I hope I'm not insulting anyone like you enjoy CCM, that's fine. But to me, it's almost bubblegum, it's almost repetitive. Uh you can only say so much that it almost sounds the same, it's sound the same.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

I would start every song out as a poem. So if the words don't flow, I'm not going to put it into a song. I'm even going to start. So every every one of my songs starts out as a poem, and it allows so much more flow into the music. You know, and I'm sure we've all heard or can think of you know people that play music that the melody is good, but the words just it's like someone tried to hammer them into the song and it just doesn't quite fit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

Yeah. I've seen that. I've seen even in in songs that are are, as they say, worldly songs, which I hate saying that because I love all music, it doesn't matter where it comes from. Uh, and I understand there's a negative and and out of a lot of music, a lot. I'm a baithead banger from the 80s and 90s, so I know the music. But um, I also see where uh some of these songs, even though they're not faith-based or anything, do speak to people, and um and some of them are are intense. For me, some of them I take them very personal. Like I really hold on to those songs. Um they sort of I think music, art, writing, anything like that will if you do it right and if it's in the will and it's in God's will or whatever it is, uh, it will resonate with someone. Yeah, even if it's that one person, right? So uh by us doing what we do, even if we don't get that super recognition that everybody wants, I I don't care about the algorithms and all that stuff. Because if one person hears our conversation and says, hmm, maybe I should just jump on a boat, why not? Yeah, yeah. And those are the people we never never know, but listen, we just give you that little push. And so I appreciate you know where you're in that space because I think for us geeks uh and nerds, we don't have that too much. Uh, as you know, anime and mangas can be very, very rough. I'm a huge anime fan. I love anime. Uh but there are things where there's it's not positive at all, you reverse stuff or whatever. And if you're not strong enough to understand it and you look at that, you're gonna be lost. You're gonna be gone. Uh, so I love that there's something positive in that atmosphere. Um, I always thought it's needed, um, and it's a good thing because there are some stuff that's just too cheesy that I know as a fan I would never read. I would never look at or listen to. But either way, um, so Sigma Squad.

SPEAKER_03 16:57

Yeah, I always I always think of uh that old 80s band that was Christians, uh, Stryper.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

Remember that? You're gonna laugh. But my wife and I, our first date was at a striper concert in Radio City in 1988. Wow. So I saw them open up with that's the time where there was the the Christian and the rock world were trying to mix together, so there's a mixed brat, and you had Marvel Crew and all that. So that was out me and my wife's first official date. I even have the tattoo of striper on my arm with the guitar. Oh my god. So I was a huge fan of Stry, uh, only because I was an early Christian and I thought that I didn't have music. And when they came out, I was like, oh my god, and I just ate it up. And I also ended up working at one of the biggest bookstores in New York, um, Christian Publications, back in the 80s and 90s. And so I was in charge of the music department. So I got to see all that Christian music and all that stuff. So I'm very, very knowledgeable in that stuff, but I saw where the bubblegum stuff was coming, and I was like, yeah, not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

Yeah.

Publishing Advice And Owning Rights

SPEAKER_01 18:04

But either way, I have a question for you about Sigma Squad. So Sigma Squad dives into deep spiritual and philosophical themes, right? What message are you really hoping people will walk away with after experiencing that world?

SPEAKER_03 18:18

Well, like I said earlier, I'm hoping to just put little sparks in their heads so that it'll make them go, huh? I wonder if this could be happening in in our CIA. Could this be happening in our government? Could this really be happening behind the scenes? You know, just to put that. That's what I hope they walk away with, because it they'll put the doubt in their heads. And then the next issue, they'll see the next issue, like, gee, you know, could this be really if I keep it up, they're gonna eventually go, wait a minute, I know exactly what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Yeah, right, right, right. Yeah. So um how did you um go by and and and because I try to tell people also that it's it's okay to write and and do whatever you want and that, but there's processes, right? You gotta you write it, you review it, you send it to a publisher or wherever it is. How was that experience trying to get that published or or out there, or how did you go by and doing that?

SPEAKER_03 19:12

Well, I mean, you know, I've talked to you, oh my gosh, I have so many publishers I can't even you know remember how many. And I've I've been offered a lot of money uh for like the Amazons and stuff like that. And I would say that anyone that's willing or thinking about doing that is please read your fine print because these contracts will make you sell the rights from your creation, you know, and and any writer that spent a year or years usually on a book, it's like their baby, you know, it's like their child. And you know, I I can't I don't understand how someone could do that. So, you know, I would say um look more into self-publishing and be willing to keep your rights and then let your book get big and bad enough to where they'll they'll pay you whatever you want because the fans are there and just wait for that to happen. Keep pushing it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Amen.

SPEAKER_03 20:01

Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

Yeah, because I think a lot of people get um either disappointed or get um what's the word I'm looking for? They get um discouraged. Discouraged, thank you. You know, when when they uh know that there's a process to it, they think it's just I'll put it, write it, and send it out, somebody will get it. They don't understand you pretty much have to sell yourself and sell it.

SPEAKER_03 20:22

Oh yeah, if you don't if you don't look the part that the publisher wants, they won't want you. You you you think you know I'm a stream writer and I can look how no if you don't look the part, if you don't look like you can go give a lecture, if you don't look like you can sell books, they're like uh no, no, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 20:38

You know what? That's a great expand on that a little bit more because I love that people don't understand that there is a look. And it's it's a bit bad because we shouldn't be judging each other by the way we look. But there is a sort of, you know, you go to a business meeting, you're gonna go with a suit and tie, you're not gonna go with a hoodie and jeans, right? So there is a process. So, you know, expand on that a little bit more so people understand that there is things that people are looking for, or you know well, I mean, it it happens in the music world too.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

If you you're not aesthetically pleasing, so think about your your your your hair metal bands from the 80s. What are they all tall, lanky, skinny, good-looking guys? Okay, yes, but then how many how many musicians have you seen or heard of that were weren't weren't the best looking, but their music was off the wall? Okay, but they're not gonna put the studio is not going to invest in them. Same thing with you. So when you're put going on a book, you gotta invest in yourself. So you'll lose weight, get a haircut. You you have to look the part to be you know to to be successful, you have to look successful, and also it's on the inside, too. When you start feeling at one with God and you want to do good through Christ, okay, with God, okay, that will emanate through you. So you'll want to lose weight, you'll want to eat better. It will it will eventually come to you.

Weight Loss Discipline And Food Truths

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Yeah. Great, thank you. Um, so I'm gonna go reverse back a little bit. Um, underweight, and how did you um, you know, because I've struggled with weight my whole life. I've always been uh a heavy, heavy kid, you know, what they call a husky kid, not calling them fat, but it was a nice way of saying father. I was too, yeah, I was too, yeah. And uh all through high school, you know, all through college, whatever. I was a very big guy, three hundred something pounds, whatever it was, and didn't care. Was uh ate anything and everything that was under the table on the table. And it took a lot of discipline. Uh I had to become a vegan in order to really push myself to lose weight. Um So when did you in your mind said, oh, wait a minute, I'm um, this is something I gotta fix? And how did you start? Like, what was your first step? Did you lift the weight? Did you read about it? Did you decide in your mind that day, that's it, I'm done? Or like how did you move on to it?

SPEAKER_03 22:51

Well, there are a couple things. It was uh the doctor telling me that I probably wouldn't pass live past 40 if I didn't lose the weight. Um and then um there was an aunt that I had always loved and respected. She was a very old uh you know, older woman, she was about in her 80s at the time, you know. But I loved her the death, she was a good woman. And um when I gained the weight, we had gone a couple years without visiting, so I eventually went to go visit her, and she had had never seen me with the weight on before. And she looked, took one look at me and she said, What happened to you? You look like shit. You know, and then I needed to hear that. I needed to hear that because um a lot of times people are too nice to overweight people, you know, and sometimes they need they they need the truth, they need the truth, like man, you look like shit. They need people to say that. Yeah. But also then if you're going to give discouragement like that, like hey, let me help you. Okay, here's what you need to do. Give the offer them a hand up, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

And and you know that people are uh if they don't want to do it, no matter how many times you tell them that they look like crap or they need to, they don't unless they motivate themselves and realize that, or go through a life and death experience that a lot of people need to go through in order to change your lifestyle, and uh, so I know where that comes from. And also, society doesn't help us. Uh I still call myself big guy, it's still it doesn't help. You know, they like you said before when we were talking, the food pyramid is way upside down. We've we've been looking at it the wrong way all this time, you know. Um and uh thank God for Kennedy to roll it over and and the and the administration we have now that can that's being as transparent as I've seen um the FDA and all that stuff, uh the drug and all come through. Uh we've also seen all the BS, that's also been said, um especially when we come to the famous, you know, uh shot and everything else during the COVID uh situation, which I think that made a lot. I think that situation changed the whole world upside down. It just changed it. Uh I think God allowed that to happen just so we can realize that listen, I'm coming, we're coming. It's things are gonna get crazy, but you know, um we have to start, you know, setting up our minds and our and our and our hearts and our souls. And um, I see that a lot with people because of that experience. That you know, they got scared. You're like, oh my god, we can't go outside, we're this and that. And sure, a lot of people started a lot of things and then they don't end it. So they don't follow through. It's like our January 1st thing. I'm gonna go to the gym and start jumping and stewing there, you know what the yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:32

We all do that, right? Yeah, um, yeah, and I used to make a lot of money as a personal trader every year. You know, people would sign up for packages with me and then never show up. I'm like, I just pocket the money.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

You know, I think that's the best time for any gym is January 1st.

unknown 25:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:49

The day after New Year's, everybody makes a killing, right? Uh books start going out the shelves and all this stuff. Um, so have you ever thought of of doing that, of being of writing some sort of book on health or what to eat or not to eat? Has that ever come to you? Like I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 26:06

Actually, I'm running a self-help book right now as we speak. Uh it's but it's based in a combination of theology, physic uh uh of uh philosophy and metaphysics. Oh wow. So it's more uh an internal job than external. Okay, it's more internal. Yeah. Yeah, it it's it's basically helped to wake people up to um the beauty and power they have within them.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Yeah, that's awesome. Uh I think um, especially now and with all the stuff that we can't eat or we eat, and and you know, uh one thing my my son went over to uh Japan uh last year and he said that there's a lot of things that we have they have out there that they would never eat over here. Um, you know, stuff that candies and things like that that they wouldn't they don't even ship them there. Uh they don't want it's poison to them, it's poison. Yeah, it's amazing. I I I read an article about that they don't ship, they don't take our apples because of the cover that's on them, sort of a waxy thing that makes them shiny. And I'm like, whoa, wait a minute, what's going on? Like, we can't even ship our apples, like that's how bad it's gotten. Um and I understand you know, obesity and all that stuff. Um so when you started weightlifting and all that stuff, um, how did that make you feel um in in yourself? Like, did it give you confidence? Did it um make you just feel I know it's gonna make you feel better. That's that's just a fact when you see, but some people get mad when they don't see the results really fast. And so my experience in that is that's been that way. It's like, man, why am I not losing the weight? I'm doing everything I can. So, how do you tell someone that may be in that situation to motivate them like you were?

SPEAKER_03 27:53

Well, I mean, it cre it appealed to my creative side, bodybuilding that is, to mold and shape the body as if it were a piece of clay, you know, and uh um I would say don't lose faith in yourself because um uh it takes time, took time to to gain all that weight. It's gonna take time not only to take it off, but then to change your lifestyle around. Um take baby steps at it. Don't expect to to turn into our sports anger overnight, you know, if that's your goal. Right. You know, it it takes years of training and discipline to get into that, and it's you basically have to step into another personality, another you have to become another type of person. And you're not gonna do that overnight. Take baby steps at it. And and the first thing is it starts at the kitchen, not in the gym. So, you know, look at your pantry, look at your fridge, you know, get your your loved ones on board with with your diet and your lifestyle changed, and and because that's makes it even more difficult when they're eating the junk food and it's sitting there, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:55

Yeah, that and I also think um society or the atmosphere you're raised in also either helps or doesn't help your situation, you know. When kids grow up and and the parent wants them, gives them soda or you know, things like that, or they let them taste soda for the first time. And I remember when my son was born and and the babysitter gave a little bit of soda to my kid. I lost my mind because I did not want her, I want him to have soda. But it's like anything, once you try it, it it's a drug. Food can become a drug. You know, I I was a huge footie, uh foodie. I ate everything and anything under the table. I enjoyed eating. Um, I no longer do that. I I now I eat to survive and I I love what I eat and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 29:39

I mean, just just think how many people would, you know. I I don't know if Chick-fil-A is do you have Chick-fil-A around by New York? They just started coming to New York. So you Okay. Okay, I mean there are people here that would would line up on Sundays too if they're open on Sundays because it's addictive. That is they they they said it, they purposely engineered the chemicals in there to be addictive.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

Yeah. Yeah, I I it yeah, exactly. And if you read a lot of articles, it's made that way, it's made for to become addictive. You know, sugar is a huge addiction. Uh, if you're you know a person who loves candy and then all of a sudden you don't get it, you do go to withdrawal. People don't really you do go to food withdrawal, right? You realize that, oh man, I could go for a bag of MMs right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:21

Well, we all know it's no, they put MSG in Chinese food. Have you ever had to see Chinese food advertised? No. No, no, no.

Songwriting Downloads And Creative Process

SPEAKER_01 30:29

And have you ever noticed that they don't eat the food they serve us? They have their own food. Yes, yes. You know, I'm from New York City where we have, I have to say the best Chinese food in the world is in the hood. And uh, but it's so funny, you don't ever see them eat their own food. They the Americ and when my son went to China and he asked, and he said, No, we some of the stuff you guys did, we will never make here or eat. That doesn't that's Americanized, you know. Uh and why does it Americanized to make us fatter, addicted? That's the MSG part, um, you know, all that crazy stuff. But I ain't gonna lie, MSG with Chinese food is banging, it's good, you know. But um, it did change once they took it out. It did change the food. That's a fact. Um, but uh anyway, so as a musician now, we're gonna go into one of my favorite things, musician. Like, what are your favorite? If you do you do you like singing, do you like music? Do you like playing, writing, composing? What's your favorite part of all that?

SPEAKER_03 31:26

Uh, I think the writing, the song writing, I like a lot. Um, I I always call them, I'll get what I call them uh to be downloads. So all of a sudden I'll have a song just pop into my head, you know. I always wondered, you know, if if it's like an angel knocking, you know, like it seems like it a lot of times because when when it's there, I can't go to sleep. I I I have to write it down. You know, I have to at least get it down on paper. And it's funny how um like years before I was even you know even thought about being in a band, okay? Um, I would get these downloads and I there'd be songs, you know? And then if you if you so I'd write them down, I'd like, why why are you giving me this? Why am I writing this down? You know? Uh, but then comes you know years later, right now, that song is out on the album. So, you know, I guess it makes sense. That was more or less divine timing, you know, not my timing, it was someone else's. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:22

That's amazing. Uh I I I know that. But my my wife yells at me all the time because I have all these little stickies, sometimes all over the place with maybe a word or or a sentence, and she's like, Okay, that's enough. Sometimes I'll put them on the fridge or just put them in your phone.

SPEAKER_03 32:35

Just start the Google Notes app in your phone.

AI In Music Without Losing Soul

SPEAKER_01 32:38

I I've I've I'm kind of like I I'm a big tech guy, like I love tech, and I will, you know, uh do a lot of stuff with it. And I have stuff on my PC that will remind me, tell me off if I pass something, or I created the program or allows me to tell me uh you didn't go to the interview, or what happened. It'll tell me and it'll yell at me too. And I made it so it'll sort of insult me, just to motivate me. It'll say, Listen, you lazy man, let's go. What are you doing? Um, you know. So I understand and I and I appreciate that. Now going into that, and in especially as writers, composers, and of the AI world, I always love to talk to people about AI. Uh, me, myself, my opinion, I love AI. I think AI is a release for people who do not have the talent or the skill set to design stuff or make stuff, but it's in their heart and brain. So it helps them release that. Uh obviously it can be used for the wrong thing, as we have seen. But it's like a gun. It's like a gun. It depends on who's behind it. What do you think of that as a music composer, as a person who writes? Uh, what do you what are your thoughts on AI?

SPEAKER_03 33:52

Well, we use it in the band, okay? Not only as a we consider it the fifth band member, basically. We use it to change our voices, we use it to increase the production quality in the songs. Now, I'm it I'm in the States where right now I'm not, but I'm usually in South Carolina, and the rest of the guys are in Germany. So if it wasn't for AI to clean up the music that we're recording and putting together, oh my gosh, it would take so much longer just to make one song. It it's like I said, it's we treat it like it's the member of the band, really. Yeah. We we all use it, and I've used it to change my voice. I mean, one of the first songs that I did, it was it was a it turned it was a joke. Okay, when we first started talking about you know doing putting on an album, um, what does every 80s band need? They they need a heartbreak song. So the guys the guys wanted it wanted to see what I was made out, so like we want you to write a heartbreak song, and we want you to use the word sugar tits in it. And I'm like, what? You know, I was so surprised. Like, are you serious? And they expected it to turn out like crap. Okay, like one of those things, like, hey, we'll toss this, but you proved yourself, sort of thing. You know what I mean? Yeah, but it worked out so well, it's it's on the album, it's on He's in Hades. That's good. It's on the album. Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 35:07

Yeah, um, yeah. I, you know, I have a lot of friends who are actual musicians. I have one very good friend who is almost he's a master at stuff. Like he can pick up a guitar and play it, he can pick up a piano and play it. He's one of those people that are just blessed with that talent. Um, and uh he's obviously not a huge fan of AI, you know, he's old school, you know, been through the studio, been in a band, and all that. And I try to tell people that sure, uh, when you start to claim stuff or use other people's stuff to manipulate yours and not give credit or not at least state something, then yeah, it's being used wrong. Um, it can be used in writing. It's you know, I've seen where people have taken books and they just flip them, and they're the same exact book. It's just maybe two or three words that are different in that paragraph. And technically, they're allowed to do that because it is a slight difference, it's not the same. But and uh I see a lot of companies uh really putting their force on it. Um, I believe YouTube is really being big on that whole uh AI stuff. Um, I believe uh Spotify is gonna start soon to uh really uh deep check that. Um I don't know what the parameters would be because I obviously I don't have a band, but my band is all AI. My all my groups are AI, and but I write the lyrics, the poems, and then they just help me translate it into the music that I want it to be. Um I'm mostly a hard rock, you know. Uh I love you know, sleep token, I love all these bands, and because that's the music I do, and I love to share that, but it's faith-based, but it's not in your face, like you know, except Christ or you're going to hell. It's sort of like I want you to think, I want you to be emotional, I want you to logically figure this out. I need you to use critical thinking, right? Uh and I think going into that, I I believe like we're having now uh an awesome conversation, we're discussing things, and I think that's one of the things we've lost in this world, civil discourse, especially with the world we're in. Um what are your thoughts on that? Like, how do you deal with that with someone who says, Oh, well, I don't think what you're doing is cool, or or why are you using this or what like how do you deal with a situation like that?

SPEAKER_03 37:29

Uh this though that God judges your heart. Okay, so it does that person's opinion doesn't really matter. It's what you set out to do isn't what matters, okay? If you're trying to improve the situation in humanity, God sees that. Does he not? Jesus sees that. Okay, that person's opinion doesn't matter. That that that friend you have as a musician that might get mad at you for using AI in your songs, where's your heart at? Okay, you're just trying to do to do your something for you good for humanity. You know, trying to put maybe God's word out there, okay? God sees that. Just keep doing it. Just keep doing it. Don't worry about them. I mean, I I I come across a lot of musicians like that, you know, and I understand where they're coming from. But the problem is they pitten themselves into a corner. They they're uh uh a one-show pony, I guess you could say. That's the only thing they have that was their income, their bread, their butter, and that was it. Okay? And they and they had aspirations to be on stage and be in front of a crowd just like Def Leppard, just like you know, Skid Row. Okay. And I unfortunately a lot of them still believe that, even in when they're 40s or 50s, you know, and stuff like that. It's it's a it's a shame. It's a shame. I don't want to disillusion them. Right. But I mean, I think they need to come to the realization that a lot of that was only possible because uh the studio's money. Okay, and the a lot of that was set up. It was it was all a farce, it was all a farce, unfortunately.

Remote Band Workflow And Human Touch

SPEAKER_01 39:03

Yeah, you're absolutely right, and I think us having that option of having those softwares or um resources that can help spread any word, right? Uh whatever it may be. It could be um about weightlifting, it could be about uh a comic book, it'd be and you can design something or make a video or that can resonate with someone, right? Even yeah, and sometimes you do stuff just so it's for me. You know what I mean? It's for us, it's for me to resonate with me, it touches me, so you put it out, right? Like music. Music is people don't, it's very personal, especially if you're a writer and you write music, it's people don't realize that we give a little bit of ourselves. You put your heart and soul into it, yes. Yeah, you give a little bit of yourself every time you release a song, and I think you understand that because you know how it is, you know. Um but um so how's it been deal like that's a cool thing, like your your band is in Germany, and how do you guys do you guys like we're doing now, zoom in, or do they send you samples, or or how does it well there there's messages going back and forth between us 24-7.

SPEAKER_03 40:10

Okay, text messages, email files, what do you think of that? What do you think of this? You know, we're constantly talking to each other, and uh, you know, like except for like right now, I had to tell the guys just wait. We just put out the album on Valentine's Day. I want to write this book, you know, this self-help book. You know, I I need some quiet time and I need some meet time to get this done, you know. And they're they've been understanding, but for the most part, there's still stuff going back and forth, back and forth, you know. Um and we have thought about uh, you know, actually like you know, but this is another thing with AI is like music videos. You know, if you price the cost of what a music video actually costs you, oh yeah, or then then like okay, then we're actually looking at if we scan ourselves and then put that into the music video, the cost is so much cheaper. It's not even if it's like it's it's almost like a non-decision. Like, why would you want the old school way? Right.

SPEAKER_01 41:02

You know, yeah, absolutely. And that's a great point because people don't realize the cost of production nowadays. Uh a simple video can cost a hundred grand just for something that doesn't have any product or anything. A minute or two, yeah. And and they're like a minute or two video, and that's it, and you just paid a hundred grand. Um I've I've created uh through Sasquatch Syndicate, we have created ads, um, music, voiceovers, all that stuff that would cost someone or me, because I've experienced that paying someone to do the voiceover a hundred dollars, and now I pay what a subscription fee, and I can do it myself in a hundred different ways. Um I can change the music on how I like it. Uh I understand people's fear on that because we've seen the scams, uh, we've seen all that stuff. But it's like everything else. When the TV came out, oh, that's gonna mess up Broadway shows. When color came out, oh black and white, nobody's gonna watch TV. When radio came out, oh no one's gonna listen to radio because of the TV. And then when TV came out, then MP3s. You know, there's always something that people get scared of because it's progression, right? Nobody likes new things. Um, so you know, being in that field where you write and and talk like that, it opens up a whole world for a lot of people. And it helps us, you and me, to share what we have in our hearts, um despite using AI, because sometimes you don't even need AI. It's so much you that you throw it out there. I've done stuff.

SPEAKER_03 42:33

I'm redoing my my Amazon's audiobook right now, and I looked at AI and it can't give me the emotion that I want. Thank you. It can't. And so I wound up hiring like 30 voice actors, okay, for the for the audiobook, and I got all the sound effects squared away. So I you know, I have my uh good friend Andrew Giordani, very talented voice actress herself. She's putting it together for me little by little, and uh it's still not there at the point where it can it can do the emotion, you know, uh good enough to to be, you know, because humans know when it's fake. You know, you they know when it's AI, and and I didn't just didn't like it. It didn't sound right.

SPEAKER_01 43:15

Yeah, I hear you. There are times where I've I've used AI to like make I've even done AI with a podcast. Like I've said, you know what, I don't feel like really reading my script today or or or talk, and I'll I'll use the AI uh with my cloned voice. Uh it's pretty close, but I can also tell it's not there's no emotion there. It's just yeah, and you can tell there's freaking lip sync and and clone voice stuff out there that are scary. They can literally you can move it and and change the tone and change all that. But if you've been in that world a lot, you can tell. Especially us that we can we we our ears listen to every little change because music and so we can tell when a video is AI or when um someone is a singer is an AI or something, you can tell it's you know, especially music. You can hear that tinny sound, there's not much bass in it when they sing, and like, yeah, that's AI, you know. Um but I I understand people's fear, I enjoy it. Uh a lot of people do. I use it in my ministry big time.

SPEAKER_03 44:19

Um but and also the there's also the human factor too, you know. Like like with when I hired the 30 voice actors, you know, me and my producer and we talk to them. There's the human factor, the collaboration. Like, I'm gonna back. Go back and hire some of these people for future projects. They did such a good job for me. I'm like, wow, these people are are just commensurate professionals, really odd cue. They know their stuff. I wanted three different versions of a line. They gave me five different versions of the line. You know, and they were just awesome people. And it's it's so amazing the talent that's available out there, you know. And you don't you don't make friends like that from AI. No, you don't. There's not the human it's it's there's no human element there.

Where To Find Peter And Closing

SPEAKER_01 45:03

Right. We we lose that human connection uh when we don't collaborate with human people. Um if you just collaborate with AI, you're not gonna get that. You're always gonna get the yes man, right? You're always gonna get that yes guy because that's what they're there for. They're there to everything you do is right, even though you know it's not, and and you do need that human factor. And I think people forget that that there is a human factor uh behind things, and and sometimes you need that, especially with sometimes with like you said, your audiobook. You need that excitement when something bad is happening, or you need that, oh my goodness, this you know, and unfortunately AI has not it is it's almost there, but it's not there yet. Um and also human beings are just great at some things, they just you know, there's nothing like uh hearing a raw voice with natural talent saying, like, no, like God gave you that, those, those, that little, you know, like it's him, so you tend to appreciate it now. And I think dealing with AI, I appreciate real singers even more. Yeah, because how easy it is for AI, right? To to create voice, you can tone it, make but that person naturally, that's that's a blessing. I'll take that over any AI music anytime, right? Um, so uh like I said, everyone, uh Peter's stuff will all be in the in a in the show notes. Uh this conversation has been eye-opening for me, has been really great. I haven't had a great talk in a while with someone who enjoys music and and and enjoys uh art and comics and stuff like that. Um, and to come on the show. Um as and thank you again for being patient with me in the beginning with all the technical hiccups. Uh and as we all know, you know, this is all new to me. Uh also Mickey says hello. Uh, she was unable to be on the show today, but uh she's very sorry about that. But we will hopefully have her on the next show. Uh, Peter, you are absolutely most welcome to come on anytime you want. Um, I think there's a lot of stuff that we can talk about even more.

SPEAKER_03 47:15

Well, when I launched my self-help book, how about that? Uh, what was that?

SPEAKER_01 47:18

When I launched my self-help book, I could come back on. How about that? Absolutely. That you'll be part of Sips and Scripts. That's an absolute part of Simpson Scripts. That I try to tell people that when I do interviews, I usually depends on the interview, is where I put the show on. Um, so if it's very faith-based and stuff, it'll go encompass. If it's comic books or anything, multiverse. And if it's authors, sips and scripts. Obviously, us, you'll be right in multiverse because we talked about and the graphic novel and stuff. So that's people that will resonate well with that. Um, and when you come back, sips and scripts, because you're an author and you've done the book and all these, and we'll come back to that because writing uh uh a novel or graphic novel is still an author, and you had to write everything in it. So yes, you can always come back, you can always come back and explain that process. How did you write that and everything down? Did you type it? Did you save it? But that'll be a nice, really cool conversation. I hope uh people will come on and join us. Uh, we thank you everyone for who's uh rocked with us. Um, this has been a fun experience. Um, so again, Peter, please tell everyone where they can find you, what you have up to, all that wonderful stuff.

SPEAKER_03 48:29

Well, you can go to my website, it's www.petergun.net. And if you want to listen to the album, uh you go to your favorite music app and type in the angelics with two L's. And the name of the albums that we have out currently are Hazing Hades and Elysium Feels is the newest one.

SPEAKER_01 48:46

Nice. And like I said, he'll I'll put all the links to all of uh Peter's stuff. Uh definitely go check out the band, the music, the graphic novel for all you nerds out there. Let's go, let's support our uh independent artists and and writers. Um, again, Peter, thank you so much for being on. Everyone, this has been the Compass Chronicles podcast. This is Javier. I thank you so much for being on, and we hope to see you on the next one. Be blessed.