On April 2nd, 2026, the world lost Bo, and I lost my best friend.
I will have much more to say over time... But this episode was something that, upon time of recording (January, 2026), we decided was too intimate to post. We reviewed the initial cut (thank you Steven), and feared that once something so personal was out there, we couldn't ever take it back. We decided to store it and save it for off chance that we might some day feel comfortable posting it.
That day sadly came much sooner than either of us ever expected... This conversation, that I am now so thankful for, is a thorough look into our lives before & during the show. We came up with something like 100-150 questions before narrowing it down to this intimate conversation wherein we interviewed each other for the first, and last time.
The goal was not only to get to know each other in ways we didn't, but share something new and unique with you all. Now, all things considered, it is an absolute miracle. I expected going back through this to be painful and impossible, and it turned out to be some of the only comfort I've found since his passing. Suddenly he was here, back in the room with me, as he now is with all of you. I am writing this in haste basically on the way to his memorial, so I will let him speak for himself here now.
For Bo, Forever.
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00:00:00 - Start
00:05:32 - Where were we born?
00:14:18 - Who had the most influence on us?
00:19:46 - Chris Mills
00:21:47 - What did we learn early about money and survival?
00:27:11 - Childhood memories that shaped us
00:34:10 - What kind of kids were we?
00:44:50 - What was expected of us growing up?
00:53:19 - When did you first feel misunderstood?
01:05:12 - Our first bands and first shows
01:11:09 - When did we first feel like ourselves?
01:16:56 - Did we feel like we belonged anywhere?
01:21:45 - Anger, sadness & anxiety
01:28:43 - When did we know we wanted something more than normal life?
01:32:20 - What were our first escapes?
01:36:17 - Mistakes that taught us the most
01:38:10 - Who were you trying to impress?
01:40:55 - What did music give you that regular life didn't?
01:41:38 - First real jobs, and what they taught us
01:56:20 - What did failure look like to you?
2:00:15 - What part of adulthood do we feel unprepared for?
2:05:24 - When did you first feel competent at something?
2:07:36 - Do we feel any guilt about HardLore?
2:10:58 - When did we first feel this could work?
2:12:03 - What part of HardLore came naturally/unnaturally?
2:16:15 - What almost stopped HardLore early on?
2:17:21 - Honest first impressions of each other
2:20:41 - What do people get wrong about our dynamic?
2:22:31 - What we learn about ourselves through each other?
2:25:18 - What part of the show don't we talk about?
2:27:19 - Public perception
2:29:16 - How do you deal with criticism?
2:31:16 - What do we believe in more strongly now than ever?
2:32:43 - What responsibility do we feel towards our audience?
2:33:11 - What do you hope outlives you, what scares you the most about being remembered?
2:35:11 - What would feel incomplete if it ended now?
HardLore: A Knotfest Series, Fueled by Monster Energy
Edited by Steven Grise • Title sequence by Nicholas Marzluf
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