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TTP #9a- Tourganic Shorts: Drummer and Animal Rights Activist Tom Garrington on the Power of Questioning the Status Quo as a Musician and Vegan Advocate
11 Plays6 years ago
Tom Garrington is not only a great drummer but also a committed vegan, animal rights activist and outspoken advocate for the plant-based movement. In this conversation:
- The "Best Speech You'll Ever Hear" and the moment where Tom's life changed direction and he became a strict vegan
- How Tom has been able to positively affect so many others and help them make the transition to a vegan diet
- The concept of voting with your dollar and the power we possess as consumers
- Developing the skills to face adversary and see difficult moments as oppurtunities for growth
- Specific documentaries, Vlogs, websites, activists and books that have been influential in Tom's path to veganism
- How important keeping an open mind has been in Tom's success as a musician and in his learning about the impacts of veganism
Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast in iTunes and visit www.tourganic.com for more info on this episode and living healthy on the road
Tourganic Podcast Theme song 'The Path' written by David Bailis and this episode's musical interludes by Tom Garrington Quartet and Justin Piper (Tom Garrington on Drums)
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Transcript
Introduction and Host Overview
00:00:02
Speaker
This is Torganic Shorts, where I give a taste of the full interview with selected quotes.
Featuring Tom Garrington: Drummer & Activist
00:00:08
Speaker
This week's episode is featuring the great drummer and animal rights activist, Tom Garrington.
Influence of Gary Yourofsky
00:00:14
Speaker
The real turning point for me, I was living in New York City, and I watched a video on YouTube called The Greatest Speech You'll Ever Hear. Gary Yourofsky. Gary Yourofsky, who ended up being a friend of mine down the line.
Lifestyle Change: Going Plant-Based
00:00:28
Speaker
He's just an amazing person.
00:00:31
Speaker
and I watched that video and I remember sitting in my room and watching it on my laptop and I had my speakers on. I was just like greatest speech ever. What is this? I had no idea what it was. I wasn't eating healthy at the time. I wasn't doing anything. I just watched this speech and
00:00:47
Speaker
I just remember at the end of the speech, I was just like, appalled. It was like, that's it. I was like, I cannot do this. I'm like you, you mentioned earlier about how the pendulum swings like this. It's like, when I make a decision to do something, it's
Consumer Choices and Voting with Dollars
00:01:02
Speaker
done. And after I saw this video, I said, okay, now that I know this information, now that I know what's really happening, I can't support that anymore.
00:01:14
Speaker
No more consumption of animal products and not putting my money towards it, most importantly. I just decided that I am powerful as a consumer. You know, you vote with your dollar.
Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
00:01:32
Speaker
After I had cut out animal products from my diet and I felt like the veil was lifted off, you know, like I felt all cloudy and then I just felt amazing.
00:01:44
Speaker
And it was like, so I don't need it for my physical self and I don't need to wear it.
Challenges and Personal Growth
00:01:52
Speaker
I don't need it.
00:01:56
Speaker
bad things happen, you know, things go down. It's like, you can either look at it as like, oh, poor me, poor me. Or you can go, wow, this is, this is a challenging moment. And this is my chance to grow. It's like, you don't go to the weight room to just lift two pound weights all the time. Like growth happens during tension, during resistance, resistance builds strength and that
00:02:17
Speaker
that fundamental notion translates into life too.
Critique of Unhealthy Diets
00:02:20
Speaker
It's like anytime there's a chance for you to face resistance, that's a chance for you to experience growth if you're willing to do it. We're not giving our best self because we're not feeding our bodies what they need. So like people are suffering, people are dying of heart disease, diabetes, cancer. A lot of these diseases are solvable with diet, preventable, preventable with diet, you know?
00:02:47
Speaker
And people are just getting sick, so we're not putting our best foot forward as a people and as a country. You can just tell, you just bounce back from things so much faster when you're on a plant-based diet.
Musicians Adopting Healthier Lifestyles
00:03:00
Speaker
I mean, to me, it's like nine day, you know? So clarity of body, having that, it doesn't get much better than that, especially if you're someone who's training or somebody who's an athlete.
00:03:12
Speaker
People are not entranced by the old guard, the rock and roll lifestyle. They saw what it did to all those musicians. They saw how they aged. They saw how things went.
00:03:25
Speaker
they realized it wasn't sustainable.
Questioning Diet Beliefs and Misconceptions
00:03:27
Speaker
And I think you're starting to see a lot of musicians now heading towards like taking care of themselves out on the road and really trying to feel good and like try to focus on the positive, like focus on giving your best performance on stage. Cause like you said, that's what it's all about.
00:03:48
Speaker
As I was going vegan, I was like, wow, you know, I thought you needed to eat animal products and you don't. So what else have people been lying to me
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:03:57
Speaker
about? Like, you know, there's just, there's just so many things that you just assume it's one way. And then when you find out it totally isn't, you're just like, wow, what else is out there?
00:04:07
Speaker
Please be sure to check out the full episode of the Torganic Podcast and comment and rate the show in iTunes. It really does help. Also come visit Torganic at the blog and at my Instagram page for regular updates on my triathlon training, fitness and vegan diet tips, and my musical happenings. Until next time, peace.