Meet Jeremy Parker | Sensory Deprivation (Podcast)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeremy Parker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeremy, why did you pursue a creative career?
I started my show “Sensory Deprivation” because I wanted to create a place for people that couldn’t sleep due to the constant wheels in motion of a mind that is suffering from mental illness, addiction, depression and past trauma. I wanted people to be able to put something on that gave them positive stories of self-reflection from other people that struggle themselves. I’ve been very fortunate to have this idea resonate with a variety of guests from differing backgrounds, because this is a topic that affect so many, whether it is up front or hidden. Musicians, artists and athletes all can relate to a time they felt that their world was spinning away from them, a time when they didn’t want to think of how much worse it could get. Especially in times such as we live in now, it was very important to me to convey a message of hope, of recovery and to tell people in as many voices possible, that life is beautiful and that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Creating anything new in a public forum is hard. You don’t know if people will get it, let alone appreciate it. You’re constantly fighting inside because you want it to be better, always better, but sometimes that type of logic can frustrate you. There will always be things you don’t know how to execute, things you have to learn, but as long as you keep your mind on the direction you want it to go you’ll be that much closer to it becoming a reality.

I have a great deal of personal experience in addiction and it pains me to see it growing continually more and more out of control. We see it in our streets, in our classrooms and workplaces. We see it in the ones we love. I wanted to create things that are a positive reminder of the ability we have inside each of us. The ability to recover, to be our greatest self and get on a path we’re proud of for ourselves. For me, that came in the form of “Sensory Deprivation”. The guests I have on my show have all suffered through mental and physical illness, and come out stronger where they were once weak. I believe creativity has the power to help anyone going through the darkness. I try to promote that with my show, in addition to sharing the things that have helped me and my guests get beyond those difficult times in life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many “off the beaten path” shops here that I love to support. Before the pandemic, “Bia Coffee” in Koreatown, with their homemade rose and lavender lattes, was a favorite, sadly they have since closed. SPL and Lab Coffee & Roasters are great coffee shops I frequent as well.

Some of my favorite spots for food are “Pollo A La Brasa” for Peruvian style chicken in Koreatown, and “Bhan Kanom Thai” in Thai Town. They have the best Thai tea, mango sticky rice and all sorts of salty/sweet treats from Thailand that I’ve never found anywhere else. Fugetsu-Do Bakery for its fresh strawberry mochi on the weekends in Little Tokyo is another great spot with a lot of history.

This city has so much to offer. I love looking at pictures of Los Angeles during its noir, Art Deco heyday and driving down Wilshire to see the old “Bullocks” building. From the unique architecture, the beaches, the hiking, the theaters, the variety of cultures and food, there is no limit to what you can appreciate here.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s no way this project would have come together without the support of my sponsors. When I began “Sensory Deprivation” I had no recording equipment so I reached out to @Shure, whose products I’ve always dug, and told them my idea and guests I’d reached out to. Next thing I knew I had boxes of gear being delivered by them. It was incredibly kind and instantly brought my project to life.

I knew I needed theme music and some kind of graphic logo for the show as well, so I reached out to artists I followed and appreciated on Instagram. Dave Danzara (@lostintimedesigns) helped me with awesome visuals and Pietro Weber (@bitapart) from Switzerland was generous enough to let me use his great music as my intro songs. He’s very talented, everyone needs to check out his album “Muscle Memory”.

They in particular backed me when I had nothing created yet and it gave me hope and determination when I needed it most. They heard me out, trusted my idea and went with it. I owe a lot to them and am very grateful to have them as part of this project.

Website: sensoryshow.com

Instagram: @sensorydeprivation

Youtube: youtube.com/sensorydeprivation

Other: TikTok – sensorydeprivation https://linktr.ee/sensorydeprivation

Image Credits
Cover art by Dave Danzara – IG @lostintimedesigns