Speaker 1: The website is ero dot net a r r oe
dot net. It's more than a website, it's more than
a podcast. It is a podcast network. Where else are
you going to find Street Speak with Alexa and Clarence.
We're talking about AI Alexa from Amazon having a conversation
with an AI digital device and somebody who's actually lived it,
comparing notes living life only on ero dot Net. Street
Speak with Alexa and Clarence. Enjoy your exploration. Hello and
good morning everybody.
Speaker 2: Hey, how's it going? It's Antonio Michael. Oh.
Speaker 1: I love the way you say that. Is it because
you've practiced it or is it that there's just something
about that name.
Speaker 2: Well, I do get a lot of practice saying my name.
It doesn't sound very modest, but here I am.
Speaker 1: Well, it's it's almost like modern day society has forgotten
to say their name with pride. It's like, what is
your name? Jimi jon It's what Jami Johnson? What do
you know? What are you talking about? Dude? Say some
say it with pride. Be proud of yourself.
Speaker 2: Oh man, you know what. I've never thought of that,
but you know, every every day when when I'm when
i'm recording, when I'm prepping for my podcast. Yes, I
am recording my podcast. I never thought about it until
you mentioned it just now. But I say my name
a lot, and I got to say it Claire because
it's the brand.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, because that's what I had to
go through when I first came down from Montana to Charlotte,
is that they wanted me to get rid of the
name Errow Collins because it sounded too much like Harold
Earl and everything else. And so they say, you got
to get rid of the name. I said, no, I'm
just going to change the way I say it. It's
a Row Collins and so then this way then, but
I've been able to keep it. But but yeah, they
didn't want it at all, because you know, a name
is a name. But the thing is, if I don't
believe in the name, how can I sell the name?
Speaker 2: Yeah? And I always say, like people always say, hey,
if your name is different, you should change it. But
I always say nah, because if you're in if you're
in the business of putting yourself forward, different is what
you're aiming for us, right, you want something that makes
you instantly stand out. So so and and of course
we're going to teach them how to say it. They're
gonna know it. They're gonna know you. You know, as
soon as you do. We know how to say Arnold Schwarzenegger. Don't.
That's a hard name. But he went out and made
it impossible for us to mispronounce it.
Speaker 1: Plus, I don't see too many people sitting there mumbling
underneath their breath when they say his name. I'm pretty
sure I can hear some pride when they say that name.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, and so and so. It's a very you know,
what's in a name Rose by any other name of
smell just the sweep, I don't think so.
Speaker 1: Now, being a podcaster as well as an author, Okay,
and a lot of people don't know this, but but
podcasting did not began back in the nineteen eighties because
of comedians and you know, musicians. It was all about
the authors who created the podcast. It was them. And
so to see you write Black Cherokee and other books,
I'm going, my god, he is absolutely one hundred percent
locked into this medium.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, you know, it's oral tradition. A long time,
long time before we had news casts and books and
satellite and TV. It would be a bunch of people
sitting around the fire, telling stories, asking questions, passing on
the history and the tradition. So you know, podcasting started
a long time ago. It's in our DNA, I.
Speaker 1: Would say, yeah, yeah, part of that storytelling, which you
do quite well in Black Cherokee. I do have to
ask where did the inspiration come from? And when did
it hit you that this is the direction you were
going to be walking?
Speaker 2: Oh man, Like you know, a lot of authors will
come and give you these well thought out reasons for
why they did what they did with their book, and
it came out exactly how they planned it. But I
you know, I always feel like that's like when someone
asked you, well, why did you fall in love with
your partner? You know, and a lot of you know
what I mean, and we always have reasons, well it's
this and their eyes and you know, they like my family.
But actually we know that it's a moment, and in
a moment, a magic happens and suddenly you are captivated
by the thing. And that's how this inspiration came to me.
I was traveling in your Neck and Woods, North Carolina,
South Carolina a lot for a job I had at
BlackBerry and and I was just so captivated by the landscape.
And then one day, a couple of years into doing that,
I just got I got all of it. I had
the bend in the river, the rural steading, Grandma Blue Ophelia,
her granddaughter. I knew that they were Afro Indigenous right
off the cuff. And then it's almost like a visitation
of a ghost, and it's mysterious. And then for me,
the writing of the book is the solving of the mystery.
Speaker 1: Yep, yep, yep, yep. I'm totally with you because the
soil that which I live on, which is a forest
in South Charlotte, I totally believe. I'm not the writer.
I'm just the receiver of the message that's inside that force,
and which is the reason why when it comes to
my writing, I want to put the writing back in
the earth and give it to the next writer, because
it doesn't belong to me. I was just here for
a moment.
Speaker 2: Yeah, most definitely. I mean, it's it's all almost like
when you're a gardener, right, and you don't actually you
don't actually go and pull the stem and make it grow.
You don't make it grow. You provide the condition so
that it can grow. And that's how I see myself
with the book. I'm a I'm a conduit.
Speaker 1: But man, you've you've mastered something here Antonio that a
lot of people are not doing it. And I'm so
grateful that you are pacing the pacing of the story,
taking the time to really give us the story because
we get to digest it now. Is that because you're
a binge watcher when it comes to television? How did
you get the pacing of this down to where everybody
can call this their book?
Speaker 2: Yeah? You know, thank you first of all Arrow for
recognizing that, because I thought very deeply about the pacing,
and in fact, it was a lot flower really started. Yeah,
through the process. You know, here's the thing. It's like,
I spend a lot of time reading. To me, like
my reading is just hey, what's on New York Times? Hell,
I'm reading. I'm reading the history of literature, right, I'm
reading sometimes hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years old. And
so so the current trend is for everything to be
pop pop pop pop pop. You know, don't BORI us
get to the chorus. But I think what we lose
in that is you don't get to fully stink into
the world of the character. You don't get truly understand
the mind of the character. So when something happens to
that character, like you, I want the audience to care
because they're they've seen what they're going through. They understand
their fears, their anxieties, their content yep. And and I
think that's a lost start. And so I you know,
I for me, it's really important to drop you into
the world so you feel like you're there, and that
takes time. You can't just rush through that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because we're all very guilty of hurry up and
get this over with. Hurry up and get this over with.
And no, no, no, no no. When it comes to
your book, Black Cherokee, it's like, no, let me give
you the full picture here so that you can understand it,
so you don't have to come back five pages from
now and say, what was going on again? No, you
explained it because you took the time to make that happen.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is it. It's almost like meeting someone and
you're like, Okay, you're my best friend. I know. We
let's get the part where we actually have conversations and
nights out and get into trouble and get out of
trouble and do all of that bonding. Let's just get that.
I'm just gonna you know, I'm gonna pretend. But of
course we know in real life you don't have a
connection with someone unless you've lived and been there with them.
Speaker 1: Please do not move. There's more with Antonio Michael coming
up next. The name of his book is Black Cherokee.
We're back with author Antonio Michael. What is it like
for you though, to add personal things to that storyline,
because a lot of people are gonna say, well, I
didn't know this about you, Antonio. Why am't you never
shared this with me before?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, and it depends, like you know, so
sagaboy my memoir. Yes, yes, Harry, that's about my life.
And a lot of people that knew me said exactly
what you just said when they read it. They said, Hey,
I feel like I've been hanging out with you for
years and I didn't know anything about yep. Yeah, But
of course that's why you write a memoir. You write
a memoir because they're parts, because you want the whole
of the story to be told in a novel like
Black Cherokee. It's I like to think that everything in
the novel comes out of the author's psyche somewhere. So
every single character in Black Cherokee has a little bit
of me, a little splinter of me in them, and
in fact, I think that's what allows me to bring
them to life. Yeah, I have to draw on all
my experiences and my disappointments and my vanity and my
you know, like I've got to bring everything I am
to the table in order to serve the book and
serve the story and serve these characters.
Speaker 1: Oh, you are spot on with this, because all the
research that I have put into, you know, making that
connection with podcast listeners or even readers and things. If
you do not put yourself in that story, they will
not invest their time. They've got to be able to
come to your events, your readings, or even to come
to your podcast and know that with Antonio on there,
I'm going to get something they want that it can't
come from anybody else. It has to come from Antonio.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is it. You can take the same message,
put it in someone else's mouth, and if they don't
have that same connection, it's not going to be the same.
And so I think a lot of what we're doing
as well as we know. I mean, novels are just storytelling,
and you know, human beings are a storytelling species. And
think about the last time someone told you a story.
You probably were thinking about who that person was, yep.
And if they were a certain person and you had
they had that credibility with you and what they were
telling you drive with who you know them to be,
then you believe them.
Speaker 1: How do you feel though, when someone goes, oh, I
thought you were talking about Kevin. No, it was Mike.
I was talking about Oh yeah, hey.
Speaker 2: Well, you know, the awkwardness and misunderstanding is part of
the is part of the food, right, it spices the food.
So I think all stories can be misunderstood and misinterpreted
as well. And so so that is that is part
of what we're doing out here.
Speaker 1: So now, with you being the radio host, the speaker,
the musician, the author, when do you find time to
be Antonio? Because I know that creativity is an addiction.
You cannot just instantly put it down and if you do,
you rough up your soul. How are you finding time
for self?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean so much of myself is invested in
my creativity. Like I see, I feel like if I
were writing things that were remote to my soul. Like
if I were writing formulaic stuff that had nothing to
do with my experience, then yes, I would need to
make time for me, Okay, But the truth is almost
everything I do in art is spending time thinking about
you know, where I come from, my grandmother, my family,
like just building around that. And you know, for me,
it's been my entire how about life I've been I've
been doing, I've been playing music or writing or you know,
this has kind of been what it's been. And you know,
I have great friends. I have really great friends, and
I make a point of hanging out with them because
I think that they're the actual point, Like the people
that love us care for us. I think we think
of them sometimes as you know, I'll hang with you
if I have time, but I actually believe that that
they're the point. You know, we go and we live life.
When we're with them, we can have things to talk
about and laugh about. And so so I really do
make time for my my friends and my family, my brothers.
You know, it's it's it's really important to me. So
that's when I get in the meantime. But you know
the truth is it is an addiction. Yeah, but if
you ask me, If you ask me, it's the healthiest
addiction I could problem with you.
Speaker 1: I'm with you, Amen, Amen, you got to come back
to this show anytime in the future. The door is
always going to be open for you. First of all,
before we do that, let's make sure where can people
find you and all of your writing, because I don't
want them just to have a couple of pages. I
want them to have your entire journey.
Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, well, for sure. I mean, first of all,
any of your big box bookstores are going to have
Saga Boy or Black Cherokee. Tho, those are the books
looked for them. You can also look by my name
online and Tonio Michael Downing if you're on social media.
I have all the social media's, but I tend to
focus on Instagram, so it's just my name Antonio, my
Michael Downing at Antonio Michael Downing on Instagram. You know,
reach out to me, tell me what you think. If
you read the book, you got some thoughts DM me.
I'm always in those dms talking to people. I love.
I love hearing how the readers respond to the story.
This is why I do this so I can have
great conversations with people, so including right now Aero. So
thank you, I appreciate.
Speaker 1: Well you got to come back, man. The door is
always going to be open for you.
Speaker 2: That is a deal. I will take you.
Speaker 1: Up that will. You be brilliant today? Okay, sir you too,
Take care ERROW.
Speaker 2: Nice talking to you.