Tim Ferriss - 5-Bullet Friday — June 2, 2023

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what I’m pondering and exploring. Don’t miss the P.S. and P.P.S.

What I’m incredibly excited to see

​Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical (@personalitymusical), written by podcast guest B. Jeffrey Madoff (@jeff_madoff), who became friends with Lloyd before his passing. I’m headed to Chicago to see this.
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Jeff introduced me to Lloyd Price in our 2021 conversation, and I ended up being both shocked (how could I not know this name?) and fascinated. First and foremost, it’s the story of an underdog overcoming unbelievable odds. Lloyd went from digging septic tanks in Louisiana in 1951 to becoming the first teenager ever to sell more than a million records in 1952.
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Lloyd’s influence ended up going far beyond music. He promoted the legendary “Thrilla in Manila” and “Rumble in the Jungle” with Muhammad Ali. Price had the foresight to retain ownership of the copyrights and future royalties of his music, and he was the first artist to start his own record label. His songs shattered the racial divide in music, and his tunes were rerecorded by Elvis, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, and many more. The list goes on and on.
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Lloyd used creativity and courage to overcome huge obstacles, forging a revolutionary career with revolutionary impact in the process. My hope is that his action-packed story will inspire more people to do the same. For all of these reasons and more, I ended up investing in the early stages of his production, my first-ever investment in theater. I really believe it’s a story and a message that the world needs to hear. It’s also simply great entertainment, complete with gangsters and plot twists… and an all-star cast and team.

Lloyd Price was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, but more important, he is an unsung hero who changed culture worldwide. If you see this show, I hope you love it and leave with a burning desire to think big. I saw Personality in its nascent stages in PA, and it was on fire. The Chicago show will take it to a whole new level.
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​If you live near Chicago or would like to visit this summer, I encourage you to grab tickets at this link. In case that website crashes due to traffic from this newsletter, tickets are also available here at this link, but note that the Hot Tix website does not list all performances.

Podcast episode I’m listening to

“Why is consciousness something worth talking about?” (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube) on the Philosophize This! podcast. “Consciousness” might seem esoteric, but this podcast does a great job of giving real-world examples of how assumptions about consciousness—even subconscious assumptions—strongly influence how we live our lives. I really enjoyed this one, and there’s a lot that will surprise you. From the description: “Today we talk about consciousness. The hard problem. Why it’s hard. The philosophical zombie thought experiment. What it’s like to be a bat. Blindsight. Hierarchies of consciousness. ChatGPT. Biological algorithms. Society ruled by the sanctity of consciousness.”

Book I’m reading

​Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death, compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. This was gifted to me by a dear friend and ultra-high performer. He and I both feel that getting more comfortable with death is a critical part of living fully. From the description: “Although the consciousness of death is, in most cultures, very much a part of life, this is perhaps nowhere more true than in Japan, where the approach of death has given rise to a centuries-old tradition of writing jisei, or the ‘death poem.’ Such a poem is often written in the very last moments of the poet’s life. Hundreds of Japanese death poems, many with a commentary describing the circumstances of the poet’s death, have been translated into English here, the vast majority of them for the first time.”

​​Cheat day snack that I’m enjoying

​Sea Salt Espresso Bites. A delicious one-liner from the website: “A little salty, a little sweet, and decadently wild, this espresso bite is made with 100% Maui coffee and sprinkled with mineral-rich sea salt from Molokai.” Thanks to Jake Muise for bringing these goodies to Austin! Outside of cheat day, a single square right before podcast recording also gives me just the right cognitive boost without any jitters.

Quote I’m pondering

“Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.”​
— Gustave Flaubert​
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You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with my interview with award-winning director and playwright B. Jeffrey Madoff, my conversation with neuroscientist David Eagleman, and my interview with cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman.
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And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.
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Have a wonderful weekend, all.
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Much love to you and yours,
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Tim

P.S.

If you ordered COCKPUNCH Coffee and got a gold bag, which were mixed in at random, be on the lookout for an email next week. There were only ten shipped out, and I’ll be hosting a virtual jam session for those ten folks. I look forward to meeting you!

P.P.S. Deal of the Week — LMNT’s delicious electrolyte drink mix!

You’ve heard me talk about LMNT for years. I usually use 1–2 packs per day to balance my electrolytes. As temperatures are getting warmer and I’m logging more outdoor hours, LMNT has been critical to feeling my best. I add electrolytes for many reasons: because I over-hydrate compulsively while stuck at a laptop (which dilutes electrolytes and leads me to feel tired), because I’m often on a low-carb diet, and because I sweat a LOT. LMNT is convenient hydration insurance that tastes great.

Each serving of LMNT delivers a meaningful dose of electrolytes without the garbage—no sugar, no artificial ingredients, no coloring, no junk. LMNT is used by dozens of professional teams in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. It’s also used by Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr (6x CrossFit Games winner) and thousands of others, like me, who are looking for a physical and mental edge. My favorite flavor is Citrus Salt, which, as a side note, you can use to make a kick-ass no-sugar margarita. I’ve also been enjoying Grapefruit Salt, LMNT’s newest flavor, which is perfect for the summer heat.

​Find your favorite flavor with a free LMNT Sample Pack, included with any purchase for a limited time. And if you don’t love your purchase for any reason, my friends at LMNT offer a no-questions-asked refund policy. This special offer is available here >>> DrinkLMNT.com/Tim.