Tag Archives: Jim Welch

You are going to love this article. Neil Strauss gave me that tip during his “Running a Virus Scan on Your Mental Operating System” talk at the Fourth Annual Bulletproof Biohacking Conference. You want to prepare someone’s mind for a good time, but if you throw a “neg” in there, i.e. like something kind of negative or cautionary… they’ll reflexively go on the defensive. So, I had to lead in this piece like I just did before I tell you about shooting stem cells into your junk.

“Biohacking” is a computer hackers’ approach to health and fitness, medicine and the biological sciences undertaken by individuals and private groups of various sizes. This conference was hosted by arguably America’s only biohacking superstar, Dave Asprey. You may have drunk the coffee he’s popularized (grass-fed butter and high-grade MCT oil blended in organic, mold-free coffee), listened to his podcasts documenting his use of various supplements, hyperbaric and cryogenic chambers, light therapy… the list goes on and on. Basically, Dave Asprey has marketed himself as a human guinea pig. If he survives his experiments, he blogs, podcasts and ultimately, hopefully, comes up with a well-designed consumer product at the end. Thus came the Bulletproof Biohacking Conference, where ostensibly Asprey obscures some of the grosser bits of biohacking with a hastily constructed conference dividing wall and proceeds to present its bleeding edge to a few thousand mavericks ready to join in the fun. You want the best intravenous combo vitamin shot you’ll probably ever get? It’s just behind the curtain, mate.

Jim Welch tries the CVAC at Bulletproof Biohacking Conference 2016 — Jim Welch tries the CVAC at the Bulletproof Biohacking Conference 2016

Since the goal of most biohacking is to be more youthful, healthy and live longer, it sort of rules out that somewhat comforting, “someday I’ll die and all this annoying shit will be over” feeling that is a big part of most people’s lives. The crowd at this conference was having none of that. It was a good-looking crowd of Millennials and Gen Xer’s trying to squeeze out the good things in life promised to them, in the midst of a global economic system set-up against them.

On its surface, the three-day conference would seem to be mostly about athletic high performance, stem cell injections, and cutting edge vitamin supplements. However, relationship advice was Saturday main-stage material. It became clearly apparent to me: If you aren’t quite ready to die, you gotta hook up and reproduce. It really is so simple I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about it before.

Thus, suspiciously repentant author of the classic pick-up book, “The Game”, Neil Strauss, stole the show Saturday as he lectured a crowd of over-caffeinated, wannabe overachievers convinced they still haven’t experienced the perfect 30 minute orgasm. He rolled out a few zingers that would impress even the most well-adjusted, successfully self-medicated self-help junkies and then he dropped the bomb. I’m doing a disservice to his overall message by encapsulating it as, “get out of your own way you egotistical, self-absorbed, accidental narcissist” because it truly was more complex than that. Patiently, he simply and deftly explained with hasty chalk diagrams the formation of neural networks necessary for your survival and how they shape and perhaps aid or stymie your relationships in the present moment. It was quite good.

After Strauss’s talk, he was promptly mobbed by attendees clamoring for more. As he attempted to walk around the conference, it was like Socrates being followed by Plato and the Gang. Well, except that half of the dialogue was initiated by smokin’ hot “bulletproof betties” eager to pick the brain of the “master of The Game.”

Seeing no other way out, Strauss improvised a relationship salon under some shade trees outside the conference hall. There, he had the opportunity to concentrate on some attendees’ vexing problems.

Neil Strauss gives an impromptu relationship salon at the 4th Annual Bulletproof Biohacking Conference 2016

For example: what if you were a member of a Northern California techno-music cult looking for “womb donors” at the Biohacking Conference and were having only limited success finding sign-ups? Even though, they would be featured on a forthcoming reality TV show marketed by the cult? After stroking his beard, looking at the ground for a pregnant pause that seemed an eternity, Strauss looked up and said, “Having a baby for a reality TV show is probably the worst reason I could possibly think of to have a child.”

Next up was John Gray, Mr. “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” himself. If you’ve read his book or seen his schtick during a PBS pledge drive, you know it’s a good time. He rolled out all the choice bits featured in his now 30-year old classic seminar lecture. He even did the bit where he examines an attendee’s purse as evidence of his theories. Frankly, for as entertaining as it was, it was sort of dated. He ended up going about 15 minutes over his allotted speaking time because he couldn’t pass up the sure-fire pizazz he’s developed over the years. If you were new to it, I know it was fun. But if you’ve been seeing this guy since the days of the Phil Donahue Show, you weren’t really learning anything new. Basically at the end he said, “Read my new book.” Every attendee did get a copy of his, “The Mars and Venus Diet and Exercise Solution” book for free though, so ultimately you have to give him props for delivering solid goods that you could roll with.

Stem cells were main stage material this year. Amazing developments were touted and prospects for healing a variety of physical discomforts and injuries look promising. Asprey then showed a video of himself getting injections in almost every area of his body, even his junk! He claimed it even made his equipment 20% bigger. That got a lot of attention. I just hope that Ron Jeremy doesn’t find out about this and ends up giving a presentation at next year’s conference. All joking aside, the stem cell info really was amazing and I definitely recommend non-attendees check out some of the more recent Bulletproof podcasts on the subject.

The other big deal this year was oxaloacetate, a nutrient that is great for clearing brain fog or calming the mental chatter when you’ve had too many cups of coffee. Bulletproof was giving out samples of their new product “Ketoprime” that featured this stuff, and it did the trick. I was drinking coffee non-stop during the conference and the Ketoprime definitely took the edge off quick. It should be available in coming months. In the meantime, if you’re looking for some good oxaloacetate, get Bulletproof’s “Aging Formula” which does roughly the same thing but not so abruptly and over the course of your day.

Actually, I almost spilled my early morning cup of coffee when the best relationship moment of the conference happened. Longtime Bulletproofer Jonathan Brnak proposed marriage to Hideko Elizondo right on stage as Jonathan was touting the benefits of his involvement with the Bulletproof lifestyle. What initially seemed like a run-of-the-mill conference infomercial quickly morphed into, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is freaking happening!” It’s awesome to see relationships blossom, especially in the midst of the burgeoning Bulletproof eco-system that I’ve been lucky enough to see sprout up in my hometown of Santa Monica.

And, whereas Jonathan definitely had help from his Bulletproof homies pulling this off, Hideko had no idea it was going down before it happened. It was truly awesome and I was proud to tell my friends at the conference I knew them both. If it wasn’t for Jonathan and Hideko, I wouldn’t have learned about Bulletproof. It was they, as former managers of the vanguard Santa Monica Bulletproof store, who suffered through my numerous questions, skepticism and frequent stretching of the coffee re-fill policy. So big-ups to Jonathan and Hideko! Here’s a video of how it happened…

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Healthy for the Hardcore: Even Furthur had an Unfair Advantage

September 1, 2016 DJ Deadly Buda 1 Comment

Doubters, naysayers and skeptical sub-haters came outta the woodwork after my “Bulletproof at EDC/Gabberfest” article last June, basically accusing me of being a shill for Bulletproof. For the record, Bulletproof did not pay me for that article. The truth of the matter is that I was interested in their products and gave them a test under fire. They proved beneficial to me, and I thought to the rave scene young and old. It’s all part of my overall DJ strategy. I have to stay robust, and so do my fans. I need them more than they need me, and I gotta make sure they are kicking it live with yours truly well into the coming decades. Plus, I like introducing new things to the crowd and to my peers. It’s an honor to do so.

A big part of that article was a product called “Unfair Advantage” and its rejuvenating effect on my DJing at Gabberfest 2016.

Needless to say, Even Furthur attracted a generall skeptical group of ravers. — Needless to say, Even Furthur attracted a generally skeptical group of ravers. -photo by Jim Welch

But, what if the effects were just on me? Was there a placebo effect? We needed more data. I figured a way to quell the doubters (and my own doubts) would be to introduce Unfair Advantage to my DJ peers under harsher circumstances than even Las Vegas provided.

Before I describe the testing grounds, I should describe Unfair Advantage and why is it particularly good for the DJ and raver. It’s an ampule of liquid containing a combination of Active PQQ and Coq10 (pyrroloquinoline quinone and ubiquinone). Its goal is to regenerate and stimulate your body’s cell mitochondria, which power just about everything you do. In general, older people feel the effect more than young people, and that effect is an initial mental clarity, followed by a subtle but noticeable, more robust feeling in the body. In general, I take it before I DJ to help with song recollection, selection, performance and to dance my butt off as I play.

our home was Camp Blood. — Our home was Camp Blood.-photo by Jim Welch

Many of my DJ peers are in their 40’s and thus it could be argued we would need an “Unfair Advantage” to deal with our situation: A 4-day camping rave in the muddy, rain-soaked woods of Highbridge, Wisconsin. A group called Drop Bass Network, famous in the nineteen-nineties for throwing roaring Midwest raves and essentially launching Daft Punk into the global consciousness, were returning to form. Over 2000 ravers of all ages were going to their event, Even Furthur. We are talking: limited sleep, harsh weather, and lots of dancing.

The Hard Data’s latest and greatest correspondent, Jim Welch, joined me on this journey. In the airport, I immediately got him turned on to Unfair Advantage. There were a number of reasons for this. First, we had to be a peak performance at all times. But also, I needed a corroborating opinion. Some of my old raver friends from back in the day might think twice before taking anything I handed to them! 😀

We endeavored to film most of the mission, here is how it began:

One of our biggest scores was hooking Frankie Bones and Tommie Sunshine up after their amazing back-to-back set. Both Jim and I think Sunshine & Bones is going to be a regular DJ tour someday soon.

If you know techno, then when Frankie says “Cybotron clear” well… you know that’s no joke. Doubters… take note! Now to Tommie Sunshine…

We met up with DJ Wade Hampton in the daytime. After playing a rousing set at Even Furthur the night before, and getting virtually no sleep, he took an ampule of Unfair Advantage and reported the results.

We stroll out on the porch of the Drop Bass Network compound and run into Dan Efex on the porch!

Brooklyn was in the house! Maria Nineonine, promoter of ISR 25 NYC was our next subject, witness!

One of Even Furthur’s main promoters, Woody McBride aka DJ ESP was next. This guy knows his natural products and coffee, so if he liked it, then I knew I was onto something…

Getting these proponents of extended adolescence fired up didn’t stop there. Next up was another mid-west DJ legend, Mystic Bill. After a brief moment of peer pressure, he takes the challenge.

Sometimes Unfair Advantage works more subtle. If things are really crappy, its not going to make you see pink elephants, but it should stimulate a slightly better feeling to help you make it through whatever is vexing you. Here’s Joel Huber after a 4 hour drive in the rain, about to drive another 5 hours to get us to the event.

One guy we definitely wanted to turn on was Rob Gee! He’s a hardcore techno legend and I know personally loves his Red Bulls. He would be the perfect candidate. After a brief moment of doubt, he asks the all important question…

It was a lot of fun turning friends on to Unfair Advantage over the Even Furthur weekend, and it saved my butt a time or two as well.

One interesting thing I have noticed about the supplement is it has a subtle effect on my emotional state. If I’m a little bummed or feeling negative, the supplement seems to stimulate my intelligence and creativity so that my brain formulates solutions to problems. This part is interesting to me. Depression drugs or opioids seem to attack the depressive feeling itself, but there’s a reason you are depressed—it’s your body telling you to make some changes!

Wait! Did Stickman have too much Unfair Advantage at Even Furthur? -photo by Jim Welch

Instead of masking the “Debbie Downer” moods, Unfair Advantage seems to help the problem solving aspect of our brain. So that you feel better because your mind is aided in formulating solutions to solve problems. I haven’t seen this written about much, though. Maybe it’s just me? If others find the same phenomena, I think it’s a great aid to parties and get-togethers. As much as we love our fellows, who doesn’t feel jealous, jilted or insecure at various times? Its natural and should be expected. But, and this is important… so is our higher brain functions that kick in and tell us to push through these feelings and take a higher road! When we do, it’s generally better for us and the group. It’s nice to have some support for the higher functions, finally! And these days we all need all the help we can get! Ultimately, our parties are very important for our relationships and what we eventually manifest in the physical realm, whether it’s houses, magazines, art, or babies! So do yourself a favor and give Unfair Advantage a try, it just might help you out.

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The EDC You Didn’t See

July 19, 2016 DJ Deadly Buda 1 Comment

Just when you thought you knew about everything that happened at EDC this year, we bring you the most overlooked, but perhaps most exciting development that happened under everyone’s nose. Fortunately, former Earache USA whirlwind and now ANOMIEdia’s CEO, Jim Welch, was on hand to give us the eyewitness account of what went down.

Lenny Dee and Rob Gee at EDC – photo by Jim Welch

It was a big year for the harder styles at Insomniac’s Electric Daisy Carnival. A stocked hardstyle line-up and a closing set on the Basscon: Wasteland stage by hardcore power Angerfist attested to the magnetic draw of the hard electronic. But there was another significant disruption of the status quo that went practically unnoticed even by the tea-leaf readers and crystal ball gazers who make a career out of divining Insomniac’s next moves…

Rob Gee rocking EDC hard! -photo by Jim Welch

Calliope was the Greek Muse of heroic poetry, and puttering along the Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s terra firma on EDC Day 2 was the apt-named Kalliope Art Car. This otherwise cute and unassuming converted bus actually packs a 70,000 watt sound system, and this night carried three old school legends that have steadfastly dedicated themselves to furthering the art of the rave. These heroes have continued to promote new and underground music ceaselessly for decades and were seemingly snuck into the party in the dead of night… a portent of things to come? I speak in order of appearance, Lenny Dee, Rob Gee, and Frankie Bones.

Lenny Dee lays down the hard electronic at EDC. – photo by Jim Welch

Despite the old school credibility all three of these artists bring to the table and their bona fide historical significance to the American rave scene going back to the early 1990’s, they have been surprisingly absent from the larger American festivals. In some ways, it might be because they still have never slowed down. Each has in his own way, like true artists, continued to pursue their art. So, they didn’t really fit into EDC’s usual “old school” area, the Upside Down Room, and were still a little too edgy for Basscon or Bassrush. Enter: Kalliope! and kudos to Insomniac for figuring out how to bring these guys to the attention of a new breed of ravers.

That said, I, like many of you, was stuck in the massive traffic jam that night and missed this part of the rave I wanted to hear and see most. As most of us didn’t have the privilege of following the Art Cart, we have tried our best to recreate the experience for you. Check out Jim Welch’s recount, and we’ve posted a re-creation of Lenny Dee’s set that he made for us. Frankie Bones actually managed to record his set, and we hope to get something from Rob Gee soon. At the end is my interview with Frankie Bones preceding the fateful night. Enjoy and look to the midnight horizon!