Podcast Summary: takin' a walk – "Classic Music Saved Me with Dylan Cartlidge"
Host: Lynne Hoffman (for "Music Saved Me" segment, presented as part of takin’ a walk)
Guest: Dylan Cartlidge
Release Date: September 17, 2025
Length (excluding ads): ~20 minutes
Overview:
This episode dives into the transformative and healing power of music through the journey of Dylan Cartlidge, a rising musician known for his hope-filled storytelling and genre-bending sound. Hosted by Lynne Hoffman, the conversation uncovers Dylan's challenging upbringing, the role of music in his healing, and how he now gives back through his art, inspiring others facing adversity.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Dylan’s Early Life and Introduction to Music
Timestamps: [05:05]–[09:12]
- Dylan details his traumatic childhood: in and out of foster care, facing the choice as a teenager to leave his troubled hometown for a new life with a foster family.
- Moving to Redcar, a small town in northeast England, was both "beautiful but terrifying" ([05:20]).
- Music became his anchor during this chaotic time:
- Started writing lyrics and albums at 13–14, sharing them with classmates, performing at talent shows.
- "It was really, really difficult…that transition…was to kind of, you know, to start that process of healing and really begin to begin my life, really." – Dylan ([06:45])
2. Songwriting as Communication and Healing
Timestamps: [07:13]–[09:11]
- Wrote songs to communicate with his younger brother and others, as he struggled to express emotions verbally.
- Early songwriting became a vehicle to “give a voice to the voiceless”—especially children enduring trauma, addiction, and adversity.
- “I have a younger brother…when my brother was born, like, that was a ray of hope… I can't allow what's happened to me so far to happen to my brother.” – Dylan ([07:47])
3. Defining Hope Above Adversity—Dylan’s Artistic Mission
Timestamps: [09:12]–[11:31]
- His sound is "hope above adversity": blending his life story, emotional landscape, and musical influences.
- Finds inspiration in music greats – Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder.
- Emphasizes music is more than what’s “on an MP3”—it’s a “timestamp, a little frozen piece of time” that encapsulates feeling and context. ([10:14])
- “I really get a real catharticism from making music…and think about the broader context of all the music that's come before me…but with my own story.” ([11:05])
4. Influences & The Power of Musical Connection
Timestamps: [11:31]–[15:03]
- Influences for comfort included Kid Cudi, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong. When feeling down, Dylan would “sit with that feeling and embrace that and try to learn something from it.” ([11:50])
- The timelessness of artists expressing hardship resonated deeply: “Nina Simone being…a quintessential point in case there…[she would] express it in a way that felt kind of timeless.” ([12:18])
- Story of first hearing Run DMC’s “It’s Tricky” as a kid at a wedding—a formative, joyful moment ([13:10]).
- “I just requested [the song] over and over again and was dancing and dancing and dancing.”
- Dylan describes himself as an “old soul” drawn to the richness of past eras.
5. When Music Truly Saved Him
Timestamps: [15:03]–[16:31]
- Leaving his hometown was one of Dylan's darkest, hardest moments.
- Kid Cudi’s lyrics about depression and mental illness made him feel less alone:
- “It was the first time where it felt to me like…it was kind of safe to just like, oh, you know, it isn’t just Jay Z that I’m looking at…there’s also this guy that is also, you know, talking about how low he is… And I think that that really, for me, is when I felt really music touched me.” ([15:35])
6. Purpose and Audience Connection
Timestamps: [16:31]–[18:23]
- His greatest wish: for anyone, not just “music buffs,” to find meaning, encouragement, or solace in his music.
- More gratifying than streams or awards: the rare DM or message from a fan who found hope in his music.
- “I really feel like…the one DM I get from people like, ‘Oh my God…’–that has been my whole kind of mission with my music and what I’m doing is to be able to give back what music has given me, you know.” ([17:45])
7. Live Performance vs. Studio: Vulnerability and Growth
Timestamps: [18:23]–[21:53]
- Dylan describes his first live shows as “absolutely nerve shatteringly terrifying.”
- “When I walked up to the microphone it literally felt as though…I was there and I was completely naked and everybody was like, oh my God, this guy…it was so earth shatteringly nervous.” ([18:56])
- Performance has grown to feel more authentic as he learned to be unscripted and share his personality—“being me, telling jokes, being stupid…just connecting with people and being myself.” ([19:48])
- Looking forward to performing for bigger audiences and exploring, “Now that I’m here…what does life look like today? Who am I today…?” ([20:58])
8. “New Day”—A Song of Joy
Timestamps: [21:53]–[23:04]
- New single “New Day” is praised by Lynne as “the happiest song I think I’ve ever heard in my life.” ([22:06])
- Dylan jokes about it becoming the go-to morning song for everyone starting their day.
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
-
On Music as Healing:
“That transition…was to kind of…start that process of healing and really begin to begin my life, really.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [06:45] -
On Writing to His Brother:
“It was really to…give a voice to the voiceless.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [08:53] -
On Musical Collaboration:
“I always see…collaboration and also just making music as like a timestamp, a little…frozen piece of time of where that person might be or where those people might be at that time.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [10:14] -
On Finding Hope in Musical Influence:
“I would find is that…when I was not feeling great…I actually try my best to…sit with that feeling and embrace that and try to learn something from it.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [11:50] -
On Music’s Saving Power:
“I was actually getting an insight into who that artist was as a person. And it made me really discover myself too.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [16:13] -
On Impacting Fans:
“The one message or the one DM…‘I’ve just been going through a really tough time and I heard this song and…I can relate to that, I’ve been in that dark place’…that has been my whole…mission.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [17:45] -
Live Show Nerves:
“When I walked up to the microphone it literally felt as though…I was completely naked and everybody was like, oh my God, this guy…so earth shatteringly nervous.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [18:56] -
On “New Day” and Spreading Joy:
“You have to listen to ‘New Day’ with you getting up to work a construction job at 4am – everybody’s going to feel a little bit better.”
– Dylan Cartlidge [22:54]
Important Segment Timestamps
- Dylan’s traumatic childhood and finding music: [05:05]–[09:12]
- Writing for and about his younger brother: [07:35]–[08:53]
- Defining and living “hope above adversity”: [09:42]–[11:31]
- Musical influences, childhood stories: [11:50]–[14:10]
- How Kid Cudi’s lyrics helped him: [15:03]–[16:13]
- Audience connection and the thrill of helping fans: [17:31]–[18:23]
- First live performance anxiety: [18:45]–[19:48]
- “New Day” and its infectious joy: [21:53]–[23:04]
Tone and Style
The episode is earnest, deeply personal, and brimming with Dylan’s signature optimism and warmth, balanced by candid reflections on adversity. The conversation is down-to-earth and hopeful, encouraging listeners to find healing and connection through music, just as Dylan has.
Conclusion
Through openness about his own story, Dylan Cartlidge embodies “hope above adversity” in both his musical style and his life. Whether describing the anxiety of first stepping onto a stage or the power of a DM from a fan in need, Dylan emphasizes the importance of authentic connection and giving back through music. The episode is a testament to music’s transformative, restorative magic—and introduces “New Day” as a new anthem of positivity.