Alastair McIntosh & Leeroy Stagger on Soil and Soul, COVID’s Pause & the Bardic Tradition

Songwriter Leroy Stagger speaks with writer Alistair McIntosh about the mental-health strain many experienced during COVID, the need for community, and how the “pause” helped Leroy slow down, reconnect with spirituality, and better understand his purpose as a touring musician. Leroy credits Alistair’s books, especially Soil and Soul and Poacher’s Pilgrimage, along with authors and artists like Patti Smith, Nick Cave, and others, for shaping his thinking about kindness, poetry, and a “divine inner reality.” Alistair discusses the Scottish bardic tradition, the “carrying stream,” mentoring through people, visions, and dreams, and the idea that spiritual insight is a gift of grace rather than willpower. They explore prayer as “holding others in God,” the dark night of the soul, interconnectedness, and keeping “one eye on the ground and the other on the stars,” then close with plans for Leroy to write a song inspired by the conversation.Stream the song: https://ffm.to/carryme-ls00:00 Welcome and Apology01:03 Mental Health and Modern Life02:11 COVID Pause and Self Discovery05:03 Books That Sparked Spirituality07:30 Patti Smith and Communal Faith13:58 Finding the Bardic Calling18:09 Origins of a Writer22:44 Carrying Stream and Fairy Hill25:17 Second Sight Story32:57 Divine Inner Reality36:07 Community Love and Beauty41:30 Grace and Dark Night44:18 God Come to My Heart46:50 Mantra and Grace47:38 Interfaith Mountain Paths49:48 Prayer in Torture54:06 God Carry Me56:34 Grounded and Starbound59:19 Aftershow and Next Guests01:02:30 Studio Talk and Songwriting01:07:56 Closing Song Snippet