CL-109 Oliver Gray Finds His Place

There's an inherent tension in making art. The best art comes from a deeply personal place, but also speaks in a universal register. That's not to say all art is for every person, but when the artist can successfully weave specific, individual moments into the grand themes of life, the results can be sensational. In his column for Good Beer Hunting called "This Must Be The Place," writer Oliver Gray shares glimpses of his life through the lens of beer: sometimes directly, other times more esoterically. His lyrical observations about finding his place as a beer lover, father, partner, and friend remind me of songwriting, in that there may or may not be an obvious answer at the end, but it sure has a beautiful flow.  Today, Oliver and I discuss how he evolved from a nonfiction writer to a blogger to a columnist, as well as why he shifted from his own outlet to Good Beer Hunting. You'll hear which writers and artists inspire him, as well as why he thinks certain things simply matter in the way that they do. We'll also dive into what struck me specifically in his latest entry called "Boxed Up," which pinpointed the freeing, but chaotic, experience of moving.  Oliver describes his short, poetic entries as comfort food, a descriptor with which I agree wholeheartedly.