Harmony Soleil
Mental Health Awareness Month is a perfect time to spotlight a special recent episode of Color Theory, where our host brings melodic dance music’s energy together as a vehicle for healing from grief and loss.
Earlier this year, Color Theory’s host and DJ Madlon lost her friend Tim, and together with a small community of surviving loved ones poured their hearts into curating a 2-hour journey through melodic dance music that features some of Tim’s favorite music. This includes tracks that remind loved ones of him, and songs that he would have loved. At the end of the video, Madlon’s partner Wil created a beautiful visual outro to honor him. Thank you for being here, for listening, and for remembering him with us.
Madlon recently took time to reflect on her friend, loss and the impact it has had on both her radio show ‘Color Theory’ and community.
Read her reflection below and listen to Color Theory every other Sunday at 8pm, you can also watch the full visual + audio version of this show is below.
You can find mental health resources and more on our Coping 101 Podcast page.
There’s this moment I love in Stephen King’s novel, 11/22/63, when the narrator says, “Home is where you dance with others, and dancing is life.” It makes me think of Tim, and I can see him dancing in my mind. Timothy Patrick Pogar was one of my closest friends, a huge supporter of my radio show Color Theory, and someone who believed in the magic of community and creativity. He was also Wilster Phung’s best friend — and Wilster is my fiancé and creative partner. When we were first dreaming up Color Theory and talking with the C89.5 team about the show, Tim was the first person we told. He was our #1 fan from the start.
After Tim died earlier this year, I knew I had to make a tribute episode to grieve, honor, and remember him through music. It was an emotional process: crying while recording voiceover, wrestling with brain fog, stitching together a mix of his favorite tracks and songs his friends and family suggested. I wanted to reflect the vastness of Tim’s spirit, impact, and musical taste. Wil, with whom Tim always encouraged me to collaborate, created a beautiful visualizer and memorial banner. He spent weeks editing and exporting, pouring as much love into the visual side as I did into the audio. Tim had once told us — during a Korean BBQ night out for his birthday, after reading our astrology charts — that if we combined our art, we could make something beautiful. I think he was right.
We artists tend to create out of necessity — from an internal drive — but the way it reaches others can be the most meaningful part. When the tribute episode aired, Wil and I hosted a live chat where people who knew and loved Tim shared stories and memories. At his funeral, one of Tim’s relatives told me how much the show had meant to his family. More messages from loved ones followed. These moments didn’t extinguish the pain, but made surviving my new, unwelcome reality a little easier. I’ve learned that grief demands to be felt, and it helps to feel it in community and through creativity. You don’t have to cope alone.
Love,
Madlon
Listen to recent episodes of Color Theory On Demand and follow Madlon on social media!
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