NBSV 214: Life is an improvisation: Bob Wiseman on music, mortality, and veganism
- Karina Inkster
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
5-time Juno Award winner and founding member of Blue Rodeo Bob Wiseman joins me for a wide-ranging, thoughtful conversation about music, aging, and what it actually looks like to live vegan for decades—long before it was mainstream or convenient.
Bob and I talk about his early days with macrobiotics and touring as a long-term vegan, why grocery stores matter more than restaurants on the road, and how the West Coast quietly led the way on plant-based food culture. We dig into improvisation—not just as a musical practice, but as a way of understanding life itself—and why the idea that music isn’t improvised is philosophically questionable at best.
We also get into aging and mortality: how perspective shifts in your 40s, 50s, and 60s; what it means to start losing people you love; and why long-term health habits matter, even though nothing is guaranteed. Along the way, Bob shares stories about teaching beginners, learning accordion on a whim, raising a vegetarian kid in a mixed-diet household, and why trying to force change on other people rarely works.
This episode is funny, reflective, a little wackadoodle, and full of big ideas about creativity, compassion, and playing the long game—on stage and in life.
Important topics we discussed:
>> Why trying to force change (whether in music, food choices, or relationships) almost always backfires.
>> What being vegan looked like before the word “vegan” was commonly used.
>> Why grocery stores—not restaurants—are the real survival skill for vegans who travel or tour.
Connect with Bob:
>> Bob's website
>> Bob's social links on Linktree
Share your thoughts:
>> Comment on the episode's Facebook post.
>> Leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Your reviews really help, and I read each one!
Subscribe to the show:
>> Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify.
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