Old School: Acknowledging the No (Chris Ballew)

Labyrinths with Amanda Knox

Knox Robinson Productions

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, True Crime, Mental Health

4.4 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating. Chris Ballew never expected or even particularly wanted mainstream success. But when his band, the Presidents of the United States of America, hit it big, he had to reckon with what success meant to him and figure out how to say no when everyone around him wanted him to say yes. Reach out to us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠ or ⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation Apphttps://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For ad-free episodes of Hard Knocks, subscribe at Amandanox.substack.com, where you'll also find access to essays, bonus episodes and more.
0:10.4	Enjoy.
0:13.0	Hey, Harry.
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1:16.0	I'm Amanda Knox, and you're listening to Hard Knox.
1:26.4	Welcome to an episode of Old School, where you get to enjoy past conversations that I've had with wonderful people.
1:33.3	In this episode, we speak to Chris Ballou, a former frontman of presidents of the United States of America, formerly Casper Baby Pants, and currently very much himself. He continues to be an
1:47.1	incredible musician and artist, but in this conversation, we talk about the journey of coming
1:52.4	into oneself, knowing oneself, and honestly, I don't know anyone who knows himself better than
1:58.5	Chris Ballou. So please enjoy this conversation with my
2:02.0	very good friend, with my husband's man crush, the one and only, Chris Ballou.
2:09.4	Our guest today is Chris Ballou. If that name doesn't ring a bell, maybe this will.
2:15.6	I'm moving to the country, I'm going to eat a lot of peaches.
	...

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