Soil and Soil (Leeroy Interviews a Literary Hero)
Songwriter Leeroy Stagger speaks with writer Alistair McIntosh about the mental-health strain many experienced during COVID, the need for community, and how the “pause” helped Leeroy slow down, reconnect with spirituality, and better understand his purpose as a touring musician. Leeroy 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 Leeroy to write a song inspired by the conversation.