In this episode of Identified, host Nabil Ayers interviews Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel. Nate shares insights from spending nearly three decades with the band, and the familial bonds formed along the way. He reflects on his unique friendship with the late Taylor Hawkins, the parallel between his band and his non-traditional family upbringing, and his childhood experiences within a diverse family structure. Nate also discusses the impact of his mother’s early passing, his adopted sibling, and his evolving definition of family as he navigates relationships both within the band and his personal life.


Host: Nabil Ayers

Guest: Nate Mendel

Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Production Company: Palm Tree Island

Music: Nouela and Patricia Brennan.

In this episode of Identified, host Nabil Ayers interviews Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel. Nate shares insights from spending nearly three decades with the band, and the familial bonds formed along the way. He reflects on his unique friendship with the late Taylor Hawkins, the parallel between his band and his non-traditional family upbringing, and his childhood experiences within a diverse family structure. Nate also discusses the impact of his mother’s early passing, his adopted sibling, and his evolving definition of family as he navigates relationships both within the band and his personal life.
 Host: Nabil Ayers
Guest: Nate Mendel
Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji
Production Company: Palm Tree Island
Music: Nouela and Patricia Brennan.

Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity.

In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics.

Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family?

Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique.

The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity.
In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics.
Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family?
Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique.
The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

Identified with Nabil Ayers

Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity.
In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics.
Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family?
Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique.
The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

Foo Fighters' Nate Mendel on Band Brotherhood, His Special Relationship with Taylor Hawkins, and His Non-Traditional Family Upbringing.

In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers sits down with bestselling author and literary agent Betsy Lerner to explore identity, family history, and the complicated path to becoming a writer. Betsy reflects on her upbringing, the influence of her family, and how personal experiences eventually shaped both her writing and her career in publishing.

Known for her work as a literary agent as well as her acclaimed memoirs and books on writing, Betsy has spent decades helping writers uncover the stories only they can tell. The conversation explores how identity, family dynamics, and cultural background can influence the stories we carry and the stories we are willing to share. Betsy also reflects on the emotional challenge of writing personal material, the tension between honesty and vulnerability, and why the most powerful writing often comes from confronting the truths we try hardest to avoid.

This is a thoughtful discussion about storytelling, memory, and the role writing plays in helping us understand where we come from.

Guest: Betsy Lerner

Host: Nabil Ayers

Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Produced by Palm Tree Island

In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers sits down with bestselling author and literary agent Betsy Lerner to explore identity, family history, and the complicated path to becoming a writer. Betsy reflects on her upbringing, the influence of her family, and how personal experiences eventually shaped both her writing and her career in publishing.
Known for her work as a literary agent as well as her acclaimed memoirs and books on writing, Betsy has spent decades helping writers uncover the stories only they can tell. The conversation explores how identity, family dynamics, and cultural background can influence the stories we carry and the stories we are willing to share. Betsy also reflects on the emotional challenge of writing personal material, the tension between honesty and vulnerability, and why the most powerful writing often comes from confronting the truths we try hardest to avoid.
This is a thoughtful discussion about storytelling, memory, and the role writing plays in helping us understand where we come from.
Guest: Betsy Lerner
Host: Nabil Ayers
Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji
Produced by Palm Tree Island

Betsy Lerner on Writing Your Truth and The Tension Between Honesty and Fear

Have you ever found community through your art?

In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers sits down with musician Ryan Kattner to talk about growing up in an Air Force family, moving every three years, and never quite feeling rooted in one place. Ryan reflects on being mixed race, with a Filipino mother and a white father, and how navigating different cultural spaces shaped his sense of identity.

He shares what it was like to feel caught between worlds, passing in some environments while feeling out of place in others. The conversation explores how constant movement shaped his understanding of family, where friends often became family, and how music eventually became a space where he felt understood and connected.

Ryan also talks about the realities of life on the road, the bond that forms between musicians, and how creativity can help process loss and major life moments.

 

Guest: Ryan Kattner

Host: Nabil Ayers

Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Produced and Distributed by: Palm Tree Island

Have you ever found community through your art?
In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers sits down with musician Ryan Kattner to talk about growing up in an Air Force family, moving every three years, and never quite feeling rooted in one place. Ryan reflects on being mixed race, with a Filipino mother and a white father, and how navigating different cultural spaces shaped his sense of identity.
He shares what it was like to feel caught between worlds, passing in some environments while feeling out of place in others. The conversation explores how constant movement shaped his understanding of family, where friends often became family, and how music eventually became a space where he felt understood and connected.
Ryan also talks about the realities of life on the road, the bond that forms between musicians, and how creativity can help process loss and major life moments.
&nbsp;
Guest: Ryan Kattner
Host: Nabil Ayers
Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji
Produced and Distributed by: Palm Tree Island

Ryan Kattner on growing up between cultures and finding community through music

How much of who we are is shaped before we ever have a say? In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers sits down with musician Damon McMahon, formally Amen Dunes, to explore how family history, inherited trauma, and cultural identity shape who we become.

Damon reflects on growing up between two very different worlds: his mother’s side of European Jewish Holocaust survival and his father’s working-class Irish American roots. He shares stories of how these legacies lived quietly in his family — sometimes spoken, often unspoken — and how they influenced his sense of self from an early age.

The conversation moves through complicated family dynamics, childhood instability, and the ways creativity can act as a private space for processing what’s difficult to articulate. Damon talks candidly about how his music has long been a way of exploring identity, releasing emotion, and trying to understand the forces that shaped him. They also discuss how becoming a parent reshaped his understanding of family — not as something inherited, but something actively created.

How much of who we are is shaped before we ever have a say? In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers sits down with musician Damon McMahon, formally Amen Dunes, to explore how family history, inherited trauma, and cultural identity shape who we become.
Damon reflects on growing up between two very different worlds: his mother&rsquo;s side of European Jewish Holocaust survival and his father&rsquo;s working-class Irish American roots. He shares stories of how these legacies lived quietly in his family &mdash; sometimes spoken, often unspoken &mdash; and how they influenced his sense of self from an early age.
The conversation moves through complicated family dynamics, childhood instability, and the ways creativity can act as a private space for processing what&rsquo;s difficult to articulate. Damon talks candidly about how his music has long been a way of exploring identity, releasing emotion, and trying to understand the forces that shaped him. They also discuss how becoming a parent reshaped his understanding of family &mdash; not as something inherited, but something actively created.

Foo Fighters' Nate Mendel on Band Brotherhood, His Special Relationship with Taylor Hawkins, and His Non-Traditional Family Upbringing.

In 1 playlist(s)

Identified with Nabil Ayers

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips