Michael Thomas Brown
In this inspiring interview, Michael Thomas Brown shares how his battle with cancer shaped Outside, reflecting on resilience, creativity, hope, and the healing power of music and human connection.
1. “Outside” was written while you were recovering from surgery following a cancer diagnosis, making it an incredibly personal piece. How did creating this song help you process such a life-changing experience, and what emotions were the hardest to translate into music?
In late 2022 I was diagnosed with Stage VI colorectal cancer, which had spread to my liver. I immediately began chemotherapy, and with that came insomnia. I’d find myself awake at 3 am, thinking and worrying about what the future might bring. That’s when I began writing lyrics, something I hadn’t done before. I was an instrumental guitarist, and I produced orchestral cues for sync licensing. These lyrics became “Dreams, Monsters, and the Universe”, a concept album I recorded in my makeshift studio in my spare bedroom. When I finished the album, I received word that chemo and radiation had worked, and I was cancer free. Cancer, being the spiteful bitch that it is, came back a few months later. That’s when I went through a series of surgeries to deal with the disease in a more primal way: with a knife.
During recovery, I locked myself in my studio, mainly so our dangerously friendly dogs wouldn’t accidentally hurt me. Here, “Outside”, the follow-up to my concept album, was written and recorded (my friend John Shade provided drums and piano via internet file sharing). I was feeling isolated, lonely, and honestly, pretty stoned on prescription pain killers. It occurred to me that it wasn’t the four walls of my tiny room that had me trapped. It was the cumulative fear and anxiety of the last couple of years. There was no door I could simply open and step through to escape. I would need help. So, I imagined an alien, far away in the vastness of open space, who might suffer the same isolation I was feeling. “Outside” is a story of how we find each other, because sometimes, no matter how tough you are, you need help to get through the hard stuff.
2. The music video embraces a simple hand-drawn animation style on a dry erase board, standing in stark contrast to today’s AI-generated visuals. What inspired you to make that artistic statement, and why do you believe human imperfection carries a unique emotional power?
We humans are unique on this planet. We survived not because we were the strongest, or that we were particularly suited to withstand our environment. We survived because we had this seemingly magical intellect that inspired us to construct shelter, to make fire, to plant crops. Our intellect gave us technology that let us survive, and live life the easy way compared to every other animal on the planet. If we were stripped of our technology and infrastructure, I don’t think most of us could survive. The easy way became our superpower, but it could also be our undoing.
Now our technology allows us to create art the easy way. So, being human, that’s what we will do. We will let AI write our songs, make our videos, and design our album covers. In doing so, we lose the very essence of art and originality. We become fast food consumers instead of hunters.
It is my opinion that any human made art, no matter how crudely drawn, sculpted or recorded, carries with it originality, heart, and emotion that no machine could ever duplicate.
3. Your upcoming concept album was born during your battle with Stage IV metastatic cancer and became a form of therapy. As the songs came together, did you find your perspective on life—and perhaps even on your illness—changing through the creative process?
(NOTE: my album was released on Friday, February 13, 2026. “Outside” is the follow up, released on June 12th, 2026.)
Yes. Before my surgeries, I had a 17% chance of living five years. When faced with that, I knew that if there was anything I wanted to do with my life that I hadn’t already done, now was the time. What I wanted to do was cherish every moment with my wife, and record the album. I guess it’s ego, but I wanted to leave behind a record (no pun intended) of my journey. The album was actually my wife’s idea. She encouraged me to sing, something I’d never really done before.
So, yes, my perspective on life changed. The grand epiphany? Don’t put off the things that matter to you. Start today. Because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Post surgery, my odds of five-year survival have improved to 50/50. A coin toss. I guess that’s the best any of us can hope for.
4. Throughout your story, the idea of resilience is captured by Newton’s famous principle that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. How has that philosophy shaped both your songwriting and your outlook on the future?
I’m a bit of a science nerd. You can hear it in a lot of my songs. “You’re Like the Sun”, for example, references the expanding universe, and the theoretical ‘big crunch’, when the universe collapses in on itself, resulting in another Big Bang. While many people find solace in religion, I find peace in an infinite universe that never fails to amaze, humble, and inspire.
5. Isolation, hope, fear, love, and mortality all seem to intertwine in your music. When listeners hear “Outside,” what conversations or feelings do you hope it sparks within them, especially for those facing their own personal struggles?
We are all alone sometimes; isolated and lonely. Some of us find it difficult to open the door, step outside and find someone to talk to. We should recognize that in ourselves, and in the people we know and love.
6. Despite the challenges you’ve faced, your message remains remarkably optimistic, summed up by the belief that “the harder you fall, the higher you bounce back.” Looking ahead, what does the future hold for you creatively, and what would you like this album to represent as the next chapter of your journey?
Currently, I’ve been spending lots of time playing guitar. As my health improves, I hope to get back to live performance.
I’m very proud of the work on “Dreams, Monsters, and the Universe”, and the follow up singles I’ve released. It will always be there for me, a reminder of who I was at that point in my life. Like a photograph of my inner thoughts, fears, and dreams. A reminder that even when things get heavy, there is art, beauty, peace, hope, and love. And monsters. There are always monsters.