From Banjo to Memoir: Finding Meaning in the Messy Middle of Life

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this conversation with Matthew Check, but I knew it would be interesting.

What I didn’t expect was just how layered it would be.

Matthew is a musician-turned-author whose memoir, What Would Philip Roth Do?, weaves together love, identity, creativity, and a fair amount of humor. But what stayed with me after our conversation wasn’t just the story itself. It was the process behind it—the discipline, the vulnerability, and the willingness to tell the truth even when it would be easier not to.

We talked about what it means to write honestly, how creativity actually works (hint: it’s not always inspiration), and why memoir is less about recording events and more about making sense of them.

There’s also something deeper running through all of this. Matthew’s story—whether he’s talking about bluegrass music, relationships, or imagined conversations with Philip Roth—keeps circling back to identity. Who am I? How did I get here? And what do I do with that truth once I see it clearly?

If you’ve ever wrestled with your own story, or wondered whether it’s worth telling, I think you’ll find something here.

Resources Mentioned

* Matthew Check’s website

* What Would Philip Roth Do?

* Matthew Check on Spotify and Apple Music (linked from his website)

* Bright Eyes: Surviving Our Monsters and Learning to Live Without Them by Bridey Thelen Heidel (mentioned in conversation)

* Philip Roth’s books