On today's show I talk to musician Annabelle Cazes AKA Glockabelle . Annabelle grew up in Westchester, NY and studied for many years in Paris with an aim to become a concert pianist. After having a taste of that lifestyle however, she turned her attentions to indie rock, making her own music with a small Casio VL-1 keyboard and a glockenspiel. Annabelle has toured with The Fiery Furnaces (why not check out my previous episode with Eleanor Friedberger ?), sings on the latest The Go! Team album, a...
Jun 18, 2015•1 hr 28 min
On today's show I talk to actor Adam Pally . Adam got his start in comedy at UCB performing on the theater's reknowned improv team Death by Roo Roo, and in the trio Hot Sauce with Brooklyn 99 writer (and former Beginnings guest ) Gil Ozeri and Parks and Rec 's Ben Schwartz. After moving to LA, Adam was cast on the amazing comedy Happy Endings , which ran for three seasons, and after that played Dr. Peter Prentice on The Mindy Project . Currently, he is filming a lead role in the upcoming comedy ...
Jun 11, 2015•1 hr 11 min
On today's show I talk to comedian and writer Yassir Lester . Originally from Marietta, GA, Yassir is based in Los Angeles. An accomplished stand-up, Yassir is also a TV writer and has written for Adult Swim shows like Black Dynamite and Mr. Pickles . He's a judge on the MTV show Snack-Off as well, and currently he's a writer on the forthcoming season of the HBO series Girls . Also in the second half, I talk about depression and microaggressions with the wonderful Heben Nigatu , a senior editor ...
Jun 04, 2015•2 hr 31 min
On today's show I talk to author Jack Womack . Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Jack moved to New York in 1977, and his first novel Ambient was published a decade later. Ambient was the first in his "Dryco" series which includes Terraplane , Heathern and Elvissey , which he won the Philip K Dick Award for. He's also written a number of other great books like Random Acts of Senseless Violence and Let's Put the Future Behind Us. Jack may or may not fall under the rubric of "cyberpunk", dependi...
May 28, 2015•1 hr 26 min
On today's show I talk to comedy writer and the man behind many of your favorite things Joe Randazzo . Joe got his start at The Onion , and while there worked his way up to editor of the paper. After they moved their headquarters to Chicago, he became the creative director of Thing X which then became adultswim.com , and presided over a creative renaissance for the site. Currently, Joe is the head writer for the Comedy Central gameshow @Midnight and very soon his book Funny on Purpose: The Defin...
May 21, 2015•1 hr 13 min
On today's show I talk to writer, producer and feminist Marcelle Karp . Born in New York, Marcelle met Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel in 1993 while working at Nickelodeon, and the three started a zine called Bust . Bust grew and became one of the flagship publications of third-wave feminism. After leaving the magazine to raise her daughter Ruby, Marcelle has continued to be an icon of feminism and as one of her projects, currently produces the HelloGiggles Presents show at UCB with her daughte...
May 14, 2015•1 hr 47 min
On today's show I talk to actor Susan Heyward . Susan grew up mostly in Atlanta and Philly as the daughter of two preachers and came to acting at a young age. Since entering the professional world, she's performed on and off Broadway, had roles in comedies like 30 Rock and Michael and Michael Have Issues , dramas like The Following , and most recently played Deena Pilgrim in the Powers Playstation show, which was just picked up for a second season.This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe o...
May 07, 2015•1 hr 17 min
On today's show I talk to writer Alex Dinelaris Jr. As a New York native, Alex was captivated by film and theater at a young age. While he initially studied to be a theater director, he was encouraged to write, and eventually his play Folding the Monster got some attention. Since then, he's written a number of well-received plays, including Still Life and Red Dog Howls , has co-written two films Biutiful and the Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning Birdman , and is currently showrunning the St...
Apr 30, 2015•1 hr 7 min
On today's show I talk to comedian Kevin Avery . Originally from San Francisco, Kevin currently lives in New York where he is a writer on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . Previously, he was the head writer on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and wrote on Best Week Ever before that. Kevin's also a wonderful stand-up and podcaster - his first album is called Hardcore , and with Kamau, he hosts the Wolfpop podcast Denzel Washington is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period . This is the website...
Apr 23, 2015•1 hr 41 min
Welcome to our perverse-free orb! On today's show I talk to musicians Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang. Damon and Naomi started playing music together as the rhythm section, co-songwriters, and sometime singers in Galaxie 500. When that band ended, they continued as a duo, first recording for Shimmy Disc and then on a series of albums for Sub Pop Records. In 2005, they formed their own label 20/20/20 and have since released three further Damon & Naomi albums. In addition to their work as music...
Apr 16, 2015•1 hr 45 min
On today's show, I talk to Tony Award-nominated actor Reed Birney. For most of his career, Reed was a journeyman actor, but that all changed in 2008 when he starred in the OBIE Award-winning Sarah Kane play Blasted at the Soho Rep. Since then he's performed in a number of on and off Broadway plays and received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Harvey Fierstein’s play Casa Valentina . Reed also plays Donald Blythe on the hit Netflix series House of Cards .This ...
Apr 14, 2015•1 hr 9 min
On today's show, I talk to humor writer Simon Rich . Born in New York City, Rich is the son of New York Times and New York Magazine writer Frank Rich. Simon started writing at a young age, and has published two novels and three collections of humor. His most recent Spoiled Brats was released last year. He's also written for Saturday Night Live and was a staff writer at Pixar. Also, Simon created the show Man Seeking Woman for FX, which was just picked up for a second season.This is the website f...
Apr 09, 2015•1 hr 18 min
On today's show, I talk to artist and musician C. Spencer Yeh . Originally from Taiwan, Spencer's family moved to Canada when he was young, and later, Spencer grew up in the Rust Belt. As a musician, Spencer has released over twenty albums on numerous labels, many under the name Burning Star Core, and a number of improvisational collaborations under his own name - including collabos with everyone from saxophonist Paul Flaherty to avant-garde filmmaker and composer Tony Conrad. As an artist , his...
Apr 07, 2015•2 hr 32 min
On today's show I talk to journalist and author Jon Ronson . Originally from Cardiff, Wales, Jon moved to London for university, and it was in England that his writing career began. He's created a number of documentaries for BBC radio, TV, and for similar places like Channel 4, and he's written a number of international bestsellers - some of which have been turned into films - including The Men Who Stare at Goats , The Psychopath Test , Them: Adventures with Extremists , and his latest, which is...
Apr 02, 2015•2 hr 30 min
On today's show, I talk to comedian and host Amanda Seales . While born in LA, Amanda's family hails from Grenada. Amanda got her start in entertainment at a young age, with parts in films like Cop and 1/2 and a recurring role on the Nickelodeon show My Brother and Me . And since then, she's become a showbiz jack-of-all-trades: she's been a VJ on MTV, she was featured on Best Week Ever , she was a semi-finalist in the NBC Stand Up for Diversity, she has a weekly webseries for BET, and I'm not ki...
Mar 26, 2015•1 hr 8 min
On today's show I talk to actor Lola Kirke. Lola comes from a family of artists and musicians - her father is Simon Kirke of the bands Bad Company and Free, her mother is Lorraine Kirke, a fashion designer and interior decorator, and her sister is Jemima, who plays Jessa on Girls . But at the age 24, Lola is no slouch herself. She's acted in films like Gone Girl and shows like The Leftovers , she plays the lead in the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle , and she's one of the stars of Noah Baumba...
Mar 19, 2015•1 hr 7 min
On today's show I talk to stand-up David Smithyman . David hails from Sydney, Australia and moved to the US to attend college. Since starting stand-up, he's become a finalist in NBC's Stand-Up for Diversity and last year was named one of Comedy Central's Comics to Watch. Currently, he writes on the ABC show Fresh Off the Boat .This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on iTunes , follow me on Twitter ....
Mar 12, 2015•2 hr
On today's show I talk to comics writer Charles Soule . After getting his JD from Columbia Law School, Charles became a lawyer focusing on corporate law and immigration. Simultaneously, he also started his comics career. His first work Strongman was published on Slave Labor Graphics, and subsequently Oni Press began publishing his ongoing series Letter 44 . Since then, he's written Swamp Thing , Red Lanterns and Superman/Wonder Woman for DC and Thuderbolts , She-Hulk , Inhuman and The Death of W...
Mar 05, 2015•1 hr 6 min
On today's show I talk to comedian Jake Fogelnest . Jake's career in entertainment started at the age of 14 when his public access show Squirt TV became a phenomenon, eventually making the leap to MTV. While Jake has regularly worked since then - doing things like writing for Best Week Ever and contributing jokes to SNL 's Weekend Update - it's only recently that his career has truly bloomed: writing for places and shows like Funny or Die and Billy on the Street , as well as the new Hulu series ...
Feb 26, 2015•1 hr 28 min
On today's show, I talk to comedian Mike Drucker . In Mike's short time existing on Earth, he has been a part of some of the greatest comedy establishments in American history. He's contributed to The Onion and SNL and has written for Nintendo. He also wrote for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and currently writes for The Tonight Show ! Besides being funny, he's also a nice dude!This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on iTunes , follow me on Twitter ....
Feb 19, 2015•1 hr 15 min
On today's special 200th episode, I talk to one of my favorite cartoonists Michael Kupperman . Michael has been creating surreal and hilarious comics for decades - most recently in the amazing Fantagraphics series Tales Designed to Thrizzle. Other books of his include Snake 'n' Bacon's Cartoon Cabaret and Mark Twain’s Autobiography 1910-2010 . In addition to his comics work, Michael also made a Snake 'n' Bacon pilot for Adult Swim and has contributed to The Peter Serafinowicz Show . Plus Naomi E...
Feb 12, 2015•1 hr 39 min
On today's show I talk to comedian Nore Davis . Originally from Yonkers, Norestarted doing comedy after giving up street racing. He's performed on shows on MTV and Comedy Central, acted in in shows Boardwalk Empire , and was a New Face at Just for Laughs last year. Nore also has a new stand-up album out called Home Game that's very funny!This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on iTunes , follow me on Twitter ....
Feb 05, 2015•2 hr 40 min
It's the fifth anniversary of Beginnings , and to celebrate, I have a wonderful episode for you with writer Chuck Klosterman . Originally from Minnesota, Chuck is the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction books, including his quasi-memoir Fargo Rock City , his acclaimed essay collection Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs and novels like Downtown Owl . Chuck has also written for GQ, Esquire, Spin, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Grantland, The Believer and also writes the weekly The Ethicist colu...
Jan 29, 2015•2 hr 28 min
I hope y'all are ready for an awesome episode with author Helen DeWitt . While born in America, Helen's father was in the foreign service. She grew up all over Latin America and later attended the University of Oxford, which is where she earned her PhD. Helen has written two amazing books, The Last Samuri (which has nothing to do with that Tom Cruise film) and Lightning Rods , which was recently named to the Slate/Whiting Second Novel List. She is currently working on her third.This is the websi...
Jan 22, 2015•2 hr 10 min
One today's episode I talk to writer and performer Ben Sinclair . Ben's name may not be instantly recognizable but for fans of High Maintenance , which is one of the best webseries out there - and would certainly be among the best TV shows if it were on TV - you'll instantly know him as the series anonymous weed dealer The Guy. Not only does Ben star in the show, but along with his wife (and former Beginnings guest ) Katja Blichfeld, he's also the co-creator and co-writer of the show, as well as...
Jan 15, 2015•2 hr 23 min
On today's show, I talk to musician Mike Pace . A Long Island native, Mike was a member of the popular indie rock band Oxford Collapse, who were together from 2002 to 2009. They released four albums: two on Kanine and two on Sub Pop. Mike also co-hosted the awesome podcast Worst Gig Ever , which ran for 100 episodes as well as seven episodes on Official Comedy's YouTube channel. On January 13th, Self-Starter Foundation will release Mike's first solo album Best Boy , which he recorded under the n...
Jan 08, 2015•2 hr 40 min
On today's show, I talk to stand-up Kyle Kinane . Kyle was raised in the suburbs of Addison, Illinois and could have very well stayed right there drinking and partying if comedy hadn't come along to wrench him out of his torpor. Since starting stand-up, Kyle's performed on a number of shows including Conan ; he has his own Comedy Central Presents ; and he's released two albums Death of the Party and Whiskey Icarus , both of which are great. His latest special I Liked His Old Stuff Better premier...
Dec 31, 2014•1 hr 52 min
Guy Branum is a wonderful stand-up who was born and raised in Yuba City, CA on an almond farm. After graduating UC Berkeley, he attended the University of Minnesota Law School, where he received his JD. But the lawyer life was not for Guy, and stand-up eventually led to TV writing. Guy's written for G4, Chelsea Lately and Totally Biased . He also appeared on season eight of Last Comic Standing .This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on iTunes , follow me on Twitter ....
Dec 24, 2014•1 hr 59 min
On today's show, I talk to the wonderful Shonali Bhowmik . Originally from Nashville, Shonali's got a deep history in both music and comedy. Her first band Ultrababyfat toured with David Cross on the "Let America Laugh" tour, and is a member of the comedy group Variety SHAC with Andrea Rosen, Chelsea Peretti and Heather Lawless. Shonali's also the leader of the indie rock band Tigers and Monkeys and she has her own solo album out entitles 100 Oaks Revival . On top of that, she's the co-host of h...
Dec 18, 2014•2 hr 44 min
On today's show, I talk to musician Elisa Ambrogio . In 2001, Elisa started the indie rock band Magik Markers with her childhood friend Leah Quimby. After touring with Sonic Youth in 2004, they released their first album on Thurston Moore's label, and continued to release albums and gain acclaim. Recently, Elisa recorded her first solo album The Immortalist , which was just released on the brilliant label Drag City. And it's one of the best albums to come out this year.This is the website for Be...
Dec 11, 2014•2 hr 10 min
